2019 Free Agent WR Class & Fantasy Impact

As the offseason begins to take shape, the discussion on roster improvement and player movement is front and center. Teams will be looking to shed salary on top of the players already listed as free agents. As of today these are the top listed FA’s looking for new contracts. The Fantasy Football impact is definitely real as players entertain staying with their clubs or moving on to a new system. Exciting times are upon us, as teams begin to re-tool and build for next season. It’s time to speculate!   

Top Free Agent Wide Receivers:

Robby Anderson (NYJ) (RFA*)

Age: 26 | 2018 Salary: $543,333 | FA Rank #1

Perhaps one of the better up and coming wide receivers in the game today, the Jets Robby Anderson should sit atop this list of free agent players, though he does come with an asterisk.

Anderson doesn’t yet qualify for unrestricted free agency, but currently sits under restricted status. The Jets should untimely place at minimum a second round tender on the talented pass catcher in hopes to deter other teams from placing an offer on the table. It’s not hard to envision the Jets dropping a first round tender on Anderson as the team possesses a multitude of money under the cap. If by some conjunction Anderson slips from the Jets grasp, he could find himself in a better situation raising his overall outlook.

If this evaluation becomes moot and Anderson finds his way back wearing the New York Green, the chemistry he built with Sam Darnold should only grow making him a potential stat machine next season.

2019 Potential Fantasy Impact: Moderate/High      

Golden Tate

Age: 31 | 2018 Salary: $6,200,000 | FA Rank #2

The Lions shipped the services of Golden Tate to the Eagles before the trade deadline knowing this day was approaching. Detroit had no intension of re-signing the talented pass catcher who’s made a living in the slot. Seeing his worst season in terms of statistical performance, Tate could be in for a pay cut this coming season.

Golden has already gone on record informing all of his desire to play for a club that has Super Bowl aspirations to not waste his final years in the NFL on a rebuilding unit. In his own right by this admission, Tate may have unknowingly forfeited dollars from his next deal in order to have a shot at winning.

Teams that come to mind that could be in line for his services include the Eagles, Patriots, Colts, and Cowboys to speculate a few. Tate still has great ability and would make a difference on any of these clubs. If Tate finds his way to play with a top flight quarterback in 2019, get ready to see the receptions pile up like we witnessed in the past.  

2019 Potential Fantasy Impact: Moderate/High      

Adam Humphries (TB)

Age: 26 | 2018 Salary: $2,914,000 | FA Rank #3

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rostered a talented slot receiver for the last four years, but rarely took the shackles off long enough to make a difference.  

Adam Humphries proved he could be trusted as a dependable play maker over the middle while securing career highs in receptions (76), yards (816), and touchdowns (5) in 2018. Humphries screams New England Patriot as his makeup is very comparable to that of Julian Edelman (current Patriot) and Danny Amendola (former Patriot). We would put money on the fact that Bill Belichick would try and make a strong run at Humphries knowing that he has just scratched the surface and could become a viable playmaker with Tom Brady.

Adam will have a strong market this offseason which may have him looking to cash in. We prefer his outlook on another squad then returning to Tampa Bay, but with Bruce Arians now the head coach for the Bucs, it could work out well in Florida also.

 

2019 Potential Fantasy Impact: Moderate/High

Randall Cobb (GB)

Age: 29 | 2018 Salary: $10,000,000 | FA Rank #4

ADF is rather excited for the prospects of Randall Cobb moving on from the Packers this offseason and finding a new place to call home.

Cobb has seen a sharp decline in production while enduring a swarm of injuries which has kept him off the field these last four seasons. Being five years removed from his breakout campaign which lead Green Bay to fork over massive compensation, it never materialized into the return on investment they had hoped. Even still, Cobb could benefit from a change of scenery providing his next team with that electric play making ability from the slot.

There is no question Cobb will have teams calling his phone in bunches provided the price tag is reasonable. If Randall makes his was on a squad that would exploit his ability, and he in turn could stay out of the medical room, we could see a season of 70 receptions being the floor. We shall watch this one closely come March 14^th.

2019 Potential Fantasy Impact: Moderate/Low

John Brown (BAL)

Age: 29 | 2018 Salary: $5,000,000 | FA Rank #5

The Ravens John Brown is another receiver that should draw quite a bit of attention this offseason after showing a return to high flying play making ability in the first half of the season.

Brown was on pace to smash previous career highs until rookie Lamar Jackson replaced Joe Flacco and the Baltimore offensive system went more toward a power run attack. We can’t imagine any situation where Brown would return to the Ravens given the fact that their pass game will again be limited under Jackson. Brown proved he could remain healthy for most of the season and highlighted his continuous deep threat ability that any club would love to have on their roster.

While Brown could chase money this offseason, we would love to see him land with a club that could exploit his talents back to career highs. Potential is high if Brown falls into the right situation.

2019 Potential Fantasy Impact: Moderate/High

Devin Funchess (CAR)

Age: 25 | 2018 Salary: $1,380,222 | FA Rank #6

Never being a huge fan of Devin Funchess, he surly will be set free from the Panthers who look to move in another direction. Devin did make strides this season showing solid skill while putting up good numbers in the process.

Devin should have a strong market given his age and height, while housing solid potential to become a true difference maker on the field. In retrospect, playing with Cam Newton and the Panthers limited his overall outlook and we truly believe he could become a difference maker provided he lands with a better club. One team that screams out to us for potential landing spot is the Buffalo Bills. Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane have ties to Funchess and could pilfer his services with familiarity. The Bills are an up and coming squad with rookie Josh Allen which could be a match made in heaven for both sides.

At this point we view Josh Allen much the same as we view Cam Newton (accuracy issues with great running ability), the numbers could turn to be a touch higher than they were in Carolina. Good upside should follow Devin once he finds a new team.

2019 Potential Fantasy Impact: Moderate      

Phillip Dorsett (NE)

Age: 26 | 2018 Salary: $2,033,854 | FA Rank #7

The Colts gave up on their former first round draft pick shipping him to the Patriots back in 2017 where he was able to find some level of production with Tom Brady, and now will be set to hit the open market.

Dorsett does possess very sound ability but consistently disappears in contests leaving us wanting more each and every game. Taking a backseat to others after starting the season with a strong opening stat line of 7 receptions for 66 yards and 1 touchdown, the thought was that maybe Phillip would be turning the corner. Nevertheless, Dorsett could maintain that traction and more than likely will find his way onto another team as a secondary piece.

It’s truly difficult to predict what Dorsett could become in 2019 until we know what uniform he’ll don. There is potential and upside, but at this point, it’s all speculation.

2019 Potential Fantasy Impact: Unknown  

Geronimo Allison (GB) (RFA*)

Age: 25 | 2018 Salary: $630,000 | FA Rank #8

The Packers Geronimo Allison is another one of those players that falls under the restricted free agent category, but could find his way to playing for another club given the depth Green Bay has at the position.

Allison was sharp in the contests he played in this season showing good skill in the process. Unfortunately for him, he only saw 5 games and was relegated to the medical room for the rest. It’s difficult to envision the Packers placing anything other than ‘first right to refusal’ tender on Allison as they seem to find receivers in the draft with ease. If by chance the Packers chose to move on, Geronimo should attract many teams vying for his services.

Given the right circumstances, Allison could be in for upticks in value as career numbers could be on the docket. This is a player to watch come free agency.

2019 Potential Fantasy Impact: Moderate      

Donte Moncrief (JAX)

Age: 26 | 2018 Salary: $9,600,000 | FA Rank #9

The Donte Moncrief experiment fell by the wayside this season, but perhaps it wasn’t solely on Moncrief.

Jacksonville struggled immensely in the pass game this past season, leaving the prospects of Donte unfulfilled. While we at ADF have never been huge fans of Moncrief, we can’t ignore his age and potential to do damage in this league. Donte has shown flashes of greatness which should be able to generate another contract from a much better club.

It was clear that Moncrief chased the big money deal last offseason, but we can’t envision any situation where he fetches nearly 10 million again this free agent period. Given the right circumstances, Moncrief could establish himself as a consistent playmaker with his above average skillset. We would error on the side of caution before we endorse Donte for the 2019 season, but we are intrigued.

2019 Potential Fantasy Impact: Moderate      

Dez Bryant (NO)

Age: 30 | 2018 Salary: $1,250,000 | FA Rank #10

Extreme excitement was the feeling when Dez finally lifted himself off the couch and signed a deal with the Saints during the course of the season. That excitement quickly faded as Bryant was lost for the season to an achilles injury during his first practice.

While some believe that Dez is washed up and wouldn’t be able to provide anything of value on the field, we aren’t in that circle. Bryant’s numbers fell off as a Cowboy only because the offensive system was in shambles and the scheme wasn’t conducive to his abilities. With that said, Dez has always been something of a mouth piece and would curtail his efforts if he felt underutilized and underappreciated.

The largest question mark for Bryant entering the 2019 season will be his desire to play the game of football. While Bryant assured it was his choice to sit for majority of the season only to play for a contender, teams weren’t breaking down his door to offer big money either. While we feel he could still have good value, this could be a moot point when all is said and done.

2019 Potential Fantasy Impact: Unknown     

Potential Value Wide Receivers:

Tyrell Williams (LAC)

De'Anthony Thomas (KC)

Justin Hardy (ATL)

Kelvin Benjamin (KC)

Rashard Higgins (CLE) (RFA*)

Cordarrelle Patterson (NE)

Kevin White (CHI)

Chris Hogan (NE)

Cole Beasley (DAL)

J.J Nelson (ARZ)

Tavon Austin (DAL)

Rishard Matthews (NYJ)

Jordan Matthews (PHI)

Dontrelle Inman (IND)

Chris Conley (KC)

Breshad Perriman (CLE)

Eli Rogers (PIT) (RFA*)