This week, Lamar Jackson said he still hasn’t gotten over the playoff loss to Buffalo; former Raider WR Henry Ruggs III apologized to the family of the woman that died in the 2021 car crash that ultimately sent him to the big house; and Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles has cancelled his 50-yard race with Miami WR Tyreek Hill. Fantasy football stories we’re tracking include…

Will Philly Deal Reed Blankenship?

When we last checked in on the Philadelphia Eagles, they were headed to their second NFC title game in three years and just a couple of weeks away from winning the Super Bowl for the second time in eight years.

They’ve now been to the playoffs four straight years and seven of the last eight, while winning a franchise record 14 games twice in three years. Needless to say, it’s been a great ride in Philly over the last several seasons.

But looking forward, the team may be in line for some regression; some believe they will only win 10 or 11 games in 2025.

And as good as Philly has been in recent years, as we all know, it’s really difficult to keep a great team intact in the salary cap era. More major changes could be coming real soon.

For instance, safety Reed Blankenship, heading into the final year of his rookie deal, could be a surprise trade candidate to help free up cap space.

This would be a shock given that he’s one of Philly’s best defensive starters, tying his career high in games played and stuffs while setting new personal bests in interceptions last season. Blankenship’s tackle numbers were down substantially from his breakout 2023 campaign, but he’s still a top 15 safety in the NFL, so you’d think the Eagles would have tried to extend him by this point. Still, there are rumours that a contract extension is possibly coming, so it’s clear that there’s mixed signals out there.

He’s been a real success story for the Eagles, signing as an UDFA in 2022. Coming out of Middle Tennessee State after a renowned high school career (see video below), Blankenship projected as a bottom of the roster type at best, so he’s vastly exceeded those expectations. He was a starter all five years at college, which is a rarity, but his patience and positioning were question marks.

CMC’s Decline

It’s pretty amazing how fast things can change in Fantasy football. Heading into the 2024 season, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was the clear-cut No. 1 overall pick in Fantasy drafts.

But after being held to 50 carries over four games thanks to bilateral Achilles tendonitis, he’s projected to go off the boards at the end of the first round this season. CMC only averaged four yards per tote last season, and while he’s still expected to top 750 rushing yards this year (-380 as per FanDuel), he’s now 29 with a significant history of injuries, so we can understand how some owners are a bit skittish about spending top draft capital on him.

There’s arguably no player more important to the 49ers in terms having an offense capable of returning the team to the postseason, so as usual, all eyes will be on him this summer.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

American vocal group The 5th Dimension formed in 1966 and are still at it today. In 1969, they released the single “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine in,” and the B-side was “The Worst That Could Happen.”