As we inch toward the new season, the ever-changing NFL landscape has player fantasy values constantly on the move. Whether you’re used to the dynasty platform or are still learning the dynasty rules, let’s dive into the latest dynasty value of Joshua Kelley.

Joshua Kelley’s Dynasty Outlook and Value

Since parting ways with Melvin Gordon III, the Chargers have been looking for their thunder to Austin Ekeler’s lightning. The first guy to try out for the job was Kelley, who Los Angeles selected in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Kelley failed to impress as a rookie, averaging 3.2 yards per carry and 5.8 ppg. So, the Chargers tried again with Larry Rountree III in the sixth round in 2021. That failed spectacularly. So, LA tried again with Isaiah Spiller in Round 4 of 2022. They also signed Sony Michel after he was unable to make the Dolphins’ roster.

MORE: 100% Free Mock Draft Simulator.

None of these players were able to beat out Kelley for the Chargers’ RB2 role. To be fair, that may be more of an indictment on the other guys than praise for Kelley himself. Nevertheless, he did play the best football of his career in 2022.

He only totaled 388 yards from scrimmage but upped his yards per carry to 4.2. While still nowhere near fantasy-relevant, Kelley did post a 16.2-point game in Week 5. At the very least, he did enough to draw praise from new offensive coordinator (and former Dallas Cowboys OC) Kellen Moore.

Joshua Kelley’s Fantasy Ranking

Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Kelley has all the incentive in the world to try and impress in 2023. But he’ll need to do more than he’s done to earn a second contract, likely from another team.

In dynasty leagues, NFL teams’ RB2s are typically rostered. For that reason alone, I wouldn’t fault someone for stashing Kelley. With that said, he’s done nothing through three years of his career to suggest he’ll ever be more than a speculative handcuff. You’d be rostering him with the hope that if Ekeler were to get hurt, Kelley would have value, which is no guarantee.

Ultimately, Kelley is not a must-roster player. We have him at RB73 (No. 219 overall) in our dynasty Superflex rankings. I would chase higher upside in dynasty startup drafts.

With the 2023 NFL Draft less than a month away, mock drafts are everywhere. And at Pro Football Network, our Mock Draft Simulator is always free for everyone. Every selection is tracked, giving us a fun dataset to look at for trends among players and teams. Where does Will Anderson Jr. land most often, and is the fit right? Just because a player is mocked to a team often doesn’t inherently mean it’s a good fit.

NFL Draft Landing Spots

Over the next month, we’ll dive into some players and teams that tend to find one another most often in our mock drafts.

Alabama EDGE Will Anderson Jr.

Arizona Cardinals – 52.6%
Seattle Seahawks – 10.1%

Others listed among the favorites were the Texans (drafting a QB), Broncos (how, exactly?), Dolphins (again, how?), and the Lions (possible). But the Cardinals and Seahawks feel like the two teams vying for Will Anderson Jr.‘s services.

It’s unlikely a team gives Arizona a package to move to No. 3 that they’d take for a non-QB. Their dream would be to pick up assets from the Colts to move back one spot and still draft Anderson while also adding some necessary draft capital to rebuild their shattered roster.

MORE: Will Anderson Jr. First Non-QB Taken in Latest Mock Draft

Anderson would fit like 99% of gloves we’ve seen people put on. Jonathan Gannon would deploy Anderson exactly like he should be, and he’ll be productive immediately because he is already a professional run defender on the edge. Just look at what Gannon was able to do with Haason Reddick. Anderson spoke about a Cardinals’ pairing at the NFL Combine.

“You can see what the coach did at Philadelphia. He had his guys on the edge going,” Anderson told reporters at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. “That’s something that I really like — get on the edge and go. So I’m very excited about that.”

The Seahawks are another good fit. They already have outside linebacker types in Uchenna Nwosu and Darrell Taylor, but there’s no such thing as having too many pass rushers. Anderson fits the Seahawks about as well as he does the Cardinals because of his endless versatility.

Texas RB Bijan Robinson

Los Angeles Chargers – 18.2%
Dallas Cowboys – 15.5%
Philadelphia Eagles – 12.4%

Bijan Robinson is one of the most intriguing and talented prospects in this draft class. But simply because he plays running back, he’s also one of the most controversial.

If the free agency market is any indication, It appears the “running backs don’t matter” narrative has finally seeped into the brains of front offices. But while the NFL draft has 32 picks in the first round (31 this year, thanks to Miami), the draft doesn’t have 32 first-round-caliber players. However, it’s largely believed that Robinson is one of those few who are.

So when does the talent overtake the devaluation of the position?

Our Mock Draft Simulator suggests it’s somewhere around the Chargers’ 21st pick. While using a first-round pick on a running back is treated like riding a dog like a small horse (shoutout, E-Trade baby), is it so wrong to have a player you can almost surely count on as being good at a relatively inexpensive rate for five seasons?

It’s not easy to weigh because many will point to recent Super Bowl teams and their runners as proof that using a high draft pick on a running back is the definition of foolishness.

MORE: Texas RB Roschon Johnson Could Be Drafted Relatively High

There’s no doubt that Kellen Moore would know exactly how to use Robinson. He’d be an absolute workhorse for the Chargers. However, that always comes with the risk that he’ll wear down quickly, much like Ezekiel Elliott did for the Cowboys after three seasons. However, the Chargers have other needs that should be addressed first, most specifically adding some speed at wide receiver, and the 21st pick could accomplish that depending on how the board falls.

The wrench in all this is that Chargers RB Austin Ekeler has requested a trade after not coming to terms with the team on a contract extension. Yet, Brandon Staley is steadfast in his desire to retain Ekeler.

“We want him to be a Charger,” Staley told NFL Network. “I think that that’s something that (general manager) Tom (Telesco) has said. It’s something I’ve said. We want this guy to be a Charger. We’re also respectful of his position, and we’re gonna see where it goes.”

Speaking of the Cowboys, the Texas product certainly makes for Dallas in one area; he’ll sell a metric crapload of jerseys, in turn making the Cowboys a lot of money. Pair that with Jerry and Stephen Jones’ constant calls for running the ball as often as possible, and you have your recipe for this selection with the 26th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Trading for Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks addressed the Cowboys’ two most-pressing needs.

The Philadelphia Eagles are an intriguing option. Kenneth Gainwell is still on the roster, but adding a high-level replacement after losing Miles Sanders in free agency could be a route Howie Roseman goes with two picks in Round 1. Obviously, drafting Robinson happens at 30 and not 10.

Georgia DT Jalen Carter

Detroit Lions – 17.8%
Atlanta Falcons – 17.2%
Las Vegas Raiders – 16.9%
Chicago Bears – 15.4%
Seattle Seahawks -13.2%
Philadelphia Eagles – 12.4%

On behalf of the entire NFL, I vote not to allow Jalen Carter to fall to the Eagles in the draft. A quartet of Jordan David, Fletcher Cox, Milton Williams, and Carter would be tough to digest for opposing offensive lines. Replacing Javon Hargrave with Carter to extend the life of Philadelphia’s dominant defensive line to what feels like the past two decades shan’t be allowed!

The Lions would be a fun fit. Carter would get to pin his ears back a bit playing alongside Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, and a whole host of other rushers along the defensive line. It would put Carter in an advantageous situation early on where he could win with athleticism as he learns the finer points of the position from a technical perspective because he would get more favorable matchups on the interior.

The storyline in Atlanta could be cool because Carter would effectively take the mantle over from Grady Jarrett eventually. However, the Falcons paid David Onyemata and still have Jarrett, while their EDGE play is a bigger defensive weakness at this point in time.

Chicago’s entire defensive front could still use a facelift, so drafting the best available defensive lineman with the ninth pick isn’t a bad option. Between Anderson, Carter, and Tyree Wilson, one of the three should realistically be there.

Seattle is interesting because they’ve never made a huge effort to add interior pressure as part of the package from a defensive tackle perspective. Guys like Michael Bennett could do it as big edge defenders, but additions like Dre’Mont Jones and Jarran Reed might change the calculus. What Seattle plans on the defensive interior is a mystery.

The Raiders need offensive and defensive line help like nobody’s business. But they must wrestle with the optics of drafting Carter just a few years after Henry Ruggs. If they’re comfortable with the potential backlash and PR hit they’d receive from the pick, then it makes sense.

North Carolina was the headliner on Monday’s NFL Pro Day schedule, and there were some terrific performances at Southern Miss. With the latest on those two workouts, as well as a few updates from last week, here is today’s pro day report.

Pro Day News and Rumors | Drake Maye Throws at North Carolina

Most of the league’s 32 teams sent representatives to Chapel Hill for UNC’s Pro Day, and those on hand got to do a little advanced scouting. Drake Maye, the soon-to-be junior projected as a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was the passing quarterback for the workout.

The pro day workout was a little disheveled, as it usually is at UNC. Players first ran the 40, then did position drills as well as participated in jumps, shuttles, and the bench press. The position drills took anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes for each group, and most of the players were beaten down when they finished the workout with the jumps, shuttles, and bench.

MORE: FREE Mock Draft Simulator With Trades 

Senior Bowl participant Asim Richards timed between 5.12 to 5.18 seconds in the 40, then later ran an admirable 7.77-second three-cone and 4.81-second short shuttle at the end of the workout. Richards measured 6’4 1/2″ at the Combine. Teams like his versatility to line up just about everywhere on the offensive line. Richards even did a little bit of snapping at center today.

The Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills had offensive line coaches on-site. The Tennessee Titans had director of football operations John Streicher at UNC as well.

Receiver Josh Downs did position drills and looked terrific. He’s a quick wideout who runs well and looked natural making deep receptions. One comment passed on to me about Downs was about his size — he’s “very small.” Downs measured a smidge over 5’8 1/2″ and 171 pounds at the Combine. The Dallas Cowboys’ newly hired offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was on hand for Downs.

Eric Scott Jr. Shines for Southern Miss

The big story at Southern Miss’ Pro Day centered around cornerback Eric Scott Jr., a Shrine Bowl participant. Scott, who looked good each day in Las Vegas, touched 39 1/2″ in the vertical and 11’5″ in the board. He tweaked his quad during his first attempt in the 40 and pulled up. Scott had been running
in the 4.3s during training.

The hopes are he will be able to run the 40 by April 21, and his time will be
sent to teams around the league. There’s a feeling Scott, who was not on the scouting radar prior to the season and was not invited to the Combine, could land somewhere on Day 3 of the draft. He met with the Cowboys at the pro day, and the New York Jets, who hope to come away with a slot corner at some point in the draft, have shown interest.

Jason Brownlee, who was one of my winners from the receiver workout at the Combine, sat on his numbers from Indianapolis and did position drills.

Cincinnati WRs Tre Tucker and Tyler Scott Showcase Speed

Cincinnati’s Pro Day took place last Thursday for a program that has a host of middle-round picks as well as a pair of receivers who may end up on Day 2. The Baltimore Ravens sent their inside linebackers coach to watch Ivan Pace, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was on hand, and the Cowboys had a special teams coach at the workout for the two receivers.

Here’s what I heard: Tre Tucker and Tyler Scott both ran the 40 and improved from their times at the Combine. Both timed right around 4.35 seconds. Scott timed a best of 4.44 in Indianapolis, with Tucker coming in at 4.40.

MORE: 2023 NFL Mock Draft — Lamar Jackson, Tua Tagovailoa, and Others Traded, Vikings and Dolphins Nab New QB1 

Besides position work at receiver, both fielded punts for scouts at the pro day. The Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, and New England Patriots met with Tucker and Scott the night before their pro day.

Shrine Bowl participant Leonard Taylor, who did not work out at the Combine, sat out the pro day as he continues to recover from a mild Grade 1 strain he suffered in his right knee. Taylor, who presently holds a sixth-round grade on my tight end board, will work out for scouts at Nippert Stadium on April 12.

Latest News and Rumors Out of UAB

There was a large group of scouts on hand for UAB’s Pro Day last week. The Blazers have two of the more highly-rated non-Combine players in this year’s draft. Cornerback Starling Thomas V, who stood out during Shrine Bowl practice, really lit up the pro day. He measured just over 5’10”, timed in the low 4.3s in the 40 (4.32), and touched 37.5″ in the vertical jump and 10’5″ in the broad jump.

He also completed 14 reps on the bench. Thomas looked smooth
and fluid in drills. The Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts have shown interest in Thomas. He also met with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets assistant defensive coach Ricky Manning Jr., who was on-site. Thomas cemented himself as a Day 3 pick.

MORE: 2023 NFL Draft Big Board

Offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort, another Shrine Bowl participant, completed 19 reps on the bench press and touched 25″ in the vertical jump. Telfort’s arms measured 35 7/8″ at the Shrine Bowl. A left tackle at UAB, Telfort ran through right tackle drills with the Green Bay Packers. The RT-needy Jacksonville Jaguars met with Telfort.

DeWayne McBride, the record-setting junior running back, continues to rehab from injury and did not participate in the pro day. He will try to work out for scouts next month, though an exact date was not communicated to me.