With the United States on lockdown thanks to the non-stop spread of the coronavirus, it has left a void amongst the sports-crazed fans in America. This time of year, college basketball would be at its peak with March Madness in full swing, opening day of baseball, the NHL/NBA in the stretch run of playoff races, and, of course, the anticipation of NFL free agency.
And so far, NFL free agency has not disappointed. A lot of traction was done at the start of the tampering period on March 16th, before all of the wheeling and dealing commenced two days after. Some names on the move that no one ever saw coming(DeAndre Hopkins), and others(Stefon Diggs, Darius Slay) were no surprise to anyone.
The free agent period is one of the most exciting dates on the NFL calendar for dynasty players. Not only does it change the landscape of your favorite team, but it can also have a positive or negative impact on your dynasty rosters. With that being said, how does it affect your dynasty teams in 2020 so you ask? Well, I’m here to tell you below, so keep on reading….
As I mentioned before, the tampering period allowed teams to begin negotiations with free agents, followed by the opening of the new league year on March 18th. By 4p, so much movement had already occurred that you probably missed all of it if you didn’t have your Twitter notifications on.
Below, I am going to provide analysis on the players with the best and worst landing spots and my projected 2020 outlook for your dynasty rosters. Now, with that being said, let’s dive into it.
Best landing spots
DeAndre Hopkins (traded from the Houston Texans to the Arizona Cardinals)
Let’s face it, no one saw this coming. In true B.O.B fashion, he outdid himself once again, with what might go down as one of the worse trades in history. Hopkins lands in Arizona, giving Kyler Murray a legitimate weapon on the perimeter that he didn’t have last year. During his time in Houston, Hopkins averaged 150 targets and 90 receptions in his seven seasons. And with Arizona’s propensity to sling it downfield, it bodes well for Hopkins to continue his Hall of Fame trajectory in the desert. The one thing to worry about is how will he transition to a new offense in year one. Will he struggle the same way Odell did in Cleveland and finish well outside a top 3 WR, let alone amWR1 ? We’ll find out soon enough, but fear not. Hopkins is still really, really good. 2020 outlook: immediate impact
Stefon Diggs (traded from the Minnesota Vikings to the Buffalo Bills)
Now this one, everyone saw coming. Diggs gets his wish and lands on a team where he will be the alpha male. He goes from Kirk Cousins’ rubber arm to Josh Allen’s rocket. Diggs had 20 plays of 20+ yards and averaged 17.9 yards/reception. Compare that to the 17 plays combined between Cole Beasley and John Brown in which they caught a pass of 20 yards or more, Buffalo has certainly found its deep threat. The only problem is, the Bills were 26th in passing and Josh Allen averaged 6.7 yards per attempt. Diggs steps in as the new WR1 in Buffalo and let’s hope it leads to both real life and fantasy success. 2020 outlook: immediate impact(but you’ll have to live with those bust weeks)
Melvin Gordon (signed 2 yr/16 million with the Denver Broncos)
Well, Denver certainly told us how they feel about the tandem of Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman, huh? Gordon goes to Denver where he will step in as the lead back in the Mile High City. It is also certainly feasible that he continues in his workhorse role for the Broncos. Gordon finished as the RB23 in PPR leagues in 2020. Before that though, he finished as RB7, RB5, and RB8 in ‘16, ‘17, and ‘18. The opportunity is there for another RB1 finish, but Lindsay will not go without making his presence felt, as he finished as the RB13 in 2018 and RB19 last season. However, with the Broncos front office not prioritizing an extension for Lindsay, it is very well possible his days are numbered. Gordon makes for a terrific buy candidate on a contending roster and the perfect sell on a rebuilding one. Start working the phones right now. 2020 outlook: weekly starter
Teddy Bridgewater(signed 3 yr/63 million with the Carolina Panthers)
A changing of the guard is happening in Carolina. Bridgewater reunites with new offensive coordinator Joe Brady, with whom he worked with in New Orleans. Bridgewater steps into the role of franchise quarterback with a bevy of weapons at his disposal and has a real shot to have success if he can find a way to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers. He showed he can do that in New Orleans and the learning curve shouldn’t be too bad, as he is familiar with the system. Stock up for all of the Panthers offense. 2020 outlook: weekly starter
Emmanuel Sanders (signed 2 yr/16 million with the New Orleans Saints)
The Saints most likely felt that they didn’t want Sanders torching them again, so they decided to get him on their team. Sanders will step into the role of WR2 for the Saints and should see immediate work in the passing game. He will still have to compete for targets, but has a more than capable shot at overtaking Jared Cook as the third option for Drew Brees. He will most likely eat into some of Michael Thomas’ targets(because he saw just about all of them last year) and will easily become a trusted confidante for Drew Brees with his soft hands and excellent route running. 2020 outlook: weekly starter(but could have weeks of volatility)
Eric Ebron (signed 2 yr/12 million with the Pittsburgh Steelers)
Every time we lose faith in Ebron, he somehow finds a way to make us all intrigued again. That’s what he did here with this move to Pittsburgh. It was just two years ago where Ebron tallied 13 touchdowns and finished as the TE4 for the Colts. He has proven himself to be a legitimate red zone target and will get his fair share of looks with Big Ben returning to full health. Ben loves to target his tight ends in Pittsburgh’s offense, but the only problem is, they haven’t had a good one since Heath Miller retired. With only Vance McDonald standing his way, I believe Ebron can be a nice buy low option. If he is still on your waiver wire, scoop him up. 2020 outlook: contributor
Worst landing spots
Robby Anderson (signed 2 yr/20 million with the Carolina Panthers)
Anderson reunites with his former Temple coach in Matt Rhule. I have to be honest, I did not think he’d end up here. However, Anderson does land in a good situation, but not the best one. So that’s why he ends up here. As mentioned before, Carolina now has weapons-galore and only adds to it with Anderson signing on. The only downside is, there are a lot of mouths to feed and Anderson could find himself as the 4th or 5th option, which means he will be a good benchwarmer on your roster. Now, if the Panthers decide to trade Curtis Samuel(which seems like a real possibility) then Anderson will have 106 vacated targets that he could see. Until then, this is a situation to monitor. 2020 outlook: bust potential(with some volatile boom weeks)
Austin Hooper (signed 4 yr/42 million with the Cleveland Browns)
The money certainly followed Hooper with this landing spot. Cleveland desperately needed an upgrade at tight end and they got it with Hooper. He finished as a top 10 tight end with the Falcons, but this is certainly a downgrade. Now, in all fairness, Cleveland is due for some positive regression offensively, but Hooper will have to fall in line for targets and compete with the likes of Odell, Jarvis Landry, and Kareem Hunt. Oh, and let’s not forget, Nick Chubb, who will play the role of Dalvin Cook as a workhorse back in Kevin Stefanski’s new look offense. Hooper will still see plenty of targets, but it may not lead to someone you can “plug and play” like he was last year. Stock down. 2020 outlook: weekly starter
Breshad Perriman (signed 1 yr/8 million with the New York Jets)
Yuck. Could Perriman have landed in a worse spot? This has being “Gased” written all over it. On top of the fact that, the Jets are in dire need of an impact receiver that they will most likely search for in the draft next month. Also, how much trust do you have in Sam Darnold to feed him targets? Perriman shined when both Godwin and Evans went down, but he was mostly an afterthought when they were healthy. He’s still worth a roster spot, just don’t make him a guy you’re counting on. 2020 outlook: bust potential
Nelson Agholor (signed 1 yr/1.05 million with the Las Vegas Raiders)
As is the case with Perriman, the same premise lies with Agholor. Oakland is in desperate need of number one wideout and most mocks have them taking one of the top three incoming rookies this year in CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, or Henry Ruggs. All three are better than Agholor. Agholor will first have to gain the trust of Derek Carr and then also try to leapfrog Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller for targets. Waller was a top 5 fantasy tight end and Renfrow is expected to take a second year leap as Oakland’s slot receiver. Add in an impact rookie receiver and Agholor may find himself on dynasty waivers real quick. 2020 outlook: bust potential
