The free agency period was busy with some big signings, but the fact is, not all player transactions are equal, especially when you’re talking about names like Quinton Patton or Shaun Draughn. I mean, not all transactions can be of the high impact kind like Phil Dawson going to the Cardinals… Let’s recap real quick: I’ve now mentioned three former 49ers players in this article… I promise, the names will get better, although, Dawson going to the Cardinals is actually pretty intriguing if there is such a thing for kickers (just look up how solid he’s been over the years).

My point is, free agency for fantasy managers is all about what it means for our upcoming season. Like I said, the names mentioned will get better and we reached out to our featured pundits below to get their take on the action up to this point.

Mock in minutes (free) with our fantasy football draft software

Q1. Which running back’s recent signing is the most intriguing and why?

Eddie Lacy (RB – SEA)
“The most intriguing would definitely be Lacy signing with Seattle. It creates so much uncertainty with Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise when there was already cloudiness to begin with. Bottom line, you don’t pay a running back in free agency unless you plan on using him. Lacy is firmly planted on the RB2 radar. ”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

“Eddie Lacy is a guy who is getting absolutely zero love in the fantasy community. Yes, he’s fat. He’s always been fat and that includes when he was a dominant fantasy running back. Now he’s getting paid to take over the RB duties on a great team that has generally had a strong running game in the Pete Carroll era. He’ll be a value as he tumbles down draft boards.”
– Jason Moore (The Fantasy Footballers)

Rex Burkhead (RB – NE)
“Lacy and Murray are going to be running behind maladroit offensive lines, and both have talented stablemates who’ll challenge for touches. Woodhead is a good fit with the Ravens, but I’m disinclined to pay retail for a 32-year-old featherweight. Burkhead, on the other hand, goes from a team that underutilized him to one that deftly assimilates newcomers, giving them roles in which they can thrive. The Patriots could still re-sign LeGarrette Blount or draft a big RB such as D’onta Foreman, but for now, Burkhead is the leading candidate for between-the-tackles carries and goal-line work — a potentially lucrative role in an offense as prolific as New England’s.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

Danny Woodhead (RB – BAL)
“None of these fits really excite me. Lacy is now behind a lousy offensive line with loads of competition, Murray should be the feature back, but again in a bad situation, so Danny Woodhead wins by default. We knew Woodhead would see plenty of targets in an offensive with a weak receiving core, but now that Kenneth Dixon is suspended, he should see a fair share of carries as well.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Q2. Which wide receiver’s recent signing is the most intriguing and why?

Kendall Wright (WR – CHI)
“One of my favorite signings that wasn’t considered a “major signing” was Kendall Wright on a one-year deal with the Bears. He seemed to have differences with the coaching staff, but when Wright saw the targets, he performed. Going to the Bears, he should have no problem beating out Markus Wheaton and/or Cameron Meredith for snaps. Don’t sleep on the former first round pick who’s on a prove-it deal.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

Pierre Garcon (WR – SF)
“Alshon Jeffery, Terrelle Pryor and DeSean Jackson all landed in interesting places, but I don’t think their new teams have much of an effect on their fantasy valuations. Pierre Garcon, however, goes from being a mere cog in Washington’s offensive machinery to being a potential target hog for the 49ers, whose 32nd-ranked passing game should improve under new head coach Kyle Shanahan. San Francisco’s QB situation is grim, but Garcon is the sort of short-area receiver who doesn’t need a quarterback with exceptional arm talent. He doesn’t score enough touchdowns to be much more than a WR3 or WR4, but Garcon’s value is certainly boosted by the move West.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

Terrelle Pryor (WR – WAS)
“Terrelle Pryor is a 6’4″ monster who ran a 4.4 forty and has spent a grand total of one year in his career playing wide receiver. In that single season, he had an amalgamation of semi-pro quarterbacks throwing the ball loosely in the vicinity of him for the Browns. Oh, he also put up over 1,000 yards. Now he gets to play with a QB who threw for almost 5,000 yards on a team that lost two 1,000 yard receivers. Sign me up as intrigued. ”
– Jason Moore (The Fantasy Footballers)

Kenny Britt (WR – CLE)
“When Kenny Britt signed with Cleveland, the stars aligned for him to put together a strong fantasy season. We saw what Terrelle Pryor did last year as the only playmaker, and Britt is quite a bit better on tape than Pryor on film. Believe it or not, chances are high that Britt will have a more talented quarterback throwing him the ball this season in Cleveland too. Anything beats Case Keenum and Jared Goff.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Q3. Where do you anticipate Jamaal Charles and Adrian Peterson signing and what should owners expect if they land there?

“It’s a good bet that one of these two signs with Green Bay — whichever one is willing to swallow his pride and agree to take the spare change and pocket lint that Packers GM Ted Thompson will offer. Where the other one will sign is anybody’s guess. I currently have Peterson ranked RB20 and Charles RB27, assuming they’ll both be part of committees. No doubt they’ll be overdrafted based on brand familiarity. You might not be able to lean heavily on either of them this season, but Peterson and Charles should at least be usable when healthy.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

“There are plenty of teams who could feasibly get involved with either, but I believe AP will end up with the Raiders and JC with the Jaguars. The Raiders made it clear that they would love to add a big back when they reached out to the retired Marshawn Lynch. AP is the next best thing to fit their needs so I imagine they will grow aggressive in the coming days to land him. The Jags have spent so much draft capital on RBs over the past few seasons that I see them taking a back seat in this year’s draft and adding a high-upside Jamaal Charles hoping to win the lottery.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

“It’s really hard to say at this point, considering the lack of interest they’ve generated. Peterson is a running back who may see his career cut short due to the game changing around him. While there was always a place for a bruising first and second down running back, NFL teams now want someone who can do it all so they don’t become one-dimensional. It’s hard to see either of them being anything close to the RB1’s they’ve been in the past. ”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

“To be honest, I see both of these guys ending up in mostly fruitless situations. I anticipate that they will be later additions to teams on (relatively) cheap contracts to prove that they still have it. I believe they will be last year’s, Arian Foster. They’ll sign somewhere, get a lot of buzz, and disappoint in their retirement year.”
– Jason Moore (The Fantasy Footballers)

—

Thanks to the experts for providing their thoughts on the latest moves in free agency. Be sure to follow them on Twitter for advice this offseason. You can also check out our podcast below for fantasy football discussions all year long.

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud | Google Play | TuneIn | RSS