The Dynasty Fantasy Football Impact of D’Andre Swift signing with Chicago
There was a time not so long ago when D’Andre Swift was one of the most coveted running backs in all of fantasy football. After all, he had the pedigree, production, and draft capital that should have made him a star. Unfortunately, things just didn’t work out in Detroit and while he had a great first season in Philadelphia last year, Swift was able to hit free agency and signed with the Chicago Bears right after the bell rang. It’s a signing that has a lot of significance in dynasty leagues, so let’s take a look at the players whose values have changed.
D’Andre Swift, RB CHI
The 25-year old Swift’s career has just been weird, to say the least. He was drafted by the Lions in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft and seemed destined for stardom. At one point, he was actually a top-5 dynasty running back. Unfortunately, Detroit just never gave him the opportunity to fulfill his potential. The Lions routinely used Swift with Jamaal Williams for most of his time there and while that worked in real-life, it was a nightmare in fantasy football. In his three years with the Lions, Swift never had more than 151 carries and his best rushing year yielded just 617 rushing yards. While he had a nose for the end zone (25 touchdowns in his three years with the Lions), it just never clicked.
When Detroit shockingly drafted Jahmyr Gibbs last season, they decided to move on from Swift and quickly traded him to the Eagles. He flourished there last year and recorded his best season as a pro, posting 1,049 rushing yards (4.6 yards per carry), with 39 catches for another 214 yards and six total touchdowns. In short, we finally starting seeing just what he could do.
With the Eagles moving in a different direction (more on that later), Swift was able to hit free agency and unsurprisingly found a pretty hot market. In the end, he signed with Chicago on a three year, $24.5 million contract. It’s a curious landing spot for Swift, who will now need to contend with the likes of Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson for carries. While he’s certainly going to be the favorite for touches, Johnson and Herbert have both proven to be more than capable, making this signing look like one that’s again better in real life than in dynasty leagues, It seems likely Swift will get most of the work but he’s clearly not going to be someone who is relied upon to be a workhorse for the Bears. In short, he is currently our RB16 but his ranking may slip a bit with this landing spot. Dynasty managers were likely hoping he would end up with a team featuring a depth chart with a little less talent, like Houston.
Khalil Herbert, RB CHI
Ugh. Herbert has been really effective during his tenure in Chicago. Unfortunately, he’s just never been given the keys to the castle for a period long enough to establish himself as a true workhorse. With Swift now in town, that’s going to continue to be the case. His ADP was all the way up to 80 at one point but this one is going to hurt. While his career 1,775 rushing yards (on 4.9 yards per carry) is impressive, its just come in spurts. He’s under contract for one more season and could be a low-key, high-ceiling type of player in free agency next year but dynasty managers don’t really care much about that at the moment. His opportunities are again going to be limited with Swift in town. While he’s not going to be phased out of the offense, his chance at being a weekly staple in dynasty leagues is all but gone at the moment. Expect his ADP to plunge with this news.
Roschon Johnson, RB CHI
And now it really hurts. Johnson was a hot dynasty rookie pick last year and many believed he would eventually beat out Herbert for the top spot. While he showed some flashes last season, the Bears have clearly decided to go in a different direction and the chance of Johnson emerging next season are all but gone. It’s unfortunate because he posted a solid 352 rushing yards and caught 34 passes in limited action during his rookie campaign, showing some burst and elusiveness along the way. Johnson’s ADP climbed all the way inside the top-100 but this news is just going to crush that. It’s likely the Bears let Herbert walk after this season and Johnson should slot in as the backup next year. However, that’s a season away and it looks like Johnson is going to be not one, but likely two injuries away from real relevance at the moment. Yuck.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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