Fantasy News & Analysis

Top remaining free agents for fantasy football purposes

The first wave of NFL free agency is wrapping up, but there are still a few unsigned players who could have fantasy football relevance in 2020 and beyond. Here’s who we still have our eye on for fantasy football purposes. 

Melvin Gordon

Arguably the biggest name on the list, Gordon is still out there and has seen Todd Gurley get released and almost immediately scooped up by the Falcons. Heading into free agency, Atlanta was pegged as one of the top landing spots for Gordon, along with the Houston Texans. Both of those spots are now out of the mix, with Gurley and David Johnson in place, so that leaves Buffalo and Miami as possible destinations. Believe it or not, the Miami Dolphins might be the better landing spot for Gordon’s fantasy value. While the Dolphins are certainly a worse offense than the Bills, Gordon would step into what’s essentially an empty depth chart as opposed to having to compete for touches with Devin Singletary.

Jameis Winston

A few years ago, it would have been unthinkable for a quarterback to throw for over 5,000 yards and not be re-signed by his team, especially if said quarterback is entering his age-26 season. But this is the new reality in today’s NFL. And what’s worse is that there are very few remaining landing spots where Winston can step in and start in 2020. I broke this down on the PFF Fantasy Podcast, but the CliffsNotes version is that New England is really the only feasible team without a viable starter or a quarterback competition heading into next season. There’s a very good chance that last year’s No. 5 fantasy quarterback starts 2020 in a backup role.

Robby Anderson

This year’s free agency receiver crop isn’t one of the best we’ve seen, but Anderson has the most fantasy appeal of the bunch. Unlike Emmanuel Sanders, Anderson is still young — he'll be just 27 years old when the season starts. Of course, he was far from the most consistent fantasy option in his time with the New York Jets, but Anderson did display a high ceiling. His best-case fantasy scenario is landing in a situation where he can be a complimentary No. 2 option in a potent offense. In terms of teams in need of that type of player, Green Bay really stands out. Pairing up with Aaron Rodgers would certainly be a good thing for Anderson’s fantasy stock.

Emmanuel Sanders

As I just mentioned, Sanders is no spring chicken. The veteran wideout is heading into his age-33 season. That’s the point where we often see receivers fall off a cliff in terms of fantasy production. While Sanders was able to string together a few decent fantasy performances after being traded to the San Francisco 49ers last season, we did see very real signs of decline. Dallas has been rumored as a potential landing spot for Sanders, but it’s tough to envision him having much fantasy value in 2020 regardless of where he signs.

Breshad Perriman

I told you it was a weak crop. Perriman makes the list despite really only having one month of production in his four-year NFL career. But it was an impressive month. In that span of five games last December, Perriman racked up 25 catches, which accounts for 26% of his career receptions. He also found the end zone five times and ranked third among wide receivers in fantasy points scored. To be clear, that’s not to say he’ll even come close to replicating these numbers going forward, but the key here is that we at least know Perriman is capable of this sort of production. In terms of landing spots, Philadelphia stands out as a team that could use a bigger-bodied receiver who can make plays downfield.

Eric Ebron

Following a disappointing first four seasons in the NFL, Ebron took the fantasy world by surprise with the Indianapolis Colts in 2018. He ended up leading all tight ends with 13 touchdowns (thanks to a massive 18 end zone targets) and finished fourth at the position in fantasy scoring. Injuries and Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement hampered Ebron’s production last season, and he finished the year with just three scores and 31 catches. There’s no reason to view 2018 as anything more than an outlier season, but Ebron could certainly be a streamer or better in the right landing spot. Unfortunately, the current market suggests Ebron won’t land in an ideal situation. 

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