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Howdy Reader,
Welcome back, Friends. Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair - it's been a big news day.
I hope you had a blockbuster trade involving three All-Pro players on your late-June Monday bingo card. That deal's already sending ripples through draft boards - and Bob Harris is tracking every one of them in today's News and Notes.
Meanwhile, in our regularly scheduled programming, Dave Kluge unveils his June wide receiver tiers and rankings, featuring 120 players and a fresh wave of double-digit movers. Next, we focus our Fantasy Overview lens on the New York Jets. And finally, David Zacharias walks dynasty commissioners through their essential preseason rituals.
We’re glad to be in your inbox - and in your corner - for every draft board ripple and dynasty twist. Let's make them all count.
J
PS. Please make sure to check out our newest partner, Drafters.com. I'm a huge fan of what they're doing. If you're looking for an awesome way to play Best Ball this season, I recommend it highly. Footballguys Staffer Dan Hindery crushed their contests last year, so be looking for lots of Drafters content at Footballguys this year. Check it out.
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What's New At Footballguys
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Wide Receiver Rankings and Tiers: One Staffer's Opinion – Dave Kluge puts Ja'Marr Chase in a league of his own — and makes a strong case for why Elijah Moore deserves a late-round look.
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New York Jets Fantasy Overview - Our Footballguys Staff breaks down the 2025 Jets from every angle — vibes, busts, sleepers, and IDP — but are Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall fantasy centerpieces or traps?
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Dynasty Commissioner's Handbook: The Preseason Rehearsal – David Zacharias outlines the preseason responsibilities of dynasty commissioners, offering clear guidance on rookie drafts, rosters, and league harmony.
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NFL Team-By-Team Fantasy Overviews – The only way to cover all 32 teams right — Our Footballguys Staff is rolling out team vibes, sleepers, busts, and IDP insights one team at a time through the end of July.
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Wide Receiver Rankings and Tiers: One Staffer's Opinion
By Dave Kluge - Exclusive to Footballguys
The following feature is a free preview of our content. If you like it, click here to sign up for access to our Footballguys Premium Subscriptions, and you'll get all of our content. We're so sure you'll love it that we have an industry-leading 30-day MoneyBack Guarantee, so there's zero risk.
Last week, I published my running back rankings, examining where I diverged from consensus opinions. Today, we'll do the same with wide receivers.
While the wisdom of the crowds is a valuable tool, examining one staffer's thought process can help you gain a deeper understanding of how we arrive at these assumptions. Next to each receiver's name, I'll share where my ranking compares to our ADP. Where there is a sizable gap, I will provide some additional thoughts and context.
Let's start with a guy who is in a tier of his own this year.
Fresh off the Receiving Triple Crown, Chase is in a tier of his own. He's at the peak of his career. His team is forced to air it out often due to their sieve-like defense. He's got the speed to get behind defenses. He's a menace after the catch. He has steel-trap hands and a tenacity that allows him to wrestle jump balls from defenders. In my opinion, whether PPR or standard scoring, Chase should be the first overall pick.
Elite WR1s
Over the last three years, Lamb and Jefferson are the other guys to snag the wide receiver fantasy scoring title besides Chase. Like Chase, they're also in the primes of their careers, making them plays you can easily invest an early-first-round pick in.
- WR2 - CeeDee Lamb (+1 compared to ADP) - We've seen Lamb finish as the overall WR1 with his quarterback.
- WR3 - Justin Jefferson (-1) - Jefferson is inarguably one of the league's best quarterbacks, but a quarterback getting his first NFL start is a tiny blemish on a should-be-elite outlook.
Rock-Solid WR1s
Every player in this tier is worth first-round consideration. While it's hard to justify drafting any of these guys ahead of Chase, Lamb, or Jefferson, they all have overall WR1 in their high-end range of outcomes....
CONTINUED...
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Updating an earlier report, Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith and 2027 seventh-round pick were acquired by the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for S Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Our view: Smith, 29, led all Dolphins players in receptions (88) in his first year with the team and finished behind only Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, and George Kittle leaguewide in receiving yards by a tight end (with 884). Smith will be paired with current Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth. We'll watch for more here, but as Footballguy Jason Wood suggests, it's hard to envision a scenario where you're comfortable starting either this year unless one of them gets hurt, freeing up the other for a featured role.
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Updating a previous report, Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith and a 2027 seventh-round pick were traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for S Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick on S Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Our view: Ramsey, who has 24 interceptions in his career, joins a loaded cornerback group with the Steelers, who signed Darius Slay Jr. in free agency earlier this offseason and also have incumbent starter Joey Porter Jr. Ramsey was credited with 11 pass breakups last season but recorded only two interceptions -- his lowest total since 2020.
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3. PIT: Jonnu Smith likely to utilized at multiple positions
Source: The Athletic - Mark Kaboly
Pittsburgh Steelers TE Jonnu Smith is expected to log snaps at tight end, slot receiver and as a fullback following his trade from the Miami Dolphins on Monday, June 30, according to sources.
Our view: The Steelers' interest in Smith is rooted in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's longstanding relationship with the tight end. Arthur Smith was Jonnu Smith's tight ends coach and offensive coordinator in Tennessee, and Arthur Smith later traded for his former player during his stint as the Falcons' head coach. Should we be excited by this? Footballguy Jason Wood notes that Jonnu Smith was TE22 in 2023 with the Falcons playing under Arthur Smith, and before last year, was only relevant once in his Patriots career (2020) because of a massive outlier 8 TD season on 65 targets.
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4. MIA: Miami lands Minkah Fitzpatrick
Source: NFL Network - Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport
Pittsburgh Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick were acquired by the Miami Dolphins Monday, June 30, in exchange for TE Jonnu Smith, CB Jalen Ramsey and a 2027 seventh-round pick.
Our view: Fitzpatrick, 28, was productive after being acquired by the Steelers in 2019, nabbing five interceptions in 14 games with his new team. He had multiple interceptions in each of the following three seasons, including a career-high six in 2022. However, he hit a slump in 2023 and failed to record a single pick as he battled injuries throughout that season. Still, Fitzpatrick has 20 interceptions in his career, and acquiring him is a significant step for a Dolphins team looking to replace its entire starting secondary from a season ago.
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5. MIA: Miami about to discuss trade for Michael Mayer?
Source: The Miami Herald - Omar Kelly
Las Vegas Raiders TE Michael Mayer is a player that the Miami Dolphins have had their eye on for a while, according to Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald.
Our view: As USA Today noted, Mayer has long been rumored to be a trade possibility for the Raiders. A recent former high second-round pick who is sitting behind arguably the best tight end in football in Brock Bowers, Mayer makes sense here. Other possibilities being discussed at Footballguys headquarters? Baltimore's Mark Andrews, Chicago's Cole Kmet, Cleveland's David Njoku, and Atlanta's Kyle Pitts are among the higher-profile candidates. Rams TE Tyler Higbee, Buffalo's Dawson Knox, and New England's Austin Hooper also fit the mold. We'll continue to monitor and report back as developments warrant.
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6. MIA: Julian Hill with an opening
Source: AtoZSports.com - Craig Smith
Miami Dolphins TE Julian Hill receives an opening to start after the team traded TE Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday, June 30.
Our view: Trading away Jonnu Smith, who skipped Miami's offseason practices in pursuit of a new contract, leaves the Dolphins without a primary pass-catching tight end. Remaining in their tight ends room are blocking tight ends Julian Hill and Pharaoh Brown, as well as former undrafted free agents Tanner Conner, Hayden Rucci, and Jalin Conyers. We'll see if the Dolphins don't go shopping at the position in coming days.
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7. NE: Antonio Gibson in line for RB3 role
Source: ESPN.com - Mike Reiss
New England Patriots RB Antonio Gibson appears to be in line for the No. 3 role in the backfield, in the opinion of ESPN's Mike Reiss.
Our view: Gibson ran the ball 120 times for the Patriots last season, but he only wound up with 538 yards and a touchdown. As MSN.com noted, although he made three starts, Gibson never seemed to be on the verge of overtaking Stevenson, and now, with the addition of rookie TreVeon Henderson, is another rung down the ladder.
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8. PIT: Teams lining up for potential T.J. Watt trade?
Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter
Pittsburgh Steelers LB T.J. Watt skipped the team's most recent minicamp and remains unhappy with his current contractual situation. Although Pittsburgh has not shown any interest in trading him, ESPN's Adam Schefter - via multiple sources - believes that the June 30 trade that involved CB Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith and S Minkah Fitzpatrick could lead to more outside team interest for Watt.
Our view: There has been no indication from the Steelers that they are looking to trade Watt, and Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that they remain focused on signing him to a contract extension. Profootballtalk.com notes that a report this month indicated they expect to finalize a deal before the start of the season. Watt signed his last extension days before the start of Week 1, and the Steelers have a long-standing policy of not negotiating during the season.
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9. SF: Niners confident in backup QB
Source: ESPN.com - Nick Wagoner
San Francisco 49ers QB Mac Jones has 'a lot of traits' the team looks for in a starting quarterback, according to offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak. 'I think Mac's capable of being a starter in this league,' Kubiak said.
Our view: As an unrestricted free agent in March, Jones wanted a chance to play for a coach who has a track record of squeezing the most from his quarterbacks. Kyle Shanahan was the obvious choice. There are no guarantees for Jones, but before signing with the Niners, he noted the ascent of Sam Darnold, another former high draft pick who struggled elsewhere, went to San Francisco, subsequently enjoyed success with the Vikings, and signed a sizable free-agent deal with the Seahawks.
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10. PIT: Gabe Davis an option for Pittsburgh?
Source: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
Free-agent WR Gabe Davis (Jaguars) reportedly enjoyed his visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers this spring and is still an option to sign with the team at some point, although 'he could take his time' doing so, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Our view: While not as big a name as Jonnu Smith or Jalen Ramsey, who were acquired in a trade with Miami earlier in the day, Davis, still just 26, has 2,969 career receiving yards, 183 receptions averaging 16.2 yards each, and 29 touchdowns. The Jaguars released Davis last month. He also visited with San Francisco and the New York Giants.
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11. PIT: Jonnu Smith lands one-year extension
Source: ESPN - Adam Schefter
Pittsburgh Steelers TE Jonnu Smith reportedly agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension worth $12 million following his trade from the Miami Dolphins on June 30.
Our view: It's no surprise to see the Steelers extend Smith. Last year, he set new career highs with 88 receptions and 884 yards while tying a career-high with eight touchdowns. Now, Smith is set to be another strong target for newly signed quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
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That’s it for today, Friends.
Thanks for spending part of your offseason with us. We'll be right here as the regular season approaches, helping you prep, plan, and stay one step ahead.
Catch you tomorrow with another round of updates.
Peace, Love, and Fantasy Football,
J
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Written By Joe Bryant. News by Sigmund Bloom, Bob Harris, and Cecil Lammey
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