Tyreek Hill Is At The End Of An Era With The Miami Dolphins
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Xfinity, end of an era for Tyreek Hill, NFL Draft risers and fallers, Chicago Bears team needs.
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Xfinity:
The Miami Dolphins as we previously knew them are no more.
The writing was on the wall after the team moved on from Mike McDaniel and then yesterday the organization made a flurry of roster moves, headlined by the release of Tyreek Hill.
Why did they do that? It’s clear the team is blowing things up and starting from scratch. Hill is 32 years old and coming off a major injury. The release saves the Dolphins $22.8 million against the salary cap space this season.
Where could he land? Now that’s he’s been released, he is a free agent and is immediately eligible to sign with a new team—he doesn’t have to wait for March 13 like everyone else.
Will he have a fantasy impact next season? The health is the major concern, but I think it’ll be worth the risk. He currently has an ADP of 149.3 in early Underdog drafts, which seems reasonable to me. If he signs with a team, we’ll get a much better idea of his return timeline.
If you have Puka Nacua in dynasty, what’s not to love? He’s already established as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, having just dominated to the tune of a league-high 129 catches, 1,715 receiving yards and 10 TDs. He’s the focal point of NFL MVP Matthew Stafford’s high-powered attack, and he’s barely turning 25. His star is still rising. We’re looking at potentially at least a five-year run of consistent greatness.
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The NFL scouting combine begins in just a handful of days (Feb. 23), and that will give us our first real inflection point of draft season.
At the combine, we'll get official biophysical measurements for players (size, speed, agility, explosiveness). We'll get reports on which teams are meeting with which players. And we'll get rumors about which players are generally high or low on team big boards across the league.
So now feels like a decent time to highlight some of Freedman’s prospects whose draft stock has gone up or down over the past month (since the College Football Playoffs National Championship).
📉 QB Ty Simpson (Alabama)
In the first round of the College Football Playoff, Ty Simpson had his best game in months (232 yards, two TDs passing, 9.4 AY/A) and looked like someone who might solidify his Round 1 status with a strong postseason.
But in the quarterfinals, he was timid and terrible (67 yards on 16 pass attempts) as Alabama suffered a 38-3 loss to Indiana.
Since then—even with how thin this QB class is—Simpson's draft stock has slipped.
Most mocks still have Simpson locked into Round 1 (usually going to the Jets, Steelers or Rams), but right now I'm planting a red flag: By the time we get to April, I expect Simpson will be viewed as a consensus Day 2 selection.
For a first-year starter, Simpson was good last year (3,567 yards, 28 TDs, five INTs on a 64.5% completion rate, 90-93-2 rushing in 15 starts). He looked the way one would want a former five-star recruit to look early in his career—but that's the problem with Simpson: He didn't earn the starting job until he was a redshirt junior, and as an NFL rookie, he'll be 24 years old. In retrospect, it's concerning that two different coaching staffs named Jalen Milroe the starter over him in the 2023-24 seasons.
On top of that, Simpson has only modest size (6-2, 208 pounds). His rushing ability is almost nonexistent. His arm strength is average. His accuracy, judgment and technique disappear under pressure. And his play fell off in the second half of the season (6.5 AY/A in Games 8-15 vs. 10.3 in Games 1-7).
For good reason, Simpson's draft stock has fallen, and I believe it will fall farther still.
Glass Half-Full: Not Too Many Holes To Fill In Chicago
Year 1 of the Ben Johnson-Caleb Williams partnership produced the Bears' first NFC North title since 2018, along with countless thrilling late-game comebacks. While the clock struck midnight on Chicago's Cinderella season in overtime against the Rams, it was still a pretty great step in the right direction for a team that had the NFL's second-fewest wins from 2021 to 2024.
2025: 11-6 (+26 point differential, preseason win total: 8.5)
Points per game: 25.9 (9th)
EPA per pass: +0.12 (9th)
EPA per rush: +0.01 (6th)
Points per game against: 24.4 (23rd)
EPA per pass against: +0.09 (20th)
EPA per rush against: -0.04 (21st)
The glass-half-empty view entering 2026 would center around the regression gods waging war against a squad that finished 8-5 in one-score games and will now have to face a first-place schedule. The glass-half-full view would focus on a rising young roster that doesn't have too many holes to fill—especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Need 1: Secondary
This already meh defense has four starters in the backend hitting unrestricted free agency:
S Kevin Byard: The veteran ball-hawk picked off an NFL-high 7 passes in 2025. Byard will be 33 next August.
S Jaquan Brisker: Showed out during the Bears' season-ending loss to the Rams and provided plenty of physicality as the defense's primary box safety.
CB Nahshon Wright: The defense's highest graded corner via PFF, Wright's 5 interceptions were tied for the most at the position.
DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson: The physical veteran spent most of his time as the defense's slot corner after being signed in October.
Hell, even backups Jonathan "Simone Biles' husband" Owens and Elijah Hicks are free agents, leaving the Bears without a single safety under contract ahead of 2026. Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon will be back, but plenty more work around them needs to be done.
