Sports
Pick your international NFL franchise city, plus updates on Travis Hunter, Daniel Jones
I just realized Jerry Jones’ fantasy football team is worth $15.5 billion.
Inside: Annual franchise valuations, the latest on Daniel Jones and Travis Hunter, plus Jake Ciely’s favorite players to draft.
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What to expect from Daniel Jones?
Unless you live in central Indiana, you probably underestimated how good the Colts were entering their Week 11 bye last season.
Indy was 8-2, tied with the Patriots and Broncos for the league’s best record. Its only losses were to the Rams and Steelers, one-score games despite the Colts’ nine turnovers combined (including Adonai Mitchell fumbling this touchdown). They had the league’s best offense, averaging 32.1 points and 396.9 yards per game. And not just by dominating bad teams: The Colts hung 38 points on the Chargers defense, a top-10 scoring unit.
The secondary had even recently addressed a hole with pricey cornerback Sauce Gardner. Everything was working, with Daniel Jones a possible MVP candidate.
It all went downhill from there. Jones was injured twice after that bye week, playing through a broken left fibula before tearing his right Achilles tendon.
He’s back. And we’ve got the 29-year-old’s comeback story. “Watching Jones at practice, there’s no hint of the injury to the casual observer,” writes my colleague Jonathan Jones, who added the 2019 first-rounder has shown mastery of the offense.
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One thing missing is Jones’ speed. His fastest in-game run was clocked at 21.23 mph before the infamous trip; Jones said he’s topped out at 19.7 mph this summer. Otherwise, he sounds ready to improve on last season.
Other good news: Keenan Allen is here. The six-time Pro Bowler, 34, agreed to a one-year deal with the Colts last night, reuniting with his former Chargers coach Shane Steichen. Allen’s 2025 numbers appear to be a one-for-one replacement for Michael Pittman Jr. (traded to the Steelers in March):
- 2025 Pittman: 80 catches, 784 yards and seven TDs
- Allen: 81 catches, 777 yards and four TDs
The full story on Jones’ comeback is a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most difficult processes of a player’s life. (You’ll also learn that Colts backup QB Riley Leonard had 15 groomsmen. And here I was self-conscious about my seven.)
Checking on Travis Hunter
Earlier this offseason, my colleagues shared a list of one breakout player for all 32 teams — players whose performance in 2026 could earn them league-wide notoriety.
Travis Hunter was one of them. Jeff Howe nominated the Jaguars’ dual threat as his pick, specifically for his defensive role:
Hunter’s expected to feature on defense while splitting reps on offense. That’s consistent with his offseason splits; Hunter’s training camp snaps have been 65 percent defense and the rest at receiver (other than one on special teams).
“We all know he’s our 3A, 3B receiver right now, and (we’re) trying to get him the exposure to every opportunity that we have out here,” coach Liam Coen said, per ESPN.
Hunter, 23, has split his offensive reps with Brian Thomas Jr., currently the third option behind Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington. Thomas is having a strong offseason by most reports, so Hunter’s breakout season probably comes at cornerback. Sorry, fantasy managers.
If you’re looking for alternatives, Jake Ciely has you covered. Over to him.
All In with Jake Ciely: ‘My guys’ of 2026
A few days ago, I shared the 20 players I target and draft the most. Jacob asked me to choose my top three, but I couldn’t. It had to be four. My top four “my guys” of 2026:
Bhayshul Tuten, JAX: I’ve mentioned the importance of style fits, and Tuten fits the Liam Coen offense as well as any running back can. While a full-blown committee would make Tuten a frustrating RB3/Flex, his cost is just that, but his potential is a top-15 RB.
Jonathon Brooks, CAR: Chuba Hubbard’s injury makes this more obvious, but I was a believer prior. If we get a pre-injury Brooks, he can seize the lead role without Hubbard being injured. As an eighth-round pick in fantasy drafts, I’ll click on Brooks every time.
Parker Washington, JAX: Washington was a WR1 after his bye last year, and every report this offseason has been that Trevor Lawrence and Washington are picking up where they left off … possibly with even more rapport. Even if Washington is only a WR2 for fantasy, that’s still a terrific return on a seventh-round pick.
Colston Loveland, CHI: He’s in the same tier as Trey McBride and Brock Bowers. For that reason, to get Loveland at a two-round discount is the definition of maximizing your upside.
If Jacob had let me put five, I’d have added Jaxson Dart as my target quarterback. My full list explains the 20 guys I’m betting my fantasy season on. Back to you, Jacob.
Where are you launching?
“At some point, there will be NFL teams outside the USA,” Roger Goodell told former NFL player Markus Kuhn during an interview with a German media outlet. “I have no doubt that this will happen one day.” Teams. Plural.
It won’t be cheap. If you thought inflation was hitting you hard, consider how a football-loving billionaire outside the U.S. might feel right now.
Sure, your ideal three-topping pizza (pepperoni, black olives and hot peppers) is $10 more than a few years ago. Your movie popcorn is an extra $3.
Now consider people shopping for football teams. The average NFL team got about $2 billion more expensive over the past year. That’s thanks to the Seahawks’ highest bidders, who paid $9.6 billion for the team, a 46 percent premium above last year’s valuation.
This jump had nothing to do with on-field performance, as any fans in Dallas or Cincinnati can attest. Even the last-place Bengals are up 35 percent in value, while the Cowboys lead the league at $15.5 billion.
If you could launch a new team anywhere in the world, where would you pick? What would you name the team? Let us know here. Answers will be featured tomorrow. And start saving up!
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