Fantasy Football

2016 Fantasy Football: Top Free Agents

In this article, I will rank the top free agent at each of the four major fantasy positions, all things considered. Since all things are considered, this is not simply the best or most talented player. Age and price tag will be taken into account. I will let you know what player could be the most valuable for your team.

Quarterback

Matt Moore, Miami Dolphins
As always, the quarterback pool is thin. Kirk Cousins and Ryan Fitzpatrick are the biggest names, however, both guys will likely be grossly overpaid, especially the 33-year-old journeyman Fitzpatrick. This is not a big name, but I really like Matt Moore. He’s been one of the highest paid backups in the league over the past half-decade. With impending salary cap issues, it doesn’t look like the Dolphins will be able to fit a costly backup QB under their cap. After scarce playing time and turning 30 since his last contract, his price tag should drop.

You wouldn’t want him as a starter, but he should be considered one of the better backups in the league. Moore could be an important piece for a team that has a quarterback prone to injury. He’s more than capable of holding down the fort for a stretch of games. Last time he stepped in was in 2011 due to injury for Miami. He went a respectable 6-6 as a starter with 18 TDs and nine interceptions. There are a ton of teams in the league that would kill to have a backup that could do that, particularly when you consider the fact that the Dolphins are not exactly a juggernaut.

Running Back

Lamar Miller, Miami Dolphins
We have another Dolphin on this list. Miller has the most long-term upside in this free agency class. He’s just 24 years old and has been incomprehensibly underutilized by an incompetent Dolphins’ coaching staff. Miller can do anything that’s asked of him. He has the speed to break the big plays and can run between the tackles. He’s also a threat in the passing attack and has the ability to find the end zone. He has a career 4.6 yards per carry average and has 19 touchdowns over the past two seasons, as well as over 50 receptions in each of those seasons. While he may not have the big name recognition of Matt Forte, his youth will make him much more valuable. Miller is also much more consistent than Doug Martin. It’s looking like it’s going to be very tough for the Dolphins to fit him under the cap.

Wide Receiver

Alshon Jeffery, Chicago Bears
This one isn’t all that complicated, it’s Jeffery. He’s simply the best wideout available. While he’s going to cost a ton of money, he’s a legitimate game changer with elite WR1 potential. No need to overthink this one with statistics and cap numbers, the guy is on a monster on the field and no other receiver available is even close to his talent level. Travis Benjamin, Rishard Matthews and Marvin Jones will all be nice young pickups as well and you can never write off Anquan Boldin.

Tight End

Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts
Allen is coming off a miserable 2015 season. Then again, nothing really went well in Indy. While that may scare many off, I’ll chalk that up as an aberration. It could even turn out to be a positive because it will drive down his price tag. Allen was bad both as a pass-catcher and a blocker this past season. Nonetheless, like I said, it’s likely an aberration because he’s been outstanding in both phases of the game over the duration of his young career. He’s proven to be a potential elite level red zone threat and a very solid blocker. The Colts are not expected to bring Allen back for 2016. They just can’t afford to bring back Coby Fleener and Allen, especially after signing T.Y. Hilton to a big deal and Andrew Luck having a large pay day on the horizon. Health has been a major concern with Allen, but when healthy he is a much better all-around player than Fleener. Still, we all now Jim Irsay and Ryan Grigson will not make a good decision. They are one of, if not the worst, front office combos in the league.

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