2022 NFL Free Agency: Fantasy Football Impact
Following the trades of Devante Adams to the Raiders and Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, many other blockbuster trades have taken place, some even in the last few days. This includes Cleveland’s acquisition of Deshaun Watson and Matt Ryan’s trade to the Colts. Also in the last few days, the New Orleans Saints opted to re-sign Jameis Winston to a two-year deal.
QB Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts
Impact on Atlanta Falcons Offense
With Matt Ryan out in Atlanta, the Falcons will be very limited throwing the ball this season. The team has acquired Marcus Mariota from the Las Vegas Raiders, but I doubt they plan on making him a starter. They will likely be running the ball a lot more this season, perhaps even increasing Cordarelles Patterson’s already very significant role running the ball. His Twitter reaction to the Matt Ryan trade says it all:
?s=21Calvin Ridley has been suspended for the season after being caught for betting up to $1,500 on professional sports. All signs are pointing against the Falcons having a good year throwing the ball. If Atlanta hopes to be producing yardage, they are better off handing it off to Patterson in the backfield.
Impact on Indianapolis Colts Offense
Going from Carson Wentz to Matt Ryan isn’t much of an upgrade. Both players are somewhat even in my opinion with their respective strengths and weaknesses. If anything, there was more upside with Wentz simply because of his younger age and stronger athletic ability. Another issue facing the Colts is the questionable health of TY Hilton, who has been limited in back-to-back seasons.
QB Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns
There’s a lot to unpack about this trade for multiple reasons. First, we must ask ourselves how reliable Watson can be for the franchise based on his current situation off of the field. After all, Watson hasn’t played for an entire year. Nonetheless, he is a phenomenal QB who threw for 4,838 yards and 33 touchdowns for only seven picks in 2020. The second element of this trade to consider is whether or not it is an upgrade from Baker Mayfield at the position. Mayfield requested a trade but Cleveland has so far declined to do so. Since they have signed Deshahn Watson though, things might change.
Impact on Houston Texans Offense
Watson’s departure will further push the Houston Texans away from any relevance into the upcoming season. This is a team that has given away JJ Watt and DeAndre Hopkins in less than two years. It seems implied that the Texans will be using one of their early picks in the 2022 Draft on a QB. It will likely be a long time before they find a QB like Watson again.
Impact on Cleveland Browns Offense
Deshaun Watson has been in the league longer than Baker Mayfield has. He’s also produced better statistics overall than Mayfield has. However, Mayfield has learned to play with this Browns team for four seasons, and Watson would be brand new into the system as he is expected to start. The Browns plan on making Deshaun Watson their starting QB, and he represents a massive upgrade in comparison to Mayfield, who will likely be traded in the days to come. It will be interesting to see how he links up with the recently acquire Amari Cooper, who was released by the Cowboys and quickly picked up by the Browns.
WR Davante Adams to the Los Vegas Raiders
In a pretty surprising offseason move, Davante Adams left the Green Bay Packers to join the Las Vegas Raiders for the 2022 NFL season. The main reason for this was that Adams firmly opposed the Packers' decision to franchise tag their star-studded wideout. Adams wanted out of Green Bay the Raiders, the team for whom he always wanted to play for. The Raiders will now have a pass-catching offense featuring TE Darren Waller, WR Hunter Renfroe, and WR Davante Adams. With Derek Carr throwing the football, the Raiders are shaping up to be one of the strongest teams in the NFL before the season begins.
New Orleans Saints Re-Sign QB Jameis Winston to a two-year deal.
While Jameis Winston blew out his knee seven games into last season, he played very well. In fact, he produced 14 touchdowns for only three interceptions and a QBR of 102.8. Fans might remember his massive five-touchdown game in a 38-3 Week 1 blowout over the Green Bay Packers last season. Fantasy owners might consider him as a sleeper QB and an early draft pick now that he’ll be ready to start for the Saints when the season begins. Unless something changes, it looks like Gael Benson’s decision was made. I'm not totally confident that Winston can remain healthy, and I doubt many people are. But if he can stay on the field next season, I think Winston can have a surprisingly strong season for New Orleans. This will especially ring true if the Saints retain Michael Thomas, who will bring much-needed strength downfield. WR Marquez Callaway had a breakout season as well. If Winston can link up with his pass-catchers as he did in the first five games of the 2021 NFL season and remains healthy, the Saints might have a decent offense in the second season without Drew Brees, and the first without Sean Payton.
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