How will Free Agency Affect Your 2008 Season?

Free-agency news has been rolling in for several days now – there have been big changes and little changes, but which of them really matters from a fantasy football standpoint? Read on for my Free Agency’s Top Five Impacts on Fantasy Football (so far!), listed in no particular order.

1. Bernard Berrian signed with the Minnesota Vikings. While the Vikings are in need of a top WR for up-and-coming Tarvaris Jackson, I’m not convinced that Berrian is actually going to be able to fill that role. He’ll be a solid receiver, likely performing more successfully in Minnesota than he did in Chicago…but I think this is bigger news for the Bears. So let’s review here – the Bears have lost Muhsin Muhammed to the Panthers and Berrian to the Vikings. Neither one may have been a powerhouse for the Bears in 2007, but who on earth is Rex (or Orton) going to throw the ball to now? Most of the remaining free agent options are not exactly impressive and don’t try and tell me that Devin Hester is really ready to step up as the #1 receiver this year. The Bears have two decent TEs in Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark, but how are the Bears possibly planning on pulling this off? There’s hardly an excellent running game to fall back on, which only makes the situation more perilous. Fantasy Impact: I like Tarvaris Jackson – better than I like any Chicago QB – especially when he has the almighty A.P.’s running game to lead the team…so it might be a little bold, but I think Berrian’s stock should go up a bit now that he’s moved on over to the Vikings. This also decreases Rex’s value until we know who Chicago’s receivers are going to be – but please tell me you weren’t actually planning on drafting Rex as your QB1 anyway.

2. Josh Brown is headed to St. Louis. The fairly stellar kicker is moving from Seattle to division rival St. Louis, which means he now gets to show off his leg skills in a dome. He also becomes the highest paid kicker in the league. Fantasy impact: This shift to a dome makes Brown even more desirable than he was before. Need another reason to really like Brown in 2008? The Rams offense is decent (when SJax is healthy) but not great – that’s right in the kicking sweet spot that could allow Brown plenty of field goal opportunities.

3. Alan Faneca signed with the NY Jets. Faneca has been eager to leave the Steelers since last spring and now his time has come. He’ll be a nice addition for the Jets by filling what NFL.com referred to as “New York’s most gaping need” – his much-needed path-clearing for the running game. Fantasy Impact: The acquisition of Faneca will be a blessing for Thomas Jones and any other running back the Jets pick up in the off-season. I imagine this could help Jones get more than his meager one rushing TD in 2007. Could he be looking at a double digit TD season even? This might be exactly what Jones needs to become worthy enough of being drafted as a high RB2.

4. John Lynch stays in Denver. In an extremely last minute decision, Lynch decided to stay with the Broncos rather than become a free agent. He’s a big leader on an already struggling defense – the defense can and will be great again eventually, but losing Lynch certainly could have slowed that process down significantly. Fantasy Impact: Those of you who read my blog know that I live in Colorado and am big on the Broncos – so I know my Broncos fandom is probably prejudicing me here, but I think the Broncos defense benefits greatly from Lynch sticking around for another year.

5. Donte Stallworth moves to Cleveland. Stallworth is on a bit of a merry-go-round here and his next stop is with the Cleveland Browns. He’ll be leaving the Pats to join Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Joe Jurevicius as Derek Anderson’s main targets. Side note: the Browns are working hard to get things done in free agency since they don’t have a pick in the NFL Draft until Round 4. Fantasy Impact: Biggest winner in my book is Derek Anderson – another quality receiver only increases Anderson’s fantasy value. Stallworth is a definite upgrade over Joe Jurevicius and will be a nice complement to stud WR Edwards. Jurevicius’s stock may fall a bit (are you really drafting him anyway?) but I imagine this won’t have a major impact on Edwards. Edwards may lose a few receptions to Stallworth, but more than anything, the threat of Stallworth’s presence for opposing Ds will be a boon for Edwards.