Houston Texans

Cincinnati Bengals free-agent tight end Irv Smith Jr. reached an agreement on an undisclosed one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday, according to a source. Smith had a lot of potential when he entered the league as the Minnesota Vikings' second-round pick in 2019 out of Alabama, but he hasn't lived up to the hype. The 25-year-old had his best season in his second year in the NFL, catching 30 of his 43 targets for 365 yards and five touchdowns with the Vikes in 2020. In his first and only season with the Cincinnati Bengals last year, he had 18 catches on 26 targets for 115 yards and one touchdown in 12 games. In Kansas City, Smith will merely be serving as tight end insurance behind the aging Travis Kelce.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is being traded to the Houston Texans, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It was previously reported that Mixon was going to be released after the team signed Zack Moss, but Houston zeroed in on the four-time 1,000-yard rusher after losing Devin Singletary to the New York Giants. Now in Houston, Mixon will have plenty of upside in the ascending offense led by C.J. Stroud. Although Mixon has averaged just under 4.0 yards per carry over the last two years, he still has some gas left in the tank, and his situation is a great one for fantasy production. Mixon has the fifth-most receptions by a running back since 2022 (112), making him a valuable asset in PPR formats.

According to NFL Media's Tom Pelissero, the Bengals released running back Joe Mixon on Monday night. This was relatively expected, considering the former Sooner needed to take a pay cut to remain in Cincinnati heading into the 2023-24 campaign. However, Mixon ended up having a quality season despite the plethora of injuries to the Bengals offense, running for over 1,000 yards for the fourth time in his career while totaling 12 touchdowns. At any rate, despite the number of available running backs still looking for work, Mixon should be one of the most coveted. He may have a few more quality years left, so he could flirt with making another Pro Bowl appearance before his career is over. Yet, until the 27-year-old signs somewhere, his fantasy outlook will remain a mystery.

According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Pittsburgh Steelers are open to trade offers for wide receiver Diontae Johnson. "There is interest from teams around the league as GMs are getting set for free agency," said Russini. Johnson signed a two-year, $36 million contract with the Steelers in August of 2022 and is set to be a free agent after this season. With inconsistent quarterback play from the Steelers, the 27-year-old managed to catch 51 passes for 717 yards and five touchdowns across 13 games in 2023. He owned 18.2% of the team's target share and averaged 5.2 yards after the catch. Johnson has a cap hit of $15.8 million. It's unclear if Johnson will return to the Steelers for a sixth season, but the Steelers are listening to offers, and a change of scenery could only boost his fantasy value in 2024. Stay tuned.

The Houston Texans re-signed kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn to a three-year, $15.9 million deal on Wednesday, according to a source. Fairbairn's average annual value of $5.3 million makes him the fourth-highest paid kicker in the league on a yearly basis. The 30-year-old kicked in a career-low 12 games in 2023 due to injury, but he was solid when he was active, making 96.4 percent of his 28 field-goal attempts while missing just one of his 22 extra-point tries during the regular season. All seven of his NFL seasons have come with the Texans, and he's made 87.1 percent of his 201 field-goal attempts in that time. With young quarterback C.J. Stroud leading what should be an explosive Houston offense for years to come, Fairbairn's fantasy needle is pointing up heading into 2024.