Making a List: Please Don’t Go

Ryan McDowell Posted On March 7, 2015

cobb

I’m a list guy. I make “to do” lists, follow “honey do” lists, and will take time to read a top ten list of almost anything. This series of articles will bring you a top five ranking about a myriad of topics in the world of dynasty football.

As we near the NFL off-season, there are many important topics to consider as we build dynasty teams, including the NFL Draft, trades and cap casualties and even off-field concerns. Potentially the most important though is NFL free agency. Once an afterthought, we now see more and more players switching teams each off-season. This brings an increased excitement level to us all as both NFL fans and dynasty players, but not every move is a good one when it comes to fantasy football potential. The players on today’s list are soon to become unrestricted free agents, meaning they are nearly in complete control of where they play in 2015.

Sometimes I root for players to change teams just for the sake of change or to add some excitement to the NFL off-season. In the case of these players though, staying with their current team is likely the best option for their fantasy prospects. Any of these players opting to sign with a new team could result in a drop in their dynasty value, so guys…please don’t go!

Randall Cobb, WR GB

With the top free agent receivers like Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas receiving their team’s Franchise Tag designation, that leaves Packer Randall Cobb as the top available free agent pass catcher, according to most. Cobb is coming off his best season as a pro and rumors are swirling about which teams might make a run at his services.

While I am an admitted Cobb fan and a little bit biased, I think Cobb will be a solid fantasy producer no matter where he lands. With that said, there’s no better place for a pass catcher in the NFL than alongside Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Yes, Cobb has to share the ball with Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams, but that is still a superior option to playing for a talent depraved team like Oakland, who has been rumored to target Cobb next week when free agency officially kicks off. For the sake of all of our dynasty teams, let’s hope Cobb stays with the Pack.

Jeremy Maclin, WR PHI

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Another wide receiver entering free agency following the best year of his career is Jeremy Maclin. Maclin has been one of the more hyped players since his NFL career began and that hyped looked like it was finally going to play itself out in 2013 when Chip Kelly arrived as Eagles’ head coach. Unfortunately, Maclin suffered a torn ACL and missed the entire season. That obviously hurt his value as the 2014 season came near, which led to a huge breakout season for Maclin, his first over 1,000 yards receiving. He also tied a career high with ten touchdowns.

We’ve all seen what Kelly can do for offensive skill players in his two years in the league, along with his time at Oregon. With LeSean McCoy shipped out of town earlier this week, it seems that retaining Maclin would be even more of a priority for Kelly and the Eagles, but they have been tough to predict. We’re not even sure who will be playing quarterback for the team, but sticking with the Eagles is certainly best for Maclin and his dynasty value.

Julius Thomas, TE DEN

Unfortunately, I think we all know how this one will play out. As we all expected, the Denver Broncos chose to place the Franchise Tag on wide receiver Demaryius Thomas rather than tight end Julius Thomas, which likely means the end of the latter’s career in the Mile High City. After two seasons of barely stepping on the field, the arrival of Peyton Manning in Denver coincided with the breakout of Thomas, who has a dozen touchdowns in each of the past two seasons.

I’ve seen Jacksonville rumored as a possible destination for Thomas, and while I could see his targets and receptions increasing, it’s the inevitable decrease in red zone looks that will hurt his long-term value. Unless he lands in Atlanta or Green Bay, both lacking a quality tight end, Thomas is in for a massive drop in value, and likely fantasy production as well.

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB IND

This is a situation to monitor, even though veteran running back Ahmad Bradshaw is not one of the hot names in the free agency market. When he’s been on the field in the past two seasons with Indianapolis, he’s been one of the biggest surprises in fantasy leagues, considering most had already given up on him. In 2014, Bradshaw suffered a broken leg in Week 11, but in the season’s first nine weeks (the Colts were on bye in Week 10) Bradshaw was the RB5 in PPR leagues. Yes, that’s correct, RB5. At the time, he was just behind Le’Veon Bell and was carrying owners to some wins, based on his six receiving touchdowns, which doubled his previous career total.

The Colts still have a need at the position, even though Dan Herron took over for Bradshaw with his own surprising performance. I don’t think the Colts, or anyone else, sees Herron as the Colts’ starter in 2015 and with Trent Richardson rumored to be released, the team has a hole to fill. Bradshaw is not likely to be in demand by any team, especially considering how long it took for the Colts to give him a shot back in 2013. Really the only chance Bradshaw has for retaining some fantasy value is a return to Indianapolis.

Mark Sanchez, QB PHI

With his background and considering he’s been the butt (fumble) of many jokes, you wouldn’t think we’d be discussing Mark Sanchez as a player who is in demand with free agency nearly upon us, but a couple of factors do just that. First is the lack of quality quarterbacks available via free agency and the draft. I’ve already mentioned teams overspending for average talents like McCown and Cassel, so imagine what a team could be willing to spend for a player who has actually won some big playoff games. The second factor that has increased Sanchez’ value is simply his play on the field in 2014. Sanchez took over for an injured Nick Foles in Week 9 last season and from that point forward, was the QB9 and routinely put up 20+ fantasy points per game.

When Rex Ryan was announced as the new coach of the Buffalo Bills, the dots were quickly connected between he and Sanchez, but that talk has died down in recent weeks, especially now with their recent acquisition of Cassel. If Sanchez stays with the Eagles, he’ll likely have to battle Foles for the starting job, but if he wins that gig, he is a borderline weekly fantasy starter in the Kelly offense, while the alternative could be having a starting job handed to him with a terrible team.

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Ryan McDowell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his senior leadership role here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and PE teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the Kitchen Sink Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value.