In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Bud Light:
There are two types of WRs in this world:
The ones like A.J. Brown who channel their frustration over a lack of targets into curling up with a nice self-help book on the sideline.
And then there are the ones who throw a temper-tantrum and get booted from their fourth team in a span of a couple months.
hat’s right—after a laughably short stint, the Texans have joined the Panthers, Steelers, and Ravens as teams who have severed ties with the hottest pariah in sports, Diontae Johnson.
Since Week 8, Johnson barely has more receptions than he does nameplates on abandoned lockers.
According to multiple reports, Johnson was pouting in the locker room over a lack of targets while his teammates celebrated their underdog victory over the Chargers.
I’ll say this … it might be time to take a long, hard look in the mirror if you are sulking in the corner for not getting the ball while your teammates are smoking some stogies and celebrating a … checks notes … playoff victory.
It’ll be interesting to see where his ADP settles next year …
What Else Is In Today’s Newsletter?
- Waiver Wire: How to approach the Lions and Chiefs in Guilloteenies
- NFL Mock Draft: Updates after Wild Card Weekend
- Watercooler: Too early for a mock draft? Never!
Guilloteenie Waiver Wire Guide For The Divisional Round
by Cartis Sparks
Nailing the first waiver period for a Playoff Guilloteenie is crucial. Let’s walk you through how to evaluate your team (and your opponents’ teams) and bidding strategies on the most available players after the Wild Card round.
I will define three categories of bidding strategies when discussing the available free-agent crop.
Desperation: If you need to replace 5 or more players, you have to open up the coffer and start spending. This category does not apply to tight ends and quarterbacks since you can get a good enough option during free add/drop.
Could Upgrade: Maybe you need to only replace 2-3 players. You can get away with spending some money if you can get a big upgrade at one spot and some filler for the others.
Keep Them Honest: You only need one replacement. You want to save your money, but keep the floor high enough to force others to spend while getting a bargain if they cheap out.
WAIVER WIRE ADDS FOR THE DIVISIONAL ROUND
Lions and Chiefs
No one finished the regular season hotter than Gibbs. I don’t care if David Montgomery comes back. He catches balls, he’s healthy, and he’s as explosive as anyone. It’s hard to imagine any scenario where he has less than 15 touches in a game, and with the Lions a clear favorite to make the Super Bowl, you will likely have him for three more weeks.
- Desperation: $400
- Could Upgrade: $250
- Keep Them Honest: $100
St. Brown is Jared Goff’s favorite target. He averaged a mouth-watering 11 targets per game during the playoff run last season, topping 77 yards in each. Similar to Gibbs, you should be able to rely on him for three more games.
- Desperation: $300
- Could Upgrade: $150
- Keep Them Honest: $75
He’s the best tight end left in the playoffs and Patrick Mahomes’ security blanket who finished the season strong. He’s a known playoff performer who averaged 8 catches for 89 yards with 3 total scores during last season’s run.
- Desperation: NA
- Could Upgrade: $200
- Keep Them Honest: $100
LaPorta also finished the year strong, scoring or topping 7 receptions and 63 yards in each of his last four games. He was also surprisingly effective in his playoff debut last season, scoring in one game and managing 9 receptions for 65-plus yards in the other two.
I love the idea of stacking both LaPorta and Kelce since both are likely to have longer playoff runs. If they make the Super Bowl, your opponent will be forced to start a backup tight end.
- Desperation: NA
- Could Upgrade: $150
- Keep Them Honest: $75
MORE LIONS, CHIEFS, AND CHOPPED PLAYERS TO ADD
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The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds:
📆 A way-too-early 2025 fantasy mock draft. Can anyone usurp Barkley?
🤔 The Bills are a home underdog? Feels weird, man.
🗺️ Underdog is still running playoff best ball contests … Geoff has your guide.
🔥 The hottest coach on the market. Will he actually leave this year?
🔨 Narrator: they did, in fact, nail the pick. Cool video.
🚑️ A Tyler Higbee injury update. Should be good to go.
NFL Mock Draft: A Shuffling In The Top Three
by Matthew Freedman
The 2025 NFL Draft order is set for the top 24 picks. For the remaining eight, I'm using a combination of consensus odds to win the Super Bowl and my own personal postseason projections.
Every week, you can access my team projections in our Fantasy Life Game Models (accessible with a FantasyLife+ subscription).
Here's my pre-CFB Championship mock (Picks 1-16), followed by a few general notes.
(1) TEN: Cameron Ward | QB | Miami
(2) CLE: Travis Hunter | WR | Colorado
(3) NYG: Shedeur Sanders | QB | Colorado
(4) NE: Tetairoa McMillan | WR | Arizona
(5) JAX: Will Johnson | CB | Michigan
(6) LV: Jalen Milroe | QB | Alabama
(7) NYJ: Mason Graham | DT | Michigan
(8) CAR: Luther Burden | WR | Missouri
(9) NO: Abdul Carter | EDGE | Penn State
(10) CHI: Will Campbell | OT | LSU
(11) SF: Mykel Williams | EDGE | Georgia
(12) DAL: Ashton Jeanty | RB | Boise State
(13) MIA: Kelvin Banks | OT | Texas
(14) IND: Malaki Starks | S | Georgia
(15) ATL: Jalon Walker | EDGE | Georgia
(16) ARI: Kenneth Grant | DT | Michigan
QB Cameron Ward: In the early versions, I had Ward ahead of Shedeur Sanders … but I got moved off that position. In truth, I think they're in the same tier. But for a time I had Sanders as my No. 1 QB. Now, Ward is back atop the board. He's currently -125 at FanDuel to be the No. 1 pick. The Titans are not an ideal landing spot (in my opinion), but I like Ward as the top player selected.
WR Tetairoa McMillan: As talented as Travis Hunter is, McMillan might have the better NFL future as a pass catcher. I think he's a legitimate top-5 talent, and the Patriots need to get franchise QB Drake Maye a receiver.
QB Jalen Milroe: Given that there are four teams who could want a QB in the top 10—Titans, Browns, Giants, and Raiders—I increasingly believe Milroe will go early. His dual-threat skill set makes him a Round 1 talent.
