NFL Player News

The Jaguars selected Bigsby in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 88th overall.

Bigsby isn't a guarantee to back up Travis Etienne, especially in Week 1, but Bigsby ought to be able to displace JaMycal Hasty, D'Ernest Johnson and Snoop Conner early on in the 2023 season. Whether the Auburn product can amount to much more than that is less clear, but Bigsby was reasonably productive in college (2,903 yards and 25 touchdowns on 540 carries) ,and his athleticism is no worse than average (4.56-second 40 at 6-feet, 210 pounds).

The Dolphins selected Achane in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 84th overall.

Tyreek Hill is the fastest player in the NFL, but Achane is one of the few who might be able to keep up in a race. In the past, Achane has logged 100-meter times similar to what Hill used to run, and the Texas A&M product was reportedly not 100 percent healthy when he ran his 4.32-second 40 at the combine. Achane has workload limitations due to his tiny frame (5-foot-9, 188 pounds), but coach Mike McDaniel might be the brightest offensive play caller in the NFL, and it wouldn't be surprising if he cooks up something impressive with Achane as a big-play specialist.

The Titans selected Spears in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 81st overall.

Spears put himself on the map with an incredible 2022 season highlighted by 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns on 229 carries. He continued to build momentum with an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl. Things halted a bit when he checked in light at the combine at 5-foot-9 and 201 pounds, and he ran just a 4.52 in the 40 at the Tulane Pro Day. Derrick Henry will continue to be the workhorse as long as he's in Tennessee, and Spears didn't show the pass-catching ability at Tulane to be a lock to force his way into a third-down role, either. Spears can work his way onto the fantasy radar in time, but his rookie-year prospects are less than ideal.

The Saints selected Miller (knee) in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 71st overall.

Miller outlasted fellow 2023 prospect Zach Evans to take over the TCU backfield last year while Evans took his talents to Ole Miss. TCU got plenty of production out of Miller en route to its National Championship appearance, as he produced 1,399 yards and 17 touchdowns on 224 carries. Prior to that, Miller had 137 carries for 1,011 yards in two seasons. Miller is unproven as a pass catcher with 29 career receptions for 229 yards, and an MCL injury prevented him from participating at the combine or pro day. The Saints are an interesting landing spot for Miller; if Alvin Kamara plays the whole season, it's tough to see Miller taking on a major role with Jamaal Williams also in the mix. Miller is an interesting speculative prospect in dynasty formats, but his redraft value is murky for the time being.

The Seahawks selected Charbonnet in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 52nd overall.

It's not a good landing spot for Charbonnet's fantasy value, and it even introduces some amount of concern for starter Kenneth Walker, but the Seahawks are committed to running often and running well. Any other suggestion simply isn't palatable to coach Pete Carroll, so Seattle couldn't pass on the temptation of Charbonnet's plus talent at the 52nd pick. Charbonnet was exceptional at UCLA and good at Michigan prior to that, boasting both a three-down frame and skill set and at times resembling peak DeMarco Murray with a 6-foot, 214-pound frame. Walker unquestionably sits atop the Seattle running back depth chart, but if Charbonnet gets extended opportunity, he's unlikely to fail after running for 3,346 yards and 39 touchdowns in college at 5.9 yards per carry.

The 49ers restructured McCaffrey's contract Friday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

After reworking McCaffrey's contract, San Francisco was able to free up approximately $8.6 million in cap space. The overall parameters are unclear, but he previously was due at least $12 million in each of the next three seasons. After he was dealt to the 49ers last October, McCaffrey put together 199 carries for 984 yards, hauled in 64 of 79 targets for 525 yards and scored 13 total touchdowns in 14 games (including playoffs). He'll continue to be the engine that drives the team's offense in the upcoming campaign.

Patterson and Tyler Allgeier are part of a backfield that now includes eighth overall pick Bijan Robinson, Scott Bair of AtlantaFalcons.com reports.

Robinson figures to lead the way ahead of a 32-year-old and a 2022 fifth-round pick, though both Patterson and Allgeier were effective ballcarriers last season in Arthur Smith's run-heavy offense, averaging 4.8 YPC and 4.9 YPC, respectively. Ultimately, it may just be Robinson and Allgeier handling backfield snaps, considering the Falcons will free up $4.25 million in cap space if they trade or release Patterson after June 1 (his $4.25 million base salary for 2023 isn't guaranteed). Barring an alteration to his contract, Patterson's status with the team will remain uncertain throughout the summer even if he remains on the roster and reports to training camp.

Montgomery has new competition in the backfield after Detroit drafted RB Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall Thursday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Birkett, along with many others, expects D'Andre Swift to be the odd man out in the Detroit backfield, given that Swift has one year remaining on his contract and has struggled to stay healthy throughout his pro career. Montgomery joined the Lions in March on a three-year, $18 million contract with $8.75 million guaranteed at signing, including his $1.25 base salary for 2023 and $3 million of his $5.25 million salary for 2024. He thus figures to be under contract for at least two years, and while Detroit's backfield looks crowded at the moment, Montgomery could end up with a workload split around 50/50 as the thunder to Gibbs' lightning if/when the Lions move on from Swift. To that end, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Friday morning that the Lions are already receiving trade calls for Swift.

Allgeier will be joined by No. 8 overall draft pick Bijan Robinson in the Atlanta backfield, The Athletic's Josh Kendall reports.

A fifth-rounder last spring, Allgeier set the team rookie rushing record with 1,035 yards but will have a hard time matching that number while competing for carries with one of the best RB prospects of the past decade. Robinson's combine weight (215) was just five pounds shy of Allgeier's listed weight, and the rookie ran a much faster 40-yard dash (4.46 compared to 4.60) than his new backfield mate. The two players had similar production their final two collegiate seasons, but Robinson did it at a younger age against tougher competition and with far more receiving production to boot. Allgeier may thus be reduced to a backup role as soon as Week 1, and at best he'll be splitting work in a backfield where 32-year-old Cordarrelle Patterson is also under contract and could get some touches. Even in Arthur Smith's run-heavy offense, Allgeier probably won't get enough work to be a fantasy starter if Robinson stays healthy.

The Lions have received inquiries about trading Swift in the wake of the team selecting Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

General manager Brad Holmes said Thursday that Swift is "still a part of our team," adding that "it is early," per Jeff Risdon of USA Today. The fact remains the team saw fit to spend a high first-round pick on a capable pass-catching back in Gibbs, after already having signed David Montgomery to a three-year, $18 million contract this offseason. It doesn't take much reading between the lines to see that Swift could be on the way out. A dynamic playmaker in his own right, durability concerns have limited Swift's upside with the Lions, as he missed at least three games in each of his three seasons with the team. It's possible, though, that another team could be intrigued enough by Swift's flashes to take a chance on him and be willing to part with more than a late-round pick in exchange for the young runner. For fantasy purposes, a chance of scenery would likely only boost Swift's stock with Gibbs now in the Lions' backfield mix.