Free agency officially opens on Wednesday March 13th but it unofficially opens on Monday when free agents can negotiate and sign with new teams.
Here is where we think the top free agents will sign and what the fantasy implications will be.
Quarterbacks
Nick Foles, Jacksonville Jaguars: Foles will sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has a relationship with new Jags OC John DeFilippo from their time in Philadelphia. Expect the Jags to run a similar offense to the Eagles and emphasize the passing game more.
Foles is a fringe QB1. He can be a starting quarterback in 12 team leagues but you will be able to do better in 10 team leagues. The pieces around him are not as good as what he had in Philadelphia.
Running Backs
LeVeon Bell, New York Jets: The Jets need a running back and they have the cap space to sign the best available back on the market. The Jets need to make a splash and this is the best way to do it.
Bell would be a terrific fit in Adam Gase’s offense and would get the ball in a myriad of ways. He would produce at a similar level that he did in Pittsburgh.
Tevin Coleman, Buccaneers: Coleman will jump ship to the rival Bucs. He would be a great fit in Bruce Arians and a terrific complement to Peyton Barber.
Coleman is a three down back who would be an RB1 in Arians offense. Think about how much David Johnson produced in that same offense in Arizona.
Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints: Ingram will re-sign with the Saints. He finished as a top 15 back last season and that was in a timeshare with Alvin Kamara. That is pretty impressive.
Jay Ajayi, Bears: The Bears are more than likely going to trade Jordan Howard. If they do, Ajayi is an ideal fit and a good complement to Tarik Cohen. Ajayi’s value will be pretty steady in relation to what it has been in recent years. He is still a solid short yardage, scoring option.
T.J Yeldon, Eagles: Doug Pedersen player for Mike Holmgren and coached for Andy Reid. He is well versed in employing a running back by committee.
Yeldon would be a great fit in the Eagles offense because he is a big back who can also be a factor in the passing game. He will get goal line touches and be a factor in the passing game which makes him a value option in PPR leagues.
Wide Receivers
Golden Tate, Patriots: Tate wants to play in New England and he would be a great fit in a Patriots offense that emphasizes the three step passing game and the intermediate passing game.
Tate’s production dipped last season but if he can land in New England, his numbers will go up and he could once again be a WR2 or Flex. Especially in 12 team leagues.
Devin Funchess, Colts: The Colts need to add size to their receiving corp and Funchess is the perfect fit. The Colts need another red zone target to Eric Ebron and Funchess could be that target.
Funchess struggled last season but a lot of that is because of the inconsistency of Cam Newton. Playing with Andrew Luck makes Funchess a viable fantasy option again, especially in 12 team leagues. He is a legit WR2 option in deeper leagues.
Tyrell Williams, Packers: The Packers like big receivers who can body up cornerbacks in the three step passing game and win one on one battles in the red zone. Williams meets both requirements.
The Packers will push the ball vertically in the play action passing game more now in Matt LaFleur’s offense. That makes Williams a viable fantasy option.
Demaryius Thomas, Bills: Thomas would give the Bills a big receiver who runs solid routes and can beat man coverage, especially in the red zone. The Bills have a good group of young receivers but need a veteran who can come in and make an impact. Thomas can do that. His impact in fantasy however might be minimal.
Adam Humphries, Titans: The Titans want to add an impact receiver with size that can work the middle of the field. Humphries can be that guy. He is a terrific route runner with sure hands and a wide catch radius.
It is hard to say what kind of an impact Humphries will make from a fantasy standpoint because of Marcus Mariota. Mariota’s inconsistency hurts Humphries value.
Tight Ends
Jared Cook, Raiders: Cook is a good fit in Jon Gruden’s offense both in reality and in fantasy. He is a big target who can create mismatches down the middle of the field and in the red zone. The presence of Antonio Brown makes him a viable TE1 option in fantasy because he will get more single coverage.
Tyler Eifert, Cardinals: Eifert can’t stay healthy but if he could, he is still a productive fantasy option, especially in the red zone. New coach Kliff Kingsbury likes athletic tight ends who can create match ups. Eifert can be that type of player if he stays on the field.
Eifert will have sneaky value in 12 team leagues.