Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football: Free Agency Week 2 — Under the Radar Moves

Like usual, the second week of free agency was significantly slower. This is when the under the radar free agents are on the move. While most of these players lack the star power to wow you, they can still have a major impact on your fantasy season. Sometimes a fresh start can do wonders for a player.

Quarterbacks
Mark Sanchez, Denver Broncos
While this technically happened at the end of Week 1, we didn’t touch upon this in last week’s article. The Broncos have traded a conditional 2017 seventh-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Mark Sanchez. As it looks now, Sanchez could be poised to the starting quarterback for the defending Super Bowl champs. Yeeks! Hey, on the bright side, he can’t be any more miserable than Peyton Manning was last season.

Matt Moore, Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins brought back one of the more capable backups in the league for another run with the team. Moore is good enough to be a starter on a team like the Rams or Browns. This is, of course, only relevant if Ryan Tannehill gets injured or severely falters. However, the bigger story may be that he didn’t leave and go somewhere where he could compete for a job.

Running Backs
C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos
As of last week, the Dolphins had signed Anderson to an offer sheet. The Broncos have since matched on the final day and he will remain in Denver. Anderson was less than enthusiastic about this turn of events, stating that he wanted to go to Miami because it was the best fit for him, and he would have made the Pro Bowl in Adam Gase’s offense.

Chris Johnson, Arizona Cardinals
Another running back spurning the Dolphins. CJ2K had a meeting with Miami and was deciding whether to join the Dolphins or remain in Arizona. He opted to remain with the Cards. He signed a one-year deal and will be in Arizona to spell David Johnson in 2016.

Donald Brown, New England Patriots
Brown has never lived up to expectations, but now he’s in New England. That means he’ll probably rush for 200 yards and four TDs one game, then see four carries over the next three weeks, only to return with 150 yards and two TDs a few weeks later. This team is so obnoxious when it comes to fantasy running backs.

Wide Receivers
Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh Steelers
Okay, this isn’t exactly free agency news, but it is huge news nonetheless. Martavis Bryant has been suspended for at least one year after failing six drug tests since being suspended for four games last season. Two of the “fails” were actually missed tests. Ben Roethlisberger will be without his ultra-talented wideout in 2016.

Mike Wallace, Baltimore Ravens
Wallace has signed on with Ravens. In true Mike Wallace fashion, he blasted the quarterback on the way out and blamed the Vikings for his own short-comings. Nonetheless, this is a perfect fit for Wallace. If he can’t succeed here, his career is essentially over.

Chris Givens, Philadelphia Eagles
Givens is who Wallace is replacing in Baltimore. He is a speedy deep threat with boom or bust potential. I would draft him before I’d draft Nelson Agholor. The bottom line is that Givens  is better right now and Agholor should have never been a first-round pick. Chip Kelly still haunts them.

Tight End
Martellus Bennett, New England Patriots
The only big story here is the Pats trading a fourth-rounder for Bennett and a sixth. They may be back to their dominant two-tight end sets we haven’t seen since Aaron Hernandez went on a killing spree. Since 2013, Bennett is second among all TEs in yards after contact. Who’s No. 1? Rob Gronkowski of course. Pairing up Gronk and The Black Unicorn is a horrifying thought for opposing defenses. This will be a matchup nightmare.

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