OTA Update: Josh Jacobs At Practice, Aaron Donald Ponders Return And More
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by FantasyLife+.
When you have a day like we did on Monday, there are going to be a lot of pieces to pick up.
Here’s everything you need to know in the wake of the AJB and Myles Garret trades, as well as some new interesting nuggets…
Josh McDaniels compared AJB to a Patriots legend. He said there’s a “force” to the way he plays and said it reminded him of Gronk. If I were to check my Rosetta Stone for OC speak, I’m pretty sure it would translate to, “This man is about to get peppered with targets.”
Jared Verse was the skeleton key to the Garrett trade. Forget the picks, according to Browns GM Andrew Berry it was the inclusion of Verse that compelled them to make the move.
Could the rich get richer? A certain someone—fine, I’ll spoil it because this isn’t the Watercooler … Aaron Donald—is contemplating a return to football to play with Garrett. Talk about a Bash Brothers.
Josh Jacobs is … what? He’s practicing. The team said it was “business as usual.” I don’t really think this has any bearing on whether he’ll ultimately face any type of suspension, so I wouldn’t make the assumption that the coast is clear for 17 games.
Wait, how bad is this Chris Rodriguez injury? He’s been missing at OTAs, which isn’t great. Long way to go until points matter, but I can’t but help score this round to Bhayshul Tuten.
Fantasy Life Projections: Get Ahead of Your League
While many of your leaguemates have taken a break from fantasy football—what are the NBA Finals?—you’ve followed free agency closely, watched every pick of the NFL Draft and memorized last year’s player stats and fantasy finishes. The next frontier: projections.
See how close Ja’Marr Chase, Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are projected to finish this season. And how far Trey McBride and Brock Bowers are ahead of the TE12. Hint, a lot! The Fantasy Life projections are the advantage you need before fantasy draft season.
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Around the Watercooler
The latest fantasy and NFL gossip, news, memes and more from your fave football nerds …
🙌 Drake London gets to stick around Atlanta for a while. Four More Years!
🎯This pair of rookie WRs are rising up in dynasty. A falling RB is a trade target.
👀 Remember when Parker Washington was best player on field? Funny how that works.
🤯 A wild stat about Stafford and Garrett. Seems good?
🤝 Drake Maye to AJB footage. Get used to it.
🤔 This year’s Javonte Williams? Spicy comp from Ian Hartitz.
💪 Could this deep-ball artist become QB1? The setup got an upgrade.
🏈 This RB duo may have the standalone value for both to be fantasy contributors.
🤩🥺 The winners and losers of the AJB trade. An author?
SF 49ers Team Preview: Offense is Gold Standard
There are certain things in life that are unequivocal. Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ will bring down the house at a sporting event. It will rain the day after washing your car. And Kyle Shanahan will devise a nearly unstoppable offense.
Ian Hartitz goes to the Bay Area in his tour of the NFC West, and hits on the 49ers and their QB who fantasy managers are coming to grips he’s a top-10 option.
At some point, the world needs to accept the fact that Mr. Irrelevant puts up numbers on par with the league's best QBs. The No. 1 QB in the Super Bowl era in yards per attempt, passer rating, and passing success rate, those who want to call Purdy a system QB are wrong. But even if they were right, who cares when the system is literally producing one of the most efficient passing games ever?
Drake Maye 2025, Meet Tyler Shough 2026
One of the great quests of every NFL offseason is when fantasy managers try to find that late-round QB who will pop. Think Jayden Daniels 2024 and Drake Maye last season. Who could be THAT QB for those fantasy managers who prefer to wait? Adam Pfeifer has a nominee for that honor in Tyler Shough:
The Saints started the year with Spencer Rattler at quarterback, but once Shough took over in Week 8, he didn’t look back. From that point on, Shough showed plenty of fantasy promise, averaging 16.4 fantasy points per game, good for QB14 among qualified passers during that stretch. In those games, Shough flashed some of the things we love from a fantasy quarterback—rushing and deep passes. During that span, 20.9% of Shough’s pass attempts were 15-plus yards down the field (13th), while 12% traveled at least 20 yards. Shough was also pretty efficient during the second half of his first NFL season.
And we haven’t even covered what he can do with his legs. ⤵️
Is DeVonta Smith About To Fly Like A WR1?
Just what has been DeVonta Smith’s utilization score when A.J. Brown has been sitting? Hint: It’s pretty good. Dwain and Ian preview the Eagles in their post-AJB life. Make sure to subscribe to the Fantasy Football Is Life channel so you catch every episode. ⤵️
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