Fantasy Football Impact Of Wild 2022 NFL Free Agency
The month of March has been filled with blockbuster trades and signings which have dramatically reshaped the makeup of several NFL teams. Notably, the Miami Dolphins gave away most of their future draft picks to land the freakishly talented Tyreek Hill. Elsewhere, Davante Adams shocked the Packers and joined Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders. Let's take a look at what all this might mean for the upcoming fantasy football season.
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WR Tyreek Hill Traded to the Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins sacrificed five draft picks in order to acquire All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs will get Miami’s first and second-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Fantasy Impact
The Chiefs have lost their best weapon in trading Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. They’ve also traded Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson in order to not exceed their salary cap. The Chiefs’ wide receiver room is going to look vastly different in 2022. At least Patrick Mahomes has a new playmaker in the huddle as Kansas City signed former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Juju Smith-Schuster. Although injured for almost the entire 2021 season, Smith-Schuster hauled in at least seven touchdowns in three of his first four seasons in Pittsburgh and amassed more than 3,500 receiving yards.
Travis Kelce is going to see even more targets than he has in the past. He will likely be drafted in the first round of fantasy football leagues. This is obviously a huge acquisition by the Miami Dolphins who now have (at least on paper) a decent offense led by Tua Tagovailoa (unless Teddy Bridgewater is unbelievably impressive throughout training camp and the preseason). Hill will play alongside DeVante Parker, who will no longer be burdened as the team’s only reliable pass catcher. Miami still doesn’t have a great running game, but this offense is poised for big things barring poor performances from their signal-caller.
WR Davante Adams Traded to the Las Vegas Raiders
Davante Adams left Green Bay to join the Raiders, the home team he grew up loving. According to reports, Adams requested a trade out of Green Bay well ahead of the franchise tag they placed on him. This trade presents itself as an immediate improvement to Derek Carr’s arsenal in Las Vegas and a huge loss to Aaron Rodgers’ team.
Fantasy Impact
Quite simply, Green Bay has lost its best skill player. Adams is probably the best receiver in the league alongside Cooper Kupp and Tyreek Hill. Adams has served as the go-to target for Aaron Rodgers, but Rodgers didn’t make Adams good. The duo made each other better. For example, the Saints ran an offense for years with one of the most accurate quarterbacks in NFL history, Drew Brees. Several receivers surpassed 1,000 receiving yards during the Brees era. With a guy like Adams, he’s going to make Derek Carr better. That said, Rodgers is much more accurate than Carr. Both Rodgers and Adams will struggle to produce the numbers we are used to seeing from them. Meanwhile, Carr could become a top-10 quarterback in fantasy this season with Adams, Hunter Renfrow, and tight-end Darren Waller. Carr has no excuse to fail in 2022.
WR Robert Woods Traded to the Tennessee Titans
Robert Woods went hand in hand with Cooper Kupp just two seasons ago. He was limited to nine games in 2021 after tearing his ACL. He finished the season with 556 receiving yards and five touchdowns. In 2018 and 2019, Woods produced more than 1,100 receiving yards. The move comes after the Titans released 33-year-old Julio Jones, who only produced 434 receiving yards and one touchdown last season.
Fantasy Impact
Fortunately for the Rams, they just won the Super Bowl and are stacked at the wide receiver position with Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, and Oddell Beckham Jr. Losing Woods isn’t a huge loss, as they were able to win the Lombardi trophy without him. The Rams also signed Allen Robinson within hours of sending Woods to Tennessee. Therefore, the Rams should be fine without Woods. Matthew Stafford should be a top-five quarterback in fantasy football this year. Assuming the Rams have enough cap space to re-sign Beckham, there are going to be a lot of mouths to feed in Los Angeles. Kupp will still most likely be the top receiver in fantasy but he may not draw as many targets due to the plethora of weapons at Stafford’s disposal.
The Titans finally acquired a great veteran receiver to play alongside AJ Brown. Not only does Woods strengthen their offense in the short term, but he will share a wealth of knowledge with the young wideout who’s tallied 2,995 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns over his first three NFL seasons. Woods is a major upgrade over the recently released Julio Jones. Brown’s value should actually improve as opponents can no longer double-team him with Woods on the field. Ryan Tannehill could be a decent option in fantasy football if you decide to wait and grab a late-round quarterback.
WR Allen Robinson Signed by the Los Angeles Rams
The Rams inked a $45 million deal to sign former Chicago Bears wideout, Allen Robinson. A-Rob has played the last four seasons in Chicago, after playing his first four in Jacksonville. He broke out as a star after producing 1,400 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in his sophomore season (2015). And that was with Blake Bortles under center! The move to bring Robinson to L.A. makes up for trading Robert Woods away to the Tennesse Titans.
Fantasy Impact
Robinson was injured for most of last season, but he had 102 receptions for 1,250 yards and two touchdowns in 2020. In 2019, Robinson had another excellent year, catching 98 passes for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns. It’s also important to remember that Robinson produced these numbers with Mitch Turbisky as his quarterback. With Super Bowl champion Mathew Stafford under center, the Rams’ offense looks potentially more lethal than last season. We will have to see how OBJ’s recovery turns out, but even without him, the Rams have one of the best receiving corps in the league. Robinson may no longer be in his prime but he is still a talented and experienced receiver who has never had the chance to play for a true contender. A-Rob’s value in fantasy can only get better after his dismal 2021 campaign when he was passed on the depth chart by Darnell Mooney. It didn’t help that Justin Fields was one of the most inaccurate quarterbacks in the NFL last year. Robinson’s stats for 2020 and 2019 (listed above) speak to how crucial of an offensive weapon he was for the Bears. Chicago is in desperate need of a generational talent at the wide receiver position. The Bears employ a run-heavy offense but Fields is going to have to throw the rock at some point, especially if they fall behind as they did in 2021. As of now, I’m staying away from all Chicago Bears in my fantasy draft outside of David Montgomery.
WR Amari Cooper Traded to the Cleveland Browns
The Dallas Cowboys made the somewhat surprising decision to trade Cooper following another unsuccessful season. Cooper was traded to the Browns in exchange for a 2022 fifth-round pick, and two future sixth-round picks. For Cooper, the Browns gave very little but hit the lotto with this pickup. Cooper has struggled to stay on the field over the last couple of years, but he’s still a top-20 wideout when healthy.
Fantasy Impact
I’m not entirely sure I agree with their decision to get rid of Cooper. At the very least, I think getting rid of Cooper has hurt the team more than it has helped them. Cooper still had 865 receiving yards and eight touchdowns last season despite missing a chunk of games last season due to injury. I’m guessing that Dallas’ front office has developed enough confidence to utilize CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup as their primary targets for next season. On the other hand, the Browns acquired a very good wideout (when healthy) for three late-round draft picks over the next two years. In essence, they got Amari Cooper for next to nothing, and that on its own is a huge win. This will only boost the Browns’ offense, and if Cooper is healthy, he will join Jarvis Landry as one of the team’s core wideouts (don’t forget that the Browns traded OBJ mid-season to the Rams). Cooper’s value may see a slight boost now that he is the WR1 in Cleveland, especially since the Browns acquired Deshaun Watson.
CeeDee Lamb is about to have an incredible season now that more targets have opened up. Lamb and Gallup should each see an uptick in targets, receptions, yardage, and touchdowns.
Expect Lamb to exceed his 2021 season totals.
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