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.
Keep Pushing!
Just like opposing defenses on the field, the most powerful off-field figures in the NFL could not stop the tush push. A proposed ban of the play that the Eagles popularized failed to get enough votes at the spring meeting last Wednesday.
The tush push has become one of the most effective short-yardage plays in NFL history, with Jalen Hurts routinely picking up a yard or two by plowing into the line and having teammates push him from behind.
Teams have struggled to stop the play on the field, and now they've failed to stop it off the field. Sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the final vote was 22-10 on the proposal, which the Green Bay Packers submitted. The proposal needed 24 votes to pass.
The Eagles celebrated on X.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) May 21, 2025
I'll suggest it's no coincidence Philly used an image of the tush push being run against the Packers as part of their victory lap.
More on that in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly section below . . .
Waiting Game
Aaron Rodgers remains undecided about his future, but the Steelers remain open to signing him.
Early in April, Steelers owner Art Rooney II said that the team would not wait forever for Rodgers to sign. At the end of this week's league meetings, Rooney was asked where things stand with the still-unsigned quarterback.
"A little while longer. I'll say the same thing," Rooney said, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.
Rooney said late last month that Rodgers wanted to come to Pittsburgh, but the veteran signal-caller is maintaining radio silence about his future.
As Profootballtalk.com notes, the Steelers start OTAs next week and run through June 5. A three-day mandatory minicamp that ends their offseason program wraps up on June 10, so Rooney and the Steelers can't wait too much longer if they want to see Rodgers do some work with the team ahead of training camp this summer.
Footballguy Cecil Lammey contends it seems like a matter of "when" and not "if" with the Steelers and Rodgers. Schefter suggested on Friday it could happen "In the next week or so."
While Lammey believes Rodgers throwing to DK Metcalf with the support of a strong rushing attack sounds like a recipe for success, our colleague Jason Wood disagrees.
"Pittsburgh, who I once considered an unassailable franchise," Wood said, "committed malpractice this offseason with or without Rodgers joining."
We'll be watching for more . . .
Meanwhile, the Fantasy Notebook has the latest installment of our ongoing look at this year's crop of incoming play callers and offensive coordinators (they aren't always the same person) and what they mean for the players we'll be inserting into lineups this fall.
Let's dive in . . .
Getting Coordinated: Familiar Face In A New Place
Lions head coach Dan Campbell lost both of his coordinators this offseason, with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson becoming head coach of the Bears and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn becoming head coach of the Jets. Fantasy investors, in particular, might be concerned about Johnson's departure.
But Campbell is not concerned.
Campbell acknowledged earlier this year that "continuity is always good" but also said he's confident that the Lions can adjust.
"We'll be fine," Campbell said. "Everybody knows how I feel about these coaches that have been here and been part of this. I'm happy for them. They're moving on, and I wish them the best."
We also wish them the best, especially Johnson, who will try to work his magic on Caleb Williams and the Bears offense in Chicago.
Still, the question remains . . .
What About The Offense?
Campbell hired John Morton, his assistant in Detroit in 2022 and then the Broncos' pass game coordinator in 2023 and 2024, to become the Lions' new offensive coordinator. Campbell promoted Kelvin Sheppard from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator.
"John Morton stepping in as offensive coordinator, somebody I trust, I've been around; he was here when we built this thing back up in '22," Campbell said. "And then Kelvin Sheppard's been here, man. It's not like we'll be starting from scratch with somebody I don't know."
According to Profootballtalk.com's Michael David Smith, Campbell thinks the Lions might have some new wrinkles that help the team continue to build toward their ultimate goal of the Super Bowl.
"It'll be fresh and new," the coach said. "Actually, and I think we're all excited about that . . ."
Should We Share In That Enthusiasm?
Upon leaving for Chicago, Johnson noted that the "runway has been built" in Detroit. Known for his innovative approach, Johnson coached the Lions to top-10 offenses the past two seasons, with Detroit leading the league in average points (30.1) and yards (402.2) per game over that span.
Last year, Detroit scored an NFL-leading 68 touchdowns and ranked second with a franchise-record 409.5 yards per game.
Detroit ranked in the top five in both offensive categories all three years that Johnson called plays.
Morton believes his familiarity will lead to similar outcomes.
Morton spent a year in Detroit as a senior offensive assistant in 2022 before leaving to join Sean Payton in Denver the past two years.
Before that, Morton called plays as the New York Jets' offense coordinator in 2017 under Todd Bowles but was fired after one season. He's been in non-play-calling roles for the past six seasons. Morton confirmed he'd call plays for the Lions this year but reiterated that continuity and familiarity will be important for the players.
"I mean, I'm not changing much," Morton said. "Why? It's working, right? So that would be the smartest thing to do."
But because he's not Johnson, there will be things Morton is unaccustomed to . . .
Like Taking Chances
Morton is well aware of Campbell's fourth-down aggressiveness. He said that will be a fun aspect of his job this year. Morton explained that Campbell would communicate with him weekly about the fourth-down strategy for that game. When they reach a certain point in the field, his mentality as a play-caller has to change, knowing fourth down will be an option.
"They've already established a philosophy here," he said. "It's just my job to continue the vision of how [Campbell] wants things . . ."
A Strong Roster Will Help
Morton said he feels like a kid in a candy store seeing all the weapons he's inheriting. Detroit returns two running backs -- Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery -- and two receivers -- Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams -- who all delivered at least 1,000 scrimmage yards each last season. Tight end Sam LaPorta is just a year removed from a TE1 fantasy season.
Of course, we won't know precisely how Morton's play-calling and scheme will differ from Johnson's until the fire of the regular season begins.
There's continuity here, but it's not plug-and-play. We'll see new wrinkles, but the expectations will be the same.
But there's one certainty . . .
It Starts Under Center
Morton and Jared Goff are excited about the possibility of teaming up again. The veteran quarterback credited the 55-year-old coach with being "a big part" of his success in 2022 when he returned to the Pro Bowl after a three-year drought.
"That was Ben's first year as a coordinator, and I think [Morton] helped Ben a ton," Goff told the Detroit Free Press. "I'm excited to work with him and get going."
Morton shares Goff's enthusiasm about the 2025 season and beyond. The coach believes his familiarity with his quarterback is "big" and will allow Detroit to continue to build upon the success it enjoyed under Johnson.
Because of that, Morton is particularly intent on listening to Goff, Campbell, and other members of the offense, including other prominent staff members, and a not-so-secret weapon . . .
Brains And Brawn
Morton believes landing longtime Stanford head coach David Shaw as the passing game coordinator was an unbelievable get by Campbell. Morton and Shaw are close friends and go back many years, having been taught offensive football by Jon Gruden in the late 90s and early 2000s with the Oakland Raiders.
The two see football the same way, and Morton thinks that's going to be a great relationship to get the absolute most out of the Lions' passing attack -- a necessary outcome if the goal is improving on an already-potent offense.
The good news is that besides having Goff and his associated weapons with all their explosive potential, Morton is inheriting one of the best offensive lines in football. With three Pro Bowl and All-Pro players returning at the two tackle spots and center, the unit ranks No. 2 on Footballguy Matt Bitonti's newly updated 2025 Offensive Line Rankings.
As Detroit Football Network's Justin Rogers noted, the offensive line played a key role in the team rushing for the franchise's most yards since 1981 and the most per carry since Barry Sanders topped 2,000 in 1997. In pass protection, the team allowed 152 pressures and 33 sacks, ranking in the top half of the league.
We all know how much protecting the quarterback matters, but . . .
That's A Shared Responsibility
One of the persistent knocks on Goff throughout his NFL career has been his decline in play when under pressure.
But in 2024, Goff handled opposing pass rushers with aplomb.
Take the Week 6 blowout win in Dallas, when he faced persistent pressure and heavy blitzes. Per Next Gen Stats, Goff completed six of his seven pass attempts while under pressure in that game. The six completions netted 178 yards and two touchdowns. A week later, against the Vikings, Goff experienced a season-high 51.7 percent of his dropbacks under pressure. He completed 10 of his 11 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns on those plays.
Goff proved exceptional at reading defenses, making quick decisions, and letting his playmakers do the heavy lifting. Those attributes played a role in his QB7 finish last year.
This year, he opened as QB10 on the Footballguys Projections. Goff is being drafted as QB13 in the tenth round of early best-ball drafts on Underdog . . .
Shouldn't He Be Higher?
Late Round Fantasy's JJ Zachariason notes that in addition to playing better when pressured than at any point in his career, Goff had a 6.9 percent touchdown rate that he's never come close to in any other season of his career.
Still, he's finished in the top 10 (including a QB7 finish in 2023 and winding up as QB10 in 2022) in the last three years.
Playing the Average Draft Position (ADP) game to your advantage and landing Goff as your QB2 will give you an edge at the position . . .
Ground And Pound
Morton said the great thing about being a coordinator and play-caller with a line like this is it gives him the ability to attack teams in multiple ways.
The rushing attack is more than capable of aiding the cause.
As AL.com's Mark Inabinett noted, when he left for Chicago, Johnson took Antwaan Randle El, the Lions' wide receivers coach, to handle that job and work as assistant head coach with the Bears.
Afterward, Detroit shifted assistant head coach, Scottie Montgomery, from running backs coach to wide receivers coach, then hired Texas running-backs coach Tashard Choice for that spot on Dan Campbell's staff.
Choice previously coached Gibbs in 2020 and 2021 at Georgia Tech.
The running back transferred to Alabama, where he ran for 926 yards and seven touchdowns on 151 carries and caught 44 passes for 444 yards and three touchdowns in 2022 before the Lions picked him No. 12 in the 2023 NFL Draft.
"For him, the sky's the limit," Choice said of Gibbs. "But I'm going to push him. I'm going to push him like no other. I have to . . ."
Does Gibbs Need Pushing?
Gibbs has run for 2,357 yards and 26 touchdowns on 432 carries and caught 104 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns in his two seasons as a Lion.
Last year, Gibbs joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Edgerrin James as the only players in NFL history with at least 2,000 rushing yards, 25 rushing touchdowns, 100 receptions, and five touchdown receptions in their first two seasons in the league.
Adding to the intrigue, Gibbs averaged 6.4 yards per touch in 2024, the most yards by any player with at least 300 touches in a season since Marshall Faulk in 2000.
Better still, in addition to becoming the first Lions player to lead the NFL in scrimmage touchdowns (20) since Sanders in 1991 (17) while setting a single-season franchise record for TDs, Gibbs finished the 2024 season as fantasy's RB1 overall with 21.5 points per game.
Saquon Barkley finished with a higher per-game average (22.0 points per game), but a big Week 18 effort left Gibbs with 364.9 total points, well ahead of the reigning NFL MVP.
Gibbs is RB1 on the initial Footballguys 2025 Draft Projections, ahead of Bijan Robinson, Barkley, and Raiders rookie Alshon Jeanty.
But he's going as RB3 -- after Barkley and Robinson -- in Underdog best balls, with the sixth pick overall. It's a fair price, but . . .
There's A Reason He's Not Higher
Footballguy Sigmund Bloom noted in his Running Back Tiers and Value Picks that Gibbs was Robinson's equal last year. Still, in any given week, David Montgomery is likelier to vulture touchdowns from Gibbs than Tyler Allgeier is to vulture scores from Robinson.
Gibbs is in a full-blown timeshare, which, for Bloom, makes the third-year back's season-long ceiling slightly lower than that of Barkley, Robinson, and Jeanty.
Let's acknowledge that Gibbs has fared well enough, sharing carries with Montgomery.
The duo is the only running-back tandem in NFL history to record at least 10 rushing touchdowns apiece in back-to-back seasons.
But Montgomery has been plenty busy with 404 carries for 1,790 yards and 25 touchdowns, and 52 receptions for 458 yards in the past two seasons.
The former Bear missed five games with a knee injury last year, but his 16 points-per-game average ranked 14th in the league.
So far this year, Montgomery is going as RB24 with a late-sixth-round ADP . . .
Limitations Work Both Ways
Gibbs' ceiling remains sky-high -- but Montgomery's presence is still the anchor.
Also, as appealing as the rushing attack is, fantasy managers know how it's worked in the past: One week, the offense might focus on the ground game. The next week, they might ask Goff to drop back and throw the ball 40-plus times.
Few teams in the NFL can be equally effective using both strategies because they lack Detroit's O-line and supporting cast of skill players.
That scheme versatility hasn't gone unnoticed by fantasy investors . . .
Dissing The Sun God?
During the 2024 season, St. Brown hauled in 115 passes for 1,263 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. He added a passing touchdown and a seven-yard scoring run. Adding to his impressive resume, St. Brown recorded the third-lowest drop rate among receivers with 1,000 or more yards, a remarkable 0.7 percent.
St. Brown, who has three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons under his belt, joined Larry Fitzgerald as the only wide receivers in NFL History to have multiple seasons with 100-plus catches, 1,000-plus receiving yards, and 10-plus touchdowns in their first four years in the league.
So, after finishing as WR2 last year, it's surprising to see him going at the tail end of the first round between a pair of less-proven players.
St. Brown is being drafted as WR6 with the 10th pick overall. That's one pick after Giants second-year receiver Malik Nabers and one before Houston's Nico Collins. Jacksonville's Brian Thomas Jr. is being drafted as WR8 at the one/two turn.
While St. Brown is pumped about the passing game concepts and potential with Morton at the helm, fantasy investors appear to be backing off a bit from last year's WR2.
WR2 finish, WR6 ADP? There's value in the skepticism . . .
A Rising Star
As for Williams, Morton said earlier this month that the 2022 first-round pick has had an "unbelievable" offseason. That effort has Morton predicting even bigger things from a player who had 58 catches for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
"I'm so excited to see him this year because it's gonna be a breakout year," Morton said.
The Lions exercised their option on Williams' contract for the 2026 season, so he's guaranteed $15.493 million for his fifth NFL season. If he breaks out as Morton suggests, Williams will be in line for much more than that in a long-term extension.
When Morton talked about Williams' explosion and speed and how excited he is to unleash that, he also mentioned Gibbs in the same light. He sees both players as similarly explosive and has never had a running back/receiver duo as explosive as the pair.
Of course, Williams, going as WR29 with a fifth-round ADP, is far more affordable than St. Brown and Gibbs . . .
Immediate Impact?
During the Lions' rookie minicamp, Morton was impressed with the low number of mental errors by the rookies on offense. He said it was a rare rookie camp in that regard. That's certainly a good sign for receiver Isaac TeSlaa.
Morton was in New Orleans as the wide receivers coach in 2016 when Michael Thomas was a rookie. The coach told Tim Twentyman of the team's official website that the Saints got the most out of Thomas in his first season (92 receptions for 1,137 yards and nine touchdowns) because they didn't overload him early on. He said they gave him a few route concepts to master and then built on every year.
Expect that to be the approach with the rookie TeSlaa. Find some things he likes to do and is good at, and go to work maximizing those things in the offense early on.
His physical skills will make him a big-play threat from the get-go.
Because of that, the Footballguys Rookie Draft Guide 3.0 contends TeSlaa has an immediate "better in best ball" profile. For long-term investors, TeSlaa is WR16 on the Footballguys 2025 Rookie Rankings.
Of course, there's another receiving asset here that can't be overlooked . . .
The Dip Was Real; So Was LaPorta's Recovery
Expectations were sky-high after LaPorta led all tight ends in fantasy points as a rookie in 2023, so last season's TE7 finish felt like a letdown. But that disappointment needs context.
The Lions' offense remained potent, but it diversified. Specifically, Williams emerging as a more consistent downfield threat depressed LaPorta's targets early last year.
Over the first six games, the second-year tight end, who was slowed by a hamstring issue in August, averaged just 2.8 targets (an 11 percent share) and 7.1 fantasy points per game. But from that point on -- including the playoffs -- LaPorta returned to form with 6.7 targets (a 21 percent share) and 13.6 fantasy points per game -- essentially a return to his rookie-level production.
He's now the first tight end in NFL history with 600-plus receiving yards and six touchdowns in each of his first two seasons.
A sixth-round cost (Pick 68) is reasonable for a player with LaPorta's ceiling.
The switch to Morton adds some uncertainty, but that's baked into that TE4 ADP -- and I'm more than willing to buy the rebound . . .
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 . . .
Hope Springs Eternal
NFL.com's Grant Gordon reminded readers that Kyle Pitts made history when he was selected fourth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, taken higher than any tight end before or since.
Then Pitts made more history when he became just the second tight end to tally 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie.
Since then?
It hasn't been great.
Now, Pitts is heading into the final year of his rookie contract with plenty to prove for the 2025 Atlanta Falcons. But the Falcons still believe Pitts can become an elite, complete tight end, not just a receiver with tight end size.
"He's always going to have the added pressure because of how high he was drafted, right?" head coach Raheem Morris said earlier this year. "So, we want to get the young man out there and be the best version of him. We'll always make the right decision for the Falcons, and we'll always make the right decision for us to get him going. We'll have to figure those things out."
Pitts, who doesn't turn 25 until October, had 68 receptions for 1,026 yards as a rookie, but those numbers remain his career bests after four seasons. He had a career-high four touchdowns last year, but his overall line of 47 catches for 602 yards and the four TDs is hardly much to get excited about, especially for a former No. 4 pick.
His yards were 13th among TEs, his catches tied for 21st, and his touchdowns tied for 11th.
"Look, Kyle's a really talented player," Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said. "He's done some really good things. Man, you can make a highlight tape and see all the good things that he's done."
Big plays for Pitts come and go, serving as reminders of what could be, but the consistent success has been lacking. In all fairness, he's dealt with some injuries and a lack of consistency at quarterback and schematically.
Pitts, who's played for two head coaches and two offensive coordinators, has seen Atlanta use six starting quarterbacks during his time with the club. Not since his debut year with Matt Ryan has any quarterback started each game.
Whatever the formula for Pitts to succeed with the Falcons, it needs to come this year. Time is running out on the potential.
Second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will be the man under center, complemented by Robinson at running back and Drake London as the No. 1 wide receiver. Matched with Pitts, that's four first-rounders, which looks beautiful on paper for Atlanta.
Pitts, the most senior of the group in terms of experience, is the biggest question mark, though.
Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said last month he's optimistic a breakout is near.
"I'm expecting Kyle to take a big jump," Robinson said. "Year 2 of the system. Year 2 of understanding what we're trying to do offensively. All those things that come with it, so expecting a lot of good things from Kyle. He knows what he needs to work on with the details, some of the fundamentals and techniques, the consistency down in and down out, those are things we talk about with him.
"So I'm pumped for Kyle. I can't wait to get on the field with him, and it's going to be a lot of fun to see his growth."
I did not include Pitts in my Tight End Fliers Worth The Gamble in a recent Fantasy Notebook focused on the position.
But I won't begrudge anybody taking a shot on Pitts turning into the thing Atlanta drafted him to be. He's TE18 going with the 147th pick overall. That 13th-round price isn't cost-prohibitive.
Pitts finished the 2024 season as TE15, but he was TE23 on a points-per-game basis (with 7.7 points a week).
Expecting more seems like a reach, but I'm all about reasonably priced talent. Pitts is still that, even if we're still awaiting consistent return on investment . . .
Stafford All In On Adams
Matthew Stafford will have a new All-Pro receiver to throw to this season after the Los Angeles Rams signed Davante Adams in free agency, inserting him into the lineup alongside Puka Nacua. Every quarterback knows how talented Adams is, even at this stage of his career, but Stafford played against him twice a year when the two were rivals in the NFC North, so he's very familiar with his game.
In the last few weeks, though, Stafford has gotten an even closer look at his new receiver. The Rams have been on the practice field for offseason workouts this spring, giving the duo their first opportunity to work together. Adams has impressed Stafford thus far, recognizing his professionalism and dedication to improving.
"He's been great," Stafford said of Adams. "What he's been able to do in the league kind of speaks for itself, but then getting to be around him every day, working with him, throwing to him, just seeing the professional he is. He fits right in."
Teams aren't allowed to run offense versus defense drills at this stage of the offseason program, so they're just throwing on air right now.
The competition and intensity will heat up once training camp rolls around in July.
It shouldn't take Stafford and Adams long to develop a rapport after seeing how quickly the veteran quarterback got on the same page with Kupp and Nacua in his first year with each receiver.
Remember, Adams is coming off his fifth-consecutive 1,000-yard season while playing for the Raiders and Jets. He finished with eight touchdowns on 85 total receptions for 1,063 yards.
It's reasonable at this point in their careers to consider Adams an upgrade over Kupp.
So, should we be concerned about Nacua losing opportunities to the newcomer?
After all, Jets receiver Garrett Wilson, who finished the 2024 season as WR9, was WR22 during the 11-game stretch after Adams' arrival in New York last season.
For me, Nacua is in a better spot due to his established chemistry with Stafford and a prominent, locked-in role in Sean McVay's offense.
To that point, the Rams have had multiple top 24 fantasy wide receivers in points per game in three of Stafford's four seasons in Los Angeles. The Rams have led the league in wide receiver target share in three of the past four seasons and were in the top five in that department in the other.
From Week 10 on last season, Nacua drew an impressive 37 percent target share. That's 11.3 per game. He was at or above 31 percent -- or eight targets -- in the full 10 games he played.
The only thing Puka hasn't done well is score touchdowns.
He only has nine scores in 28 games, and ESPN's Mike Clay notes Nacua was limited to six end-zone targets last year, which ranked 53rd at the position.
That could play into Adams's hands.
Since coming into the NFL, Adams has had six seasons with 10-plus touchdown receptions. Only Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, and Marvin Harrison Sr. have more.
Adams finished the 2024 season as WR13 with a 17.1-point per-game average (the 11th-highest at the position). During his 11-game run in New York, working alongside Wilson and with former Packer teammate Rodgers at QB, Adams was WR5 with a 17.7-point per game average.
Adams is going in the late third as WR19, while Nacua, WR4 overall, is a top-10 pick.
I'm not here to argue against Nacua, but your opportunities to land him are limited. That's not the case with Adams, and last year's finish tells us the upside is still there . . .
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 have a Tush Push Edition.
The Good: Hurts And His Investors Win
Hurts has double-digit rushing touchdowns in each of the last four years.
His 52 rushing touchdowns over that span are 12 more than Josh Allen's 40 for Buffalo. No other quarterback has 20 rushing touchdowns over the last four years.
That he'll continue getting the additional, high-leverage, tush-push opportunities is very good news.
Hurts leads all QBs in rushing attempts inside the five-yard line over the last three years, averaging 47 percent of the Eagles' carries.
Thirty-three of his 42 rushing TDs over that span have come from inside the five.
It hasn't all been tush-push dependent. But the Eagles' mastery of the play makes a difference, and that rushing equity is an integral part of Hurts' fantasy success and a big reason he sits at QB4 in the current Footballguys Projections . . .
The Bad: Who Are The Villains In This Story?
According to Schefter, the 10 teams to vote against the proposal were the Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, and Tennessee Titans.
Interestingly, the Indianapolis Colts (Shane Steichen) and Arizona Cardinals (Jonathan Gannon), coached by former Eagles coordinators, voted in favor of the ban.
Steichen expressed support for the tush push last month at the annual league meeting.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones voted in favor of the ban, but he admitted that he's not sure himself whether he really thinks the play should be taken out of the game or he doesn't want the Eagles to have such an effective play in their arsenal.
"Any play that's out of the ordinary gets some extra scrutiny just because of the competition," Jones said. "Here we are, the world champion is the main focus of the tush push, and here we are debating it and having to decide.
"I thought, am I really against the tush push, or just don't want Philadelphia to have an edge?"
Asked which it is, a principled opposition to the play or just wanting to stop a division rival, Jones answered, "I don't know. I flip-flop."
As PFT's Smith suggests, "Jones is saying out loud what others in the NFL won't admit, that part of the opposition to the tush push is unrelated to the merits of the play. Instead, it's about one particular team doing that play very well, and that one team winning the Super Bowl, and other teams wanting to ban the play to take away something that the best team in the league is doing better than everyone else."
This seems simple to me. Punishing success is bad business . . .
The Ugly: Packers On Blast
Wednesday's tush-push vote came after the league tabled discussions on the original proposal last month at the NFL's annual league meeting in Palm Beach, Florida.
The original proposal was written explicitly around the tush-push play. Before the proposal was tabled, the vote was split 16-16 among the 32 teams, sources told ESPN's Kalyn Kahler.
Not to be deterred, the Packers resubmitted a new proposal this time, revising the language to more broadly ban pushing or pulling the ball carrier anywhere on the field.
It's almost like they had a vendetta.
That being the case, it's fair to wonder if we see any lingering bad feelings about this. We won't have to ponder it all year, though. The Eagles and Packers will face each other in a "Monday Night Football" game in Week 10 this season.
In last season’s wild-card round, the Eagles beat the Packers 22-10.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 21, 2025
And as @EpKap points out, 22-10 also was the tally on today’s tush push vote. pic.twitter.com/0e9AHVEweP
I'll be watching Hurts' rushing TD over/under very closely that week. I suspect the Eagles will be looking to make this ugly for the Pack . . .
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 insights. 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.
