NFL free agency is already a whirlwind with trades and early re-signings. As always, the fantasy football impact is of interest, and I’ll cover all the important free agency winners and losers for fantasy football, including trades, franchise tags and more. As mentioned, we have a few impactful moves before free agency starts — we’re getting into this already, but be sure to check back as I’ll spin all the relevant moves throughout the free agency period.
Best NFL Free Agents for Fantasy Football: Winners
Chris Godwin: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Those tears you hear falling are mine for Jalen McMillan’s 2025 prospects. Godwin is back, which is great for Baker Mayfield maintaining his value. Mike Evans is Mike Evans, and Godwin was actually better than Evans before getting hurt. Godwin — if 100% healthy — can push for WR1 status again, given his ability and fit with Mayfield. Evans will be more inconsistent, though still with his great ceiling. As for McMillan, he’s a great late-round pick given his WR2/3 upside if either Evans or Godwin were to get hurt, and he’s a nice dynasty buy, as many will be short-sighted, and McMillan could return to WR2/3 value in 2026 if Evans calls it quits.
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Davante Adams: Los Angeles Rams
Well, Cooper Kupp hopefully already has his house on the market. Adams steps in alongside Puka Nacua, and Adams posted 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns in just 14 games last year — with the Raiders and Jets, mind you. Nacua might get the slightest of dings, just due to Adams likely being healthier than Kupp has been, but he’s still a top-end WR1, and Adams is a nice WR2 with Matthew Stafford.
Justin Fields: New York Jets
Fields is getting starter money, even if it’s short-term, and he had said he wasn’t signing somewhere unless he was the starter. We know what Fields’ fantasy upside is. His rushing ability puts him in the Top 10, even with mediocre passing numbers. It’s those passing numbers that carry the concern. But let’s not forget DJ Moore’s 2023 season (with Fields at QB for 13 games), where he had career highs in yards, touchdowns and FPPG (14.1), finishing as a WR1 overall and in FPPG. That came with 136 targets, and the non-Fields games were some of Moore’s worst, with no more than 62 yards and zero touchdowns. With Davante Adams gone, Garrett Wilson has the upside to finish as a WR1 if Fields treats him like Moore, which is a strong possibility given the options after Wilson. As for the backfield, Fields actually pulls more value from there than Wilson. If Breece Hall was the bell cow, we wouldn’t be overly concerned. However, with Braelon Allen a nice piece and even Isaiah Davis carrying potential, Hall dropping down to low-200s in touches would have him as an RB2, on the low-end.
Najee Harris: Los Angeles Chargers
Some might be excited, believing this is stock up for Harris, but I believe it’s merely a move that helps Harris maintain his RB2 value. Harris sat in the upper-200s for touches the past two years, and J.K Dobbins and Gus Edwards totaled 331 last season. Even assuming Harris gets the majority of those, he’s still in the same range touch-wise, and the Chargers had fewer G2G and GL rush attempts than the Steelers, which might surprise many. In fact, Dobbins and Edwards had 20 combined G2G attempts and 15 in goal line to 19 and 12 for Harris. It might be a slight tick up for Harris, but the slimmest of improvements. Keep Harris in the RB2 range. He actually hasn’t been an RB2 in FPPG in the last two seasons at RB29 and RB27 after RB19 in 2022 (and RB9 as a rookie). If the Chargers add a piece in the draft, Harris would become a downgrade.
The Seahawks replace Geno Smith with Darnold, who broke out in Kevin O’Connell’s offense… plus, with that Justin Jefferson guy. Klint Kubiak is the new offensive coordinator in Seattle, and he utilizes a lot of pre-snap motion, which is a boost for wideouts (see just how much here). As mentioned below with the DK Metcalf trade, Jaxon Smith-Njigba will have his name in the WR1 tier, and whoever the answer is at No. 2 has WR3 potential. Darnold obviously carries risk in fantasy, but he’s still worth taking as a fringe QB1, as he could follow the Baker Mayfield path and surprise everyone with an even better second breakout year.
2025 NFL Free Agent Tracker: More Moves
Free Agent Quarterbacks
Daniel Jones: Indianapolis Colts
We have a career of Jones and just 15 games of Anthony Richardson. This is still Richardson’s job to lose, but Jones signed here because the losing is a possibility, as is another injury for Richardson. Jones has a QB1 season under his belt, but that’s the anomaly, as even if Jones was the starter for the Colts, he’s no more than a SuperFlex option.
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Free Agent Running Backs
Aaron Jones: Minnesota Vikings
As widely expected, Jones returns to Minnesota, and as of today, he also returns to RB2 status — unless, of course, the Vikings add a significant second option.
Javonte Williams: Dallas Cowboys
Pre-injury, Williams was looking like a potential Top 15 running back, but he hasn’t bee the same since. Nevertheless, it’s a nice value add by the Cowboys, as Williams steps in for Rico Dowdle. While Williams could turn things around in Dallas, there is talk that the Cowboys are still eyeing a draft pick addition. Assuming that’s the case, Williams will be back in a timeshare, and unless the piece is purely a complementary option, Williams might have a tough time merely replicating Dowdle’s numbers.
Kenneth Gainwell: Pittsburgh Steelers
Gainwell has never seen more than 124 touches in a season, so this is good news for the hope of Jaylen Warren becoming an RB2, or even pushing near the RB1 tier. Gainwell will get more work with the Steelers, given it’s Arthur Smith’s offense, but I wouldn’t expect more than the Warren 150-touch-range workload.
Samaje Perine: Cincinnati Bengals
Notable, not because of the Twitter Buccaneers fake out, but because if this is the “piece” that the Bengals are adding to give Chase Brown some help, there isn’t much concern over Brown losing potential RB1 upside. Perine is a threat for some passing work, but Brown should remain a mid-upper RB2 at worst.
Elijah Mitchell: Kansas City Chiefs
The analysis remains the same in KC as it was in San Francisco: Backup with RB2+ upside if the lead option gets hurt.
Free Agent Wide Receivers
DeAndre Hopkins: Baltimore Ravens
By now, you likely know the drill with the Ravens. Yes, Mark Andrews. Semi-yes with expected up-and-downs for the No. 1 wideout (Zay Flowers). Ignore the rest. And yes, at this point of Hopkins’ career, he’s an ignore — except in Best Ball, blah blah meh — but still helps Lamar Jackson make his case for the No. 1 QB overall.
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Interesting money, and while it’s not a massive amount, it brings a question of if the Bills plan to have Palmer as their No. 2 wideout or if this is more insurance if Keon Coleman can’t take a step forward and claim that role (Mack Hollins was the No. 2 for all intents and purposes last year). If Palmer is the two, we’re looking at WR4 value, but if Coleman improves enough to fight off Palmer, Coleman would have the higher ceiling with WR3 potential. Even with his injury history, Palmer feels like the safer draft pick with Coleman being more boom/bust… and in that case, Palmer is also more replaceable, meaning I’ll take the Coleman risk (assuming similar, or even cheaper, cost).
Marquise Brown: Kansas City Chiefs
Brown’s first season with the Chiefs was nearly all lost, but he showed there is still hope for some upside late in the year and the playoffs. At best, though, Brown would be in the mix as the second option, along with Travis Kelce, both behind Xavier Worthy. And, depending on Rashee Rice’s situation, Brown would fall to at least the third option when Rice is active. Brown is a fine late-round flier, given the potential for WR3 value… if several things broke right for him (and wrong for others).
Free Agent Tight Ends
Zach Ertz: Washington Commanders
Ertz’s return doesn’t do a ton for fantasy — he’s no more than a fill-in and bye-week option — but it does stifle the Ben Sinnott breakout campaign a bit. Sinnott is still a name to remember, but not without an Ertz injury.
Trades
DK Metcalf, WR: Pittsburgh Steelers
The lingering question is, “Who will be the quarterback?” That will swing Metcalf’s value. For instance, if it’s Justin Fields, Metcalf (and George Pickens) will have less volume than if it was even Russell Wilson back in Pittsburgh. As it stands, Metcalf will be the top option, with Pickens not far behind, and they have similar use (deep, big-play, contested balls, etc.). Assuming the team has a mid-level quarterback in place, Metcalf would be a mid-WR2 and Pickens a mid-low WR3. Both of their values will improve or worsen depending on who is under center.
Deebo Samuel, WR: Washington Commanders
Samuel’s arrival shouldn’t be seen as a concern for Terry McLaurin. This will help McLaurin see less coverage, offsetting any target decrease concern, and it’s a nice boost to Jayden Daniels’ development in Year 2. Daniels was already in the Tier 1 conversation, and now he’s a real threat to contend for top honors. As for Brandon Aiyuk, Brock Purdy and the 49ers, the only clear effect is the boost to George Kittle, putting his name in Tier 1 without Samuel on the field. As for Samuel, I would expect usage and production similar to his 2022 season, which puts him in the WR3 tier, and more in the mid-range.
Geno Smith, QB: Las Vegas Raiders
The good news is that things just got better for Brock Bowers. I still won’t draft him in the first round — I didn’t like the cost even during Travis Kelce’s peak years, and Bowers needs a massive touchdown jump to even near that — but we can talk about Bowers as a mid-late second-rounder. The Raiders likely aren’t heading into the season with the current wide receiver room, but if Jakobi Meyers is the go-to WR and overall No. 2 to Bowers, he’d be a nice WR3 for fantasy. As for the Seahawks, we have to see what their plan is, and that includes who ends up being the new No. 2 WR behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Speaking of JSN, he was already pushing the WR1 conversation and now sits there securely… assuming the quarterback is as capable as (or better than) Geno Smith.
Christian Kirk, WR: Houston Texans
With Tank Dell possibly out for all of 2025, the Texans are taking a shot on a rebound (and healthy) year for Kirk. If he plays a near-full season as the No. 2 behind Nico Collins, Kirk has WR3/4 potential, making him a final late-round lottery ticket.
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Kenny Pickett, QB: Cleveland Browns
It remains to be seen if Pickett comes to Cleveland as a potential Week 1 starter or merely a backup for someone not yet on the roster. If Pickett is the plan, this is a downgrade — obviously — for the downfield passing attack. You could take the Cedric Tillman hope and toss it aside. Additionally, even with Elijah Moore a free agent, Jerry Jeudy will would struggle to replicate his 2024 campaign, and David Njoku would be a low-end TE1.
(Top photo of DK Metcalf: Conor Courtney / Getty Images)
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