Although the 2024 NFL season has not officially started yet, as it will officially start on Wednesday, the free agency process officially started on Monday. This list breaks down the top moves in NFL Free Agency we have seen from a fantasy football perspective.
Fantasy Football Impact of NFL Free Agency Signings
1. Saquon Barkley to the Philadelphia Eagles for three years, $37.8M
I really think the Eagles were waiting for a huge splash in the running back market, after letting Miles Sanders walk and trading for D’Andre Swift and then letting him walk in the past two seasons. So, they went ahead and signed Saquon Barkley. This move is a great fit for Saquon, as he goes back to his “Pennsylvania roots,” having previously played for Penn State in college. Despite missing four games over his last two seasons, Barkley has maintained impressive back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns.
In those two seasons, Barkley finished as RB13 in PPR scoring in 2023, and RB5 in 2022. Saquon Barkley showed that he is still a top superstar in this league. Moreover, both Sanders and Swift delivered solid performances for the Eagles, as Sanders finished as RB15 in 2022, and Swift finished as RB20 in PPR scoring last season. In fantasy football drafts, Saquon Barkley will be one of the top players, and other than Christian McCaffrey, one of the best running backs to grab, as Barkley is better than Swift and Sanders, and outplayed them during their seasons as an Eagle.
2. Josh Jacobs to the Green Bay Packers for four years, $48M
If there were an award for the most unexpected signing, it’s this one. This Josh Jacobs signing with the Packers definitely caught people off-guard, as they were expected to grab a running back, but not of the Josh Jacobs level. Then the signing caused speculation on what would happen to Aaron Jones, who had one year left on his contract. The Packers reportedly asked Jones to take a 50% pay cut, as FlurrySports reported they would do in real-time. When he wouldn’t, they released him. Jacobs is a definite monster on the field, evidenced by three of his five seasons on the Raiders having over 1,000 rushing yards, and scoring at least six touchdowns in all five seasons as a Raider.
While there are some minor injury concerns with Jacobs, with only one season without missing a game, his on-field performances speak volumes. In the three seasons where he has played at least 14 games, Jacobs has never finished lower than RB12 in PPR scoring. If the season started now, Josh Jacobs would arguably be ranked as a top-three running back, simply due to running back depth. However, with the Packers likely grabbing another running back via free agency or drafting, it will depend on their caliber where Jacobs will rank. Currently, I would put Jacobs as a fringe top-five RB, but let’s see where the rest of the offseason will take us.
3. Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons for four years, $180M
The Falcons’ acquisition of Kirk Cousins addressed a glaring need, especially considering their recent focus on drafting offensive talents. Despite drafting Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson in the first round in the past three years, the offense struggled with quarterbacks Desmond Ridder, Marcus Mariota and Taylor Heinicke. Now, Cousins is coming off an Achilles’ injury, but he was the best free agent quarterback available.
Over the last four seasons, Cousins has averaged two touchdowns per game in three of those seasons and averaged 263 passing yards per game in all four seasons. Although he does lose out on playing with Justin Jefferson, this was the closest to a fantasy (pun intended) destination could be for a free agent quarterback.
In terms of early fantasy football draft rankings, with Kirk Cousins finishing between QB7 and QB11 from 2020-22, that seven through 11th range is currently where I am currently ranking Cousins in fantasy football drafts.
4. Russell Wilson to the Pittsburgh Steelers for one year, $1.2M
Although this technically happened late Sunday night, Russell Wilson’s signing needed to be on this list. You need to have a quarterback to play in this league, and the Steelers were in a predicament, as they have a struggling Kenny Pickett and let Mason Rudolph walk. The Steelers are also transitioning offensive coordinators, as they went from Matt Canada to Arthur Smith, which is an upgrade.
Russell Wilson’s journey with the Broncos was a whirlwind of all sorts, but he is still a starting-caliber quarterback. In two of his last three seasons, he recorded 25 passing touchdowns and single-digit interceptions. Additionally, Wilson has a lot of offensive weapons, including Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth and Diontae Johnson.
Russell Wilson should be one of the last quarterbacks you take in standard 10-12 team leagues in drafts or an enticing streaming option on waivers.
5. Zack Moss to the Cincinnati Bengals for two years, $8M
This was a last-minute addition to the Day 1 NFL Free Agency board, and I know it’s already going to raise eyebrows. Why Zack Moss in the fifth spot? Just like how the Packers released Aaron Jones, the Bengals traded Joe Mixon as a corresponding move to signing Moss. This makes Moss or Chase Brown a prime candidate to be the Bengals RB1. As of now, I think Moss will be the RB1, and Chase Brown’s explosiveness will make for a great RBBC (running back by committee), and a one-two punch.
Heading into the 2023 season, Moss did not have that many opportunities to show what he could do as a starter, even with scoring five total touchdowns in his 2020 and 2021 season on the Bills. However, he had a standout performance in Weeks 2-5 of last season during Jonathan Taylor’s absence, as he was RB4 in PPR scoring during that span.
I know RBBC is the word that will make fantasy football owners shudder, but Moss is already reaching “sleeper range” and is someone to target as a potential RB2. If that short stint he had from Weeks 2-5 showed anything, where in that span he had the most rushing attempts and the second-most rushing yards, it will be a great time if you draft him!
Stay tuned for more free agency news and articles and how it will impact fantasy football on FlurrySports!
