FFToolbox - Saints WR Marques Colston open to pay cut plus 8 more

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Saints WR Marques Colston open to pay cut
Lions RB Joique Bell underwent clean-up procedures on knee, Achilles tendon
Jaguars choose Greg Olson to run offense
Jets officially hire OC Chan Gailey
Report: Eagles will 'try' to trade up for QB Marcus Mariota
Week 21: Who To Start Rankings Posted
Broncos RB C.J. Anderson likes his prospects in HC Gary Kubiak's offense
Ravens bring in Marc Trestman as offensive coordinator
2015 Undervalued and Underrated Wide Receivers

Saints WR Marques Colston open to pay cut

Posted: 20 Jan 2015 09:04 PM PST

According to various reports, Saints WR Marques Colston has expressed a desire to stay in New Orleans and take a pay cut if necessary. The veteran wideout said he may be forced to leave, however, if the reduction in salary is too great. The Saints have very little cap space to work with so the front office will need to get creative in the offseason. Between his salary and bonuses, Colston is due $7 million next season. That's problematic considering the franchise has commitments that total $20 million over their projected salary-cap number. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Colston completed his ninth campaign with the Saints putting up a stat line of 59-902-5, which was the second-least productive year of his career. His numbers picked up a little bit after rookie WR Brandin Cooks was lost for the year due to a thumb injury in Week 11. Colston was also the most targeted receiver on the team, but the franchise will have to look to its future if it wants to bounce back from this season's 7-9 record. Even if he does return, I'd expect him to play in a more limited role, giving the aforementioned Cooks and second-year receiver Kenny Stills an opportunity to ascend.

Lions RB Joique Bell underwent clean-up procedures on knee, Achilles tendon

Posted: 20 Jan 2015 07:27 PM PST

Last week, Lions running back Joique Bell shared a photo on Instragram of himself in a hospital, recovering after an unknown operation. The work Bell had done is unknown no longer. He underwent procedures to clean up one of his knees and an Achilles tendon. Bell sustained a knee injury early in the season, but his one absence was due to a concussion. In 15 games, Bell gained 1,182 yards from scrimmage and scored eight touchdowns. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Not a whole lot to see here. Bell is expected to be at full strength in time for OTAs. He was fantasy's No. 14 RB in standard leagues in 2014. He should remain a solid RB2 in Detroit's offense and as the Lions perhaps rely less on Reggie Bush going forward.

Jaguars choose Greg Olson to run offense

Posted: 20 Jan 2015 05:16 PM PST

The Jaguars have hired Greg Olson to be their offensive coordinator. Olson has experience as as OC for the Lions, Rams, Buccaneers and, most recently, the Raiders. Oakland ranked last in yards gained and next to last in points scored this season. The only team that averaged fewer points per game? The Jaguars. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Ho hum. To his credit, Olson did oversee a nice rookie season from Derek Carr. On the other end, he and the rest of Oakland's coaches completely bungled their backfield, failing to give Latavius Murray an extended look until November. Olson will be a key figure in Blake Bortles' NFL future. But his inclusion doesn't change the fantasy value of any current Jaguar.

Jets officially hire OC Chan Gailey

Posted: 20 Jan 2015 04:51 PM PST

The hiring that everyone thought was done a week ago is done. For real this time. The Jets have officially hired Chan Gailey to be their offensive coordinator. Gailey joins head coach Todd Bowles' staff after two years away from the game following a three-year stint as the Bills' head coach. FANTASY ANALYSIS: Gailey likes to run an up-tempo offense and has had more success with running backs than quarterbacks during his pro coaching life. Impending free agent RB C.J. Spiller had a 1,700-yard season with Gailey in 2012. Thus, it's no surprise that Spiller said last week -- after it was already reported that Gailey had been given New York's OC gig -- that he and the Jets would be a quot;perfect match." We'll see if the Jets have mutual interest, but this offense as currently constructed is not overly friendly to fantasy owners. The expected jump in pace should mean more plays and targets for Eric Decker, who quietly approached 1,000 yards despite dealing with a sprained ankle for parts of September and October. But this group will continue to be held down by poor quarterback play if Geno Smith is starting in 2015.

Report: Eagles will 'try' to trade up for QB Marcus Mariota

Posted: 20 Jan 2015 04:24 PM PST

The Eagles have the 20th pick of the first round in April's draft. The reality of them moving up far enough to grab Oregon quarterback and Chip Kelly recruit Marcus Mariota may be a pipe dream, but let the dreaming begin in Philly. A person familiar with the Eagles' offseason plans has told Mark Eckel of NJ.com that the Eagles will at least try to get in position to draft Mariota this spring. quot;From No. 20, it's certainly not going to be easy," the anonymous source said. "It's probably going to take moving up twice to do it. There's going to be some wheeling and dealing involved. "Can it happen? I don't know. But they're going to try." FANTASY ANALYSIS: Mariota was long considered a lock to be this year's first pick until he played poorly in last week's national title game versus Ohio State. That one performance seemingly has his draft position wavering. I think his drop in the minds of many contains a boatload of run-of-the-mill recency bias, but even if Mariota isn't No. 1, it's very, very, very unlikely he makes it out of the top five. To climb up at least 15 spots, the Eagles would probably have to part ways with a lucrative package that includes multiple first-round picks and perhaps an established player or two. That price may be too rich for Philly. Or maybe the brass will think it's worth it to reunite Mariota with the coach who knows him best and the offense that won't require a long learning curve. This will be one of the more interesting angles to follow with the draft between now and April 30.

Week 21: Who To Start Rankings Posted

Posted: 20 Jan 2015 04:01 PM PST

We project the point totals for both offensive and defensive players for this week.

Broncos RB C.J. Anderson likes his prospects in HC Gary Kubiak's offense

Posted: 20 Jan 2015 03:45 PM PST

In Gary Kubiak's past 20 years as an NFL coach, his teams have boasted a top-five rushing offense 10 times. That span included five different 1,000-yard running backs during his 11 years in Denver. Kubiak has now returned to the Broncos as their head coach, and C.J. Anderson believes he can be No. 6 with the help of Kubiak's zone-blocking scheme. quot;I have known about his system for a while, and what he accomplished," Anderson said of Kubiak. "One cut downhill and go get it. It fits me and the offense well. It's always been successful. He knows the team we have and what we can do. I can't wait to get started working with him." The second-year back out of the University of California didn't start a game this season until Week 11 and averaged 128.4 yards from scrimmage through each of his final nine games. FANTASY ANALYSIS: First, Anderson must prove to Kubiak that he deserves to be the Broncos' top running back. His 2014 tape provides quite an endorsement, but Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman will also battle for the top spot. The relative murkiness within this backfield is the reason why Anderson, one of fantasy football's best players during the season's second half, comes in at only No. 24 in the 2015 rankings of our own Rusty Reeves. Kubiak said during a Tuesday press conference that he wants to run "the Denver Broncos' offense, not Gary Kubiak's offense." That's a nod toward Peyton Manning to continue running the show as he pleases. But IF Manning returns to play next season and IF his body continues to break down, Kubiak will have no choice but to lean on his bread-and-butter ground game. Rest assured that whichever RB comes away as Denver's leader is going to be a very valuable fantasy asset.

Ravens bring in Marc Trestman as offensive coordinator

Posted: 20 Jan 2015 03:01 PM PST

Marc Trestman flamed out in his second year as the Chicago Bears' head coach, but he is a well-respected offensive mind who gets results, especially from his quarterbacks. He made Josh McCown rich in 2013, and despite all of the drama, Jay Cutler had perhaps his most productive year as a pro in 2014. Now the Ravens are hoping Trestman can work his magic with Joe Flacco and company. Baltimore hired Trestman to be its offensive coordinator Tuesday. He replaces Gary Kubiak, who took over as the Broncos' head coach Monday. Under Trestman, the Bears had the league's second-best scoring offense in 2013. The overall numbers plummeted this season, but Cutler still posted career highs in completion percentage and touchdowns. FANTASY ANALYSIS: A lot of Cutler's numbers came during garbage time and as a result of the Bears' horrible defense getting the team into huge deficits early. But you should look at this as good news for Flacco. He isn't nearly as mistake-prone as Cutler but he's got just as much arm strength. Does he have enough weapons? That's one thing Trestman and head coach John Harbaugh need to analyze, especially since Steve Smith is nearing 36, and tight end Dennis Pitta is trying to come back from consecutive season-ending hip surgeries. But in 2015, expect an uptick in attempts from Flacco, who is already coming off of what was arguably his best season.

2015 Undervalued and Underrated Wide Receivers

Posted: 20 Jan 2015 08:21 AM PST

This pair of first-year WRs are due for big improvements in their second season as possible sleepers or value selections in your redraft league. This week's picks include Davante Adams, and Donte Moncrief.