NFL DFS Contrarian Corner - Week 12
Published: Nov 27, 2021
Player News
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt is not attending the team’s minicamp.
Watt is not budging from his demands for a new deal going into the 2025 season. The Steelers reportedly expect to have Watt for Week 1, though the contract issue could drag well into the summer. Steelers beat writer Brian Batko said Tuesday that Watt and the team “agreeing to an extension is still the most likely outcome to me, but what makes this different than his last contract year is that he did go to minicamp back in 2021. Not reporting this week would be a new leverage move” for Watt, entering his age-31 season. Watt has 30.5 sacks and 38 tackles for loss over his past two seasons, each of which saw him play 17 games.
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reports Bengals EDGE Trey Hendrickson is not attending minicamp.
It hardly comes as a surprise as Hendrickson has refused to play on his current contract and has said there’s been no communication between his agent and the Bengals during this protracted holdout. Hendrickson, set to make $15.8 million in 2025, reportedly wants upwards of $30 million as he enters his age-31 season. The famously cheap Bengals appear unlikely to meet that demand, meaning Hendrickson could be traded to an EDGE-needy team willing to eat most or all of his contract. Pro Football Focus graded Hendrickson as the NFL’s fifth best pass rusher in 2024.
Seahawks signed P Michael Dixon to a four-year contract extension worth $16.2 million.
Dickson, who’s been with the Seahawks since entering the league in 2018, is now signed through the 2029 season. He becomes the NFL’s highest paid punter with the extension. Last year, he notched the third highest yards per punt (49.5) of his NFL career. Dickson ranked fourth among all punters in net yards per punt in 2024, and his 76 punts were fifth most in the league.
RB Cam Akers is visiting the Saints on Tuesday.
Saints beat reporter Nick Underhill sourced the report, which indicates the team is not fully happy with the state of their backfield, consisting of Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller, 2025 sixth-round pick Devin Neal, former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire, former wide receiver Velus Jones, and Xazavian Valladay. They’ll see what Akers has left in the tank, with their ultimate goal being to eventually trade him to the Vikings in Week 7, as is NFL tradition.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson will seek another opinion from surgeon Neal ElAttrache later this week.
ElAttrache is the surgeon that performed the surgery on Richardson’s throwing shoulder in 2023 and is not a name Colts fans want to hear in the news regarding their quarterback. It was previously reported that no structural damage was found after a scan on his shoulder was performed Friday, but any lingering inflammation and soreness almost two years after surgery is noteworthy. The team does not believe he will require another surgery at this time.
Texans signed RB Nick Chubb to a one-year, $2.5 million contract.
The former workhorse finds a new home after another lost season due to injury, landing in Houston on a one-year deal that carries a maximum value of $5 million. The incentive-laden contract makes sense for both parties considering Chubb’s recent injury history, providing a proven low cost option behind Joe Mixon in the backfield pecking order. Chubb passed his team physical Monday, prompting the signing and also indicating that he is on track in his return from a broken foot that ended his 2024 season after just eight games.