The game of quarterback musical chairs continues in the NFC South. Tom Brady retired until he didn’t. The Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints were in on Deshaun Watson until they weren’t. The Atlanta Falcons traded Matt Ryan to the Colts and are reportedly interested in reuniting Marcus Mariota with head coach Arthur Smith. Now, the Saints have re-signed Jameis Winston to a two-year deal.
What does Winston’s deal with the Saints mean for the veteran quarterback and the rest of the offensive playmakers in New Orleans? Derek Brown is here to break down the fantasy football implications of the deal.
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Jameis Winston returns to the Big Easy on a two-year deal as the Saints’ short-term answer at the quarterback position. In his six full games as New Orleans’ starter, Winston proved he could be exactly what they needed as a game manager. Yes, I know that’s not the lens we have viewed Winston during his career, but he was up to the task. He had a career-low interception rate (1.9%), leading the team to a 4-2 record out the gate. Winston attempted only 25.2 passes per game while averaging 185.7 passing yards per game (only one game above 250 yards passing) as the QB21 in fantasy.
During this stretch, the Saints ran one of the slowest (24th in neutral pace) and most run-heavy offenses (fifth in neutral rushing rate, 48%) in the league. Michael Thomas‘s return could boost these numbers, but expecting them to be a high-flying offensive system moving forward is a stretch. With Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harty, Kenny Stills, and Adam Trautman to compete with for targets, Thomas can return to his target hog ways as a volume WR2 if he’s healthy. This move is a push for Alvin Kamara, as he’ll remain a low-end RB1 unless his legal issues cause him to miss time.
– Derek Brown
Jameis is staying in New Orleans pic.twitter.com/wn1CfCGTqR
— FantasyPros (@FantasyPros) March 21, 2022
Other Newsworthy Transactions
- Allen Robinson signs with Los Angeles Rams
- Jameis Winston agrees to two-year deal with Saints
- Jarvis Landry being released from Cleveland
- DeMarcus Lawrence re-signs with Dallas
- Tyrod Taylor expected to sign with Giants
- James White will re-sign with Patriots on two-year deal
- Marcus Williams agrees to deal with Ravens
- Randy Gregory flips decision, to sign with Denver
And don’t miss the rest of our takeaways from all of the recent news:
- Day 1 recap of free agent frenzy. | Day 1 Winners & Losers
- Day 2 recap of free agency frenzy
- Matt Ryan Traded To Colts
- Robert Woods Traded To Titans
- Cordarrelle Patterson Re-Signs With Falcons
- JuJu Smith-Schuster Signs With Chiefs
- Davante Adams Traded To Raiders
- Deshaun Watson Traded To Browns
- Zay Jones, C.J. Uzomah, Tevin Coleman Takeaways
- Evan Engram To Sign With Jaguars
- Mitch Trubisky To Sign With Steelers
- James Conner Contract Extension
- Chase Edmonds To Sign with Dolphins
- Christian Kirk To Sign With Jaguars
- Tom Brady’s Return
- Carson Wentz Trade
- Russell Wilson Trade
- Calvin Ridley Suspension
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