This week, the NFL world lost a good one as HoFer Steve McMichael – second all-time in sacks in Chicago history – died at age 67; Detroit’s new deal with Kerby Joseph — who set a career best in interceptions last season — makes him the highest paid cornerback in the league; and the Titans brought in some necessary veteran help at WR by signing Tyler Lockett. Other Fantasy football stories we’re tracking include…

Jacksonville’s Big Splash

Last season was a rough one for the Jacksonville Jaguars. After back-to-back nine-win campaigns (the first of which landed them in the playoffs), they slumped to four victories and have now been on the outside of the postseason for the last two years.

They had the NFL’s worst pass defense, and the offense wasn’t much better, finishing near the bottom in yards per game. Questions still remain about Trevor Lawrence, who took a step back for the second straight season. Sure, we can cut him some slack, given that he dealt with a shoulder woe before suffering a concussion on a nasty hit that knocked him out for the rest of the season.

Further, Lawrence is still just 25 and let’s not forget that he’s one of just nine quarterbacks since 2010 who: (a) were invited to the Combine; (b) had at least 30 college games with 10 or more pass attempts; (c) had a final season QBR of 80 or more; and (d) were under 22 when their draft began.

The pedigree’s there, but he needs help.

And Jacksonville made a massive move on Day One of the draft to address both the offense and the secondary, trading the No. 5 overall pick, their second and fourth round picks and next season’s first rounder to Cleveland for the No. 2 overall pick, plus the Browns’ fourth and sixth round picks.

And with the No. 2 pick, the Jags grabbed Travis Hunter, the two-way Heisman Trophy winning star out of Colorado. On offense, the wide receiver gives Lawrence another weapon to help him get back to where we all thought he was headed after 2022.

Best of all, Hunter will help both the pass D and the pass attack. So while the price was steep, Jacksonville may have landed the ideal solution, as it’s like getting two players in one package. Consider Hunter a potential WR2 for Fantasy purposes as a rookie.

Arizona Drafts the Next Aaron Donald

One team that took a nice step forward last year was the Arizona Cardinals. After suffering through back-to-back four-win efforts, they doubled their victory total last season. It still wasn’t good enough to avoid missing the playoffs for a third straight year, but it was definite progress.

The defense (21st in yards allowed) was an even bigger issue than it was in 2023, but the run game remained strong. Arizona could also use more playmakers, ranking just 21st in takeaways per game.

Heading into the draft, the Cardinals did not appear to be obviously better after free agency, and the odds — although improved post-draft — suggest as much (currently +2200 to be the NFC Championship winner as per FanDuel).

Not surprisingly, Arizona opted to address its defensive challenges with its first pick, grabbing Walter Nolen, a DL out of Ole Miss who’s often compared to Aaron Donald (hell, Nolen himself says so) and one who could really change the team’s defensive approach.

A three-year collegian, Nolen spent the first two at Texas A&M, recording a combined 12 tackles for loss and five sacks. After transferring to Ole Miss, he broke out with 14 and 6.5, respectively.

With the addition of Nolen, the Cards now feature a completely rebuilt defensive line. The consensus All-American is said to be a heart and soul kind of player, and if he can come anywhere near having a Donald-like career, then Arizona will have really hit a home run with this choice. And perhaps Fantasy owners will have to think a little differently when their team’s running backs are facing this unit in 2025.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

After Vince Clarke left to form Yazoo (and then Erasure), Depeche Mode brought in Alan Wilder, who had been in the Korgis. In 1984, Depeche Mode released their fourth album, Some Great Reward, which included “Lie to Me,” a track about adultery.