Free Agency Fantasy Winners and Losers

Sports Illustrated

Senior analyst Michael Fabiano is breaking down some winners and losers from a fantasy value perspective from NFL free agency thus far.

Transcript

00:00 NFL Free Agency has been a ton of fun this year,

00:03 and of course there are implications

00:05 for your fantasy football teams.

00:07 So joining me today, Michael Faviano,

00:09 our senior fantasy analyst at SI,

00:12 to help us identify the winners and the losers.

00:15 All right, Fabs, lots and lots of moves,

00:17 players with new teams.

00:18 Who are you circling on your fantasy draft boards?

00:21 You know, Jen, very few things in life are perfect, right?

00:26 The '70s Dolphins were perfect,

00:28 the Def Leppard Hysteria album, perfect,

00:31 Sidney Sweeney, at least to me, perfect.

00:34 But the matches for Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry

00:37 are absolutely perfect.

00:39 First, let's start with Saquon Barkley

00:41 going to the Philadelphia Eagles,

00:43 a team with a really good offensive line,

00:45 a really good quarterback, and a really good offense,

00:47 which he did not have for most of his time

00:49 with the New York Giants.

00:50 Oh, by the way, he gets to play the Giants twice too.

00:52 Can you say revenge?

00:54 So Saquon Barkley in a perfect spot in Philadelphia.

00:57 He is back to being a top five fantasy running back.

00:59 And then Derrick Henry, Baltimore, perfect.

01:02 It's a marriage made in heaven.

01:04 Last year, Jen, Gus Edwards had 13 rushing touchdowns

01:08 for Baltimore.

01:09 How many do you think Derrick Henry's gonna get?

01:11 He is 30.

01:12 I know he's had a lot of wear and tear on him,

01:14 but he still finishes the RB8 last year,

01:17 and that's in PPR leagues.

01:19 Derrick Henry is a top 12 fantasy running back in Baltimore.

01:22 Cannot wait to watch that offense

01:24 with him and Lamar in the same backfield.

01:27 Yeah, Derrick Henry had 12 rushing touchdowns for Tennessee

01:30 with a really terrible O-line last year

01:33 and over a thousand yards.

01:34 So yeah, as you say, giddy up.

01:37 Okay, so there are a few players that are probably losers

01:41 as far as fantasy is concerned.

01:43 And as we know, there's a difference

01:44 between real life football and fantasy football.

01:46 But as far as fantasy football goes, who are you fading?

01:49 You may disagree with this,

01:51 but I kind of think Kurt Cross is a loser.

01:54 Now, he's not a significant loser, but think about it.

01:57 He goes from Minnesota where he was on pace to throw

01:59 for 5,000 yards last year with Justin Jefferson

02:02 and Jordan Addison and TJ Hawkinson to Atlanta,

02:06 which I'm not saying Atlanta doesn't have some talent,

02:08 but Drake London is unproven.

02:10 Kyle Pitts hasn't done anything in the league,

02:12 although it looks like he's gonna trade his number

02:14 for more targets.

02:15 And they have Bijan Robinson, which is obviously huge,

02:18 but I don't know that that is going to be an upgrade

02:20 from a fantasy perspective.

02:21 I think Kurt Cousins drops a few spots

02:23 at the quarterback position, which is very deep.

02:26 And then Tony Pollard,

02:27 and this is not me hating on a former Cowboy.

02:29 I just don't love the fit in Tennessee.

02:31 Why?

02:32 Well, they've got a guy named Tajay Spears,

02:34 who's really good.

02:35 And I think this could end up being a committee situation

02:38 where Tony Pollard is not a lead back like he was last year

02:41 with our beloved Dallas Cowboys.

02:42 And keep in mind, Tennessee added Calvin Ridley.

02:45 They also have DeAndre Hopkins.

02:47 The offense is gonna look a heck of a lot different

02:50 with Brian Callahan there as a head coach.

02:52 So I don't love the fit for Pollard.

02:54 He's probably still an RB2,

02:57 but somewhat of an uninspiring one.

02:59 - Yeah, he was uninspiring for the Cowboys last season,

03:02 for those who took him really early.

03:04 Both the guys that you mentioned, by the way,

03:06 dealing with coming back from injuries.

03:08 I mean, Pollard wasn't really himself

03:09 till the last few weeks.

03:10 He was coming off an injury,

03:11 and Kurt Cousins, he's coming back from an Achilles tear.

03:14 So I'm with you.

03:15 Now, I don't disagree at all, Fabs.

03:16 I think you're right about both these calls.

03:18 So beware, everyone, for all of Fabiano's advice,

03:21 all the winners and losers from this NFL draft season,

03:25 or sorry, NFL free agent season,

03:26 be sure to check us out at si.com/fantasy.

03:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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