NFL teams handed out more than $ 1 billion in contracts during the early days of free agency, with some deals better than others. For some, like Golden Tate, changing teams didn’t just mean more money but better fantasy value. Tate will no longer be constrained by Seattle’s run-first approach. Now, she lines up in front of a guy named Calvin Johnson.
On the other hand, some players accepted more money, but their fantasy prospects suffered. Eric Decker posted big numbers with Peyton Manning, but will struggle to remain a viable WR2 with Geno Smith. Let’s take a look at the winners and losers of the free agency fantasy.
Winners
Golden Tate, WR
Old team: Seahawks
New team: Lions
If you are a competent receiver, you will produce in front of Megatron. Fortunately, Golden Tate is better than average. In fact, he is quite talented. The former second-round pick never became a star in Seattle, but playing in a career attack first didn’t help. Still, he finished as the No. 29 WR in fantasy a year ago after catching 64 passes for 898 yards and five touchdowns. Playing rocket-armed Matthew Stafford, Tate should easily dwarf 1,000 yards and get within eight touchdowns. This is a huge win for both Tate and the Lions.
Josh McCown, quarterback
Old team: bears
New team: Buccaneers
Prior to 2013, McCown hadn’t attempted more than 200 passes since 2005. But with Jay Cutler losing time to ankle and groin injuries, the official seized his opportunity and completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 1,829 yards and a nearly 13 perfect: 1 touchdown to interception ratio. The 34-year-old capitalized on that performance on a two-year, $ 10 million deal with the Buccaneers, where he will start in 2014.
While he will surely miss the talented pairing of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, McCown has two factors going for him. First, he’s the undisputed starter, according to new head coach Lovie Smith. Second, he has a bona fide No. 1 receiver in Vincent Jackson, as well as a solid complementary wide receiver in Mike Williams. Doug Martin caught 49 passes as a rookie and should be healthy. If the Bucs can get a third receiver or dynamic tight end, McCown could flirt with low-end QB1 status and at least he’ll be a very solid QB2.
Andre Roberts, WR
Old team: Cardinals
New team: Redskins
Despite never catching more than 64 passes in a season, Roberts signed a four-year, $ 16 million deal with the Redskins to become the second receiver against Pierre Garcon. While Garcon sees a ton of targets, Roberts emerges as a winner in this deal. The 26-year-old was typically the fourth option in Arizona, where he had to fight for goals behind Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and Rob Housler. Now, at least he’ll be higher up on the totem in DC. Assuming RG III can get back on track, Roberts should be a WR3.
Toby Gerhart, RB
Old team: Vikings
New team: Jaguars
Look, I know it’s the Jags, but from a fantasy point of view, Gerhart was a dead man in Minnesota. For the past four years, Gerhart had the privilege of being the endorsement of Adrian Peterson. That resulted in a total of 276 carries for 1,305 yards and five touchdowns, or a poor season for AP. Jacksonville just invested $ 30 million in Zane Beadles to improve the offensive line, and also brought back last year’s top pick from the draft, Luke Joeckel, to fill the left tackle spot. The Jags literally have no other running backs on the roster and they are a disaster as a quarterback. They will have no choice but to hand the ball to Gerhart and hope for the best.
Losers
Eric Decker, WR
Old Team: Broncos
New team: Jets
So after catching 87 passes from Peyton Manning and making it to the Super Bowl, Decker goes to New York and Geno Smith? Sure, you won’t have to compete for targets, unless you consider Jeff Cumberland or Stephen Hill as a viable threat. Decker wasn’t returning to Denver, but he probably has a better chance of completing a pass for himself than Geno. Walk carefully with him on draft day.
Donald Brown, RB
Old team: Colts
New equipment: chargers
Even with two fantasy running backs in the top 20 on their list, the Chargers signed the former Colt to a three-year, $ 10.5 million deal with a $ 3.25 million signing bonus. Sorry, San Diego, that’s not a good deal. Dammit Donald averaged 3.9 yards per carry or less in three of his first four seasons before improving to 5.3 in his contract year. While his 27 catches look good, the Chargers already have one of the best third-down running backs in Danny Woodhead. Barring an injury, I have a hard time seeing how Brown fits into the rotation with Mathews coming off an outstanding season and Woodhead securing his passing duties. Hey, at least they paid him. (Edit)