2019 FREE AGENCY MOVES ON OFFENSE

Jorge Edwards

The 2019 NFL season has officially begun and with it, free agency! Every fantasy football manager who is already mock drafting for the 2019 fantasy football season, kudos to you, is truly keeping tabs on big-name free agent signings, particularly on offense in order to gauge where their favorite players will land when it pertains to their average draft position or ADP for 2019. The casual football fan is keeping track of which big name free agents will land with their favorite team hoping that signing or signings will help deliver a Lombardi trophy to their hometown. For us fantasy football diehards there’s only one trophy that matters and that’s this one (which you can purchase over at FantasyChamps.com using the promo code FANTASYINFRAMES to get 10% off your purchase…just click on the picture):

Here at FANTASY IN FRAMES, we’re going to breakdown for you which free agent signings will be of most fantasy football relevance to you going forward into the 2019 season. Keep these names in mind all offseason so by the time fantasy drafts come around you’ll already know which players to target in the early, middle, and late rounds of your fantasy drafts, and by doing so will take you one step closer to claiming that championship trophy for 2019!

So with all that said let’s get this party started!

 

1) Le’Veon Bell
RUSHING
Year Team G Att Att/G Yds Avg Yds/G TD
2017 Steelers 15 321 21.4 1,291 4 86.1 9
2016 Steelers 12 261 21.8 1,268 4.9 105.7 7
RECEIVING
Year Team G Rec Yds Avg Yds/G Lng TD
2017 Steelers 15 85 655 7.7 43.7 42 2
2016 Steelers 12 75 616 8.2 51.3 32 2

 

 

It goes without saying the last two seasons Le’Veon has been a monster in both the rushing and receiving game, making his fantasy value as a whole worthy of a top 2 or 3 pick in fantasy drafts in recent seasons. However, plenty a fantasy manager was left “Burned By The Bell” last season as Le’Veon Bell sat out the entire season, ruining for many a chance at fantasy football success by those managers who drafted him with an early first-round pick.

Flash forward to the 2019 NFL season and Bell is now apart of team “gang green” as the New York Jets signed him to a deal right before the start of free agency. With this signing, the team is likely to move on from last seasons free agent RB acquisition Isiah Crowell, and give Bell sole ownership of the Jets backfield. That being said Bell will now rush behind an O-line that was ranked dead last in the league in run blocking in 2018. Fortunately, his ability to play the pass catching back role will help balance out his lack of fantasy value rushing between the tackles. Consider Bell to be a late first round/early second round pick in 2019 due to the downgrade along the offensive line on the Jets as well as his lack of playing football for the 2018 season.

2) Mark Ingram
RUSHING
Year Team G Att Att/G Yds Avg Yds/G TD
2018 Saints 12 138 11.5 645 4.7 53.8 6
2017 Saints 16 230 14.4 1,124 4.9 70.2 12
2016 Saints 16 205 12.8 1,043 5.1 65.2 6
RECEIVING
Year Team G Rec Yds Avg Yds/G Lng TD
2018 Saints 12 21 170 8.1 14.2 28 1
2017 Saints 16 58 416 7.2 26 54 0
2016 Saints 16 46 319 6.9 19.9 22 4

 

 

Out of all of the free agent running back signings this season none gets me more hyped than that of Mark Ingram heading to the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore, with newly installed offensive coordinator Greg Roman calling plays now, will surely lean on the running game from both his quarterback and newly acquired running back much as he did with Colin Kaepernick and Frank Gore during his tenure as OC in San Francisco in the early part of the decade. Those offenses averaged 2,088 yards per season which equates to 130.5 rushing yards per game over a 16 game season. To put that in context flash forward to 2018 where Lamar Jackson and Gus Edwards averaged 201.9 combined rushing yards per game during Jackson’s tenure as a starter, and all of a sudden the future looks bright in Baltimore’s rushing offense with an upgrade at the running back position.

While Ingram is coming off of a down year in 2018 lets not forget he was suspended for 4 games last season as well as shared backfield duties with Alvin Kamara in New Orleans (of which Kamara saw more touches per game than Ingram last season). The writing was on the wall that the Saints were going to move on from Ingram last season and now he’s in a great spot in Baltimore. Consider him a solid RB2 with high RB2/low RB1 upside in 2019!

3) Tevin Coleman

 

RUSHING
Year Team G Att Yds Avg Yds/G TD
2018 Falcons 16 167 800 4.8 50 4
2017 Falcons 15 156 628 4 41.9 5
RECEIVING
Year Team G Rec Avg Yds/G Lng TD
2018 Falcons 16 32 8.6 17.2 39 5
2017 Falcons 15 27 11.1 19.9 39 3

 

 

In a surprise move by the 49ers, Tevin Coleman was brought in to reunite with his former OC Kyle Shanahan and form a 1-2 punch with incumbent starter Jerrick McKinnon. Coleman will more than likely be supplanting Matt Breida who filled in admirably for the injured McKinnon in 2018 while putting up 1075 total yards and 5 TDs while battling his own injuries this past season. Coleman, who last played under Kyle Shanahan while splitting duties with primary ball carrier Devonta Freeman back in 2016 posted 941 total yards and 11 Tds in that 1-2 punch backfield. Clearly, durability for both McKinnon and Breida are a concern for the 49ers and given Coleman’s familiarity with the offense look for him to leaned on more heavily in the early part of next season until McKinnon or Breida return to full health. Consider Coleman and RB2/Flex play going into 2019!

4) John Brown
RECEIVING
Year Team G Rec Yds Avg Yds/G Lng TD
2018 Ravens 16 42 715 17 44.7 71 5
2017 Cardinals 10 21 299 14.2 29.9 52 3
2016 Cardinals 15 39 517 13.3 34.5 30 2
2015 Cardinals 15 65 1,003 15.4 66.9 68 7

 

 

The former Arizona Cardinal and Baltimore Raven who is better known as “Smoke” across the league for his blazing fast speed running down the field is now the big deep threat for, now, second-year quarterback Josh Allen. Brown, who was starting to see a career resurgence in Baltimore until Joe Flacco was supplanted by Lamar Jackson who didn’t pass the ball that much in Brown’s direction, will now take over a wide receiver corps that boasted a young receiver group in which no receiver reached 700 yards receiving for the whole season.

I truly believe had Joe Flacco remained the starter in Baltimore, John Brown would have surpassed the thousand-yard receiving mark he had with the Cardinals back in 2015. Now he has a younger, big-armed quarterback who can deliver the ball downfield to him early and often (assuming Allen improves his accuracy from his rookie year) with very little competition to face in terms of targets lost from within his receiving group. Consider Brown to be a WR3/Flex with permanent Flex upside IF and ONLY IF Josh Allen’s passing improves next season.

5) Jamison Crowder
RECEIVING
Year Team G Rec Yds Avg Yds/G Lng TD
2018 Redskins 9 29 388 13.4 43.1 79 2
2017 Redskins 15 66 789 12 52.6 41 3
2016 Redskins 16 67 847 12.6 52.9 55 7
2015 Redskins 16 59 604 10.2 37.8 44 2

 

As a Redskins fan, this move hurt the most. Ever since Crowder stepped on the scene in the NFL he always seemed poised to be that stable influence in the Redskins receiving corps. A player that would always bail your offense out of trouble, and convert those first downs. Unfortunately, injuries and the downswing of Washington’s offense diminished his returns in recent seasons. And just like that the Blue Devil’s tenure in the burgundy and gold is over. Now…he’s a Jet.

Signing with the New York Jets, Crowder becomes the safety blanket for second-year quarterback Sam Darnold. Assuming he can stay healthy look for Crowder to bounce back to PPR relevance this coming season making him a solid WR3 in PPR formats.

6) Tyrell Williams
RECEIVING
Year Team G Rec Yds Avg Yds/G Lng TD
2018 Chargers 16 41 653 15.9 40.8 75 5
2017 Chargers 16 43 728 16.9 45.5 75 4
2016 Chargers 16 69 1,059 15.3 66.2 51 7

Tyrell Williams, after signing with the Oakland Raiders in free agency, will join the list of successful wide receivers both in real football and fantasy football who will have played opposite Antonio Brown. JuJu Smith-Schuster immediately jumps to the forefront of receivers who benefited from a fantasy perspective drawing single coverage because opposing defenses choosing to double team “Mr. Big Chest”.  JuJu averaged the last two season 84.5 receptions, 1171.5 yards, and 7 Tds.

I’m by no means saying Williams is as good Smith-Schuster, but I am saying there is plenty of upside from a fantasy perspective in both 0.5 PPR and PPR leagues due to the number of receptions bound to come Williams’ way as a result of the favorable defensive mismatches he’ll be facing playing alongside Brown. Look for him to be a solid Flex play next season in all formats!

7) Golden Tate
RECEIVING
Year Team G Rec Yds Avg Yds/G Lng TD
2018 Philadelphia Eagles 8 30 278 9.3 34.8 32 1
2018 Detroit Lions 7 44 517 11.8 73.9 67 3
2017 Detroit Lions 16 92 1,003 10.9 62.7 71 5
2016 Detroit Lions 16 91 1,077 11.8 67.3 67 4

 

It didn’t take long for the New York Giants to start filling the void at the wide receiver position now that Odell Beckham Jr has been traded to the Cleveland Browns. Signing a 4-year deal, Golden Tate will now fill the target void left by OBJ as the team’s primary slot receiver.  Aside from Beckham, Barkley, and Shepard no other wide receiver came close to matching what Golden Tate has done in terms of receptions from the slot position both in Detroit and Philidelphia last season on the Giants roster. Consider Tate to be a WR2/WR3 in PPR formats this season.

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