The 2024 NFL free agency season is in full swing and plenty of top players have been on the move so far. That means we have some players moving to better situations while others are now likely to see less work than was possible just a day ago. We’ll go through the winners and loser from these moves for fantasy football below here.
Winners
Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles
Barkley goes from one of the worst run blocking o-lines to one of the best and is now set up for a huge season if he can stay healthy. In 2023, the Barkley ranked third-worst in percentage of times he was hit behind the line of scrimmage, while the Eagles D’Andre Swift had the lowest percentage of times he was hit behind the line of scrimmage. It should be a whole new world for Barkley.
Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson — Falcons skill players
Kirk Cousins may not be Patrick Mahomes when it comes to winning in the playoffs, but he can help his offensive skill players, especially when they’ve had bad QB play the last few seasons. WR Drake London likely gets the biggest boost, as he will be the No. 1 target with a good QB and the Rams offensive scheme that has led to big years for pass catchers. The good news is that all the skill position players should get a bump with a better overall offense.
Derrick Henry, RB, Ravens
This marriage took a while to happen, but seemed inevitable. Henry, who has been a workhorse back for as long as we’ve known him, will get his shot with a great running team in Baltimore. Yes, at some point he will break down, but it didn’t happen in 2023 with a poor offensive line and stacked boxes, so there is a real chance he can give us another good fantasy season on a team with a good offensive line and MVP quarterback keeping the defensive boxes much lighter.
Josh Jacobs, RB, Packers
Jacobs was the no-doubt RB1 in Las Vegas and saw enough work to be considered a top running back in fantasy before landing in Green Bay, but he does get a step up due to the Packers being a better team with a better quarterback. If Aaron Jones had stuck around this would be different, but the Packers let Jones go and Jacobs should be the every down back in a strong offense that should only get better as their young wide receivers get more work under their belt.
Devin Singletary, RB, Giants
Singletary was able to win out as the lead back in Houston over Dameon Pierce last season and now will head to the Giants to replace Saquon Barkley. We can’t expect a huge year for Singletary in fantasy, but he won’t have as much competition and should be a usable fantasy piece as long as strong competition isn’t added at some point in the off-season.
Anthony Richardson, QB, Colts
Richardson still needs to grow as a passer and the Colts re-signing their No. 1 WR Michael Pittman was imperative. I expect they will go after another wide receiver in the draft, but this was a move they needed to get done and did.
Losers
Justin Fields, QB, Bears
All signs point toward the Bears drafting Caleb Williams first overall and sending Justin Fields off to another team and that has been reinforced by the fact nobody seems to want him starting for their team. At this point the Vikings and Broncos are the teams most in need of a quarterback, but there have been no reports of interest in Fields. We know his upside in fantasy is great, but at this point it would be a surprise to see him under center in Week 1 of the 2024 season.
Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, RBs, Titans
Pollard goes from a big workload in Dallas to likely splitting time with Spears. And Spears goes from possibly being the lead back after Derrick Henry left to once again being the backup. Pollard should be the lead back, but snap counts and touches are likely to be fluid. It’s a tough situation behind a poor offensive line.
D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, RBs, Bears
Swift had around 260 touches last season with the Eagles and could see the same amount in Chicago, but he will have competition and a downgrade in offensive line play. Khalil Herbert, Swift’s likely backup, has played well when healthy and should be able to siphon snaps, while Roschon Johnson at least has some chance of cutting into his receiving work.
Ty Johnson, RB, Vikings
Johnson got a taste of the lead back job toward the end of last season, but it was not to be this season, as the team signed Aaron Jones after the Packers swapped him out for Josh Jacobs. Johnson still has some appeal for fantasy, as Jones is closing in on 30 years old and missed a good chunk of games last year with a hamstring injury.