The Game Plan For Free Agency (#FantasyFootball)

It’s @TheBLeagueSays here with a brand new ‘Game Plan’, where I give you plays to make for your offseason’s roster construction and dynasty evaluations. Also, make sure you check out our dynasty rankings and our best ball rankings as well.

Slant Route

#FreeAllenRobinson –

Yes my @GoingFor_2 friends I am back, and there should be no shock at all to see that I am hoping that my guy Allen Robinson is free of the Chicago Bears and can test free agency at his own will without being ‘tagged’ by them this offseason. It has been widely documented that he has helped useless quarterbacks get drafted (‘sup Christian Hackenberg), and even worse quarterbacks paid (‘sup Blake Bortles). He is a bonafide playmaker that every team should covet as he is unequivocally the best option out on the free-agent market. Robinson, 28, is unfortunate in the sense that the salary cap has dropped down (gut feeling says I’m going to mention this a lot) a fair bit so teams going out to splurge on a luxury item as such may not be ideal, but still if there is a team that is out that that thinks that they may be a stud away from getting to the promised land then I’d suggest that his name is at the top of the wishlist.

But where do I think is his best landing spot? While every pundit likes the idea of teaming up Frank Reich and new quarterback Carson Wentz with every tight end on the planet, it’s their wide receiver room that looks kinda bare with T.Y. Hilton (32) who’s hitting free agency that may not be back, and leaves them with the oft-injured Parris Campbell heading into his third year and promising rookie Michael Pittman (who could be anything at this point) as their best two current options. With the fourth most cap space available and a glaring need to aide their new quarterback with a legit top 5-10 receiver in the league? Sign me up for Allen Robinson to the Colts.

Flat Route

#RunningBacksDoNotMatter –

Poor running backs. Having a short shelf life is one thing, but then to be degraded by an overly aggressive analytics crowd banging on about how yards per carry isn’t a real statistic (FWIW I don’t care if it is or isn’t a real statistic people need to calm down). We are constantly being told to sell your running backs a year early before they fall off a cliff, and move on before that second contract doesn’t happen, and every other reason to move on from a top player because in Dynasty it’s ‘the right thing to do’. Case and point, Aaron Jones, 27, who has been inarguably one of the best running backs in the NFL for the past few seasons in Green Bay is off-contract (as well as teammate Jamaal Williams) as he saw the future in AJ Dillon get picked up last season. Jones is going to hit Free Agency along with guys like Chris Carson, Kenyan Drake, Todd Gurley, Mark Ingram, Tevin Coleman, James White, Adrian Peterson and so on (essentially the top 20 Running Backs from 2018 are now on the market) in a year with a reduced salary cap and a plethora of talented rookies coming to take over.

At this point you’re hoping – at worst – one of your guys gets tagged to potentially open up another window for you to sell before the 2021 rookie draft takes place. Don’t be tardy, don’t cling on to past performance sentiments – if your guy gets a new deal or even tagged – use this second chance to move on and cash out.

Comeback Route

#FlySomeoneFlyPlease –

Free agency is hitting the Eagles hard this offseason. DeSean Jackson; gone. Alshon Jeffery; likely gone. Zach Ertz could be a potential salary-cap casualty; likely gone too. Carson Wentz had a sook; gone. Greg Ward, free agency awaits; gone. Boston Scott, gone. Everything about the Eagles is in dire straits right now, as they take the second-worst cap hit in the NFL heading into 2021. This team for what it’s worth for fantasy purposes is falling apart and that is fantastic because the studs that they have got the one thing we as gamers and managers have been wanting for them – a clear path to success. For me, Dallas Goedert IF Zach Ertz is cut/traded becomes one of the biggest sell candidates this offseason based on hype and opportunity alone. Miles Sanders has a backfield to himself for once (minus the poaching from Jalen Hurts) and if he is someone that has frustrated you in the past due to injury or the competition for touches that Doug Pederson insisted on now then this now opens up another sell window, and if that’s what you covet you could get an absolute haul for him in return.

How about their wide receivers though?

The cupboard is fairly bare and most of these guys can be had on the cheap and I’m willing to bet that John Hightower, Quez Watkins, and Travis Fulgham are probably back on your waivers so if you have a few minutes take a look and make a dart throw at one. Oh… and Jalen Reagor – how could I forget him? Reagor came into the 2020 season with a fair bit of hype and in a sense fell flat of that hype but, the Eagles as a whole were flat anyway. Philadelphia is sitting pretty with the sixth pick in the 2021 rookie draft, and they have been said to be looking at attaining another Quarterback or a Wide Receiver early in this year’s draft, and if that’s the case I don’t think either additional would hurt Reagor’s growth in 2021. If you have someone in your league who is somewhat concerned with how the Eagles are falling apart and also has Reagor then this is your chance to potentially attain on the cheap – go and ask the question on his price.

Screen Route

#NashvilleSliders

On the other end of the acquisition spectrum is A.J. Brown – who is someone you’re now rightfully (probably) selling the farm for. Right now. Do it. Don’t ask, just go and get him!

Free agency looks to be a cruel mistress this offseason for the Tennessee Titans, who are in a similar situation to the aforementioned Eagles where pieces of their team’s best-receiving options, Jonnu Smith and Corey Davis, are hitting free agency leaving the majority of the opportunity in Brown’s lap. How many opportunities? I’ll give you some lazy numbers to twist your arm: of the Titans 485 passing attempts the trio of Brown (106 targets), Davis (96 targets), and Smith (65 targets) accounted for about 55% of the team’s targets. Brown is already hitting around 22% of his team’s target share which you would think with the removal of both would figure greatly in his favor in 2021. The trio also accounted for 24 of the 33 passing touchdowns (Brown 11, Davis 5, Smith 8), along with 65% of the teams passing yards as well. That, my friends, is all box-checking at its simplest – which is fine – because having to convince people to do what they can to attain A.J. Brown right now as free agency breaks in his favor is something that even I can’t believe I’m having to do.

Out Route

#WhenOneWindowCloses

Another window opens, and that seems to be the case for one of the few rookie wide receivers from the 2020 class that did not produce for you – Henry Ruggs. Now, I’m not saying that Henry Ruggs was a bust in 2020; because there are enough people on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and Instagram doing that themselves. But if the sour taste of him producing absolutely nothing for your team as a rookie is still alive then finding a window to sell him “high” in may be tough to do so as well. However, never fear! Because I have an uber-lazy narrative that will help any poor soul sell at this point of your dynasty season.

Right now the Las Vegas Raiders don’t have a lot on their depth chart when it comes to wide receivers as Tyrell Williams (now cut), Nelson Agholor, and Zay Jones will all test free agency leaving Ruggs, Hunter Renfrow and Bryan Edwards (I guess) sticking about. Now is your chance to sell that upside of no one else on the roster (aside from Darren Waller, but we’ll stay hush on that won’t we) that can compete for targets prior to free agency opening up and the 2021 rookie draft taking place. Free agency has opened up the slightest window for you to go out and see what you might be able to get back.

The Go Route

#SuperBowlLenny –

I mentioned that everyone hates running backs and while that to an extent may be true, our mind’s eye likes to remember the last thing we saw and the last thing we saw was Leonard Fournette doing was wrecking the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. We know many things about Fournette with his time in Jacksonville and Tampa and that he can a) carry the load on his own, b) he can still be fantasy relevant when sharing the backfield with Ronald Jones and c) that he is still the primary pass-catching back wherever he goes. My guess is as good as anyone’s, but I don’t think Fournette leaves the Buccaneers – I’m not sure anyone there will want to leave with Tom Brady still about – so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him stick about for another year at least and if that’s the case then buying Fournette right now might not be the worst idea if you feel like you are a piece away from contending.

Hail Mary

#SixFootSevenFoot

Eight-foot bunch! Let’s keep this one tall, long and simple. Donald Parham is currently in a low-key position to succeed with second-year quarterback Justin Herbert. Hunter Henry looks like he is about to test free agency, and Mike Williams has been inconsistent at best in a wide receiver group (sans Keenan Allen) that was made up of a bunch of names that no one had heard of. I’m buying the 6’8 tight end, Parham, now in the hopes that Hunter Henry walks and the Chargers don’t go out of their way to replace him. We have seen tight ends come out from nowhere in back-to-back years in Darren Waller, Robert Tonyan, and Logan Thomas for example so why not take a cheap shot on a guy who is likely on your waivers with a decent chance to boost his playing time in a pass-heavy team?

I want to thank you for checking this article out! As always you can follow me at @TheBLeagueSays and feel free to check out my @BackRowGiants podcast (https://linktr.ee/TheBLeagueSays) and subscribe, rate, review, share, and listen. Let’s all get better together!

ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.