With the
league year underway and many players finding new places to call home, the
fantasy football environment will also change based on these transactions. As
per each situation, offensive scheme and potential usage - some could garner
solid production while others see a drop off donning their new uniforms in 2019.
Highlighting
the Top 10 free agents to
garner potential high-end fantasy production with sound return on investment is
the basis of this review. Let’s get to it….
#1) LeVeon Bell (NYJ)
With the
LeVeon Bell contract saga finally over, he found good fortune to latch onto
another club that should exploit his talents much like the Steelers did.
The New York
Jets have once again found an answer to their running back situation with the
high-end ability of the multi-dimensional Bell. Having sat out a full season in
dispute of his contract situation, having an extra year of fresh legs and no
body contact should go a long way. In his last full season, Bell amassed a
whopping 406 touches for 1946 total yards and 11 total touchdowns. Looking at
the prospects of this Jets offense with second year pro Sam Darnold, we could
see a heavy dose of Bell in 2019.
While most
in fantasy circles will remain cautiously optimistic in placing high first
round selections on Bell, his pick placement to return on investment might be
off the charts. Though it’s true that the Jets offense needs to prove its
worth, Bell should again see in the realm of 350 plus touches this season.
#2) Mark Ingram (BAL)
Since coming
into the league back in 2011, Mark Ingram has never enjoyed the statistical prowess
until Alvin Kamara joined the Saints organization. Before the 2016 season,
Ingram never saw 1000 rushing yards in his career until that tandem with Kamara
was formed and seen as unstoppable.
Ingram knew
this would be his last chance to cash in on the open market, essentially
pricing his way out of New Orleans. Finding a new home in Baltimore, the
prospects of Ingram to again find great fortune in rushing dominance couldn’t
see a better fit. The Ravens will again show their hand early proving to be one
of the better rushing teams in the NFL in 2019. Behind Lamar Jackson and his
shortcomings in the pass game, it should only benefit Ingram to become a heavy
producer.
With an
offensive line possessing sound ability to open holes for the run, Ingram
shouldn’t see anything short of another 1000 yard season in 2019. Draft
placement to production should be a welcomed sight at seasons end.
#3) Tevin Coleman (SF)
With the
Falcons making it clear they would move in another direction, Tevin Coleman
became a hot target when the league year opened. Being giant supporters of
Coleman and the ability he possesses, we were shocked to see such a moderate
market for the talented runner. Not being snagged on day one of free agent
frenzy, Coleman obviously weighed his options ultimately signing a two year
deal with the 49ers - reuniting with Kyle Shanahan.
Some in our
circle saw this move as puzzling, given the amount of depth San Francisco
already had at the position. With Jerick McKinnon coming back from his ACL
injury, the natural thought is to see Coleman begin the year as the primary
back with McKinnon playing change of pace.
Some will
scoff at our evaluation suggesting Coleman to be a top fantasy commodity given
the lack of top-end production with the Falcons, but the outlook in potential
is very strong. San Francisco was able to generate a healthy 1902 rush yards
last season without the fear of an uber-productive pass attack. With Jimmy
Garoppolo set to return, fewer stacked boxes should be the outcome.
Adding to
that, while Tevin has never enjoyed hitting marks of 1000 yards rushing in the NFL,
his average yards per carry sits at a nice 4.4 in his career. In his expanded
role in Atlanta last season (due to the Freeman injury), Coleman also notched a
strong eight carries of 20 plus yards good enough for ninth best in the league.
With his nose for the endzone, and ability to catch passes out of the
backfield, Tevin will be a supreme value pick with very high potential in
2019.
#4) Golden Tate (NYG)
With rumors
swirling that Golden Tate was searching for a club that would give him the best
shot at winning in the later stages of his career, he bucked that notion to
sign a lucrative contract with the New York Giants after Odell Beckham was sent
packing to the Cleveland Browns.
Though his
time in Philadelphia left a lot to be desired, Tate is the epitome of success
in terms of point per reception in fantasy football. Aside from last year, Tate
hasn’t seen less than 90 catches in a season since his days in Seattle back in
2013.
While the
unpopular situation which is the Giants quarterback position and Eli Manning,
Odell Beckham still managed to receive 10.3 targets per contest with Eli,
meaning Tate should instantly slot in for that workload. Even though Manning
has seen better days in his career, he still managed 380 completions for 4299
yards with Tate now being his primary target – you see where we’re going
here?
Value could
be large for Tate given where he will be picked in fantasy drafts.
#5) Carlos Hyde (KC)
When Carlos
Hyde moved on from the San Francisco 49ers and chose to sign with the Browns,
optimism was high and he proved his worth to fantasy owners early. As his
future became murky with the usage of rookie Nick Chubb increasing, the Browns
shipped him to the Jaguars where he became an afterthought.
Finding his
way to the open market once again, Hyde took advantage of his free agent status
visiting the Chiefs and ultimately signing on with the club. With many differing
opinions on Hyde and what he can bring to the table, our outlook is rather enthusiastic
now that Hyde finds himself on an offense which is supremely explosive. The value
meter for productivity in this Chiefs offense gives just cause to endorse Hyde
as a mid to late round flyer with very high potential.
While it
appears a time share will happen, we could see Hyde begin to run away with a
heavier workload as the year progresses. We really love the upside here.
#6) Donte Moncrief (PIT)
Admittedly,
we have never been able to sing the praises of Donte Moncrief throughout his
NFL tenure. While he appears to have a decent level of talent and ability, he
has never been able to put it all together as injury and team circumstance has
always stood in his way.
Receiving
yet another fresh start, this time signing on with the Pittsburgh Steelers, we
finally are intrigued enough to provide our endorsement. With Antonio Brown
finding his way to the Oakland Raiders (via trade), the plethora of target
share will have to be disrupted in multiple directions.
Antonio
Brown saw a team high 168 targets last season, while JuJu Smith-Schuster
himself saw a healthy 166 from Ben Roethlisberger in 2018. While it’s not out
of the question to see JuJu see his share increase by 20-30 more targets, that
still leaves a whopping 138 free passes to be caught.
While we
know that Pittsburgh will undoubtedly draft another receiver to the club this
offseason, Moncrief has the potential to make his presence known. As of today,
Donte holds giant sleeper status given where his ADP will reside in upcoming
drafts.
#7) Tyrell Williams (LAC)
Knowing how
most view Tyrell Williams, we envision a lot of criticism for our placement of
the newly signed Oakland Raider.
It’s not to
suggest that we believe Williams isn’t a sound talent, but the overall product
leaves a lot to be desired. Becoming expendable with the Los Angeles Chargers
is our first sign that they believe they can reproduce a player of his ability
through the draft or free agency.
With that
said, Williams does find himself in a situation which could be conducive to generating
healthy statistics. Playing opposite of star receiver Antonio Brown, he should
see many single coverage opportunities to exploit defenses. Our main issue
resides in the fact that Phillip Rivers couldn’t appropriately find Williams in
his four years in San Diego/Los Angeles, how much better will Derek Carr fair
to feed his talents? We remain cautiously optimistic on Williams.
#8) Devin Funchess (IND)
With the former
tight-end turned wide receiver experiment in Carolina never showing great
return, Devin Funchess found his way to the open market where he latched onto a
Colts organization that could become a breath of fresh air.
Admittedly,
we have never been great supporters of Funchess and his overall game, but are extremely
intrigued with the possibility of him finding his stride in Indy. The Colts are
a team who lacked a complementary receiver for TY Hilton and now theoretically
have their man. Funchess still holds a good level of upside with his height
being the clear mismatch. Redzone schemes should have a great deal of dedicated
plays for Funchess to take advantage of.
Playing with
Andrew Luck should be viewed as a solid upgrade leaving Funchess to become a
sound sleeper candidate entering the 2019 season.
#9) John Brown (BUF)
The largest concern
for John Brown throughout his NFL career has been his inability to remain on
the field. Having never completed a full season in his five year career still
leaves us weary of the prospects of him not being able to complete the slate.
Now signing
on with the Buffalo Bills, Brown has been given yet another positive outlook
with a quarterback who isn’t afraid to sling the ball down the field. Playing
with Joe Flacco last season proved to be favorable as Brown’s speed was a clear
mismatch for most defenders. While the key to his success this season will come
at the hands of rising development for the young Josh Allen, our outlook remains
rather high for production equating to draft value for John Brown.
#10) Jamison Crowder (NYJ)
To complete
the listing of top free agent fantasy players, Jamison Crowder rounds the list
sitting in the 10th spot.
While some may
disagree with this evaluation, it’s hard to move Crowder up the board based on
the previous years of performance. Our outlook was extremely high on Crowder
last season playing with captain check-down (Alex Smith) but never fully materialized
into sound production.
There is no questioning
the ability Crowder possesses, especially in the slot, and could manage to
recreate his prowess this season being on an offense that should put up far
better numbers. The biggest question mark will be the development of second
year quarterback Sam Darnold and if he can truly support three receivers and
LeVeon Bell in the form of target share.
Crowder could
see a rise in ADP as the preseason moves forward, provided the Jets can take advantage
of their new weapons under Coach Adam Gase.
Honorable Mention:
Adam
Humphries (TEN), Nick Foles (JAX), Latavius Murray (NO), Danny Amendola (DET),
Jesse James (DET)
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