Dak's Ceiling, Purdy's Payday, Henry's Reward, Achane's Ambition, and Schedule Fallout: The Fantasy Notebook
By Bob Harris - Exclusive to Footballguys
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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:
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:
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) . . .
CONTINUED...
