Welcome to the weekly Fantasy Notebook, the must-stop spot for keeping your finger on the pulse of Fantasy Nation. NFL news and developments drive fantasy values. The Notebook is here to keep you in the loop on all of it throughout the season.
Now We Know
I mentioned in last week's Fantasy Notebook that this would be NFL Schedule Release Week.
While it doesn't draw NFL Draft-level hype, the league has made it another "tent-pole" event in its ongoing efforts to serve up a compelling 365-day-a-year reality show.
For those who need a quick fix, here's the full schedule:
every 2025 game right here ? pic.twitter.com/1LMfsRP6mo
— NFL (@NFL) May 15, 2025
If you want to dig deeper, Footballguys has you covered.
In addition to an easier-to-read 2025 Schedule Grid, you'll find our listing of Prime Time Games, Bye Weeks, Strength Of Schedule By Team, IDP Strength of Schedule, our Staff Ranking of the International Games, Sigmund Bloom's The Best Road Trip for Every NFL Fanbase, and Jeff Bell's 2025 Revenge Games.
Alfredo Brown's All 32 NFL Schedule Release Videos Ranked (From Worst To Best), with all the videos included, is available, too. Even if they're not all fantastic, it's not for lack of effort.
In addition, Bell's Best Ball Draft Strategy Based on NFL Fantasy Playoff Matchups are on the site while our own Dave Kluge has offered up a TL;DR version on X:
Week 15
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) May 15, 2025
MIN @ DAL
WAS @ NYG
Week 16
MIN @ NYG
Week 17
DAL @ WAS
Investing in Cowboys, Giants, Commanders, and Vikings players sets you up for what could be a nice little fantasy playoff round robin.
Of course, those same matchups will benefit redrafters, too. Meanwhile . . .
Things Continue Moving Fast In The NFL
Last week, it was a surprise trade. This week?
It was a surprise retirement, with Saints quarterback Derek Carr calling it a career over the weekend.
Okay, I wasn't that surprised. As I wrote in a Polarizing Players: Post NFL Draft Edition collaboration with Gary Davenport late last month, I suspected Carr had already checked out. I went on to suggest the Saints wouldn't mind that outcome. In fact, I think they knew it was coming. It's why they drafted Tyler Shough with the 40th pick overall -- their most significant draft-day investment in the position since they selected Archie Manning in the first round in 1971.
Shough will compete with Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener for the starting job. My expectation is that the rookie will win this competition. You can read more about that in my initial assessment of the fantasy fallout . . .
What's Changed Since Then?
We learned that Carr is "extremely unlikely" to unretire in 2026. But what if he eventually has a change of heart?
Sounds like he already did.
Katherine Terrell and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN report that a Carr "representative" spoke to at least two teams about potential interest in the veteran quarterback. The "indirect" contact let those front offices know Carr was open to playing for a new team. ESPN reports that the Saints did not provide Carr with permission to speak with other teams, as required by NFL rules.
Due to his $30 million salary and the injury issues, those conversations never went anywhere.
But if such a move happens in the future, the Saints would likely try to finagle a late-round pick from a team interested in signing him.
The shelf life for quarterbacks has extended deep into the 30s, and, for some, beyond their 40th birthdays, the 34-year-old Carr would still be well inside that window. So, even if it's unlikely for now, we'll tuck that into our "for future reference file" and move on . . .
This week, in addition to covering a couple of high-profile contract extensions, the Fantasy Notebook has the latest installment of our ongoing look at this year's crop of incoming play callers and offensive coordinators -- and, more importantly, what they mean for the players who'll man our rosters this fall.
Let's dive in . . .
Getting Coordinated: Same As The Old Boss?
Back in January, almost an hour into Brian Schottenheimer's introductory press conference as the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, owner and general manager Jerry Jones offered vital intelligence.
Schottenheimer is there to run the offense.
"Let me say this: We wanted Brian to call the plays," Jones said. "We cherish his relationship with our players. We want him to call the plays. As my mind, and our minds, would drift around to alternatives, I believe -- he doesn't have to speak to this, but I believe -- if he doesn't call the plays, he's probably not with the Cowboys."
As Saad Yousuf of The Athletic suggested, that answered one of the most critical questions of the team's future dynamic . . .
Getting It Right
When Jones hired Mike McCarthy in 2020, Kellen Moore had served as offensive coordinator the previous season. Even though McCarthy's background in Green Bay was to be the head coach and play caller, Moore continued as the offensive coordinator and play caller while McCarthy presided over the operation as head coach.
McCarthy expressed regret about that, stating he would do that differently if he had the chance.
Schottenheimer and the Cowboys have that chance, and they're taking it . . .
But There's Still A New Coordinator
Klayton Adams gets the nod as Schottenheimer's OC. Adams' background is on the offensive line. The 41-year-old spent the bulk of his early career in college before making the leap to the pros with the Indianapolis Colts in 2019 as an assistant offensive line coach. He then moved to tight ends coach in Indy for two seasons (2021-22). He spent the past two years as the Arizona Cardinals' offensive line coach.
The plan is for Schottenheimer to call the plays while Adams helps build the weekly game plan.
Not surprisingly, a big part of his job will be to coax better play out of the offensive line . . .
Let's Not Diminish That Role
With Adams operating as O-line coach, the Cardinals' rushing attack was ranked seventh in the NFL last season in total rushing yards (2,451) and trailed only the Baltimore Ravens, with the second-best league rushing yards per carry average (5.3 yards per carry).
The Cardinals were also top-10 in rushing touchdowns (18), fifth-most in carries of 20-39 yards (17), and tied for first in the NFL in carries of 40 yards or more (7).
That success had carried over from Adams' inaugural 2023 season in Arizona.
In contrast, the Cowboys struggled to get a rushing attack going due to a committee approach that failed early last year. And while eventually unleashing Rico Dowdle resulted in a career and record-breaking season for the former undrafted running back, the team as a whole was inept when it came to scoring on the ground -- Dallas ranked 32nd in rushing touchdowns (6) and 27th in total rushing yards (1,705) . . .
So What's The Plan?
Although McCarthy's offense had elite results in 2023, things got a bit stale in 2024, even before the season-ending injury to Dak Prescott. After ranking fifth in the league in play-action dropback percentage in 2023 at 27.7 percent, the Cowboys tumbled to 30th in the league in 2024 at 17.9 percent. Through Week 9 of last season (when Prescott was lost for the season), the Cowboys were 31st in play-action at 16 percent.
We can expect adjustments, and there's some history to back that up. This isn't Schottenheimer's first rodeo running an offense.
He was the offensive coordinator with the New York Jets in 2009 when the Jets led the NFL in rushing yards. Schottenheimer had Thomas Jones rush for 1,402 yards, and a young Shonn Greene added 540 yards.
That year, the Jets reached the AFC Championship Game.
The Cowboys are coming off a season where they ignored the running back position after letting their top performer (Dowdle) leave in free agency. The Cowboys added a pair of affordable veterans, former Bronco Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, who came up short in a stint with the Panthers.
Should we expect more from the backfield this season?
Fresh Legs, Fresh Hopes
This year, they let Dowdle sign with the Panthers. In 2024, they lost Tony Pollard to a big-money deal in Tennessee. As NFL.com's Kevin Patra suggested, "Going from Pollard to Dowdle to Williams-Sanders in two years is a step back in efficiency and agility."
It's a fair point. Dallas is taking a swing on two reclamation projects that bring experience to the position but haven't impressed in recent seasons.
After a promising 903-yard rookie campaign in Denver, Williams suffered a devastating knee injury in 2022. He never looked right the following year and was inefficient in Sean Payton's offense last season, generating just 513 yards in 139 carries.
Sanders authored a Pro Bowl season with the Eagles in 2022, earning 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns behind one of the best offensive lines in football. Then he signed a four-year, $25 million deal in Carolina, and things went sideways. He combined for just 637 total rushing yards and three TDs in two seasons with the Panthers and was clearly out of the rotation by the end.
With their overall speed in question, the team drafted Jaydon Blue in the fifth round. Boasting a 4.38-second 40 time, Blue has the wheels that Williams and Sanders lack.
In Footballguy Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio, Blue grades out higher than Cam Skattebo, Jordan James, Bhayshul Tuten, Omarion Hampton, and TreVeyon Henderson. Waldman's assessment: "Blue is a patient and efficient runner between the tackles with good footwork in the open field. Pass-catching is a strength, and his route running is promising."
At 196 pounds, Blue might not be ready for a three-down role, but as Footballguy Jason Wood asked, even if Williams and Sanders get first dibs on the lead role, "do we really believe they're unassailable?"
At the very least, Blue brings another element to this offense.
According to the Footballguys Rookie Draft Guide Version 3.0, Blue's projected role and speed will cause unpredictable spike weeks but a nonexistent floor.
The rookie is currently the second Cowboys running back off the board in early best-ball drafts, moving up substantially -- 81 spots to RB41 -- since he landed in Dallas.
His 12th-round price tag isn't far off Williams' 10th-round price as RB27.
Sanders and seventh-round rookie Phil Mafah, a 6-1, 234-pounder known for his patience, following his blocks, and making late cuts between the tackles, are free-square plays available in the last round.
While, as Wood contends, Schottenheimer is going to run a far more balanced (run-heavy) offense than we've seen in recent years in Dallas, the coach's rapport with Prescott -- and the QB's history -- shouldn't be overlooked . . .
Maximizing Dak
As Athlon's Adam Schultz notes, the offseason has been about getting Prescott healthy after he tore part of his hamstring off the bone against the Falcons last season.
But it also included adding at least one front-line offensive weapon in George Pickens, an ideal complement for CeeDee Lamb.
Then, in April's draft, they added Tyler Book to a revamped offensive line.
And even if it's not fantasy-friendly, it's fair to argue this year's backfield is deeper and more diverse than it was a year ago.
The only question is Prescott, who has only played two full seasons in the last five years, as injuries are beginning to mount.
The Cowboys see no reason for concern with No. 4.
"Dak, historically, has come back after an injury or tough season and followed it up with a great year," one team official said. "A couple of years ago, he came off an injury and a tough year and followed it up with an MVP-type season.
"(We) fully expect that again."
For the record, Prescott said he plans to participate in organized team activities in some capacity starting this week . . .
So, Where's The Ceiling?
Entering his 10th season in the league, Prescott has Cowboys history in his sights. He currently has 31,437 yards passing, just 2,746 yards shy of Tony Romo's franchise-leading total of 34,183 yards. Prescott will pass that total in 2025 as long as he stays healthy. Prescott is also 35 scoring strikes from tying Romo's passing touchdown mark of 248.
As I noted in a previous Fantasy Notebook, Prescott has finished as a QB1 six times in his career -- every year, he's played a full 16- or 17-game season. He led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes and finished as QB3 as recently as 2023.
That's a lot of upside for a quarterback with a flashy new weapon to go with his even flashier holdover weapon.
It's all even more appealing with Prescott going as QB16 -- up two spots since the NFL Draft and the Pickens trade -- in the 11th round of early best-ball drafts . . .
Rebound Coming For Lamb?
The Cowboys acquired Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder, landing the only receiver in the NFL to average at least 16 yards per reception and have at least 2,000 receiving yards in the past three seasons, according to ESPN Research.
While I already covered the fantasy impact of Pickens' arrival in Dallas in detail (and followed up with more info last week), it's worth recognizing how good Lamb can be working with Prescott -- and how the wideout struggled last year without his trigger man.
In Lamb's eight games with Prescott under center last season, he averaged 6.4 catches, 87.5 yards, and 18.5 fantasy points. He was the WR4 during that time. In his final seven games, all played without Prescott, Lamb averaged 6.8 catches, 76.3 yards, and 16.5 points. He dropped to WR11 before missing the final two games with an injured shoulder.
The consensus WR1 heading into 2024, Lamb went from averaging an NFL-best 23.8 fantasy points per game in 2023 to 17.6 points per game this past season.
Lamb is currently the fifth player off the board on Underdog as the WR3 . . .
Pickens Okay Playing Second Fiddle
Pickens told reporters he would accept any role that came his way. He also claims to pay little attention to labeling receivers as Nos. 1a and 1b or No. 2. He realizes, however, that Lamb put up more than 100 catches in three straight seasons and has four straight 1,000-yard seasons.
Still, Pickens gives the Cowboys the boundary X they've been missing -- and, as Athlon's Landon Holifield suggests, "balances Lamb's versatility inside and out."
"You turn on the tape, you see a guy that can catch the football," Prescott said of Pickens. "You put the football anywhere in his vicinity, very strong hands. More than a 50/50 catcher. He thinks it's his ball when it's in the air. I'm excited for him. I know we needed some help at that position."
Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin are next on the depth chart, but the fantasy focus will be on the top two.
While Dallas hasn't had a wide receiver other than Lamb reach 700 receiving yards since 2021, that should change this year. Pickens' Footballguys Projection has him at WR41, with 64 catches, 935 yards, and six touchdowns . . .
Can Ferguson Regain His Momentum?
After a breakout 2023 season that saw him finish as TE9, Jake Ferguson was slowed by a knee injury and a concussion last year. Those injuries and Prescott's absence held Ferguson to fewer than 500 receiving yards.
That said, Fantasy Life's Ian Hartitz notes that Ferguson drew the fifth-most targets among all tight ends and the second-most on the Cowboys during his six-game stretch with Prescott.
He's projected to finish as TE13 this season, but he's being drafted two spots later, as TE15 in the 12th round of early best ball drafts . . .
This And That: Around The League Edition
Time to get a feel for some players and situations of interest as teams start getting to work in advance of the 2025 NFL season -- starting with those two players who got new deals that I mentioned in the open . . .
Purdy's Big Payday
On Friday, the San Francisco 49ers signed quarterback Brock Purdy to a five-year, $265 million contract extension, bringing one of the offseason's biggest storylines to a close. According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the deal includes $181 million in total guarantees, including $165.05 million in the first three new years of the contract, which runs through 2030.
The #49ers and QB Brock Purdy agreed to terms on a five-year, $265 million contract extension, his agent Kyle Strongin of @RangeSports tells The Insiders.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 16, 2025
Purdy gets $181M in total guarantees, including $165.05M in the first three new years of a deal that runs through 2030. pic.twitter.com/kX5EhkO0rl
Purdy's new $53 million annual salary ties him with Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff as the seventh-highest-paid player in the NFL, while his $181 million in total guarantees ranks eighth overall . . .
The Deal Comes As No Surprise
"Brock is the leader of our team," head coach Kyle Shanahan said in January. "I've loved these three years with Brock. I plan on being with Brock here the whole time I'm here. Brock's been a stud. He's a guy I've got a lot of confidence in, just as a human. But it starts with what he's done on the field these last two and a half years.
"And we're capable of winning a Super Bowl with him. We just almost did. And I know he's capable of getting the Niners a Super Bowl in the future."
As David Bonnila of 49ersWebZone.com reminded readers, the 49ers moved on from several high-priced contributors this offseason, clearing future cash commitments to prepare for this contract extension. They're also counting on their 11 draft picks to make meaningful contributions in the coming years . . .
Not So Irrelevant After All
Purdy entered the NFL as the final pick of the 2022 draft, earning the infamous title of "Mr. Irrelevant."
Still, he wasted no time proving the label wrong, exceeding expectations, and making an immediate impact as a rookie.
Since Purdy took over as the starter for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 of 2022, including playoffs, the Niners are 27-15 in games Purdy started.
In that time, he ranks third in the NFL in passing yards (9,452), first in yards per attempt (8.9) and seventh in touchdown passes (64). In 2024, playing missing key members of his supporting cast, including Christian McCaffrey (Achilles, knee), Brandon Aiyuk (knee), Trent Williams (ankle), tight end George Kittle (hamstring), and receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (calf, illness, ribs) for varying amounts of time, Purdy finished as fantasy's QB13.
Samuel was traded to the Commanders earlier this offseason. Aiyuk, who tore his ACL and MCL on Oct. 20, does not have a timetable at this point. But Shanahan recently said Aiyuk's doctor told the team that the wideout has a chance to be ready for Week 1.
On a more positive note, McCaffrey claims he's fully healthy and ready to roll after missing all but four games last year. Kittle will play on a new contract that makes him the highest-paid tight end in the league. In addition, Jauan Jennings, who has been effective when asked to handle a lead role at wideout, and promising youngster Ricky Pearsall will be the top two options on the outside until Aiyuk is back.
Purdy sits at QB14 on the 2025 Footballguys Projections. Investors could do worse for their QB2 this year . . .
A King's Ransom
As ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley reported, "Running back Derrick Henry will be stiff-arming tacklers for the Baltimore Ravens for a little while longer."
Henry reached a two-year, $30 million extension with the Ravens on Wednesday. This new deal keeps the 31-year-old Henry off the free agent market after this season and rewards him with the largest deal in NFL history for a running back over 30.
Baltimore's new deal with Henry comes two months after the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles made Saquon Barkley the NFL's highest-paid running back with a two-year, $41.2 million extension. Ravens officials talked this offseason about getting an extension done with Henry, who ranked 13th among running backs with an average of $8 million per season.
Henry thanked the franchise and fans after the team confirmed the extension.
Flockkkkkk ??????????
— ?Derrick Henry ?? (@KingHenry_2) May 14, 2025
God is good !! ????@Ravens I’m appreciative & grateful for everyone apart of this great organization & a BIG S/O to all my teammates to be able to make this possible ??. Thank you Flock Nation for always supporting . Working as hard I can to be able to…
Henry is coming off a remarkable inaugural season in Baltimore, having compiled 1,921 rushing yards -- the most by a player 30 or older in NFL history and 16 touchdowns on a career-high 5.9 yards per carry across 17 regular-season games. He added 193 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 19 catches to set a Ravens franchise record with 18 total touchdowns.
He became the first player in NFL history with multiple seasons of 1,900-plus rush yards.
Entering his 10th season, Henry ranks 19th on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 11,423 yards. He can crack the top 10 and surpass Tony Dorsett with 1,317 yards this season.
Could Henry Be Nearing The Cliff?
We didn't see any signs of a slowdown last year. Henry's 1,137 yards after contact were more than all but eight running backs recorded overall -- before contact, after contact, or with no contact. He led the league with 42 broken tackles during the season.
The 247-pounder also recorded two of the 20 fastest speeds on runs this season. Henry hit 21.72 mph on an 81-yard run against the Buccaneers in Week 7 and 21.46 mph on a 51-yard Week 5 run in Cincinnati.
Still, as Footballguy Andy Hicks recently reminded readers, "Henry looks after his body well, but we know age is undefeated."
Hicks added that since 2010, the only running backs with over 1,000 yards at age 31 or older are Frank Gore Jr., Adrian Peterson, and Raheem Mostert.
Henry will be 32 by the end of this upcoming season.
Nonetheless, he is being drafted like a king in early best balls, going as RB6 early in Round 2. As somebody who values anticipated volume at the position, that's a fair price . . .
More Meat On The Fantasy Bone For Achane?
As Miami Herald staffer Omar Kelly noted this week, De'Von Achane has teased the sports world with greatness, achieving career milestones in his first two NFL seasons that raise eyebrows.
First, Achane set an NFL record for yards per carry (7.8) in his rookie season.
Again, that's not a rookie or a Miami Dolphins record.
It's an NFL record that shattered the average (6.4) set by the late Mercury Morris in 1973.
So, as Kelly stressed, a record that stood for 50 years was reset by Achane, who amassed 800 rushing yards on 103 carries that season, by nearly a yard and a half.
Last year, Achane inherited the starting role and came one yard shy of producing 1,500 scrimmage yards.
Those 1,499 scrimmage yards in 2024 were the third most by a tailback in franchise history, trailing only Ricky Williams' 2002 (2,216) and 2003 seasons (1,723).
Yes, that means Achane, a third-round draft pick two years ago, outproduced every back to wear a Dolphins uniform except Williams.
Reasons For Optimism
Achane rushed for 907 yards last year, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Those totals were significantly boosted by a pair of monster runs at the end of the season when he gained 50 yards on a second-half run in a win over the San Francisco 49ers and 61 yards on one run in Miami's season-closing loss to the New York Jets.
Before those big gains, the Dolphins' rushing production was meager. Achane averaged less than 3.3 yards per carry in eight regular-season games.
Miami's offensive line struggled so much in 2024 that the coaching staff equated short passes to Achane as substitutions for running plays. That's why he caught a career-high 78 passes and turned them into 592 yards and six receiving touchdowns, bringing his 2024 total to 12.
His 78 receptions and six touchdowns in 2024 set the single-season record for the most by a tailback in franchise history, surpassing the 75 catches Terry Kirby produced in 1993.
Seeing how starting right tackle Austin Jackson's midseason injury adversely affected the entire offense, Kelly argues it's not a stretch to conclude that Achane could produce his first 1,000-yard rushing season in 2025 if everybody stays healthy this year.
Remember, Miami upgraded their guard spots by signing James Daniels as a free agent and drafting Jonah Savaiinaea in the second round.
The goal is to replicate the Dolphins' success in 2023, when they were the NFL's top-ranked offense.
Achane's goal in 2025 is to live up to his potential and help the Dolphins live up to theirs as a team.
He knows the supporting cast works in his favor.
"I feel like most defenses try to stop '10' [Tyreek Hill] and '17' [Jaylen Waddle], and that just leaves a lot of opportunities for me," Achane said.
The Dolphins moved on from Raheem Mostert this offseason but added Alexander Mattison in free agency and selected former Oklahoma State standout Ollie Gordon II in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Jaylen Wright is a holdover coming off a quiet rookie season.
Expecting them to cut significantly into a healthy Achane's workload is a reach.
Achane is one spot behind Henry on Underdog, going as RB7 with the 18th pick overall. He finished as RB5 last year . . .
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
Every week, the NFL delivers a remarkable range of stories. I like to use this spot to encapsulate that broad expanse here. This week, we'll keep it schedule release-related.
The Good: Plenty Of Visibility For Fantasy Stars
I'm sure the NFL takes plenty into account when they put together their schedules; it seems obvious they make an effort to put the top fantasy producers in the spotlight as much as possible.
For example, Saquon Barkley and the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles will play five games in prime time, potentially six, depending on the Week 16 Saturday matchup kickoff time in Washington and the Week 18 season finale at home. They'll play one standalone game on Black Friday, two Thursday nights, two Monday nights, and one Sunday night game overall.
Patrick Mahomes II and the AFC champion Chiefs landed seven prime-time games, which, according to FOX Sports insider Jordan Schultz, is the first team to get that on an initial schedule. They also have a Thanksgiving game in Dallas. In fact, ESPN's Adam Schefter notes the Chiefs are playing every holiday except one:
Chiefs open their season on a Friday night in Brazil, play Thanksgiving Day in Dallas, Christmas night in Kansas City and on every holiday except Festivus.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 16, 2025
Cc: ?@tyschmit?
? https://t.co/iVdqttdgF5 pic.twitter.com/YRf76GJLR7
In total, 8 of the Chiefs' 17 games are in standalone windows.
Invested in Ja'Marr Chase, Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, Chase Brown, and the Bengals' offense? You'll be pleased to see them in the spotlight with four prime-time games -- although two of them are against AFC North rivals Pittsburgh and Baltimore, games that haven't traditionally been high-scoring affairs.
After quarterback Jayden Daniels' sensational rookie season culminated in a deep postseason run, Washington gets a whopping eight standalone games in the coming season.
Visibility for our favorite players is always a good thing . . .
The Bad: What About The Bills?
Buffalo has been one of the league's top teams throughout the 2020s, winning five consecutive AFC East titles. But the Bills are slated for just five standalone games in 2025.
The first will come in Week 1 against the Ravens. The Bills will host the Dolphins in Week 3 on Thursday night and the Patriots in Week 5 on Sunday night. Then in Week 6, Buffalo will be in Atlanta to face the Falcons on Monday night.
After that?
Buffalo's lone remaining prime-time game is in Week 12 when the club visits Houston for a Thursday night matchup.
The Bills have games scheduled against the Chiefs, Steelers, Bengals, and the Eagles (Week 17) in the late-afternoon window on Sundays.
So we'll get some looks at Josh Allen. Too bad it's not more . . .
The Ugly: Unforced Errors In Indy
The Colts dumped their schedule-release video shortly after unveiling it due to an unfortunate joke and a Microsoft intellectual property issue.
"We removed our schedule release video because it exceeded our rights with Microsoft and included an insensitive clip involving Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill," the Colts said Thursday. "We sincerely apologize to Microsoft and Tyreek."
To his credit, Hill had no problem with it.
The speedy wideout posted the offending clip on X and said, "Should've left it up Colts, this was funny."
Should’ve left it up @Colts , this was funny ???? https://t.co/ULVYH43lxL
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) May 15, 2025
Hill was involved in a confrontation with Miami-Dade deputies last September. He was dragged from his vehicle, forced to the ground, and handcuffed after arriving at the Dolphins' stadium just hours before a home game. Traffic citations issued against Hill were later dropped.
The real problem was the infringement on Microsoft's Minecraft rights without the company's permission (unlike the Chargers).
The Chargers obtained Microsoft's blessing to use Minecraft and started its video by stating, "Minecraft used with permission from Microsoft Corporation."
As Florio suggested, it is hard to fathom that a multi-billion-dollar organization would fail to take that into account and check in with a prominent league sponsor.
By taking it down, they may have avoided unnecessary ugliness, but expect this to lead to increased league oversight of these videos in coming years . . .
The Final Word
That's it for this week's Fantasy Notebook. First-time readers will be pleased to learn you're only scratching the surface of what's available at Footballguys. We're hard at work year-round to help our subscribers gain an edge on the competition.
Our 2025 Player Projections and Preseason Draft Rankings are live, along with the usual array of interesting strategy and news articles. In addition, subscribers will find the 2025 Rookie Draft Guide Version 3.0, updated with post-NFL Draft info, awaits. Also, the free Daily Email Update has resumed. Get the biggest stories in football. Summarized, explained, and delivered straight to your inbox -- every day.
Remember: It's never too early to start, so head back next week for another edition of the Fantasy Notebook.
Bob Harris was the first-ever Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year and is a member of the FSWA Hall of Fame. You can catch Harris' "On The Hotseat" every Tuesday on the Footballguys Audible channel and listen to him during the season on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio's The Football Diehards show on Sirius channel 87.
