2023 NFL Free Agency Losers (Fantasy Football)

NFL free agency always drastically changes the fantasy football landscape and this year has been no exception to that. Our analysts have been breaking down all of the moves and their respective fantasy impact in our 2023 NFL Free Agency Signings Tracker, and we asked some of our featured experts to give us their early winners and losers through the first few days of NFL free agency. They provide the players who have seen their fantasy value increase and decrease the most below.

NFL Free Agency Winners & Losers

What player has seen his fantasy value decrease the most as a result of a recent transaction and why?

Elijah Moore (WR – NYJ)
“Unless Elijah Moore is part of the Aaron Rodgers trade and gets shipped to Green Bay, Moore’s fantasy stock has taken a hit. Even assuming that Corey Davis gets cut from the Jets’ roster, the likelihood that Moore would start in two wide receiver sets over Allen Lazard is slim. Why is that important? From 2019 to 2021, Green Bay (under Nathaniel Hackett) ranked 20th, 23rd, and 13th in the usage of personnel groupings with three or more wide receivers on the field, so if Moore isn’t starting in two wide sets, his snap share and ceiling are capped. For a player coming off a down season, the transactions this offseason have given hope that a year three bounceback is in the cards. ”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)

Mac Jones (QB – NE)
“Last year Mac Jones struggled after an encouraging rookie season. Unfortunately, he’s had a rough few days. The New England Patriots traded Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons for next to nothing. Then they lost Jakobi Meyers to the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. Bringing in JuJu Smith-Schuster was a good start but not enough. Unless the Patriots can swing a blockbuster trade for a star wide receiver, Jones’ receiving core might be the worst in the NFL.”
– Mike Fanelli (FantasyPros)

Jameis Winston (QB – NO)
“There was a hope that Jameis Winston would get a chance to compete for the starting job in New Orleans, or he would at least sign in free agency with a team that wanted him to start. Unfortunately, that was not to be, as Winston decided to sign back with the Saints to back up Derek Carr. This all but guarantees that Winston is not going to see the field much at all this season save for an injury, and might have signaled that he is past starting for an NFL team at this point in his career. I still believe that Winston can play at a starter level, and hopefully he gets a chance to show that this year.”
– Sam Wagman (Footballguys)

Mike Evans (WR – TB)
“Mike Evans is going to be tough to trust this year if Baker Mayfield/Kyle Trask are indeed under center in 2023. Since Tom Brady landed in Tampa, no team was more pass-heavy. Brady just broke the record for passing attempts in a season this past year (733) after posting the 3rd-most attempts all-time (719) the year before. The Mayfield/Trask pairing in Tampa for 2023 is going to throw less and that hurts Evans. Before his Week 17 eruption, he was WR26 overall and WR32 in points per game. He will be 30 by the time the season starts. History has not been kind to the aging big-bodied wide receivers that don’t win with separation later in their careers. Evans is a boom-or-bust fantasy WR3/4 that you should only select when he falls too far in drafts. ”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

D’Andre Swift (RB – DET)
“Well, I *thought* D’Andre Swift’s value was going to increase once Jamaal Williams left Detroit, but the Lions replaced Williams with David Montgomery, so Swift’s 2023 value is going to be far below what I had hoped it would be. Swift is still going to be the Lions’ primary pass-catching back, but he averaged only 7.1 carries per game last season and is probably going to be used sparingly in the running game again. It’s hard for a running back to be a needle-mover in fantasy with a rushing load that small. I’m not ready to bury a talented 24-year-old running back who’s productive as a receiver and has an above-average TD rate, but it’s hard to see how Swift escapes the confinement of the role the Lions have chosen for him.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)

Check out these other breakdowns of major moves:

NFL Elijah Moore Aaron Rodgers Corey Davis Allen Lazard Mac Jones Jonnu Smith Jakobi Meyers JuJu Smith-Schuster Jameis Winston Derek Carr Mike Evans Baker Mayfield Kyle Trask