Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
NFL free agency will drastically help reshape the fantasy football landscape as the new league year begins.
Now that NFL free agency is upon us, we’ll run through the fantasy football outlooks for trades, re-signings, midrange deals, and tag recipients.
This analysis will be updated as players continue to move about in free agency, so be sure to check back regularly.
Swift head back to the NFC North after a one-year stint in Philly.
Following the Detroit Lions drafting Jahmyr Gibbs in the 2023 NFL Draft’s first round, D’Andre Swift was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles with one year left on his deal. He entered the 2024 free agency period with the opportunity to pick his next destination, ultimately returning to the NFC North to play for the Chicago Bears.
Fresh off his first 1,000-yard rushing season and a career-high 229 carries, Swift scored five times on the ground for the third straight season. He did, however, experience a dramatic downturn in the aerial element of his game, logging personal lows in targets (49), receptions (39), yards (214), and touchdowns (1).
Despite the mixed bag of results, Swift’s per-game average of 12.6 points in reception-rewarding scoring is the lowest of his four-year career, down from a 16.2-point showing in 2021. The larger workload produced fewer yards per touch, so we may have seen his efficiency rating maxed out.
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In Chicago, he should be the primary back in a tandem approach, presumably with Khalil Herbert as D’Onta Foreman is a free agent. Will Justin Fields be the team’s starting quarterback? If so, his presence drastically impacts the fantasy value of Swift. Should Fields be traded, it likely means rookie Caleb Williams will be the starter … not all that different of a fantasy outlook for Swift.
The fifth-year pro is a much better asset in PPR formats. He’s a solid but potentially erratic RB2, regardless of the unsettled quarterback situation. Factors of a notable injury history, outdoor weather, and a two-back approach makes him an inconsistent consideration. We’ll dig deeper once the post-draft dust settles.
A snapshot positional fantasy ranking of notable impending free agents.
The NFL’s annual trek into free agency gives teams a chance to retool and rebuild. Franchise leadership needs to balance single-year needs with stop-gap options, long-term mega-signings, and take consideration of future NFL draft additions, all while managing to fit the contracts under the salary cap.
Below is a ranking of noteworthy players contractually eligible for free agency, ranked in order of likely 2024 fantasy football importance. Several players will hit the market after eventually being released, such as Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. We will address those specific situations in future articles.
2023 NFL offseason free-agent tracker.
Below are the best free agents in their position. There are fewer big name wide receivers up for grabs than last year, but each position contains notable players that will be on fantasy rosters this season.
Ranking all of the key NFL free agents from a fantasy football perspective.
The NFL’s free agency opens in March, and we’re ranking their expected fantasy football importance for the 2023 season. While some players who currently are not on this list will indeed become free agents via being released rather than seeing their contract expire, our focus is on the players we currently know will hit the market.
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These players are ranked from least to most likely to make a significant difference in fantasy, and some nuanced adjustments factor in for those who aren’t as likely to leave their 2022 franchise.
2020 NFL off-season free-agent tracker.
Below are the best free agents in their position. Adding in trades, this offseason projects to be one of the busiest years for players changing teams.
