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Franchise Tag Watch: Daniel Jones, George Pickens and More
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Mike's Hard Lemonade, players who could get franchise tagged, early My Guys and NFL Mock Draft.
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Mike's Hard Lemonade:
The first dominoes of the NFL offseason are set to begin any moment now.
The NFL franchise tag window opened on Tuesday and will run until March 3. During this time, each team can tag one unrestricted free agent on its roster if they are willing to stomach the cost (the price tag is based on the top 5 annual salaries at each position).
Here is a quick rundown of the tag candidates ...
George Pickens (Cowboys, WR; projected tag ~$27-28.8M)
This one seems like a lock as long as Jerry continues to wake up on the right side of the bed. Pickens remaining in Dallas would be great for his fantasy value. Despite a bumpy finish, he still ended the season with the fifth most fantasy points at the WR position.
Daniel Jones (Colts, QB; projected tag ~$47.2M)
The Colts are essentially being held hostage by their own QB right now. They have almost no choice but to retain Indiana Jones considering 1) he now has the nickname Indiana Jones and 2) the lack of viable options in FA and the Draft (see below). That said, he is still coming off a torn Achilles and the QB tag price would be exorbitant (see above). The most likely scenario is the team uses the tag elsewhere (likely Alec Pierce) and tries to work out a separate deal with Jones.
Kenneth Walker III (Seahawks, RB; projected tag ~$14.5M)
We previously discussed Walker's fortunate timing with Free Agency, but there's almost no way the Seahawks can use the tag on Walker at this cost. The team will either work out a multi-year deal or Walker will hit the open market. Considering Zach Charbonnet's ACL tear in January, it's going to be tough for the team to not pony up for the Super Bowl MVP.
Kyle Pitts (Falcons, TE; projected tag ~$16-16.5M)
Pitts seems like a strong candidate for the franchise tag. The Falcons' new head coach Kevin Stefanski is a known tight end enthusiast and Pitts is also coming off a career season, finishing second among tight ends in receptions (88) and receiving yards (928). I’m happy for Pitts, but this man absolutely has one more rug pull in him right when you get comfortable with him as a fantasy asset (he currently has an ADP of 90.2).
Breece Hall (Jets, RB | projected tag ~$14.5M)
This is a big number for an RB, but what else are the Jets going to use the money on? The team has over $80M in cap space after the roster was stripped for parts. For fantasy purposes, though, we should all be praying for a change of scenery. Maybe the Chiefs can get a mulligan on not trading for him at last year's deadline?
🍋 🏈 Go Hard or Go Home!
The NFL Draft Combine is around the corner and that means one thing—it’s time to GO HARD. The stakes haven’t been higher for the incoming rookies taking the field in Indianapolis. Whether you’re glued to your phone for updates or watching from your couch, Mike’s Hard Lemonade is right there with you. Cold. Hard. Refreshing. GO HARD. Grab a Mike’s. Nobody Makes Lemonade Like Mike.
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Ian’s Early My Guys: Chase This RB
My Guys articles in February are for sickos, right? Welcome in, we have a comfy recliner with your name on it. Now let’s get to the order of today’s business. Ian Hartitz dug in—or out, depending on snowfall—to highlight a half dozen players he can’t stop drafting. Chase Brown is one of those players, and he has five good reasons:
- Big-play ability: Check. The speedster joins Jahmyr Gibbs, Jonathan Taylor and TreVeyon Henderson as the only RBs to crack 22 miles per hour as a ball carrier since 2023 (Next-Gen Stats).
- Pass-catching goodness: Check. Brown has caught 54 and 69 passes over the past two seasons. His 142.7 PPR points from receiving ranked fourth at the position in 2025.
- Good offensive environment: Check. The Bengals are candidates to participate in a fantasy-friendly shootout whenever Joe Burrow is healthy enough to suit up.
- Offensive line: Check. Cincy might not employ the league's best pass-protecting group of big uglies, but this o-line really came together on the ground last season: They ranked 14th in RB rush yards before contact per carry and
- Talent: Check. At the level of Bijan Robinson? No, but the 25-year-old talent has racked up 2,806 total yards and scored 22 touchdowns during his last two seasons. It's safe to say Brown is good at football.
The other five players have compelling cases to draft them now or start to follow how their roles might expand in such a way that they could pop next season. ⤵️
New York, New York For Pair of WRs in The Draft
Now that we’re happily in franchise-tag szn, we can see which teams are holding onto skill players to check off whether they could be in the market or not to replenish those positions. Though there are two teams that are showing their cards as needing help at wide receiver. And not only do they share the same city, but the same stadium.
Both the Giants and Jets have clear No. 1 WR targets in Malik Nabers and Garrett Wilson, respectively. Yet these two players need some help on the outside, and Matthew Freedman points a pair of the top WRs to the teams in the Big Apple. Who got who? ⤵️
Around the Watercooler
Our merry band of football nerds is back and bringing you the latest news, content and memes from the NFL universe …
📈 NFL Draft Risers and Fallers. See whose stock is rising and falling.
🧀 Beefing up the trenches is a major priority in Green Bay. Protect Jordan Love.
💥 Capitalize on NFL Combine breakouts in Dynasty trades? Rookie info is golden.
✂️ Could A.J. Brown be cut or traded? Here’s a thorough breakdown.
🤔 How Tyrann Mathieu would retool the Patriots. Sounds about right to me.
💪 It’s a rankings battle over Emeka Egbuka. Who’s right?
ICYMI: This rookie RB averaged nearly 18 rushing attempts Weeks 3-15. Even on a subpar offense.
🗑️ Guess who cooterdoodle found at Mardi Gras. Take them out.
🏈 Was Garrett Nussmeier playing hurt in 2025? Plenty reasons here.
🌴 Adios to Bobby Trees. He retires a Ram.
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