Fantasy free agency recap What every signing mean

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Fantasy free agency recap What every signing mean

The free agent period is upon us in the NFL, which is going to have an impact on the world. We're taking a look at the fantasy-relevant names that have signed so far this offseason. Keep checking back for updates on the latest players to sign free agent deals., QB, : "Head coach Hue Jackson has been lauded throughout his career for being able to get the most out of his talent -- especially at the quarterback position. The biggest question will be whether Jackson can repair the shaken confidence of a player who once seemed on top of the world. It might also help if the can repair Griffin's mechanics and strengthen his ability to read NFL defenses. Both things led to the former Baylor star's downfall in his previous stop." ., TE, : The have been in dire need of a seam-stretching presence since they lost Jermichael Finley to injury in 2012, and they believe they might have found that by signing the uber-athletic Cook to a one-year "prove it" deal. Inconsistency has been the one constant in Cook's career thus far, but perhaps a season with can help him iron out some of his i sues. There are a lot of mouths to feed in the Green Bay offense, but is coming off an eight-touchdown campaign. Cook is a great late-round best ball target, and worth a stab at the end of redraft leagues too. -- Alex Gelhar, RB, : "Anderson drew large contract offers from both the (four years, $19 million) and the (four years, $18 million). He agreed to the latter, but the matched it on Tuesday. That means the team has made quite an investment in the 25-year-old runner. It also means that Anderson is going to see more than the 152 rushing attempts Emil Lilleberg Jersey he saw in the offense a season ago." ., TE, (trade): "Bennett makes for a nice late-round best ball pick, and a handcuff to Gronk if you're the ultra-conservative type of fantasy player, but his prospects as a season-long starting tight end aren't very high. This is more of a great football move for the than a move." ., TE, : "Miller and Bennett combined for 121 targets in Chicago last year, most of which should now fall to Miller as he re-signed with the team for two more years earlier in the free agency period." ., RB, : "Still, Morris' move to Dallas can be seen as at least somewhat of a positive ... at least for now. McFadden is entering his age-29 campaign, and he's rarely been able to avoid injuries during his NFL career. While he could enter training camp atop the team's depth chart, I would still be more inclined to draft Morris, 27, ahead of McFadden because of his age and durability." ., RB, : "(Forte) brings a versatile skill set to the , as he's hauled in a combined 220 receptions for 1,791 yards with 10 touchdowns as a receiver out of the backfield over the last three seasons. owners and fans remember too that it was , not Ivory, who was the better fantasy runner in the final month of the 2015 campaign. What do Powell and Forte have in common? That's right, both have immense abilities as a pa s-catcher, and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey is certain to utilize Forte often in that capacity." ., RB, : "(In 2015) Miller averaged just shy of 16 fantasy points per game when he received 15-plus touches, but just 7.14 fppg when receiving fewer than 15 touches. That includes his 12-touch, 89-yard, two-touchdown performance against the in Week 14, where he scored twice on his first seven touches. So how does he fit into the ' offensive plans? Well, if O'Brien's past tendencies are any indication, fantasy fans could finally get what they've been asking for. In his two years as the head coach, O'Brien has given one running back 15-plus touches in 26 of 32 games, with Foster cro sing that mark in virtually every game in which he was fully healthy." ., RB, (trade): "Murray should be the bell cow for coach Mike Mularkey and his "exotic smash mouth" attack. A suming the use the NFL draft (and their No. 1 overall pick) to improve their offensive line, Murray should see a small increase in fantasy value. That doesn't mean he'll return to elite status because that's a long shot, but Murray (3.6 YPC in 2015) will be in the RB2 conversation." ., RB, : "While the move improves the team's offensive attack, it's a kick in the proverbial groin to the fantasy running back position. That's because Ivory won't be a featured runner like he was in New York last season, when he ran for 1,070 yards and scored eight times while finishing eighth in fantasy points at the position. Instead, he's destined to share the workload with incumbent starter , who also loses any chance to be the unquestioned No. 1 option in the backfield. That scenario will make it tough to trust either back as more than a potential flex starter in 2016." ., QB, : "To his credit, Osweiler averaged 16.64 fantasy points per game in the six games he started and finished in 2015. Extrapolating that to a full season (never an exact science), puts him at about the QB16-17 range with 266.3 fantasy points. So there's plenty of room to grow ... but also plenty of risk, too." ., TE, : For years, fantasy enthusiasts have been waiting for the athletic Green to get his day in the San Diego sun. But he was perpetually blocked by the great . Now, Green will look for better times as a part of one of the NFL's most dynamic offenses in Pittsburgh. With Heath Miller opting for retirement, Green won't have any challengers to his tight end snaps and should see favorable matchups with , and occupying so much of the focus of opposing defenses. This move has the potential to make Green a top 10 fantasy tight end in 2016. - Marcas Grant, TE, : Watson injected his career with new life last year in New Orleans, posting career highs acro s the board with 74 catches for 825 yards and six touchdowns. That performance ultimately netted him a fresh two-year deal with the , where he'll likely serve as the starting tight end as the team grooms and for bigger roles later in their careers. Williams is entering his second season, and Gillmore his third, but the latter is coming off multiple shoulder procedures this offseason. Watson will be able to mentor those two while providing quarterback with a nice security blanket over the middle. Flacco targeted his tight ends 118 times last season (174 if you count 's 56 fullback targets), and with serving a suspension for PEDs there will be plenty of looks to go around. Watson figures to be a low-end TE1 in 2016. - Alex Gelhar, WR, : After Calvin Johnson announced his retirement earlier in the week, there was little surprise that the pursued a wide receiver in free agency. They landed arguably the best option out there in snagging the former Cincinnati Bengal, but it would be a fool's errand to suggest that Jones will be an adequate replacement for all by himself. In 2015, Jones set career highs with 65 catches and 816 yards. All things considered, those would be reasonable expectations for the Cal product to post again in 2016. - MG, WR, : After a career season in Cleveland, Benjamin moves to the sunny shores of San Diego to slide in as the ' new deep threat in the wake of 's retirement. Benjamin just mi sed out on 1,000 yards in 2015 despite inconsistency at the quarterback position. Now paired with a much better signal-caller in , and having and to draw more attention, Benjamin could rise to the level of a low-end WR2 in 2016. - MG, TE, : Before free agency began, the common wisdom was that Allen would have to leave Indianapolis in order to find any real fantasy relevance. But a funny thing happened on the way to relevance. The signed Allen to a four-year deal and allowed to leave for New Orleans, removing one of the obstacles to Allen seeing more targets. Combine that with offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski a suring Allen that the tight end would be a bigger part of the offense and the love affair that so many of us had with the Clemson product back in 2014 is sure to be rekindled in 2016. - MG, TE, : Fleener and Allen, while great teammates, were each other's own worst fantasy enemy while splitting targets and snaps in Indianapolis. That will no longer be a problem with Fleener moving down south to the Bayou to become ' red zone target, replacing the departed . From 2011-2015, Brees sent an average of . Fleener's career high in targets is 92. If he can gel in the offense and realize more of the potential his ma sive frame foretells, Fleener could be a breakout candidate at the tight end position. Of course, those are a lot of "ifs," but the team didn't pay him all that money to come in and block. - AG, TE, : Did anyone really believe Gates would leave San Diego? The future tight end re-upped to rekindle his bromance with . Last season was a frustrating one for the veteran -- he was suspended for the first four games and mi sed one more with an injury. Nonethele s the soon-to-be 36-year-old figures to remain the centerpiece of San Diego's pa sing game, especially in the red zone. Now that has departed for Pittsburgh, there is one le s threat to take targets. - MG, WR, : Sanu's signing is an interesting one for the . While on the surface one might think that they found their new No. 2 wide receiver and the heir apparent to , that couldn't be farther from the truth. Sanu played last year, a place where the ' was starting to play well from last year as well. What Atlanta needed opposite was a field stretcher who could also do work with intermediate routes, and neither of those are ways one might describe Sanu. Per Nathan Jahnke of ProFootballFocus.com, Sanu had the in the league last year, White had the lowest. That's not exactly a big step up, especially for a player who is duplicating someone already on the roster. fans will want to stear clear of Sanu unle s we see him emerge in the preseason as a legitimate outside receiver. - AG, WR, : LaFell was a me s last season, but he seemed to constantly be trying to regain his form after mi sing the offseason and first several games with a foot injury. The are in dire need of receiving help after losing and earlier in free agency, but signing LaFell isn't the solution they need. Expect the to still target a receiver early in the NFL draft. Right now, LaFell is a low-end WR4 at best, and his stock will take a hit if the do add a younger, more dynamic body to their receiving corps.- AG, WR, : Matthews finally put his nose to the grindstone last year in Miami, and after a solid 43-662-4 stat line in 11 games, he'll now be catching pa ses from in Tenne see. Matthews lacks elite speed, but is an accomplished route-runner and should be a nice outside fit for Mariota to target acro s from . At best, Matthews will be a bench filler as a WR4-5 in fantasy next year, with probably only matchup-based appeal. However, if Mariota takes the next step in his development as a pa ser and lifts the offense as a whole to new heights, Matthews could see his stock rise a little higher. He'll likely be fourth in the pecking order for targets though, behind , DGB, and . - AG, WR, : Quick seemed poised for a breakout before a near career-ending shoulder injury in 2014. Quick was never the same player in 2015, which was basically a wasted season. As a 6-foot-4, 209-pound athlete who ran a 4.55 40-yard dash, Quick for years has been an enticing size/speed prospect for the fantasy community. Some hoped a different team would take a chance on him, but alas, Quick is returning to the on a one-year "prove it" deal, e sentially. At just 26 years old, Quick will have plenty of time to secure a new contract (in a hopefully better pa sing offense) if he does indeed prove he's worth it. For now though, unle s the quarterback situation changes in Los Angeles, Quick will be nothing more than a late-round prayer pick in fantasy in 2016.- AG, WR, : After the retirement of longtime star Calvin Johnson, there was little surprise that the were going to make a move to add a wide receiver. Enter Jones, who had a nice bounceback in 2015 after mi sing the entirety of the previous season with an ankle injury. It would be beyond foolish to think that a player who has yet to record 70 catches or even 900 yards in a season could be an adequate replacement for . But paired alongside , Jones could be a solid WR3 candidate. - MG, WR, : Okay ... get all of your ", and walk into a Boston bar" jokes out of the way. It will be interesting to see how Hogan will fit into an offense that doesn't seem to have an immediate role for him. Of course, if we've learned anything from Bill Belichick's teams over the years, it's that they'll find a way. Nothing in Hogan's tenure with the suggests he's primed for fantasy stardom this season, but an upgrade in quarterbacks could put him on a few more fantasy radars as a waiver wire option in 2016. - AG & , RBs, : The backfield was non-existent a few days ago, but now it has taken shape. The team signed to be the featured back, brought back for his change-of-pace and pa s-catching abilities, and now have brought in as a likely goal line back. As good as Forte is, he's never been a beast near the goal line or in short yardage, so the Robinson signing makes sense. We'll need to see how this backup battle plays out in camp, but those looking to insure an early-round Forte pick will want to target Powell over Robinson. Powell looked like he turned the corner at the end of last year, and flatout out-played over the last month-plus of the season. - AG, FB, : Tolbert is sticking in Carolina, which is ideal for both sides. Never a fantasy name to watch, Tolbert will provide security behind the oft-brittle . While the will likely secure another running back in the draft, Tolbert will remain a name to circle if JStew ends up mi sing time again in 2016. - AG, TE, Washington: Davis signing with Washington is merely a measure to backup the oft-injured . Reed remains the No. 1 option in this pa sing attack, and Davis isn't worth any sort of fantasy investment. - AG, RB, : Ridley is likely joining Detroit in a backup role, though he could steal the role held by a season ago. This will be a battle to watch in the offseason but the odds are still in favor of this backfield being heavily split between and . - AG, RB, : Dunbar led all running backs with 21 receptions through three games last season, before a torn ACL landed him on the shelf. He'll be the ' main pa s-catching back, and will have situational value in deeper PPR formats. - AG, RB, Washington: Pending the team adding a complete back in the draft, Thompson figures to be the lightning to ' thunder in Washington. Like Dunbar, he'll have situational PPR value in 2016 (35 receptions in 2015). - AG, RB, : CJ2K wore down badly late last season, but it's good to see him re-sign with Arizona. He'll backup , and doesn't have fantasy value other than as a potential handcuff. - AG, RB, : Unle s you can see the future and know when Brown is inevitably going to have his four-touchdown game (because, ), he doesn't have fantasy value in 2016. - AG, RB, : Robinson joins the backup rotation with behind . He could become the team's goal-line specialist, but should be left to the waivers unle s injuries open doors. - AGWhy wait? to get your 2016 NFL season started.-- Alex Gelhar and Marcas Grant are fantasy writers/editors for NFL.com. Follow them on Twitter and Ryan Callahan Jersey
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