The NFL Free Agency market opens up on March 10. It should be an extremely active time for many teams to do some sprucing of their rosters by taking advantage of certain players who either test the free agency, or become trade options for their NFL teams.
With that said, here are five fantasy football players who would benefit changing teams in 2015.
1. C.J. Spiller, Running Back, Buffalo Bills to the New York Jets
Over his past five years in Buffalo, Spiller, an impending free agent, has been among a crowded field of running back competition. That is not going to change in 2015. Besides his awesome 2012 season when fellow running back Fred Jackson missed time due to injury, Spiller really has not been a reliable fantasy option.
A move down-state to the Jets could be a happy landing spot for Spiller. The Chris Johnson experiment failed and he was sent packing earlier this month. As for Chris Ivory, he has not been effective in actually scoring touchdowns for the Jets. Spiller’s speed and the fact he has averaged 5.0 yards per carry over the past five years could be just what the Jets need to enhance their running game. His fantasy appeal as a potential lead back for a run-heavy team would add him back into relevancy in 2015.
2. Mark Ingram, Running Back, New Orleans Saints to the Tennessee Titans
Ingram is coming off his best fantasy season four years with the Saints. However, major salary cap issues in New Orleans could force the team to let some of their free agents test the market next month. Posting 964 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, Ingram rewarded fantasy owners very generously in 2014. Note that Ingram’s numbers resulted from a pass-heavy offense.
Imagine Ingram on a team in 2015 who works a run-heavy offense like the Titans. When Chris Johnson (mentioned above) was with the Titans, he averaged 1,327 yards per season over his six-year tenure, rewarding generous fantasy points along the way. Since the Titans’ second-year running back Bishop Sankey never really got out of the starting gate last year, and veteran Shonn Greene is on borrowed time, Ingram would make an awesome fit for the run-happy Titans and an even better fantasy prospect this year.
3. Hakeem Nicks, Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts to the Oakland Raiders
Nicks’ 2014 debut in Indianapolis was extremely uneventful to say the least. With an underwhelming 405 receiving yards and four touchdowns, Nicks was not even a fantasy option last year. Likely to be released to test the free agency, Nicks, who showed splashes of his former self in the Colts’ playoffs would make a great asset to a receiver-needy team like the Oakland Raiders.
Think quickly; can we even name one of the Raiders’ wide receivers off the top of our heads? Nicks, at just 27-years-old certainly could help up-and-coming quarterback Derek Carr out tremendously. He’s got great hands and was quite effective back in the earlier years of his career with the New York Giants. If Nicks did make a move to California to help a Raiders’ offense who appears to be on the upswing, he might actually be worth drafting in 2015 as a WR3/flex option.
4. Cecil Shorts, Wide Receiver, Jacksonville Jaguars to the Carolina Panthers
Shorts could be a promising fantasy football receiver if only he had the opportunity to work with an improved quarterback and offense. Fortunately for him he could become a free agent come March 10. The Carolina Panthers have their stud second-year receiver Kelvin Benjamin, however, he was already drawing double coverage last year and could use a little relief in the backfield.
Shorts drew over 100 targets during his past three years working under a hodge-podge of Jaguars’ quarterbacks. Working under Newton and alongside Benjamin could be a positive switch for Shorts, making him somewhat more of an appealing fantasy prospect moving into 2015.
5. Julius Thomas, Tight End, Denver Broncos to the Atlanta Falcons
Thomas is most likely on his way out of Denver for 2015, hitting the free agency in full stream. While he was a valuable tight end to own the past couple of seasons, his numbers were beginning to take a drop in 2014. Piling up 489 receiving yards to his 788 from 2013, Thomas’ targets from Peyton Manning also decreased last year from 90 to 62.
Let us imagine Thomas picking up where the Falcons’ former tight end Tony Gonzalez left off in 2013. Quarterback Matt Ryan absolutely loved throwing the rock to Gonzalez as he received no less than 108 targets per year in his last five seasons with the team.
Despite Thomas’ targets and yards decreasing last season, his touchdown production for 2013 and 2014 with 24 total was off the charts. Excelling at a major threat in the red zone, could make him a potentially wicked target for Ryan moving forth. Should this combination surface, Thomas would be an elite tight end fantasy selection in 2015.