New Orleans Saints

The Athletic's Nate Taylor writes that Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the team's most logical cut candidate this offseason despite being the team's most experienced player at a position the Chiefs need to revamp. Releasing him would create $12 million in salary cap space, with just $2 million in dead money, according to Over The Cap. There's a slim chance both sides agree to a one-year contract extension since Valdes-Scantling was at his best in the postseason, but if the Chiefs think they can make a significant upgrade in free agency, the decision to move on from Valdes-Scantling would be understandable. The 29-year-old caught just 21 passes for 315 yards and one touchdown in 16 games during the 2023 regular season and will turn 30 in October.

The New Orleans Saints restructured quarterback Derek Carr's contract on Friday for salary cap purposes, a move that was expected to give the team around $23 million in cap relief for the 2024 season, according to sources. Carr is due $30 million in base salary this year, so converting a portion of that into a signing bonus provides immediate savings. The 32-year-old veteran signal-caller is under contract with the Saints through 2026. In his first year in the Big Easy, he threw for 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions while amazingly not missing a single game despite suffering multiple concussions, cracked ribs and a shoulder sprain. Carr is as tough as they come and can give fantasy managers low-end QB1 lines on occasion, but he's best drafted as a fantasy backup.

NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill believes that New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is going to bring a running game that will give running back Alvin Kamara "more space" to operate in 2024. Kubiak, who comes to New Orleans from the San Francisco 49ers, is expected to add plenty of pre-snap motion, something the Saints rarely did in 2023. The 28-year-old Kamara finished second among all RBs last year with 75 catches on 86 targets for 466 yards and a touchdown through the air. He added 180 rushing attempts for 694 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, so perhaps the addition of Kubiak will make Kamara more productive on the ground next season. Still, fantasy managers should have hesitations about Kamara's overall effectiveness as a rusher as he enters his age-29 campaign in 2024.

After going 10 consecutive games without reaching the 30-yard barrier, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling has made some clutch plays during the playoffs. Valdes Scantling came down with two 30-yard passes in the Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills, and he sealed the deal during the AFC Championship victory over the Baltimore Ravens with a 32-yard reception in the game's waning moments. The 29-year-old perimeter wideout shares duties as K.C.'s vertical threat alongside Justin Watson, which makes him only a volatile DFS option on Super Bowl Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. While MVS is not a bad choice among Sunday's salary-relief options, he's in line to square off most frequently on the outside with top Niners cornerback Charvarius Ward, who led all corners with 13 pass break-ups during the regular season entering this matchup against the team he won Super Bowl LIV with.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is set to count $35.7 million against the salary cap in 2024, and his contract presents an opportunity for the team to create some more cap space by March 13, the start of the new league year. The Saints are expected to restructure Carr's contract by that date, which would effectively tie the team to Carr for at least the next two seasons. Leaving Carr's contract alone would have allowed them to move on from Carr next year with a relatively small financial penalty. The 32-year-old is set to make $30 million in base salary in 2024. If the Saints choose the most aggressive route and convert all but the veteran minimum to a signing bonus, they could lower Carr's cap hit in 2024 to around $14.2 million, which would clear more than $21 million in immediate cap relief. Carr got better down the stretch in 2023 and finished his first year in New Orleans with 3,878 passing yards, 25 TDs and eight picks while playing through a sprained AC joint in his shoulder, fractured ribs and two concussions.