NFL free agency, which officially begins Wednesday, is essentially already underway. Players can re-sign with their current teams and the “legal tampering” period begins Monday afternoon. Player movement will have a profound impact on the NFL landscape in 2022 and, of course, in the world of fantasy football. SI Fantasy senior analyst Michael Fabiano will keep track of all the signings that will have a fantasy impact, and he’ll detail it here.
Monday, March 14
Jaguars sign TE Evan Engram (One year, $9 million)
Engram is hoping a change of scenery will do him well, signing with the Jaguars. Once a high-end No. 1 fantasy tight end, his fantasy points per game average has declined in three straight seasons. He'll also be playing in an offense that has Marvin Jones Jr., Laviska Shenault and newly-signed, $72 million wideout Christian Kirk.
That's a lot of mouths to feed, and I didn't even mention fellow tight end Dan Arnold who had 52 targets a season ago. While Engram is good for Trevor Lawrence in terms of his offensive weapons, it won't improve his value. He'll remain a fantasy backup.
Dolphins sign QB Teddy Bridgewater (One year)
Bridgewater, a viable No. 2 fantasy quarterback in recent seasons, will now be a backup in Miami behind Tua Tagovailoa. In that role, he'll have zero fantasy appeal in redrafts. In fact, Teddy Two Gloves would need Tua to get benched or get hurt to have any value.
Dolphins sign WR Cedrick Wilson (Three years, $22.8 million)
Wilson was able to make a slight fantasy impact for the Cowboys last season due to injuries, but he'll be hard pressed to make much noise in Miami. At this point, he'll be no more than the fourth option in the passing game behind Jaylen Waddle, DeVante Parker and Mike Gesicki. In fact, Wilson won't be selected in most redraft leagues.
Colts re-sign TE Mo Alie-Cox (Three years, $18 million)
The Colts will retain Alie-Cox, who scored a career-best four touchdowns last season. He could see a bigger role in the offense after the retirement of Jack Doyle, but I still expect the team to add a veteran tight end or a rookie in the NFL draft. At this point, Alie-Cox would be worth no more than a late-round flier in most fantasy drafts.
Jaguars sign WR Christian Kirk (Four years, $72 million)
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, the Jaguars have signed Kirk to a massive (and debatable) contract. He joins G Brandon Scherff, DT Foley Fatukasi and LB Foye Oluokun in what has been a very busy day for the team.
Kirk, of course, is the big fantasy addition.
The veteran wideout is coming off a season with career highs in catches (77), yards (982) and fantasy points (207.6). That was good enough to finish 26th in points at the position. His fantasy stock in Jacksonville doesn’t see much movement at this point, even with the assumption that D.J. Chark won't return. The Jags also still have Marvin Jones Jr. and Laviska Shenault on the roster, so it could be a crowded group.
Kirk’s stock will also depend on the development and improvement of Trevor Lawrence, who is coming off what has to be described as a disappointing rookie season. That was under former coach Urban Meyer though, so a change to Doug Pederson could be good for what ailed the talented signal-caller and his ineffective offensive attack in 2021.
For now, I’d rank Kirk as a No. 3 or 4 fantasy wideout. The addition of Kirk, improving the offensive line and getting Travis Etienne back from injury will no doubt put Lawrence, in a better position to find success as a late-round draft choice.
Steelers sign QB Mitchell Trubisky (two years)
The Steelers now have their new starting quarterback for 2022, signing Trubisky to a two-year deal. The former first-round pick of the Chicago Bears will likely compete with Mason Rudolph for the job in camp, but I think Trubisky will be the favorite.
This move doesn't mean the Steelers can't still target a quarterback in the draft (Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis), but my money would be on Trubisky being under center in 2022.
Trubisky has had some success in his NFL career from a fantasy perspective, finishing 15th in points among quarterbacks back in 2018. During that season, he averaged 18.8 points per game. By comparison, Kirk Cousins averaged 18.7 points per contest last season and finished as the No. 13 quarterback based on fantasy points overall.
I do see Trubisky as an upgrade over Rudolph, so I'm also feeling better about Dionte Johnson as a high-end No. 2 wideout. I also see Chase Claypool as a bit more attractive as a potential No. 3 fantasy wideout or flex. Remember, Allen Robinson was a top-10 fantasy wideout for a good portion of 2019-2020 with Trubisky under center.
As for the UNC product, he'll be a low-end No. 2 fantasy quarterback who won't be selected in most smaller leagues but is a lock to be picked in super flex formats.
Dolphins sign RB Chase Edmonds (two years, $12.6 million)
The Dolphins have signed Edmonds, who is coming off a career-best fantasy season with an average of 11.9 points per game. He did that in 12 contests while losing work to James Conner, and chances are pretty good he'll remain in a backfield committee in South Florida. With Phillip Lindsay, Duke Johnson and Salvon Ahmed slated to be free agents, Edmonds will likely compete with Myles Gaskin for touches in 2022.
Edmonds will no doubt see plenty of chances as a pass catcher under new coach Mike McDaniel, and he could even see a few more red-zone opportunities. As a result, I see this as a positive move for his fantasy value. Expect Edmonds to be on the flex radar.
MORE: Fantasy impact of Cardinals re-signing James Conner
Sunday, March 13
Cardinals re-sign TE Zach Ertz (three years, $31.65 million)
The Cardinals locked up their pass-catching tight end, landing Ertz after a successful run with the team since being traded from Philadelphia last season. In 10 active games in Arizona, he tied former teammate Dallas Goedert for the fourth-most fantasy points among tight ends on the strength of his 71 targets, 49 catches and 490 receiving yards.
Of course, Ertz did a lot of his damage while DeAndre Hopkins was out of action. The good news for his 2022 value is that A.J. Green and Christian Kirk are both free agents, and chances are one or both will not be back with the Cardinals. As it stands, I like Ertz as a borderline No. 1 fantasy option at his position entering his age-31 NFL season.
Cowboys re-sign WR Michael Gallup (five years, $62.5 million)
One day after the Cowboys traded Amari Cooper to the Browns, the team re-signed Gallup. It’s certainly a deal that will make Dallas fans (like myself) wonder what the team is doing, as Gallup is coming off a torn ACL and has been inconsistent in the stat sheets. In fact, his yards-per-catch average and touchdowns have declined in each of the last three seasons. Still, Gallup’s fantasy stock rises with Cooper out of the mix.
In fact, he could become as much as a borderline No. 2 or 3 fantasy wideout if there are no setbacks in his knee rehabilitation. At worst, he’ll be the third option in what has been a prolific passing game behind CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz (or even second in a best-case). Don’t be surprised if Gallup is on the same fantasy level as Cooper in 2022.
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Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business!
