2015 fantasy football free agency tracker

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2015 fantasy football free agency tracker

*As the NFL's free agency period begins, we'll be keeping track of all of the fantasy relevant moves. Keep checking back to see where some of the biggest fantasy stars land and what it means for their 2015 outlook. *Running Backs (): One Gio Gonzalez Jersey day after being released by the following a DUI arrest, Pierce has found a new home down south with the . Pierce, who was one of the most ineffective runners in the NFL last season, will join a crowded backfield with , and that is likely to frustrate fantasy owners to no end. Stay away from Pierce in fantasy drafts this fall. (): Former running back will now be catching pa ses from instead of . Cadet will likely fill the void left by , but don't expect him to mirror Vereen's production. Cadet joins a crowded backfield and will likely be a rotational, frustrating fantasy player at best. (): has found his next chance in the NFL, and it's with the . There's little to like about this situation from a fantasy standpoint, as Richardson showed no signs that he could produce last season. He'll be behind and in the Oakland offense, and isn't worth wasting a fantasy draft pick on unle s either of the two backs ahead of him suffers a significant injury in the rest of the offseason. (): The might have lost , but they've added to complement . Bush agreed to terms with the over the weekend, and will likely be third-down role player in Geep Chryst's new offense. Bush will have late-round value, but Hyde is still the back to own in fantasy from San Francisco. (): The have now found a body to backup , and that body's name is . While with the last season, the former fantasy star looked like a shell of his former self, lacking explosivene s and decisivene s in getting through the line of scrimmage. This won't damage Bell's value in the least, but Williams could be a sneaky name to pick up off waivers or take a super-late flier on in the event that Bell is suspended for a few games to start the season (as many expect he will be). (): A lot is happening in New Orleans this offseason ... including an offensive makeover. With the departure of (via trade to the ) and (via trade to the ), and the additions of (Graham trade) and Spiller (free agency) it appears the days of slinging the rock 600 times a season are coming to a close. Spiller will pair with to likely form a potent thunder-lightning one-two punch out of the backfield. Spiller's arrival certainly dings Ingram's value a bit, but he'll likely fill the role vacated by , and Ingram performed just fine with Thomas in the fold last season. Spiller will have more value in PPR formats, but otherwise will be best suited as an RB3-4 to fill in on byes and at the flex in standard formats. (): So, Run DMC is getting a change of scenery with the . We're going to go ahead and say this loud and clear right now: DARREN McFADDEN IS NOT DeMARCO MURRAY. There. Whew. Just because the offensive line is a group of road-graders doesn't mean McFadden will be an instant succe s. Plus, the team will likely add another veteran or (more likely) draft a running back in the first few rounds. McFadden's two year contract is only , and it's likely heavily incentive-based. McFadden has averaged 3.3 yards per carry over the last three years. Don't buy into this soon to be derailed hype train yet again. (): Murray is a virtual lock to the lead the backfield in touches next season, and playing in coach Chip Kelly's running-back friendly system makes him attractive. ... With all of this being said, I agree that putting Murray into Kelly's system seems like gold ... and it might be for awhile. Just keep in mind that last season's ma sive workload could some back to haunt him. (): One of the few free agents to , Forsett should be a much more popular draft option in 2015 than he was in 2014. Then again, considering Forsett drew zero interest from fantasy enthusiasts last summer. With very little backfield compeition, Forsett should once again be a workhorse back for the . With a chance to be the undisputed starter from Week 1, look for the Cal product to be drafted as a low-end RB1 this season. (): Gore, who is entering his age-32 season, will join the (and not the ) and becomes the new starter for coach Chuck Pagano. Despite his extended age and over 2,400 regular-season carries (including the third-most in the NFL since 2011), Gore has remained a productive fantasy runner. He has rushed for over 1,100 yards in each of his last four seasons, and has maintained a respectable 4.35 yards-per-attempt average in that time. . (): Touchdown-vulture extraordinaire is returning to the . His fantasy value -- and that of -- will ultimately hinge on the future of in Minnesota, which is still cloudy at best. If Peterson departs, both Asiata and McKinnon take a hit as they're likely to split touches, with McKinnon doing the dirty work between the 20s (or 10s, even), with Asiata getting the goal-line work. Another RBBC on the horizon ... just what we all wanted. (): Vereen proved himself a very versatile option while with the and he could certainly . The move could put a dent in some of ' touches as Vereen is likely to be the team's third-down, pa s-catching back. Nonethele s, look for Jennings to remain as a No. 2 fantasy running back option, but Vereen becomes a strong handcuff selection in the middle rounds. (): At the age of 25 and with minimal wear and tear at the NFL level, Ingram will be in a position to post No. 1 running back totals in 2015. He's now locked into the second- or third-round radar as a high-end second back with the potential to push his status as one of the top fantasy players at his position. (): I'm overlooking the red flags and will select Lynch with confidence in the first round of 2015 drafts. I'm also going to use the eye test in how I project Lynch next season, because he didn't look like a running back who is on the verge of falling off a statistical cliff. Wide Receivers (): The offseason strategy of signing ineffective wide receivers from other teams continues to work, as they've now nabbed Bowe and to help either or under center. Neither option should move the needle in fantasy, but Bowe might merit a flier in the very late rounds as a WR5 if you have the roster space. (): Johnson had flirted with joining the , but it looks like he's decided to stay in the Miguel Andujar Jersey Golden State, as it's reported . This is good news for Johnson and , as the Baron of the Bolo will be the best quarterback Johnson has ever played with. At only 28 years old and with barely over 330 career receptions to his name, Johnson likely still has something left in the tank. He'll be an extremely cheap WR3 or WR4 in 2015 who has the talent and opportunity to well out-perform his draft status. (): The were in need of wide receivers this offseason, even more so after the release of . They found help on Monday in former Jaguar III. Shorts performed well with the Jags despite highly inconsistent quarterback play. He'll have a chance to excel for Houston alongside and another potential draft pick or signee. He'll be on the WR3-WR4 radar for now. (): We were wondering what was in store for Wallace after the traded for . Now we Mickey Mantle Jersey know -- a trip to Minnesota to play with . The move (as we mentioned below) is more of a boon for the value of Stills and in Miami than for Wallace in Minnesota. Wallace's arrival will help Bridgewater, who now has a crowded arsenal of talented pa s-catchers to get the ball too, including , , , and . This could mean that one of those wideouts (cough Jennings cough) winds up on the outside looking in. It's also not exactly a vote of confidence for Patterson, who broke countle s fantasy hearts last season. Right now, Wallace lands in Minnesota on the WR3 radar, with Johnson being the first Norsemen wide receiver who should be taken on draft day. (): The latest stop on 's tour through the NFL will be Buffalo, as he'll join Rex Ryan and the on a one-year deal. Harvin will join a young, talented wide receiver corps of and , as well as fellow new addition . The suddenly boast an impre sive group of skill players, but the big question will be who is getting them the football. Right now, that'll either be or -- neither of which is that appealing from a fantasy perspective. If offensive coordinator Chan Gailey can find some creative ways to get Harvin the football in space () he could potentially land on the WR3 radar. Until then, his name value outweighs his fantasy value at this time. (): Well, the house-cleaning in the Bayou continues, as the have traded deep-threat speedster to the . Stills value sinks in Miami ... for now. He was coming on late last season for New Orleans, and was going to be a nice sleeper name in redrafts this fall. However, being the third or fourth option in Miami (behind , and ) isn't going to work too well for Stills, unle s of course his arrival is the beginning of the end for Wallace. The team had been rumored to be seeking a trade for the over-paid, hot-headed receiver prior to free agency, and with Stills being younger and boasting a similar skill set, it doesn't make sense for Miami to pay both of them. Stills' value in 2015 will be directly tied to what happens to Wallace in the coming months. Stay tuned. (): Indianapolis beefed up its already solid receiving corps by adding the veteran Johnson. While it's big news for the overall, fantasy enthusiasts shouldn't get too worked up over the addition. Certainly, Johnson is a better fantasy option than was in 2014, but he'll be behind on the depth chart and could battle with for targets -- and that's before you factor in any pa ses going to or . Nonethele s, it's better to be a third option working with than a second option with . (): With a superstar quarterback in throwing him the football and playing in an offense that has plenty of firepower, Cobb is going to be right back in the No. 1 fantasy wide receiver conversation in 2015 drafts. In fact, he's not likely to make it past the second and third rounds in standard scoring leagues. (): After suffering a slew of defections, the make an addition by . By landing in the Bay Area, Smith is reunited with former teammate but is now part of an offense that had problems throwing the ball last season. His ceiling the past two years in Baltimore was that of a WR2 in most fantasy formats. It's hard to imagine it getting much better in a offense that doesn't have a true identity at the moment. (): After spending the past couple of seasons as a nice reserve option for the , where he could become the team's slot receiving choice in 2015. That means he could see more snaps this season, which would be great news ... if only the had a quarterback. At best, Douglas was a WR4/5 option. Now, he'll find himself coming off the waiver wire. Gary Sanchez Jersey (): Maclin should no longer be seen as a surefire No. 1 fantasy receiver, much like he was last season under Chip Kelly. In fact, I prefer the Mi souri product as a No. 2 option even though he could turn out to be somewhat of a disappointment in the stat sheets. Quarterbacks (): has a new backup, as the have signed free-agent quarterback . Ponder has no value in next year unle s Carr is stricken with a serious injury. In fact, we're kind of surprised we're even wasting time writing about him. Carry on. (): Fitzpatrick will be suiting up with his sixth NFL franchise in 2015 after to the from the for a late-round draft pick. It's a fine fit for Fitzpatrick football-wise, as he'll be reuniting with former offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. -wise, Fitz will have minimal value to start as it's a sumed he'll be backing up . If Geno falters (again), Fitz-magic could have some value in deeper leagues as a QB2. (): Well, as was rumored for some time, the and have , swapping for and draft picks ( get a fifth round pick, the get a fourth and conditional second-round pick in 2016 -- if Bradford is the starter). For Foles, he'll likely land as the starter, but might have to fend off in the preseason, which shouldn't hard. He'll have a nice crop of skill position players to work with (more than he would have after the exodus in Philly), including , , and . After a disappointing 2013 campaign that was marred with broken collarbone, look for Foles to slide in as a mid-range QB2 for fantasy this season until we see something tangible on tape. (): The opposite end of the Foles-Bradford trade puts the former No. 1 overall pick in a new setting with a savvy head coach and offensive play-caller in Chip Kelly. To be honest, it's just the situation Bradford needed to potentially revive a career that has been rittled with injuries year after year -- if he stays in Philly (more on this in a moment). Back in 2013, he threw for 2-plus touchdowns in four of his first seven starts before succumbing to a season-ending injury, which happened again in 2014. There's still a chance the could more Bradford prior to the 2015 , however, so keep an eye on that. It'll be fascinating to watch where Bradford goes, and if Kelly can untap Bradford's potential if he remains in Philly. Plus, can Bradford stay healthy? Like Foles, Bradford will still be a QB2 heading into 2015, but he's a name worth keeping an eye on if he stays in St. Louis, as Kelly's offense even made a viable starter for parts of last season.Tight Ends (): Many fantasy enthusiasts had Moeaki as a name to watch after his impre sive rookie season where he caught 47 pa ses for over 556 yards with three touchdowns. Unfortunately, injuries forced him to bounce around the league for the next four years, with his most recent landing spot being the . The have still, but he hasn't exactly broke out yet in what should remain a high-flying pa s attack. Once again, Moeaki might represent a name to circle on draft day in the very late rounds as a potential deep sleeper candidate. (): It took a while, but the finally got their man at tight end when the didn't match their offer to free agent . Clay is a talented player, but the move to Buffalo damages his fantasy potential a bit, as he moves to an offense without a true quarterback that is already loaded with skill position players (, , , ). The tight end position is incredibly thin to begin with, and Clay will probably end up on the fringe of the TE1 tier as a result. Just don't end up over-drafting him given his name value. (): The tight end position is getting crowded in New England after the team agreed to terms with free agent , formerly of the . Chandler will join the likes of , and , which equates to a fantasy wasteland after Gronk. Unle s one of the aforementioned names gets cut or traded, Chandler will offer little fantasy value in 2015. (): It makes total sense why jilted the and signed with the on Thursday night. He'll now represent one of the top pa sing targets for a bright young quarterback in , as opposed to constantly wondering a) who his quarterback is or b) whether or not they can actually get him the ball. was targeted an average of 96 times per year from 2013 to 2014, but if Cameron can stay healthy we'd expect him to exceed those totals. Cameron slots in as a low-end TE1 for now, but definitely has upside in the offense. He'll offer really nice mid- to late-round value. (traded to ):Graham becomes the unquestioned No. 1 target in a pa s attack that lacks an elite option. But can he duplicate the sort of numbers he recorded as a member of the ? He's finished no worse than third in fantasy points among tight ends in each of the last three years, including first-place finishes in 2012 and 2013. In that time, he's scored a combined 35 touchdowns. Of course, that was also in an offense that threw the football a ton. (): It's not a big surprise to see Daniels in Denver -- especially after the departure of . While the veteran tight end can't be expected to put up Thomas-like numbers, he'll certainly see a boost in targets and productivity thanks to an upgrade at quarterback from to . The biggest concern will be how often Daniels is asked to split snaps with . The latter is certainly more of a blocking tight end, but he could seen the occasional opportunity in Denver's wide open offense. (): Not to be even James Paxton Jersey more of a "Negative Nancy," but there's nothing to like about Thomas' landing spot from a fantasy standpoint. In fact, I'm moving him from the No. 3 tight end spot (behind and ) to No. 7 behind the likes of , , and . That puts him into the middle- to late-round conversation, but I wouldn't be optimistic about his production curve in 2015.
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