😈 The QB Who Controls His Destiny

Has anyone ever gone to Disneyland after winning their fantasy football league? Seems like a good bit...

In today’s Fantasy Life Newsletter presented by Matt Waldman's RSP:

• Derek Carr is ready for free agency
• Buy/Sell/Hold: Divisive Super Bowl moments
• Will the Chiefs land a big time WR this offseason?
• Fantasy Fixers: The Saints
• It's 2/14. Take it away, Peter Overzet...
  

Lost in the Super Bowl shuffle is the ongoing drama between Derek Carr and the Raiders.

After rumors floated that the Saints were interested in trading for the QB, Carr recently informed the Raiders that he won't accept a trade to New Orleans (or any other team for that matter).

And since he has a no-trade clause in his contract, Carr can essentially call his own shots and force his way into free agency.

Under different circumstances, Carr might have been willing to cooperate with the Raiders and help them facilitate a trade where the team received draft pick compensation in return. Instead, this power play move is a chance for payback after the Raiders benched him for Jarrett Stidham before the Week 17 matchup vs. the Niners.

Rihanna really did the Derek Carr stare

— Shane (@ShanyeWest15)
Feb 13, 2023

All of this jockeying will come to a conclusion this afternoon when Carr's $40.4 million contract will become fully guaranteed after he's officially released, something Ian Rapoport confirmed would happen last night.

It's a hilarious runout for the Raiders, who continue to be an unserious franchise. From giving him a no-trade clause in the first place to embarrassing him with a late season benching, the Raiders completely fumbled this situation and will walk away from the relationship empty handed.

Carr, however, should be a hot commodity on the free agent market with many teams interested in landing a signal caller.

There's still potential for him to land in New Orleans on his own terms, but the real question is whether that would actually be good for the Saints. In Matt LaMarca's piece below, he makes a compelling case for New Orleans to go in a different direction to fix their team.

Regardless, go get that bag, Derek. 

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With the fantasy season behind us, all we can do is look forward. Let’s talk about fantasy lessons learned during the Super Bowl from a buy, sell perspective. Take it away, Cooterdoodle…

🛒 BUY

📺At least we can all agree on one thing

Whether or not you personally have strong feelings on these topics, there were many divisive moments that spurred from Super Bowl LVII. Some of the most common arguments online included:

Coach of the birds flipped the bird? Nick Sirianni was filmed, hand out of frame, gesturing towards Kansas City as they neared the half. Some argue he flipped off the opposing team, while others say Sirianni taunted a “1st down” motion to KC. Either way, Jalen Hurts’ reaction would argue that it wasn’t appropriate for a coach in the big game.

The call heard round the world. You’ve all seen it from many different camera angles by now. Was it holding? If it was, was it enough of a hold to be called in a game where similar coverage slid through unnoticed? And lastly, does one call make or break a game?

Accolades are hard to ignore. Has Patrick Mahomes already proved himself worthy of GOAT talk? Is he already a HOFer?

FauxDuel? Did Rob Gronkowski make this kick? Was it live or prerecorded? Someone checked the time-stamps. Here’s a frame by frame breakdown: What do you think?

Everyone’s a music critic. If you didn’t enjoy half-time, maybe this performance wasn’t for you. It was nice to see Rihanna in her element. However, some sat through the performance without recognizing a single hit. Age gap? Different Spotify wraps? Everyone had something to say. 

Whether you side with the referees, think the NFL is rigged and written ahead of time, or you aren’t quite ready to award Mahomes GOAT status, there was one thing we could all agree on Sunday evening:

In a sudden panic-driven moment of terror, as televisions switched from the game to a familiar home screen, that one Tubi commercial made our hearts drop.

🛒SELL

💡 Aaron Rodgers has no clue where he’ll end up

#Packers QB Aaron Rodgers will soon enter the darkness, going into isolation to makes a decision. If he wants a trade, GB will work with him to facilitate it, sources say. Teams have already inquired.

It’s all in Rodgers hands. Story with @TomPelissero:

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet)
Feb 12, 2023

It was reported last week that Aaron Rodgers plans to spend 4 days in complete darkness, void of light or contact, to set in motion his own personal “profound experience”. What that experience is set to entail, no one truly knows, but Rodgers claims his darkness retreat will assist him in the tough decision of how to proceed with his NFL career. 

While I do believe that Aaron believes what he is saying, he’s never been a man without a plan. Every offseason Rodgers puts on a master class as he trolls the masses into falling for his inevitable retirement or trade. Over and over again.

While he is likely still undecided, I don’t buy that Rodgers is open to any possible outcome, freely letting go and allowing the sparkly flashes that appear in the darkness to make the decision for him. I’m happy for you, Aaron, but if your visions say Houston, are you going?

👀 Which team is winning the Super Bowl next year? The Eagles are too low.

🎉 Happy birthday to an all-time great WR. A fun stroll down memory lane.

📅 Important offseason dates. Mark your calendar.

🏆 The undefeated man. Nice work if you can get it.

🙏🏻 The Raiders NEED to hit the QB Jackpot. Marcas and Dwain break it down.

🤔 Will the Chiefs land a big time WR this offseason? Here's one option.

The NFL offseason will be in full swing before we know it, with coaching changes, free agency and the NFL draft reshaping the 2023 fantasy football landscape. With that in mind, the Fantasy Life squad is breaking down every NFL team to determine what went wrong in 2022 and identify paths to improvement. LaMarca is here to take on our next project, the Saints...

 🎭 Team Summary

The Saints weren’t terrible in 2022-23, finishing with a 7-10 record, but their outlook is still pretty bleak. They’re still looking for the guy to replace Drew Brees, they lost their first-round pick, and they have the least cap flexibility in the league.

The Saints do have some nice pieces on their roster, but they’re far from one of the most talented teams in the league. For too long, the team has looked for the “quick fix” during the offseason and simply kicked the can down the road.

That doesn’t give them a ton of flexibility heading into the offseason, but there are a few things they can do to address the situation.

Will it be enough to get them back into the playoffs? 

That remains to be seen, but they do benefit from playing in the weakest division in football. With Tom Brady officially hanging up his cleats, the coast is clear for the Saints to get back to the top of the NFC South standings.

🚧 Fantasy Fixer Recommendations

1. Address the Quarterback Situation

For 15 years, the Saints were the envy of basically every other team at the quarterback position. They had Brees, who led the team to nine playoff appearances – and one Super Bowl victory – during his tenure as the Saints’ starter.

He had 12 Pro Bowl nods, two Offensive Player of the Year awards, and generally gave the team elite production and stability at the most important position in the league.

However, things have not been the same since Brees – and, to a lesser extent, Sean Payton – left New Orleans. They’ve had five different players start at quarterback over the past two years, alternating between Jameis Winston, Trevor Seimian, Andy Dalton, and Taysom Hill as the preferred option.

As the old saying goes, if you have multiple quarterbacks, you have no quarterbacks.

The team hoped that Winston would be the guy, but a combination of poor health and poor production means his days in New Orleans are likely numbered. The team can save $4.4M against the salary cap by cutting him after June 1st, and with New Orleans needing every dollar possible, they will likely exercise that option.

Hill has actually fared pretty well when given the opportunity to start, racking up a 7-2 record, but the team seems unwilling to give him a chance to win the job long-term. He seems more likely to continue to be used as a hybrid player, logging snaps all over the field and on special teams.

❓ So where can they go moving forward?

The team was interested in acquiring Derek Carr, but Carr was reportedly unwilling to accept a trade to New Orleans. They could still come to an agreement if the Raiders release him, but that seems pretty unlikely.

Sources: #Raiders QB Derek Carr has informed the team he won’t accept a trade to the #Saints or any other team. The team is expected to release him and he’ll be a top free agent.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet)
Feb 12, 2023

That could be a blessing in disguise for the Saints. I highlighted why Carr shouldn’t be the Raiders starter in their Fantasy Fixers column, and all the same issues apply to the Saints.

Unless he’s willing to take a massive reduction in salary, Carr is simply not worth the type of money he has commanded in recent years.

The other big rumor is that they could be a destination for Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers have already stated that Garoppolo will not be a part of their organization next season, and he’s a bit more intriguing than Carr.

He doesn’t get a ton of credit playing in an elite 49ers system, but Garoppolo was really good when he was on the field last season. He ranked third at the position in terms of Expected Points Added per play last season (EPA/play), trailing only Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa. One of those players won the MVP award, while the other was in the conversation before getting injured.

If the Saints can get Garoppolo at a discount, he should give them their best starter at the position since Brees.

The Saints could also explore the idea of drafting a quarterback at the back end of the first round. They lost their first-round pick as part of a trade with the Eagles in 2022, but they did manage to secure the No. 29 pick as part of the compensation for Payton going to Denver.

That’s not going to give them a shot at one of the consensus top three quarterback prospects – Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Will Levis – but perhaps they could get their hands on Anthony Richardson.

He turned in a fantastic season at Florida, particularly as a runner, and is ranked 19th overall in CBS Sports prospect rankings. 

If they can’t get Richardson, Hendon Hooker would be an interesting consolation prize. He was one of the best players in college football this season, albeit as a 25-year-old senior. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Hooker go in the first round – Brandon Weeden was a first-round QB at 28 years old in 2012 – but the Saints could possible scoop him up on Day 2.

Regardless, until the Saints find their replacement for Brees, the Saints are going to struggle to compete on a yearly basis.