The free agent period is upon us in the NFL, which is going to have an impact on the fantasy football world. We're taking a look at the fantasy-relevant names that have signed so far this offseason. Keep checking back for updates on the latest players to sign free agent deals.
Robert Griffin III, QB, Cleveland Browns: "Head coach Hue Jackson has been lauded throughout his career for being able to get the most out of his talent -- especially at the quarterback position. The biggest question will be whether Jackson can repair the shaken confidence of a player who once seemed on top of the world. It might also help if the Browns can repair Griffin's mechanics and strengthen his ability to read NFL defenses. Both things led to the former Baylor star's downfall in his previous stop." FULL ANALYSIS HERE.
Jared Cook, TE, Green Bay Packers: The Packers have been in dire need of a seam-stretching presence since they lost Jermichael Finley to injury in 2012, and they believe they might have found that by signing the uber-athletic Cook to a one-year "prove it" deal. Inconsistency has been the one constant in Cook's career thus far, but perhaps a season with Aaron Rodgers can help him iron out some of his issues. There are a lot of mouths to feed in the Green Bay offense, but Richard Rodgers is coming off an eight-touchdown campaign. Cook is a great late-round best ball target, and worth a stab at the end of redraft leagues too. -- Alex Gelhar
C.J. Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos: "Anderson drew large contract offers from both the Chicago Bears (four years, $19 million) and the Miami Dolphins (four years, $18 million). He agreed to the latter, but the Broncos matched it on Tuesday. That means the team has made quite an investment in the 25-year-old runner. It also means that Anderson is going to see more than the 152 rushing attempts he saw in the offense a season ago." FULL ANALYSIS HERE.
Martellus Bennett, TE, New England Patriots (trade): "Bennett makes for a nice late-round best ball pick, and a handcuff to Gronk if you're the ultra-conservative type of fantasy player, but his prospects as a season-long starting tight end aren't very high. This is more of a great football move for the Patriots than a fantasy football move." FULL ANALYSIS HERE.
Zach Miller, TE, Chicago Bears: "Miller and Bennett combined for 121 targets in Chicago last year, most of which should now fall to Miller as he re-signed with the team for two more years earlier in the free agency period." FULL ANALYSIS HERE.
Alfred Morris, RB, Dallas Cowboys: "Still, Morris' move to Dallas can be seen as at least somewhat of a positive ... at least for now. McFadden is entering his age-29 campaign, and he's rarely been able to avoid injuries during his NFL career. While he could enter training camp atop the team's depth chart, I would still be more inclined to draft Morris, 27, ahead of McFadden because of his age and durability." FULL ANALYSIS HERE.
Matt Forte, RB, New York Jets: "(Forte) brings a versatile skill set to the Jets, as he's hauled in a combined 220 receptions for 1,791 yards with 10 touchdowns as a receiver out of the backfield over the last three seasons. Fantasy owners and Jets fans remember too that it was Bilal Powell, not Ivory, who was the better fantasy runner in the final month of the 2015 campaign. What do Powell and Forte have in common? That's right, both have immense abilities as a pass-catcher, and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey is certain to utilize Forte often in that capacity." FULL ANALYSIS HERE.
Lamar Miller, RB, Houston Texans: "(In 2015) Miller averaged just shy of 16 fantasy points per game when he received 15-plus touches, but just 7.14 fppg when receiving fewer than 15 touches. That includes his 12-touch, 89-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Giants in Week 14, where he scored twice on his first seven touches. So how does he fit into the Texans' offensive plans? Well, if O'Brien's past tendencies are any indication, fantasy fans could finally get what they've been asking for. In his two years as the Texans head coach, O'Brien has given one running back 15-plus touches in 26 of 32 games, with Foster crossing that mark in virtually every game in which he was fully healthy." FULL ANALYSIS HERE.
DeMarco Murray, RB, Tennessee Titans (trade): "Murray should be the bell cow for coach Mike Mularkey and his "exotic smash mouth" attack. Assuming the Titans use the NFL draft (and their No. 1 overall pick) to improve their offensive line, Murray should see a small increase in fantasy value. That doesn't mean he'll return to elite status because that's a long shot, but Murray (3.6 YPC in 2015) will be in the RB2 conversation." FULL ANALYSIS HERE.
Chris Ivory, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: "While the move improves the team's offensive attack, it's a kick in the proverbial groin to the fantasy running back position. That's because Ivory won't be a featured runner like he was in New York last season, when he ran for 1,070 yards and scored eight times while finishing eighth in fantasy points at the position. Instead, he's destined to share the workload with incumbent starter T.J. Yeldon, who also loses any chance to be the unquestioned No. 1 option in the backfield. That scenario will make it tough to trust either back as more than a potential flex starter in 2016." FULL ANALYSIS HERE.
Brock Osweiler, QB, Houston Texans: "To his credit, Osweiler averaged 16.64 fantasy points per game in the six games he started and finished in 2015. Extrapolating that to a full season (never an exact science), puts him at about the QB16-17 range with 266.3 fantasy points. So there's plenty of room to grow ... but also plenty of risk, too." FULL ANALYSIS HERE.
Ladarius Green, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers: For years, fantasy enthusiasts have been waiting for the athletic Green to get his day in the San Diego sun. But he was perpetually blocked by the great Antonio Gates. Now, Green will look for better times as a part of one of the NFL's most dynamic offenses in Pittsburgh. With Heath Miller opting for retirement, Green won't have any challengers to his tight end snaps and should see favorable matchups with Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and Le'Veon Bell occupying so much of the focus of opposing defenses. This move has the potential to make Green a top 10 fantasy tight end in 2016. - Marcas Grant
Benjamin Watson, TE, Baltimore Ravens: Watson injected his career with new life last year in New Orleans, posting career highs across the board with 74 catches for 825 yards and six touchdowns. That performance ultimately netted him a fresh two-year deal with the Ravens, where he'll likely serve as the starting tight end as the team grooms Maxx Williams and Crockett Gillmore for bigger roles later in their careers. Williams is entering his second season, and Gillmore his third, but the latter is coming off multiple shoulder procedures this offseason. Watson will be able to mentor those two while providing quarterback Joe Flacco with a nice security blanket over the middle. Flacco targeted his tight ends 118 times last season (174 if you count Kyle Juszczyk's 56 fullback targets), and with Nick Boyle serving a suspension for PEDs there will be plenty of looks to go around. Watson figures to be a low-end TE1 in 2016. - Alex Gelhar
Marvin Jones, WR, Detroit Lions: After Calvin Johnson announced his retirement earlier in the week, there was little surprise that the Lions pursued a wide receiver in free agency. They landed arguably the best option out there in snagging the former Cincinnati Bengal, but it would be a fool's errand to suggest that Jones will be an adequate replacement for Megatron all by himself. In 2015, Jones set career highs with 65 catches and 816 yards. All things considered, those would be reasonable expectations for the Cal product to post again in 2016. - MG
Travis Benjamin, WR, San Diego Chargers: After a career season in Cleveland, Benjamin moves to the sunny shores of San Diego to slide in as the Chargers' new deep threat in the wake of Malcom Floyd's retirement. Benjamin just missed out on 1,000 yards in 2015 despite inconsistency at the quarterback position. Now paired with a much better signal-caller in Philip Rivers, and having Keenan Allen and Antonio Gates to draw more attention, Benjamin could rise to the level of a low-end WR2 in 2016. - MG
Dwayne Allen, TE, Indianapolis Colts: Before free agency began, the common wisdom was that Allen would have to leave Indianapolis in order to find any real fantasy relevance. But a funny thing happened on the way to relevance. The Colts signed Allen to a four-year deal and allowed Coby Fleener to leave for New Orleans, removing one of the obstacles to Allen seeing more targets. Combine that with offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski assuring Allen that the tight end would be a bigger part of the offense and the love affair that so many of us had with the Clemson product back in 2014 is sure to be rekindled in 2016. - MG
Coby Fleener, TE, New Orleans Saints: Fleener and Allen, while great teammates, were each other's own worst fantasy enemy while splitting targets and snaps in Indianapolis. That will no longer be a problem with Fleener moving down south to the Bayou to become Drew Brees' red zone target, replacing the departed Benjamin Watson. From 2011-2015, Brees sent an average of 132.2 targets per year to his No. 1 tight end. Fleener's career high in targets is 92. If he can gel in the offense and realize more of the potential his massive frame foretells, Fleener could be a breakout candidate at the tight end position. Of course, those are a lot of "ifs," but the team didn't pay him all that money to come in and block. - AG
Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers: Did anyone really believe Gates would leave San Diego? The future Hall of Fame tight end re-upped to rekindle his bromance with Philip Rivers. Last season was a frustrating one for the veteran -- he was suspended for the first four games and missed one more with an injury. Nonetheless the soon-to-be 36-year-old figures to remain the centerpiece of San Diego's passing game, especially in the red zone. Now that Ladarius Green has departed for Pittsburgh, there is one less threat to take targets. - MG
Mohamed Sanu, WR, Atlanta Falcons: Sanu's signing is an interesting one for the Falcons. While on the surface one might think that they found their new No. 2 wide receiver and the heir apparent to Roddy White, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Sanu played almost exclusively from the slot last year, a place where the Falcons' Justin Hardy was starting to play well from last year as well. What Atlanta needed opposite Julio Jones was a field stretcher who could also do work with intermediate routes, and neither of those are ways one might describe Sanu. Per Nathan Jahnke of ProFootballFocus.com, Sanu had the fifth-lowest yards per route run in the league last year, White had the lowest. That's not exactly a big step up, especially for a player who is duplicating someone already on the roster. Fantasy fans will want to stear clear of Sanu unless we see him emerge in the preseason as a legitimate outside receiver. - AG
Brandon LaFell, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: LaFell was a mess last season, but he seemed to constantly be trying to regain his form after missing the offseason and first several games with a foot injury. The Bengals are in dire need of receiving help after losing Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones earlier in free agency, but signing LaFell isn't the solution they need. Expect the Bengals to still target a receiver early in the NFL draft. Right now, LaFell is a low-end WR4 at best, and his stock will take a hit if the Bengals do add a younger, more dynamic body to their receiving corps.- AG
Rishard Matthews, WR, Tennessee Titans: Matthews finally put his nose to the grindstone last year in Miami, and after a solid 43-662-4 stat line in 11 games, he'll now be catching passes from Marcus Mariota in Tennessee. Matthews lacks elite speed, but is an accomplished route-runner and should be a nice outside fit for Mariota to target across from Dorial Green-Beckham. At best, Matthews will be a bench filler as a WR4-5 in fantasy next year, with probably only matchup-based appeal. However, if Mariota takes the next step in his development as a passer and lifts the offense as a whole to new heights, Matthews could see his stock rise a little higher. He'll likely be fourth in the pecking order for targets though, behind Delanie Walker, DGB, and Kendall Wright. - AG
Brian Quick, WR, Los Angeles Rams: Quick seemed poised for a breakout before a near career-ending shoulder injury in 2014. Quick was never the same player in 2015, which was basically a wasted season. As a 6-foot-4, 209-pound athlete who ran a 4.55 40-yard dash, Quick for years has been an enticing size/speed prospect for the fantasy community. Some hoped a different team would take a chance on him, but alas, Quick is returning to the Rams on a one-year "prove it" deal, essentially. At just 26 years old, Quick will have plenty of time to secure a new contract (in a hopefully better passing offense) if he does indeed prove he's worth it. For now though, unless the quarterback situation changes in Los Angeles, Quick will be nothing more than a late-round prayer pick in fantasy in 2016.- AG
Marvin Jones, WR, Detroit Lions: After the retirement of longtime star Calvin Johnson, there was little surprise that the Lions were going to make a move to add a wide receiver. Enter Jones, who had a nice bounceback in 2015 after missing the entirety of the previous season with an ankle injury. It would be beyond foolish to think that a player who has yet to record 70 catches or even 900 yards in a season could be an adequate replacement for Megatron. But paired alongside Golden Tate, Jones could be a solid WR3 candidate. - MG
Chris Hogan, WR, New England Patriots: Okay ... get all of your "Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan walk into a Boston bar" jokes out of the way. It will be interesting to see how Hogan will fit into an offense that doesn't seem to have an immediate role for him. Of course, if we've learned anything from Bill Belichick's teams over the years, it's that they'll find a way. Nothing in Hogan's tenure with the Buffalo Bills suggests he's primed for fantasy stardom this season, but an upgrade in quarterbacks could put him on a few more fantasy radars as a waiver wire option in 2016. - AG
Bilal Powell & Khiry Robinson, RBs, New York Jets: The Jets backfield was non-existent a few days ago, but now it has taken shape. The team signed Matt Forte to be the featured back, brought back Bilal Powell for his change-of-pace and pass-catching abilities, and now have brought in Khiry Robinson as a likely goal line back. As good as Forte is, he's never been a beast near the goal line or in short yardage, so the Robinson signing makes sense. We'll need to see how this backup battle plays out in camp, but those looking to insure an early-round Forte pick will want to target Powell over Robinson. Powell looked like he turned the corner at the end of last year, and flatout out-played Chris Ivory over the last month-plus of the season. - AG
Mike Tolbert, FB, Carolina Panthers: Tolbert is sticking in Carolina, which is ideal for both sides. Never a fantasy name to watch, Tolbert will provide security behind the oft-brittle Jonathan Stewart. While the Panthers will likely secure another running back in the draft, Tolbert will remain a name to circle if JStew ends up missing time again in 2016. - AG
Vernon Davis, TE, Washington: Davis signing with Washington is merely a measure to backup the oft-injured Jordan Reed. Reed remains the No. 1 option in this passing attack, and Davis isn't worth any sort of fantasy investment. - AG
Stevan Ridley, RB, Detroit Lions: Ridley is likely joining Detroit in a backup role, though he could steal the role held by Joique Bell a season ago. This will be a battle to watch in the offseason but the odds are still in favor of this backfield being heavily split between Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick. - AG
Lance Dunbar, RB, Dallas Cowboys: Dunbar led all running backs with 21 receptions through three games last season, before a torn ACL landed him on the shelf. He'll be the Cowboys' main pass-catching back, and will have situational value in deeper PPR formats. - AG
Chris Thompson, RB, Washington: Pending the team adding a complete back in the draft, Thompson figures to be the lightning to Matt Jones' thunder in Washington. Like Dunbar, he'll have situational PPR value in 2016 (35 receptions in 2015). - AG
Chris Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals: CJ2K wore down badly late last season, but it's good to see him re-sign with Arizona. He'll backup David Johnson, and doesn't have fantasy value other than as a potential handcuff. - AG
Donald Brown, RB, New England Patriots: Unless you can see the future and know when Brown is inevitably going to have his four-touchdown game (because, Patriots), he doesn't have fantasy value in 2016. - AG
Khiry Robinson, RB, New York Jets: Robinson joins the backup rotation with Bilal Powell behind Matt Forte. He could become the team's goal-line specialist, but should be left to the waivers unless injuries open doors. - AG
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-- Alex Gelhar and Marcas Grant are fantasy writers/editors for NFL.com. Follow them on Twitter @AlexGelhar and @MarcasG
