Free agency is 72 hours old at this point, and we’ve already seen over a hundred signings. There have been plenty of interesting moves, whether good or bad. Below are my five favorite signings to this point of the week. It doesn’t mean that I think these are the “best” signings, but they are my favorite ones. Below is one QB, one RB, two WRs, and one TE.
Washington signed QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (1 year, $10 million)
The Football Team made a run at Matthew Stafford before he was dealt to the Rams. Beyond that, Washington wasn’t left with many other options outside of a swing at Deshaun Watson, but the Texans have yet to make him available. Signing Fitzpatrick was the next-best scenario since Washington doesn’t pick until No. 19 overall in next month’s draft. That keeps them out of the lottery picks where the elite quarterbacks will go. Fitzpatrick is one of the most fun quarterbacks in the sport and represents an aggressive upgrade on vanilla Alex Smith. Unlike wet noodle-armed Smith, Fitzpatrick is capable of delivering the ball down the field to his cast of playmakers. Terry McLaurin is in an especially good position to benefit from the move to Fitzpatrick. In previous stops, Fitzpatrick has shown a willingness to pepper his No. 1 receiver relentlessly, whether it was DeVante Parker, Mike Evans, or Brandon Marshall. This is still a defensive-minded team under coach Ron Rivera, but Fitzpatrick will make this offense all the more watchable and reliable for fantasy. McLaurin has top-10 WR1 upside.
Broncos signed RB Mike Boone (2 years, $2.6 million)
In signing Boone, the Broncos rescinded their tender to restricted free agent Phillip Lindsay. Boone will now replace Lindsay next to Melvin Gordon as the 1B to Gordon’s 1A, assuming the Broncos don’t do anything else notable at the position between now and draft weekend. 26 years old in June, 5’10/206 Boone is an explosive athlete who has shined in previous preseason exhibitions and in spot starts with Minnesota last season. On 71 career rushing attempts, Boone has averaged a robust 5.3 YPC with four touchdowns. He’s also shown an ability to catch the ball. Boone played for current Broncos OC Pat Shurmur when the two were together with the Vikings, so he knows the offense already. Gordon turns 28 next month and has missed 14 games in his six-year career. Boone is already shaping up as a nice late-round fantasy flier.
Jets signed WR Corey Davis (3 years, $37.5 million)
The first domino to fall in the free-agent wideout market, Davis cashed in before the money dried up at the position, leaving Kenny Golladay and Will Fuller unsigned to this point. Davis is 26 and coming off a career year with Ryan Tannehill under center, posting 65-984-5 on 92 targets, averaging a career high 15.1 yards per catch. A longtime detector of elite play, Davis was fifth among all wideouts in Pro Football Focus’ yards per route, trailing only Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, and Julio Jones. Davis is a late bloomer as a former No. 5 overall pick, but he’s going to be the No. 1 in New York and will be catching passes from a No. 2 overall pick when the Jets decide on who replaces Sam Darnold. Davis has WR2 upside.
Washington signed WR Curtis Samuel (3 years, $34.5 million)
This one made too much sense from the start, as long as Samuel was allowed to leave Carolina. In Washington, Samuel has history with coach Ron Rivera, OC Scott Turner, and VP of player personnel Marty Hurney from their time together with the Panthers. In his time with Carolina, Samuel was catching passes from a broken Cam Newton, ineffective Kyle Allen, and popgun-armed Teddy Bridgewater. In Washington, he slides in as Terry McLaurin’s sidekick and will catch passes from aggressive Ryan Fitzpatrick. Samuel has already shown he can be a deep threat with 4.31 speed, turn short passes into big gains as a playmaker near the line of scrimmage, and be effective as a chess piece out of the backfield. Samuel has top-25 upside.
Seahawks signed TE Gerald Everett (1 year, $6 million)
Everett’s market never heated up — at least through the media — and he settled for the one-year pact after Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith signed big-money, multi-year deals in New England. Everett turns 27 this summer and was coach Sean McVay’s first pick as Rams coach back in 2017 at No. 44 overall. Everett is a plus-plus athlete but shared time with Tyler Higbee in L.A. In Seattle, Greg Olsen retired and Jacob Hollister remains a free agent. The two leave behind 77 targets at tight end. Everett will join Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson to round out Seattle’s tight end unit. Everett has the most upside and has killed Seattle in the past with the division-rival Rams. Everett knows new OC Shane Waldron after Waldron was plucked from the Rams’ staff this offseason. Russell Wilson is a huge fan of hitting his tight ends in the red zone and scoring area. Seahawks TEs were targeted 23 times in the red zone last season, scoring six touchdowns. In 2019, Seattle TEs turned 17 red-zone targets into eight touchdowns. Tight end is always the thinnest position in fantasy; Everett will be on the radar as a late-round pick.
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