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.
Things Move Fast In The NFL
You never know what might happen on any given day. On Wednesday, seemingly out of nowhere, Steelers wideout George Pickens was traded to Dallas for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. The Steelers also sent a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Cowboys as part of the deal.
In case you missed it, we posted an instant reaction article covering the trade from a fantasy perspective shortly after it happened.
Things Change
Since then, we learned the Cowboys also looked into a trade for Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman. Those talks didn't go far, and Dallas ultimately struck a deal with Pittsburgh. We also found out that Pickens, entering the final year of his four-year rookie contract, is not looking to sign a contract extension because he wants to show he can be a top receiver for a team.
That will be nigh impossible with CeeDee Lamb as the top receiver on his new team.
In addition, with Lamb drawing an average annual salary of $34 million a year, it's going to be hard for a club that needs to come up with a new deal for star pass rusher Micah Parsons to hand their new WR2 the reported $30 million a year Pickens expects on a new deal.
Speaking for the first time since the trade, Steelers GM Omar Khan told reporters on Friday that Pickens did not request a trade, but a fresh start for all parties "makes sense for everyone."
Footballguy Sigmund Bloom definitely thinks it makes sense for Dak Prescott, who Bloom now views as a Boom/Bust QB1.
We also heard that Pittsburgh wide receiver Roman Wilson "looks like a different player" than he did during his injury-riddled rookie campaign, giving the Steelers hope for a Year 2 jump . . .
What About Pittsburgh's QB?
Also, the Steelers, who are waiting for Aaron Rodgers to decide his future, still think that future is in Pittsburgh.
Apparently, with good reason.
Rodgers has been in communication with the team during the offseason, and according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor, it is "unlikely that Rodgers wasn't privy" to the team's decision to trade Pickens to the Cowboys. Further evidence Rodgers is in play comes from a report by Profootballtalk.com (citing unnamed sources) that Jets wideout Allen Lazard could be a possible trade option for the Steelers.
Why Lazard?
It's because Rodgers completely trusts him. And Lazard, for whatever reason, performs much better with Rodgers than he does without him.
But to state the obvious, all this hinges on Rodgers signing with the Steelers at some point. If they don't, the Steelers will trot out Mason Rudolph as their top quarterback in offseason workouts.
We'll continue to watch for more because, when it comes to the NFL, one thing is certain: There will always be more . . .
Which Reminds Me, It's Schedule Release Week!
What did I tell you? There's always more . . . This week, the full schedule for the 2025 NFL season will be unveiled on NFL Network on Wednesday night, with some of the dates filled in ahead of that point.
The league announced that its six broadcast partners will each announce select games from the schedule starting Monday. NBC, Fox, and Prime Video will make their announcements on Monday, ESPN will be on Tuesday, and CBS and Netflix will share their announcements on Wednesday ahead of the full release.
The league did not share which games will be announced, but it said that the designated visiting teams for the league's international games will be revealed on the NFL Network on Tuesday.
Designated home teams for those games were previously announced.
The Chargers will be in Sao Paolo in Week 1, the Colts will be in Berlin, the Dolphins will be in Madrid, the Steelers will be in London, and the Jaguars, Browns, and Jets will be in London.
We also know the Week 1 Thursday night opener will feature the Eagles in Philadelphia. In addition, the league has announced the Lions and Cowboys will host games on Thanksgiving Day, and there will be a Christmas Day triple header.
By the way, there has never been a Thursday game on Christmas in NFL history, so going from zero to three is a big leap.
We'll have analysis on the schedule and what it means for fantasy investors later this week.
For now, the Fantasy Notebook has another installment of our ongoing look at this year's crop of incoming offensive coordinators and what they mean for the players we're invested in -- or, in some cases, what they don't mean.
Let's dive in . . .
Getting Coordinated: New Coach, Same Play Caller
Tommy Rees went from being a ball boy for the Browns to coordinating their offense. Head coach Kevin Stefanski hired Rees as his offensive coordinator in January, promoting him after firing Ken Dorsey following a season in which the Browns went 3-14 and averaged a league-low 15.2 points per game.
Rees spent last season as Cleveland's tight ends coach, working with Mike Vrabel, who spent a year as a consultant with the Browns before being named New England's coach. Vrabel had been expected to bring Rees with him to the Patriots, but Stefanski beat him to the punch.
"Tommy has an incredible football mind," Stefanski said. "He is extremely bright and has been around the game his entire life. Before joining our staff, he established himself as one of the top assistant coaches in college football. Last season, he transitioned into our tight end room and with our pass game, and he didn't miss a beat."
According to Associated Press sports writer Tom Withers, the 32-year-old Rees has been considered a rising star in the NFL coaching ranks. He was the first candidate to interview with Stefanski, who fired Dorsey hours after the Browns ended their dreadful season with a loss at Baltimore in the finale.
Stefanski's familiarity with Rees was undoubtedly a factor in the Browns keeping him.
Rees also knew Stefanski could assume play-calling duties after handing them over to Dorsey midway through last season.
After all, Stefanski called plays during his first four seasons with Cleveland . . .
And He'll Call Them Again
Stefanski announced as he introduced Rees. "I'm going to call plays, and I reserve the right to change my mind," Stefanski said.
Stefanski, a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, gave up the playcalling duties to Dorsey amid a 1-6 start to the season and days after quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending right Achilles tendon tear.
Dorsey called plays primarily for Jameis Winston, who averaged over 300 passing yards during his seven starts.
Yet, the Browns went 2-5 in those games.
The offensive struggles continued throughout the second half of the season. In addition to being last in total points, they averaged 94.6 rushing yards per game -- ranked 28th in the league -- and 20th in average passing yards per game at 206.2. The Browns also tied for the most giveaways at 34 and last in the NFL in turnover differential at minus-22.
As Rees steps into this new role, he will work with Stefanski to create an explosive system highlighting their players' strengths.
"We're going to work together," Rees said. "I'm looking forward to being a part of the process and having an opportunity to lead the offensive staff and lead the offense. There's so much work that gets done on the front end of things; play-calling is just part of the process. We're excited to get to work together and making sure that we have a good product on the field."
Job 1 for the Browns is solving their quandary at quarterback . . .
Can They Untie The Gordian Knot?
Since their return to Cleveland in 1999, the Browns have had a high turnover at the quarterback position, with 22 different starting quarterbacks.
It's become a problem insoluble in its own terms.
Some of the notable names include Tim Couch, Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Colt McCoy, Brandon Weeden, Brian Hoyer, Johnny Manziel, Josh McCown, Baker Mayfield, Deshaun Watson, Joe Flacco, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
One of those, Flacco, returns this year.
Not surprisingly, the Browns were looking for quarterback help this offseason after using four passers in 2024. Cleveland opted not to re-sign Jameis Winston, last year's backup, and traded for Kenny Pickett in the first week of free agency, sending the Philadelphia Eagles a fifth-round pick and Thompson-Robinson.
Then they drafted two more quarterbacks, Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in Round 5, last month.
So now, the Browns' quarterback room is crowded with Watson, Flacco, Pickett, Gabriel, and Sanders all on the depth chart. Watson is expected to miss the 2025 season due to an Achilles injury, but still . . .
When You Have Five QBs, Do You Have Any?
After a shoulder injury ended Watson's 2023 season, Flacco stepped in impressively, throwing for 300-plus yards in four straight wins. For those late-season heroics, he earned 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors -- and the eternal admiration of fantasy investors with Amari Cooper and David Njoku on their rosters.
That success led Flacco to sign with the Colts as a backup in 2024. He ended up starting six games for Indy, posting 1,761 yards, 12 TDs, and seven interceptions en route to a 2-4 record.
Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer believes Flacco currently has the inside track to start spring practices as QB1, but . . .
It's an Open Competition
Flacco, at 40, is experienced but declining. Pickett, another former first-rounder with some experience, hasn't shown much success yet but does protect the football well.
Gabriel was widely considered a reach in Round 3, but the coaching staff clearly sees something in the Oregon product. He's not physically dynamic, but he plays with rhythm and excels in RPO and play-action situations.
Sanders carries a higher profile but slipped to Round 5 for a reason: Negative plays. He was sacked an FBS-high 94 times in his last two seasons at Colorado . . .
The Local Outlook Might Surprise You
Long-time Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot contends the two most popular quarterbacks on the roster could be starting at the bottom of the depth chart.
"I think right now, if I had to rank them, I would go [Pickett] at this moment, not the way that it's going to shake out, but heading in, I'd go Kenny, Dillon, and then maybe Joe and Shedeur, probably Joe first and Shedeur last," Cabot revealed during a recent podcast discussion with fellow Cleveland Plain Dealer staffer Dan Labbe.
This assessment represents a stark contrast to what many fantasy investors might expect . . .
The Real Story
Cabot emphasizes that the Browns aren't financially committed to any QB, and ball security will be Stefanski's deciding factor.
Cleveland's priority is to find an efficient QB who moves the chains and protects the ball.
"Whenever they talk about Pickett, they talk about the fact that he doesn't throw a lot of interceptions, that he doesn't turn the ball over very much," Cabot explained. "[Flacco], on the other hand, in his last four starts in Indianapolis, turned it over six times or something like that."
For Sanders, the issue is the sacks, and . . .
Making The Team
The Browns kicked off their rookie minicamp on Friday. Gabriel got the first snaps of the day, and Sanders followed him in the drills. Stefanski said that he "thought both guys did a nice job" and downplayed any significance to who got the first snap of the day.
"Yeah, I wouldn't look into anything," Stefanski said. "I think you'll see the whole weekend, going through the spring. I mean, we don't pay too close attention to who's in that first snap."
General manager Andrew Berry, appearing on a local radio show Friday morning, told listeners multiple times that Sanders' focus should be on two things: Making the team and earning a role . . .
For Us?
Fantasy investors seem to realize the Browns, who ranked 29th in QB fantasy points last year, have no clear leader at the position. Flacco is QB31 on the current Footballguys 2025 Projections, with Pickett at QB35.
None of the Cleveland QBs currently reside inside the top 250 in Average Draft Position (ADP) in Underdog best-ball drafts.
We're largely staying away until clarity emerges, perhaps turning their attention to the coming focus on the running game . . .
Backfield In Motion
With Nick Chubb still a free agent, the Browns had a need. They've now filled it.
The team drafted Quinshon Judkins with the 36th pick in the second round.
Jerome Ford is still on the roster, and the team added another promising rookie, fourth-round pick Dylan Sampson, but Judkins profiles as a lead back.
As NBC Sports' Matthew Berry put it, "The Browns didn't spend the 36th overall pick in the draft to have Judkins watch Ford play football.
"Or for him to watch any of their QBs pass."
It makes sense. With Ford returning at a reduced rate (he accepted a salary reduction from $3.486 million to a guaranteed $1.75 million in 2025 last week) and the Browns drafting a pair of running backs, Chubb is now more likely to be playing elsewhere in the coming season.
"I wouldn't rule anything out," Andrew Berry said when asked about Chubb returning on Friday. "But I would say it's probably increasingly unlikely."
Chubb averaged at least 17 touches per game in all four of his full seasons as a starter. He also finished as a top 12 RB in PPG in all four of those seasons . . .
Can The Rookie Fill Chubb's Shoes?
Footballguys' Colton Dodgson noted immediately after the draft that Judkins' time at Ole Miss and Ohio State showcased his explosive and versatile abilities across different schemes.
At Ole Miss, he handled 545 carries across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, averaging 5 yards per carry. In 2024, after transferring to Ohio State, he continued to excel, contributing to their national championship victory by averaging 5.4 yards per carry on 194 attempts.
Dodgson added that the youngster is entering an offense that ran outside the tackles on 53.7 percent of its carries last season. On his 58 carries outside the tackles at OSU in 2024, he averaged 5.38 yards per carry and 3.18 yards after contact per attempt.
Dodson added: "There's not much to complain about here. This is an excellent fit for Judkins. It's an excellent fit for fantasy."
Our colleague Jason Wood's initial projection calls for an RB28 finish with 205 carries and nearly 900 yards rushing.
Expect him to be a factor at the goal line -- and to impact the passing game as well . . .
What's Left For The Wideouts?
Dodgson believes Stefanski's play-action passing approach could improve with a legitimate threat in the backfield. While the pass rate will almost certainly decrease, the uptick in efficiency when the Browns do look to throw will help offset the drop in usage for the team's pass catchers.
In short, when the play-action game is working, the Cleveland pass catchers are fantasy-relevant. Judkins helps with that.
As Akron Beacon-Journal staffer Chris Easterling framed it: "The Browns wide receiving corps remains Jerry Jeudy and plenty of questions.
"One could even ask questions of Jeudy, even after his career season in 2024, his first in Cleveland."
Jeudy is coming off the best season of his career, setting a team single-season record for receptions and fifth-most receiving yards in team history. There was also that return trip to Denver, where he set the single-game receiving yards mark against the Broncos, his former team.
Much of that was done with Winston as the quarterback, so it will be important to see how Jeudy meshes with whichever quarterback wins the job.
Whatever the case, there's a reason Jeudy got 145 targets last season -- seventh among WRs -- and why he might get even more this season: Cedric Tillman, DeAndre Carter, Diontae Johnson, David Bell, Michael Woods II, and Jamari Thrash are the players behind him on the depth chart.
Tillman, a 2023 third-round pick, was showing promise before sustaining what ended up being a season-ending concussion in Week 12 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Browns' offseason moves at the position involve Carter, whose primary role will likely be returning kicks on special teams, and Johnson, who can be productive when he's engaged, which was a struggle last year as he bounced between three teams during the season.
So when the Browns are throwing, Jeudy will be busy.
And that's good news.
In games last season where he had six or more targets, Jeudy averaged 16.4 fantasy points per game in PPR formats.
But again, the bad news is that Jeudy's best work came with a quarterback no longer on the roster. As NFL.com's Michael F. Florio wrote last year, "Jeudy has looked like the second coming of Jerry Rice with Winston under center, but he is not usable in fantasy football when the Browns roll with other quarterbacks."
The situation at quarterback is baked into the ADP cake this year; Jeudy is going as WR38 with a fifth-round price tag in early best-ball drafts . . .
A Complement For Njoku
As SI.com's Spencer German explained, Harold Fannin Jr. isn't the prototypical NFL tight end. But as it turned out, the 6-3, 241-pound Fannin was exactly who the Browns wanted in a tight end.
Better still, the Browns have what Fannin wanted.
The rookie looks forward to working with Njoku and becoming a sponge under the 2023 Pro Bowler, who led the Browns with 81 catches and a career-high six touchdowns two seasons ago.
It can be argued that Fannin had the greatest tight end season in the history of FBS Division I football.
He set single-season records for catches (117) and receiving yards (1,555) while scoring 17 touchdowns in becoming a consensus All-American at Bowling Green. He also excelled in the biggest games, including 11 catches for 137 yards and a score in a 34-27 loss to Penn State.
However, Fannin's development is expected to be a process, and the 6-4, 250-pound Njoku will remain at the forefront.
And as Dodgson pointed out, play action is essential when the Stefanski offense is firing on all cylinders. Njoku has flourished in play action.
Njoku missed five games last year and finished as TE12 in total points, but he was TE5 on a points-per-game basis, with 13.1.
Worth noting: With Flacco as his quarterback in Weeks 13-17 in 2023, Njoku was TE5. He's currently being drafted as TE12 in the 10th round . . .
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 . . .
Digg(s)ing In
As he lays the groundwork to turn around the Patriots, Vrabel has made no secret of what the addition of Stefon Diggs means for the Patriots.
Coach Vrabel on what the addition of Stefon Diggs means for the Patriots pic.twitter.com/AMgQJYbVP1
— Green Light with Chris Long (@greenlight) March 27, 2025
Diggs is not yet fully cleared for all football activities as he recovers from last year's torn ACL. But he's doing plenty to impress his new teammates in New England.
The word is, Diggs, who tore his ACL while playing for the Texans on October 27, looks athletic and explosive while participating in voluntary offseason workouts.
"Energy, man. You can see he's a freak," Patriots tight end Austin Hooper said of Diggs. "I know he just came off what he came off of, and you can see him already with the explosion, the change of direction, the top end. It's like, 'Dang, dude; it must be nice,' you know what I mean? I'm really excited to work with a proven veteran, good player in this league."
The Patriots signed Diggs to a three-year, $63.5 million contract this offseason, but that contract protects the Patriots if Diggs' knee injury prevents him from playing. As PFT suggested, if Hooper's observations are any guide, Diggs' knee will be just fine.
And if it is? Diggs must produce and stay healthy to get the most out of his new contract. The pact directly ties $3.4 million in 2025 to playing every game and another $4 million to playing well. His ultimate goal will be 100 catches and 1,300 yards.
Diggs was on pace to have at least 100 catches and 1,000 yards before he was hurt last year.
ESPN.com's Mike Reiss believes if Diggs is going to succeed in New England, it may be out of the slot.
As Reiss pointed out, Diggs became more of a short/intermediate option in Houston last year. His air yards per target were only 8.84 in 2024, down from 10.19 yards in his final year with the Bills and 14.73 in his last year with the Vikings. He also had a career-high 18.6 percent of his routes short and to the outside.
Reiss also points out that Diggs lined up in the slot 43 percent of the time last year. He averaged 27 percent during his Buffalo stint.
That role wouldn't be great news for DeMario Douglas, who had been penciled in as the top slot option pre-Diggs.
Worth noting: Diggs has caught a touchdown pass in each of his last five games at Gillette Stadium. It's the longest streak by a visiting player since the 1970 merger.
From a fantasy perspective, a healthy Diggs, who finished as a WR2 or better (including five WR1 finishes) every season from 2017 through 2023, is currently being drafted as WR45 in Round 7 . . .
Clarity In Carolina
Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen is in the final year of his contract, and it may also be the last year he plays football.
Thielen is entering his 12th NFL season, and he'll turn 35 before the Panthers play their first game of the year, so it wasn't surprising when the veteran told reporters last Friday that he's "definitely winding down my career." Thielen said he won't make any decisions at this point but acknowledged that he may decide to hang up the cleats once the year ends.
"It could be, yeah," Thielen told Joe Person of The Athletic. "I told you guys at the end of the season, like every year, you look back and say, what left do I have to give to this game? I talked to my family, and they wanted me to keep playing. So it'll be the same process. I'm not gonna think about that right now."
Thielen said he's "excited about this year and what could happen" for a Panthers team that ended the 2024 season on an upswing.
That could lead to Thielen going out on a high note come the start of 2026. If so, he'll likely be remembered as a fantasy bargain -- again.
Despite missing several games due to a hamstring injury, Thielen finished the year with 48 receptions for 615 yards with five touchdowns.
From Weeks 12 through 18, Thielen was WR12 as Bryce Young hit stride under first-year coach Dave Canales.
Remember, Thielen caught 103 passes for 1,014 yards with four TDs during Young's miserable rookie season in 2023.
Thielen is currently being drafted as WR68 in Round 14. Some of us are getting a bargain . . .
On a less positive note, Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks will not be on the field for the 2025 season. This after the team placed Brooks on the physically unable to perform list.
Making the move now means Brooks will not play in the coming season.
After recovering from a torn ACL suffered in his last year with Texas, Brooks came back to play three games before re-tearing the same ACL in December.
He had nine carries for 22 yards and three receptions for 23 yards in those three games last year.
Chuba Hubbard, who finished 2024 as RB15 in total points (and RB13 in points per game), is being drafted as RB18 this year . . .
Flowers Ready To Bloom
According to head coach John Harbaugh, Ravens receiver Zay Flowers did not need to undergo offseason surgery on his injured knee and is progressing well in rehab.
"He was doing a little dance in the weight room this last week and said he's feeling great," Harbaugh said of Flowers. "His knee's back. He did it with rehab."
Flowers was injured in the 2024 regular-season finale, which kept him sidelined for Baltimore's two playoff games. Flowers had a career-high 1,059 receiving yards in his second season and averaged 14.3 yards on 74 catches, becoming the first Raven to make the Pro Bowl at wide receiver.
Flowers sits at WR34 on the Footballguys 2025 Fantasy Football Draft Projections . . .
Watson Happy With His Progress
Packers receiver Christian Watson (knee) said he is doing "really well" in his rehab after last season's torn anterior cruciate ligament.
"I'm in a really, really good spot," Watson said. "Just keeping the mentality there. Just working. I've got a couple more months ahead of me, but I'm attacking it every day. I'm in a really good spot."
Maybe so. However, the timing of the injury means that Watson has a cloudy outlook for a return in 2025.
And even if the start of the offseason program has lifted Watson's spirits, the immediate future is uncertain. The Packers added Matthew Golden in the first round and Savion Williams in the third round, so they moved to bolster the receiver group well ahead of any concrete news about when Watson might be able to play.
As PFT suggests, if that duo makes a quick transition to NFL life, Watson's future in Green Bay beyond 2025 -- the final year of his rookie deal -- will also be cloudy . . .
Clapping Back?
According to Daniel Popper of The Athletic, Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnson, the team's first-round pick in 2023, will "have to earn his roster spot" in training camp.
Popper has rookie Tre Harris starting alongside Mike Williams and Ladd McConkey in three-wide sets, bringing up the possibility of moving rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith onto the field when they "need more speed."
None of this sets up especially well for Johnston, the last first-round pick of the Tom Telesco regime.
Johnson struggled with poor route running and repeated drops as a rookie. He improved last year with a 55-catch, 711-yard, eight-touchdown receiving line, but he may be fighting for one of the last spots on the roster this year if everyone makes it through training camp without an injury.
Meanwhile, Harris, a second-round pick this year, is a player to watch . . .
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. This week, we'll keep it draft-related.
The Good: Chasing Perfection
Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase's long push for a new contract ended in March when he signed a four-year extension with the Bengals, making him the league's highest-paid non-quarterback. Chase said he has "a lot" of goals left, including the championships that have eluded him to this point in his career.
In addition to that team success, Chase said he has eyes on getting "better at everything I can do," which means he has to raise the bar even higher than it was already set. "There are expectations; the standard is high," Chase said via the team's website. "But also know I'm holding myself to a higher standard now. Higher than whatever it was."
Chase set the stage for his new pact by putting up 127 catches for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns during the 2024 season and putting a bow on one of the most prolific four-year starts to a career in NFL history.
The Bengals will need more than Chase to reach the kind of collective success that the wideout has in mind, but even bigger things from him in 2025 won't hurt their chances of returning to the postseason.
And that's good news for fantasy investors who have already made Chase the 1.01 in early best-ball drafts on Underdog . . .
The Bad: Barkley All In On Tush Push
The Eagles were so dominant this past season that the NFL has considered a rule change: Banning their famous tush push.
Saquon Barkley doesn't like it.
The Green Bay Packers, who lost to the Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Game, started the petition.
Barkley, whose job is to push quarterback Jalen Hurts forward on the tush push, dismisses attempts to ban the play as sour grapes from teams that haven't been able to stop it.
"If you don't like it, get better at stopping it," Barkley told ESPN. "It's not like a play that we only do. Everyone tries it; we're just super successful at it."
As PFT suggested, Barkley is right about that: The Eagles have elevated the play to an art form, while many other NFL teams have tried and failed to gain a yard by plunging their quarterback into the line while the running back pushes him from behind. It's a play the Eagles do with devastating efficiency, and the rest of the league struggles to emulate.
But at the upcoming NFL meeting, the owners are likely to vote on a rule that would put it to an end. There's growing opposition to the tush push around the league, and teams that can't stop it on the field might stop it with a rule change.
And that would be too bad for the Eagles and for fantasy players who have benefited greatly from Hurts' many trips to the end zone . . .
The Ugly: Tucker Gets The Boot
After drafting kicker Tyler Loop, the Ravens released kicker Justin Tucker in a move the organization insists is a "football decision."
Statement from Executive Vice President and General Manager Eric DeCosta pic.twitter.com/TNQrqw3me2
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 5, 2025
The team might insist it's a football decision, but Tucker has been accused of inappropriate behavior by 16 massage therapists from eight different Baltimore spas and wellness centers between 2012 and 2016 (covering the kicker's first five seasons in the NFL). While Tucker has publicly disputed the allegations twice, calling the accusations "unequivocally false," the NFL has been investigating the matter.
All in all, it's an ugly end to what could have been an illustrious career . . .
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 now 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.
