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Foye Oluokun JAC LB
Jaguars' Foye Oluokun: Inks four-year extension
33m agoThe Jaguars signed Oluokun to a four-year, $45 million contract extension Friday.
Oluokun's new deal reportedly includes $22.5 million guaranteed at signing, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. In his last three seasons Oluokun has racked up 192, 184 and 173 total tackles, making him one of the most feared interior linebackers in the league. Now heading into his age-29 season, Oluokun figures to remain a high-end IDP fantasy asset.
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Raheem Blackshear CAR RB
Panthers' Raheem Blackshear: Inks contract tender
1h agoBlackshear signed his contract tender with the Panthers on Thursday, Anthony Rizzuti of USA Today reports.
Blackshear is officially sticking with Carolina on a one-year deal, after having begun the offseason as an exclusive rights free agent. The running back has mostly contributed on special teams and as a kick returner for the Panthers, but he figures to also help as a depth player behind Chubba Hubbard and Miles Sanders.
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Kaiir Elam BUF CB
Bills' Kaiir Elam: Ready for next step?
12h agoElam, who missed most of the 2023 regular season due to an ankle injury and coaching decisions, finished with 14 total tackles over three regular-season games.
Elam did appear in both of the Bills' playoff games, though he was limited to special teams in the divisional-round loss to the Chiefs. So far in his young career, Elam's output in two NFL seasons hasn't come close to matching his first-round status, but the Bills had to let several secondary members move on this season and will likely spend one of their high picks on receiver, so Elam may be earmarked for a more prominent role in 2024 even if he's not a starter just yet. Some comments from team brass in the offseason have indicated the Bills are hopeful Elam is ready to make that jump in performance.
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Cody Davis NE DB
Cody Davis: Hangs up cleats
18h agoDavis announced his retirement from the NFL on Thursday, Chris Mason of Masslive.com reports.
Davis played 11 NFL seasons, spending five years with the Rams, two with the Jaguars and the final four of his career with the Patriots. The 34-year-old primarily played on special teams and hadn't played a defensive snap since 2020. He'll finish his career with 118 combined tackles, two interceptions and three fumbles recovered.
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Olamide Zaccheaus PHI WR
Commanders' Olamide Zaccheaus: Moving on to Washington
19h agoZaccheaus has agreed to a deal with the Commanders, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
In his only campaign with the Eagles, Zaccheaus (who caught 40 passes with the Falcons in 2022) finished the 2023 regular season with 10 catches for 164 yards and two TDs in 17 games. With the Commanders, the 26-year-old will add depth to a wideout corps that is currently led by Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. In that context, Zaccheaus has some bounce-back potential if he can carve out steady snaps in 2024 behind the team's top duo.
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DeShawn Williams BUF DE
Bills' DeShawn Williams: Lands in Buffalo
22h agoThe Bills signed Williams to a one-year contract Thursday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Williams suited up for 16 regular-season games with the Panthers last season, a span in which he racked up 33 tackles (13 solo) and one sack. He stands to bolster Buffalo's defensive line as a depth piece for the 2024 season.
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Ben Lively CLE SP
Guardians' Ben Lively: Heads to IL with illness
2m agoThe Guardians placed Lively on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a viral illness.
Lively and Xzavion Curry are opening the season on the shelf after both pitchers are working to overcome a viral illness that made its way around the clubhouse during spring training, according to MLB.com. Lively shouldn't need much longer than the minimum 15 days to regain conditioning and get ramped back up, and he'll likely be ticketed for a long-relief role once available after his bout with the illness derailed any slim chance he might have had of breaking camp as a member of the rotation.
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Jazz Chisholm MIA CF
Marlins' Jazz Chisholm: On base three times Thursday
5m agoChisholm went 1-for-3 with a double, two walks and two runs scored in Thursday's 6-5 extra-innings loss to the Pirates on Opening Day.
Batting fourth for the Marlins, Chisholm scored the game's first run in the second inning before crossing the plate again in the third to give his team a 4-2 lead that the bullpen couldn't protect. The 26-year-old's main goal in 2024 is just to stay healthy -- in 157 games over the last two seasons combined, Chisholm has slashed .251/.312/.487 with 33 homers, 34 steals, 89 runs and 96 RBI.
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Jesus Sanchez MIA RF
Marlins' Jesus Sanchez: Swipes first bag of 2024
9m agoSanchez went 0-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's 6-5 extra-innings loss to the Pirates on Opening Day.
He hit into fielder's choices in his first two at-bats, but the first brought home Jazz Chisholm for the game's first run, and Sanchez swiped second base after the second. The 26-year-old outfielder had only four steals on six attempts in his career prior to Thursday and recorded an average sprint speed in the 54th percentile last season, so a sudden breakout in that category seems unlikely, but Sanchez will be looking to take another step forward as a hitter after producing a .253/.327/.450 slash line with 14 homers and 52 RBI over 402 plate appearances in 2023.
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Blake Perkins MIL RF
Brewers' Blake Perkins: Starting in center field
11m agoPerkins is starting in center field and batting sixth in Friday's opener against the Mets.
Most of Perkins' playing time this season will probably come versus lefties, and he's in there for Opening Day versus southpaw Jose Quintana. The switch-hitting Perkins was not great against left-handers in a 58-plate appearance sample last season with just a .603 OPS.
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Eduard Bazardo SEA RP
Mariners' Eduard Bazardo: Shut down with rotator cuff strain
13m agoThe Mariners placed Bazardo on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a right rotator cuff strain.
Bazardo was sidelined for the entirety of spring training with the injury, but he appears poised to begin his throwing program soon and is expected to return from the IL near the end of April, per MLB.com. The 28-year-old right-hander is likely to work in lower-leverage spots out of the bullpen once he's activated.
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Joseph Ortiz MIL 2B
Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Getting call at second base
16m agoOrtiz is starting at second base and batting seventh in Friday's opener versus the Mets.
Ortiz is in line to see plenty of action at third base, but he'll be at the keystone for this one as the Brewers get another right-handed bat in Andruw Monasterio in there against southpaw Jose Quintana. The 25-year-old Ortiz was picked up from the Orioles over the offseason in the trade that sent Corbin Burnes to Baltimore.
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Donovan Mitchell CLE SG
Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell: Participates in shootaround
2m agoMitchell (nose), who is questionable for Friday's game against the 76ers, participated in the Cavaliers' morning shootaround, Ethan Sands of Cleveland.com reports.
Mitchell has been unavailable for the last six games due to knee and nasal injuries, but he's trending toward a return. It was encouraging to see him at Friday's shootaround, and he was wearing a mask to protect his face. It's unclear whether he'll wear the mask during game action, but if he returns to the court against Philadelphia, he could have a minutes restriction.
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De'Andre Hunter ATL SF
Hawks' De'Andre Hunter: Solid output in starting role
12h agoHunter finished Thursday's 123-122 overtime victory over Boston with 21 points (8-16 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 0-3 FT), 13 rebounds and one assist across 40 minutes.
Hunter has been starting in recent days and delivered another strong showing, as he's taking advantage of the fact that Jalen Johnson (ankle) and Saddiq Bey (knee) are out, with the latter not returning until next season. Hunter has reached the 20-point mark in three of his last five starts and in five of his previous eight appearances overall.
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Bogdan Bogdanovic ATL SG
Hawks' Bogdan Bogdanovic: Puts up 22 points in win Thursday
12h agoBogdanovic closed with 24 points (9-19 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 4-4 FT), seven rebounds, five assists and one steal across 43 minutes during Thursday's 123-122 overtime win over Boston.
Bogdanovic's final stat line seems nice, but he struggled from deep once again, and he's gone 4-for-15 from three-point range over his last two games. He's talented enough to bounce back sooner rather than later, though, and he's scoring enough to remain viable in fantasy with most leagues in the playoffs.
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Dejounte Murray ATL PG
Hawks' Dejounte Murray: Explodes for career-high 44 points
12h agoMurray racked up 44 points (18-44 FG, 6-19 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, seven assists, one block and two steals in 47 minutes during Thursday's 123-122 overtime victory over the Celtics.
Murray had one of the best games of his career on a night when the Hawks desperately needed him. He delivered by posting a career-best scoring output, and he capped it off by hitting the game-winning shot with less than a second left in overtime. Murray continues to play at an extremely high level in the absence of Trae Young (finger), and he's experiencing quite an uptick as a scorer, recording 28 or more points in four of his last five appearances.
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Kristaps Porzingis BOS C
Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis: Stuffs stat sheet in loss to Hawks
12h agoPorzingis notched 20 points (8-20 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 2-3 FT), seven rebounds, two assists, three blocks and one steal in 41 minutes during Thursday's 123-122 overtime loss to the Hawks.
Porzingis didn't have his best shooting performance and needed 20 shots to score 20 points, but he still found a way to salvage his fantasy stat line due to his contributions in peripheral categories, particularly as a rebounder and defensive anchor down low. Porzingis has reached the 20-point mark in seven of his 12 appearances since the All-Star break, and while he holds a semi-secondary role on offense behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, he remains extremely valuable in fantasy due to his two-way ability and stat-filling capacity.
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Jayson Tatum BOS PF
Celtics' Jayson Tatum: Scores 31 points in loss to ATL
12h agoTatum had 31 points (9-22 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 11-13 FT), 13 rebounds and six assists across 45 minutes during Thursday's 123-122 overtime loss to the Hawks.
For the second time in less than 10 days, Tatum carried the Celtics against the Hawks, but his efforts were not enough. Tatum has been playing at a very high level all season long, and he is on a scoring tear of late, reaching the 30-point mark in four of his last five contests.
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Felix Sandstrom PHI G
Flyers' Felix Sandstrom: Reassigned to AHL
5m agoSandstrom was sent to AHL Lehigh Valley on Friday, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
The Flyers inked Russian netminder Ivan Fedotov to a contract Friday, and sent Sandstrom to the minors in a corresponding move. Sandstrom was 1-2-0 with a 3.88 GAA and a very weak .823 save percentage in five appearances with the Flyers this season.
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Johnny Gruden PIT C
Penguins' Johnny Gruden: Sent down to minors
9m agoGruden was reassigned to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday, Seth Rorabaugh of Tribune-Review Sports reports.
Gruden's demotion comes after Jeff Carter was able to shake off an upper-body injury to play against Columbus on Thursday. In addition, defenseman Ryan Graves (upper body) picked up an injury in that game. As such, Gruden became an unnecessary extra forward on the roster and fantasy players can likely expect the Pens to bring up a defenseman as insurance ahead of Saturday's matchup with Columbus.
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Ivan Barbashev LV LW
Golden Knights' Ivan Barbashev: Scores twice in win
30m agoBarbashev scored a pair of goals in Thursday's 4-1 win over Winnipeg.
Barbashev tallied the eventual game-winner late in the third period, firing a backhander past Connor Hellebuyck to put Vegas ahead 2-1. Barbashev would add a second goal later in the frame with an empty-netter. The 28-year-old winger now has four goals in his last five contests. He's up to 18 goals and 24 points through 73 games this season.
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Jake Neighbours STL LW
Blues' Jake Neighbours: Two more points Thursday
42m agoNeighbours picked up a goal and an assist in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Flames.
Neighbours tied the game 2-2 early in the second period, sliding a rebound past Dustin Wolf, before adding an assist on Pavel Buchnevich's power-play marker later in the frame. The 22-year-old Neighbours has points in seven of his last eight contests, totaling six goals and three assists in that span. He's up to 26 goals and 37 points through 73 games this season while skating on the Blues' top line.
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Niko Mikkola FLA D
Panthers' Niko Mikkola: Assist ends lengthy drought
42m agoMikkola earned an assist in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Islanders.
Mikkola's 11th helper of the season ended his 29-game pointless drought. He earned the secondary assist on a second-period goal by Aleksander Barkov. The 27-year-old Mikkola has three goals, 14 points, 56 PIM, 175 hits and 113 blocked shots across 73 appearances this campaign while occupying a middle-pairing role.
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Simon Benoit TOR D
Maple Leafs' Simon Benoit: Secures three-year deal
45m agoBenoit inked a three-year, $4.05 million contract with Toronto on Friday.
Benoit has logged 54 games for the Leafs this season in which he has notched one goal on 48 shots and four assists while averaging 16:55 of ice time. While the 25-year-old blueliner won't offer much in the way of offensive upside, he does have value in formats that utilize hits and blocks, as he has racked up 204 and 82, respectively.