š° DeVonta Smith got PAID
Play WR over RB, kids...
Babe wake up: Gronk spiked a baseball instead of throwing a traditional first pitchā¦
In todayās Fantasy Life Newsletter presented by Webex:
Eagles WR DeVonta Smith inked a three-year, $75M extension
Everybody panic: Justin Jefferson isnāt attending OTAs
What Now? The Future is NOW (old man)
Itās 4/16. Take it away, Ian Hartitzā¦
Another day, another front office W for the Eagles: Stud WR DeVonta Smith has inked a 3-year, $75M contract extension that includes $51M guaranteed (per Ian Rapoport).
While Philly is understandably happy to simply secure the services ofĀ Smith through the 2028 season, the money involved also has the potential to be VERY team friendly considering the likelihood Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and JaāMarr Chase reset the WR market on their respective imminent extensions.
Nobody is necessarily comparing Smith to those No. 1 WRs, but heās also not exactly too far outside of that conversation. The "Slim Reaper" ā awesome nickname by the way ā has ripped off three consecutive solid seasons since being selected with the 10th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft:
2021: 64 receptions-916 yards-5 TD (WR40 in PPR points per game)
2022: 95-1196-7 (WR14)
2023: 81-1066-7 (WR20)
Of course, things changed dramatically inside of this Eagles offense in 2022 when they acquired A.J. Brown from the Titans. While AJB (17.3 PPR points per game, WR11) has out-produced Smith (14.6, WR17) in fantasy land, both have been quite awesome and are certainly on the short list of the NFLās best duos at the position.
In fact, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle (5,879) join Smith and Brown (5,214) as the NFLās only WR duos with over 5,000 combined receiving yards over the past two seasons. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.
And guess what: Smith (WR23 ADP) is easily the cheapest option of those four over at Underdog Fantasy. Two of the three Fantasy Life rankers certainly seem to believe Smith is worth buying at this price point:
Dwain: WR21
Ian: WR21
Freedman: WR29
Donāt expect AJB WR1 szn to go anywhere, but the potential for this offense to throw the ball a bit more often under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore should help Smith see the sort of target total that his talents deserve. Good luck to the poor defensive coordinators in charge of slowing down this passing attack in 2024 and beyond.
Of course, good technology tends to help with solving complex problems like thatā¦
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šĀ The Rookie RB Super Model is LIVE.Ā Tier 3 RBs you need to know.
š¤Ā Puka Nacuaās rookie season was a helluva drug.Ā But should he be going THIS far ahead of Cooper Kupp in early drafts?
šøĀ Two of the NFLās very best WRs are not attending their voluntary off-season programs.Ā Tom Cruise: āSHOW THEM THE MONEY!ā
šĀ Daniel Jones gives an update on his health ā¦ while apparently paying homage to Adam Gase.
ā¾Ā Rob Gronkowskiās first pitch was on brand.Ā Lol.
ā°Ā TIMEās most influential people of the year.Ā We all wish we were Patrick Mahomes.
āļøĀ The Jets revealed their new uniforms.Ā Are we positive they changed anything?
š Ā Tee Higgins speaks about his future in Cincinnati.Ā Good news, Bengals fans.
šØĀ Geno Smith turns 34 in October.Ā And yet, the man can still FLY.
š¤Ā Adam Schefter thinks this WR could go earlier than expected.Ā Adjust the ranks.
The fantasy football season might be over, but we are NOT ready to unplug. Cooterdoodle is here to keep our minds in check by asking the age-old, evergreen question: āWhat Now?ā
š„ What Now? Daydream
Weāre overworked and overtired, but thereās no sleep til Brooklyn Detroit. With the NFL draft less than 10 days away, itās time to let our minds wander a bit.Ā
Every team has the potential to win a Super Bowl if you believe hard enough. And anything is possible ā¦ until it isnāt.
While there may be sad times ahead, take some time to indulge in your biggest daydreams right now, while you still can.
š“ Draft Pick Dreamers
We know all too well the excitement that comes with a first-round draft pick. Each year, we get a taste of the magic in our fantasy leagues as we decide who will be the first to join our squad.
But in the NFL, the magic is DOUBLED. Well, for three teams, at least. Chicago (1.01, 1.09), Arizona (1.04, 1.27), and Minnesota (1.11, 1.23) each have two shots at securing solid first-round picks in 2024. And is it really so bad to think that these picks could turn everything around?
Think of what the 7-10 Bears and Vikings can get done with a new QB on their hands. And SURELY the 4-13 Cardinals can bounce back in 2024 (thereās almost nowhere else to go but up).
If youāre not sold, just look at what the Texans have accomplished in such a short amount of time. After two first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, theyāve turned a 3-13-1 season (2022) into a Super Bowl-contending franchise entering 2024.
Anything can happen!
š“ Mock Draft Dreaminā
A quick āNFL mock draftā search will send you to a variety of outcomes that analysts and fans have curated to meet the needs of your favorite teams. Past mistakes could be addressed. Defensive holes can be filled. The possibilities are there!
And while many of these wonāt come trueā¦ some will!
But the best part is that the decisions are ultimately out of our hands and out of our control. So why not give in to the dreams of these best-case scenarios while we will have the time to believe that they might come true?
Related: Fantasy Lifeās Matthew Freedman recently released his fifth mock draft of the offseason. BELIEVE!
š“ Trade Rumors & Endless Possibilities
Trades are a touchy subject. On one hand, a player unfollowing their team or posting cryptic tweets may mean absolutely nothing at all.
Brandon Aiyuk's agent ā¬ļø
On the other hand, weāve been told to disregard disgruntled player rumors before, and they inevitably came to fruition (Hi, Stefon DiggsĀ š). So anything is on the table, if you ask me.
The Ravens have been rumored as a potential ātrade downā team. The Bills have been rumored to want to trade down, but also ātrade up for WRā post-Diggs. And after months of speculation around the Bearsā 1.01, many have settled on them staying put to address their needs at QB.
Ultimately, we wonāt know anything until the clock starts ticking on draft night. But remember: Thereās no harm in hoping.
There will assuredly be trades during the draft that shake things up this year. Unless there arenāt ā¦ But for now, we can dream.
Wife:
"I know you were drafting at 4 in the morning. I saw all the different colors on your screen."
ššš
