Running reactions to the fantasy football ramifications of NFL Free Agency, by whatever Zoneblitz staffer happens to fantasy-football-championsget there first.

 

April 16

 

  • This New York Jets team sure is making itself interesting. Chris Johnson signed a two-year deal with Rex Ryan’s club on Wednesday, finding about as good of a home as he could’ve as a 1B-type running back when it comes to his fantasy prospects. Sure, putting him as the No. 1 in, say, Arizona, might’ve been more desirable strictly speaking in terms of overall carries. But Johnson’s 1A is Chris Ivory, who isn’t happy if he isn’t hurt. When the two are on the field together, Johnson will get enough work to make him dangerous, and viable as a weekly flex play in 12-team leagues. And when CJ2K has to carry the load when Ivory’s on the shelf, he’s a must-start RB2, if not RB1.
    – Anthony

April 2

  • So DeSean Jackson has signed with Washington. Normally I hate the Redskins’ big-time, big-name free agent signings, but this one may be an exception. Jackson himself will probably continue to be a boom-or-bust wide receiver for fantasy purposes. RGIII will take some shots throughout every game, hitting some and missing some. But what he does is open things up for Pierre Garcon and Jordan Reed. He also knocks guys like Leonard Hankerson, Josh Morgan and Aldrick Robinson, who might have been each a notch too high on the WR ranks, down into a likely more appropriate spot in the pecking order. So Robert Griffin better start looking like the 2012 version rather than the 2013 one. The team is starting to erase any legit reasons for him to struggle a year removed from buckling up his knee. – Andy
  • In a potentially under-the-radar signing, Kenny Britt re-joined Jeff Fisher by signing with the Rams. Britt is supremely talented, though it’s been three years since he put up nearly 800 yards and nine TDs with Tennessee. He’s also a head case. A change of scenery should at least give him a shot to regain his 2010 form. He’s a big potential complement to Tavon Austin, at 6-3 and 215 pounds. While the Rams will probably add another wideout in the draft, I like Britt as a last round pick or a $1 auction guy who could be a great asset but who you wouldn’t miss if he happens to be the first guy you cut when someone better shows up. – Andy

March 27

  • We took a few days off. But there’s been news over the last few days too. Most recently the announcement this afternoon that Knowshon Moreno has signed with Miami. Adam Schefter broke the news on Twitter. And I think the guy who ends up looking best over this news is Montee Ball. He may still cede some carries to Ronnie Hillman, but Hillman spent more time pondering his night life vices the last few weeks of the 2013 season than he did actually seeing the field. Ball becomes the likely bell cow in Denver. As for Miami, I like Moreno better than Lamar Miller and I like Miller more than I like Daniel Thomas. But I’d rather not have to rely on any of the three. – Andy
  • Another move I liked was the Raiders spending a sixth round pick to acquire Matt Schaub. Yes, Schaub was dreadful his final season in Houston. I think things started badly in 2013 and snowballed on Schaub, who for the previous five seasons had passer ratings of 90.7 or higher. I’m not saying he’ll make the Pro Bowl, but I do think it’s very realistic to think the Raiders will have their strongest play at QB since Rich Gannon played four solid seasons there a decade ago. And as much as I and others love ragging on the Raiders, they do have some weapons. Rod Streeter and Denarious Moore have been competent receivers even with subpar QB play and James Jones is a good signing from Green Bay. This was a good move that was made even better by Schaub’s willingness to restructure his contract. – Andy
  • Much of the rest of the news of the past few days has involved backup QBs changing teams. The biggest splash was Michael Vick’s signing with the Jets. He’ll give Geno Smith a run for the starting job, probably winning it for awhile. But then he’ll get hurt and Smith will again be Smith – a mediocre starter with mostly mediocre weapons around him. Mark Sanchez flip-flopped spots with Vick, signing with the Eagles in a move that won’t have any fantasy ramifications for good teams. Shaun Hill left Detroit for St. Louis. I do think that’s an upgrade at backup for the Rams, who lost Kellen Clemens to San Diego a few days earlier. That’ll come into play only if Sam Bradford gets hurt – which is highly likely. At any rate, other than Vick, who I would like to avoid, the rest of these guys are almost guaranteed to be ignored. – Andy

March 19

  • The pace of free agency has slowed significantly over the last couple days. While there are some deals being discussed, the impact has not been quite as great. A number of tackles continue moving around. Two semi-interesting names are Donald Penn, who joins the Raiders to play left tackle after Rodger Saffold saved the team from itself by failing his physical last week. Tampa moved on from him last week, signing Anthony Collins, who signed from Cincinnati. Penn and his bookend Demar Dotson were solid for the Bucs last year, according to ProFootballFocus.com, so the former likely will be a better replacement for Jared Veldheer than Saffold would have been. But Penn has been in decline, according to SportsIllustrated.com.  Collins was really good for the Bengals in 2013. But I’d consider this a bit of a risk, given that he’s not been a long-time starter. SI considers him underrated and I don’t think he’ll be a bad replacement for Penn, but it’ll be interesting to see if he can put up great results consistently. — Andy

March 16

  •  The big news of the weekend is Cleveland’s signing of RB Ben Tate, who largely has been stuck on the bench behind Arian Foster in Houston. Tate has the size and skills to be a solid big back and, as such, a high pick in fantasy football. I’m concerned about Tate’s durability as he takes on a lead back role. He’s had several nicks over the years in as a secondary back. Who knows if this continues. I’d probably try to land him as an RB2 if I could this season but I’d make sure to have a solid back on the bench to fill in if he misses two to 12 games.  – Andy
  • Brandon LaFell signed with the Patriots. And Ted Ginn signed with the Cardinals. Steve Smith already had been cut and moved on to Baltimore. So the assault on Cam Newton’s receiving corps continues. One friend was torn recently in a keeper league between Nick Foles and Newton.  Since I don’t think the Panthers have enough experienced receivers to actually constitute a depth chart right now, I’d lean Foles in that case. Carolina has a ton of work to do to make that position look even average heading into the season. – Andy
  • Speaking of LaFell, he’s never been a must-roster fantasy type. My feeling is in New England he’s even more of  an afterthought. He did his best work in Carolina out of the slot. Julian Edelman re-signed with the Patriots just before LaFell joined up, so that spot isn’t open. And the roster already includes veteran Danny Amendola and second-year guys Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thomkins. Factor in Rob Gronkowski and there are a lot of people who will see the ball before LaFell will, barring injuries of course – and maybe that’s what this signing was all about? – Andy
  • I previously noted Denver’s Eric Decker insurance was purchased in the form of Andre Caldwell. That policy was upgraded over the weekend with the controversial signing of Emmanuel Sanders. However it went down, the Broncos landed a talented receiver who had his moments but never seemed to fully click with the Steelers. Frankly, I think Decker’s the better receiver. That said, Sanders will almost assuredly outproduce Decker this season so long as Peyton Manning remains upright. Sanders is a different type of receiver in that I wouldn’t expect him to make tough catches in traffic the way Decker can, but he’s got better speed. Manning sometimes gets dinged for not having the best deep ball in the world, which is where Sanders can really shine. The question is if Denver really even needs to use it. Regardless, Sanders’ floor is a bye-week fill-in, but he’s pretty solidly in as a WR3 for me. — Anthony
  • Andy already talked about the Hakeem Nicks move below, but I wanted to chime in. I’m a fan of the pick-up, but think its a better NFL move than fantasy move. That is, unless Reggie Wayne’s return from injury doesn’t go as planned. If Wayne misses time, Nicks is a low-end WR2. But as part of a triumvirate with Wayne and Hilton, I think Nicks puts up WR3 numbers but with wildly varying box scores that will make him tough to trust.

March 14

  • In 2012, Anquan Boldin caught 65 passes for 921 yards and four TDs for Baltimore the year the Ravens won the Super Bowl. Boldin was traded to San Francisco last year and his absence was glaring in Baltimore. Steve Smith is a different type of receiver than Boldin and he’s further along in his career than Boldin was, but he’s an equally tough competitor and he should be able to improve on the 64 catches, 745 yards and four TDs he put up as the only legit WR starter in Carolina last season. Smith joins Dennis Pitta and Jacoby Jones, both of whom have re-signed with the Ravens in recent days, as well as Torrey Smith and even Marlon Brown as contributors to the offense. Smith isn’t going to be the number one guy in Baltimore and he shouldn’t be the number one WR on your fantasy team, but he should maintain a decent level of relevance in this offense.  – Andy
  • After catching 155 passes for more than 2,200 yards and 18 TDs in 2010-2011, Hakeem Nicks’ numbers plummeted the last two years as he fought injuries and, seemingly, motivation. Nicks signed a bargain-basement one-year deal with Indianapolis for $3.5 million. He’ll lineup alongside the aging and recovering Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton and catch passes from Andrew Luck in 2014. It’s a fantastic low-risk move for Indy and probably a smart move for Nicks too. The 26-year-old has a chance to prove he has regained his motivation and his health. If he does, he’s still young enough to score a big contract next year. I think he’s got steal written all over him. Not sure what round I’d take him in, but he’ll be on my list of mid-round sleepers as fantasy draft day approaches.  – Andy
  • Evan Dietrich-Smith is not the best center in the NFL, but he was solid enough where Pro Football Focus said in 2013 he “was perhaps the biggest surprise as he likely locked down the  starting centers job for a long time and it leave the line in good shape.” PFF ranked the Packers’ line 12th overall, but Dietrich-Smith will be playing on the interior line in Tampa next season rather than Green Bay. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel lists as his possible replacements JC Tretter, a 2013 draft pick the team reportedly is high on who sat out the season with an ankle injury, and Don Barclay, generally a right tackle. This probably is not the end of the world and it’s too early to downgrade guys like Aaron Rodgers and Eddie Lacy. But Rodgers had campaigned for the return of Dietrich-Smith and his loss will bear some watching heading into training camp. – Andy

March 13

  • Haven’t been able to get my arms around what I think of Golden Tate signing with Detroit. I think he’s a good addition for a Lions team whose second and third ranked receivers in terms of catches and yards were running backs Reggie Bush and Joique Bell. Tate will definitely exceed the 41 catches of Brandon Pettigrew and the 38 of Kris Durham. But will he match the 64 receptions and nearly 900 yards he put up with Seattle last season? I’m doubtful. That said, I would guess as the number two option behind Megatron, Tate might have the chance to exceed the five touchdown passes he caught in Seattle. Great move for Detroit’s offense. Neutral move for Tate’s fantasy value. – Andy
  • While Tate may struggle to regain fantasy relevance in 2014, one guy whose stock dropped dramatically with news of his signing is Eric Decker. He goes from being one of many bullets in the arsenal of a Peyton Manning-led offense to being the number one guy attempting to catch passes from Geno Smith of the Jets. Decker caught `172 passes for 2,352 yards and 24 touchdowns the last two seasons in Denver. My guess is that it takes him between thre3e and four years to achieve those numbers in New York. He seems like a good dude, but he’s never proven to have the separation skills to be a number one. Plus he signed up for two games per season against Darrelle Revis. I’ll leave this guy for someone else on almost all of my boards. – Andy
  • It just keeps getting weirder for the Raiders. Word leaked late last night that Rodger Saffold, the guy they signed to play left tackle when they lost Jared Veldheer to Arizona, failed his physical. That actually might prove to be a good thing for Oakland, as they paid Saffold more money than the Cardinals gave Veldheer and Saffold is not only inferior as a player, but he’s been better in the NFL as a guard than as a tackle. So perhaps the brass in the Bay should thank its trainers for getting the team out of that mess. Saffold them re-signed with the Rams. — Andy
  • Last week the Broncos took out their Decker insurance policy by signing Andre Caldwell on a two-year deal. If you had to take one guy today for your fantasy team, would it be Caldwell or Decker? I like Decker for the better digits, but I’ll guarantee that Caldwell will be the better value on draft day. As for Tate, move him into the “this guy’s a sleeper because he plays in Detroit” category. They’ve been looking for a No. 2 for awhile now, but I’m with Andy that this is mostly a neutral move for his fantasy value. I’ll grant him more upside than I would’ve in Seattle, but I’m not reaching for him. — Anthony
  • Darren Sproles is an Eagle now. As a Sproles owner in a dynasty league, I have to say that Philly would be the one place he could’ve gone where I felt he had just as much potential as he did with the Saints. Heck, he may have MORE now depending on how things go in Philly. LeSean McCoy was ridden hard last year, and when Sproles is your change-of-pace back, I imagine you’re a little more likely to take a touch or two more per game off McCoy’s plate. Sproles isn’t an elite contributor in PPR leagues anymore, but I think this move keeps him in the conversation as a legit RB3 with upside. — Anthony
  • So … Steve Smith isn’t a Panther any more. The 13-year vet isn’t what he was five years ago, but he was still far and away the best wide receiver on that roster in 2013. Tight end Greg Olsen led the team in receiving yards and TDs, and he’s still around. But who else is going to catch passes from Cam Newton this year? The next guys in line after Smith at WR were Brandon LaFell with 49 catches, Ted Ginn with 36 and then Domenik Hixon with seven. Mike Tolbert (27) and DeAngelo Williams (26) also pitched in as part of the passing game, but that depth chart is as bad as I’ve seen. Come on Panthers. Get Newton some help. — Andy

March 12

  • The Saints’ crowded running back situation is likely to get a little bit less so in the next few days as rumors are spreading that Darren Sproles will be on the way out. I was impressed last season with rookie Khiry Robinson and I’m hoping he gets a chance to increase his role. But in PPR leagues, look for Pierre Thomas to get a boost. The vet inked a two-year extension to stick around and he produced more than 1,000 combo yards, 77 catches and five total TDs in a limited role in 2013. He could get a boost as well. — Andy
  • Can’t say I was really going to rush out there to grab wide receivers off the Bills, Dolphins or Jets rosters for my fantasy teams in 2014, but rumors that Darrelle Revis will move from Tampa to New England this season will pretty much cement that decision. Might still consider Brian Hartline from Miami or Robert Woods from Buffalo in a bye week pinch, I guess, but facing the league’s most talented CB twice a week would, for the most part, take guys I have little interest in rostering for the entire season already and move them further down the list. Think the Jets might be regretting last year’s trade? — Andy
  • Toby Gerhart quietly played the good soldier behind Adrian Peterson for four years in Minnesota. He moves to Jacksonville with a career per carry average of 4.7 yards and only about one year’s worth of workload on his 26-year-old body. With Maurice Jones-Drew likely moving on, Gerhart has a chance to win the bulk of those carries. His fantasy stock rose overnight. — Andy
  • Brandon Weeden reportedly cut by Cleveland. This move should affect … pretty much nobody on the Cleveland Browns roster. I spent a year trying to defend him, but in the few opportunities I had to watch him last year, Weeden appeared to have less pocket presence than one of those Jugs machines coaches use to throw hundreds of balls to receivers. — Andy
  • Josh McCown reunites with the guy who originally brought him to Chicago, even though it was the guy who replaced Lovie Smith with the Bears who installed the offense in which McCown suddenly shined. McCown is 10 years Mike Glennon’s senior and now Glennon’s competition for the starting job. Good for McCown for cashing in on his success last season, but he won’t be putting up anywhere near last year’s per game numbers if he’s the starter. Yes, Vincent Jackson provides a nice home run target a la Alshon Jeffery, but the Bucs are missing a Brandon Marshall to catch everything else all over the field. Brandon Myers is a decent addition, but with just one decent fantasy season under his belt its hard to think he’ll do what Martellus Bennett did in Chicago last season. — Maggio
  • The Raiders entered free agency with money to burn and have been plenty active so far. They added Rodger Saffold and Austin Howard to bolster their offensive line, but let Jared Veldheer go in the process and re-signed Darren McFadden while letting Rashad Jennings walk. McFadden’s looked OK at best when healthy, and he’s never healthy. Jennings looked very comfortable as the lead dog last year, and with the Giants should put up OK at worst fantasy numbers. I’m not real worried about Peyton Hillis sniping touches, but David Wilson’s health is still a wild card. If Jennings turns into a true No. 1 for New York, he’ll be very valuable for fantasy owners. For now, it’s wait and see. — Maggio