The Dynasty Bartender: Free Agency Happy Hour
Welcome in everyone to Free Agency Happy Hour here at Fantasy In Frames!
I’m Erika, The Dynasty Bartender, and today I am taking a look at a few players set to become free agents this season, and checking their dynasty temperature. So come on in, sit back with a cold one, and take a look at the players below.
Buy:
Saquon Barkley – Moscow Mule
The Moscow Mule has been around for decades. The favorite drink of those looking for something classy, yet trendy. They’re refreshing, even though they’re old school. And with every iteration over the years, they seem to get better and better.
I love the classic Moscow Mule. They’re one of those drinks you order on a hot summer day, sitting out on a patio with the sun beating down on you. Or, if you like a variation, a delicious apple cider mule is the way to go when you’re feeling in the mood for something bright and fall flavored.
Either way, a Moscow Mule is a simple, refreshing drink. One that has been around for ages, but seems to get better over the years. Much like one Saquon Barkely.
Barkley had an interesting off-season. He bet on himself by not signing his franchise tag and instead fighting for a year long contract. Sure, that equaled similar money, but it was the principle of the matter! He’s the heart of the team, so why not fight?
He now enters the 2024 season as a free agent at 28 years old. Barkley finished as a top 12 running back this season in 14 games played. He barely missed the 1,000 yard mark. Injuries plagued him this season, as with most seasons for Barkley, but he still put up decent numbers for a running back in the league on a team that won only six games.
The Giants will look to make some changes this off-season, and letting Barkley move on in free agency will be good for the running back. With the rookie running back landscape looking sparse, he has the opportunity to sign with a needy team and make an immediate impact. Look to make some moves to acquire the running back.
Kirk Cousins – Champagne
Every New Year celebration isn’t complete without a glass of champagne. It honestly doesn’t matter what kind of bottle it comes from, or even how expensive it is. It’s going to consistently be the same kind of drink, every single year, without fail.
I don’t go to many New Year’s Eve parties. My New Year’s Eve celebrations the last few years have included sitting on my couch, glass of champagne in hand, next to my wife and cat as we try our best to stay awake to see the clock hit midnight. But hey, a glass of champagne isn’t just for those fancy parties. It’s a reliable drink to enjoy year in and year out to celebrate the coming year.
Kirk Cousins is that reliable glass of champagne every year. The kind of drink you end your night on, but didn’t expect much from when you first started your evening. You always think “there’s something better here to drink.” Or “maybe it won’t be as good as last year.” And yet you’re drunkenly toasting everyone (or just your cat) by midnight without a care in the world.
Before injury derailed his season in week 8 against Green Bay, Kirk Cousins was the QB six on the season. He averaged 19 fantasy points during that time, and had two top 10 targets during that time in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
All in all, Cousins was looking to be as reliable as he has been over the years.
I know a lot of people are lower on Cousins, which is understandable. The quarterback is 35 years old, coming off an injury, and rolling into free agency without a firm grasp on where he might land. But hey, that means it’s the perfect to buy low.
Cousins has the opportunity to re-sign with the Vikings or try his hand at free agency where there are several needy teams looking to upgrade at quarterback. Since the Vikings are without a top pick in the draft to spend on a quarterback, I see the team re-signing Cousins to a smaller deal for the veteran.
Sell:
Josh Jacobs – Barrel-Aged Stout
There’s nothing better in the fall and winter-time, when the bitter taste from the barrel-aged stout fills you up and warms you from the inside. But just a few sips in and you’re feeling heavy and sluggish, and honestly just ready for a nap.
I love a good stout. There’s a brewery here in Dallas that is the premier place to get a good stout, and throughout the year, they make different variations of their barrel-aged beauties – Irish cream, Pumpkin Spice, Cookies N’ Beer, Salted Caramel. Each one fantastic and each one probably more boozy than the next. They’re fantastic, but after a couple, I’m feeling it. That 10% ABV is no joke, and I’m feeling sluggish and heavy.
This year, Josh Jacobs looked exactly like that. It was as if he joined me at Lakewood Brewery and had a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Temptress, then stumbled onto the field and wobbled his way through the motions of playing a football game.
I love Josh Jacobs. I love his story. He comes from my home state, near my hometown, and I rooted for him as a college player at Alabama. Honestly, I’d sit at a bar and have that Barrel-Aged Temptress with him any day of the week – as long as he didn’t have a game to play.
After his spectacular 2022 season, everyone had high hopes for Jacobs. He was drafted as a top 10 running back in most leagues, and ended at number 27 overall by the end of the season. But it wasn’t just the total yards or touchdowns that has him as a sell in my book – it was how he looked on the actual field. Slow, sluggish, and couldn’t get past the line, especially in critical downs.
If Jacobs is in your lineup this year, hopefully he has that 2022 season again. The Raiders are most likely moving on from Jacobs this offseason. He should go for a fair price as a sell candidate, especially with his age and if he moves on to a new team.
Calvin Ridley – Frozen Margarita
Admit it, one of your first alcoholic drinks was a frozen margarita. All that ice waters down the liquor, making a sickeningly sweet concoction that you can handle at a young age. As adults though, you see what a frozen margarita really is – a fraud masquerading as something alcoholic.
Personally, I hate frozen margaritas. Give me a true margarita on ice, not blended with ice. Let me taste that tequila in every sip, instead of the watered down sweetness of a frozen one. A side of lime, or a touch of strawberry, maybe paired with some chips and salsa. Okay, now I need to hit up a Mexican restaurant soon…
Calvin Ridley is like that frozen margarita. He is a watered down version of himself. Just when we thought he could take the leap to a margarita on the rocks, he let you down and became water-y and sad again.
2023 was supposed to be a comeback year for the 29 year old wide receiver. After sitting out in 2022 due to a suspension from the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He started getting buzz in the off-season and his first game back posted a line of 8 for 101 yards and a touchdown. Great start, right? Everyone in the fantasy community believed so. But the next game he went for two receptions for 32 yards.
The problem with Ridley this season was his inconsistency. Some weeks he would be the WR1 everyone believed him to be, then the next week would post a stat line that made people want to drink the tequila straight.
This off-season, Jacksonville has already said they would love to keep Ridley, but he is an unrestricted free agent. While he could sign with another team, or stay on with the Jaguars, getting out on Ridley early on in the off-season could be beneficial.
Hold:
Baker Mayfield – Screwdriver
Screwdrivers take me back to college, where they were the $2 special on Tuesday nights at a hole in the wall bar. They were sweet and cheap, and man they could get you drunk. They are the quintessential college drink, the kind of thing you go to because it’s easy to order, and easy to consume. Sure they’re boozy enough to have some sloppy nights, but things always turn out fun in the end.
I still love a good screwdriver. They are the college version of the fancier mimosa. But a screwdriver is good at any time of day. It’s a very misleading drink – something sweet, yet boozy. It slowly sneaks up on you, then hits you out of nowhere. Much like Baker Mayfield this year with the Tampa Bay Bucaneers.
Mayfield had a curious start to the year, and wasn’t expected to be the starter. He signed a one year contract, and was set to battle with Bucaneers backup quarterback, Kyle Trask. By August though, Mayfield was named the starter, and Trask his backup.
Mayfield ended the year as the quarterback 10 overall. He led the Bucaneers to a divisional win and even a playoff win in the Wild Card round. He threw for over 4,000 yards on the seasons, and had a 28-10 touchdown to interception ratio.
Not bad for a guy who wasn’t meant to be the starter, huh?
Entering ths off-season, Mayfield will be a free agent again, but there has been mutual interest between him and the team to bring him back. Even if that means taking less money than he may be worth. The former number one pick would be a good investment for any team that is quarterback needy, proving in the right system, he can be their guy. I suggest holding onto Mayfield until a deal is confirmed with whatever team he signs with.
Tony Pollard – Martini
Another classic cocktail, a Martini is all liquor, but in a fancy glass. You can try to spice it up by adding different adjectives – dirty, shaken, dry, neat, but in the end it’s just gin and vermouth. It’s a basic drink you order to make yourself look more sophisticated than you are. And in the end, you still make a face when you take that first sip.
A Martini is a drink that proves that too much of a good thing may not be a good thing in the long run. Sure, it sounds fancy – it’s James Bond’s drink, after all. But all that liquor just to make yourself look good? It leave you looking worse than when you started drinking.
Tony Pollard is that guy for me. He was given the keys to the liquor cabinet, so to speak. He was running high from his 2022 season where he was the running back eight on the year, ending his season higher than his counterpart in Dallas.
In 2023 they let him be the guy in Dallas. Pollard had all the opportunity to live up to that hype. Fantasy managers were drafting him as a top running back based on his previous season, but Pollard never lived up to his potential.
Pollard only had two top ten finishes this season, and was an all around disappoint in the fantasy community. After his inconsistent season, Dallas has stated they will not use the franchise tag on Pollard, effectively rendering him a free agent.
Pollard has opportunity, much like the other big name running backs pursuing free agency this season. The 26 year old was still healing from injury in 2023, and had a new offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, in Dallas. I’d suggest holding onto Pollard to see where he might end up. While he looks to be a RB1 somewhere, he may end up becoming a RB2 again depending on his landing spot.