Minnesota Vikings

The Washington Commanders could be leaning toward selecting former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, according to conversations NFL insider Tom Pelissero has had with executives around the league at the NFL's league meetings. North Carolina's Drake Maye and LSU's Jayden Daniels have seemingly been competing to be the next quarterback off the board after USC's Caleb Williams, but McCarthy has been getting more hype as the pre-draft process has gone on. All that said, there is no shortage of examples of quarterbacks being pushed up by the media, only to fall in the real NFL Draft. Last year, Will Levis was projected to be picked as high as No. 2 overall, and he ultimately fell to the Tennessee Titans at pick 33. McCarthy is seemingly a lock to be selected in the first round of next month's draft, but it would still be somewhat of a surprise if he overtakes both Maye and Daniels in draft position.

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said that he's happy to have veteran quarterback Sam Darnold on the team this year. "I think his best football is ahead of him because of how he handled the last couple of years," O'Connell said. The Vikings head coach points out that he saw growth with Darnold's fundamentals as he worked as Brock Purdy's backup in San Francisco last year, and he's excited to get to work with him in Minnesota. The Vikings signed the former first-rounder to a one-year, $10 million deal this offseason, and depending on what the team does in the upcoming NFL draft, Darnold could open the year as the starter under center in Week 1. He'll have one of the best receivers in the game in Justin Jefferson to work with if he's starting, but Darnold will still be a midrange QB2, at best, in fantasy.

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy visited with the New York Giants last week, which included dinner with the front office and a tour of the team's facilities, according to sources. The Washington Commanders will fly out to Ann Arbor to have dinner with McCarthy on Thursday night, the night before his pro day workout, according to multiple sources. Although it would be a big surprise if the Commanders took McCarthy with the second overall pick in this year's NFL draft, they are doing their due diligence on him anyway. The Giants could be right in the wheelhouse at No. 6 overall to take McCarthy as the heir apparent for the struggling Daniel Jones, while the Minnesota Vikings (No. 11), Denver Broncos (No. 12) and Las Vegas Raiders (No. 13) are all candidates to trade into the top-10 picks to take McCarthy next month.

The Minnesota Vikings agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.79 million with former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Trent Sherfield on Thursday. Sherfield will receive a $400,000 signing bonus. The 28-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt spent the first three years of his career playing for the Arizona Cardinals before one-year stints with the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and Bills in 2023. He caught 11 of his 22 targets for 86 yards and one touchdown in 17 regular season games (one start) in Buffalo last year. Sherfield has a grand total of 78 receptions for 930 yards and five touchdowns on 141 targets in his six years in the NFL and won't be on the fantasy radar in 2024 as he competes with Brandon Powell for a reserve role in Minnesota behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

Veteran free-agent quarterback Brett Rypien is signing a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears, according to Ari Meirov of the 33rd Team. The 2019 undrafted free agent has thrown for 950 yards, four touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 10 career games with the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams. He spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets last year but did not appear in a game. The Bears are expected to select Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Justin Fields is rumored to be on the trade block. That said, Rypien has a path to the backup role in 2024. Based on his career so far, he is not anywhere close to the fantasy radar.