Tue Mar 24th 2026

Top 10 Free Agency Fallers

J.J. McCarthy

• The Vikings spoke loudly and clearly about their thoughts on McCarthy's development when they not only signed Kyler Murray but also brought back Carson Wentz. Murray’s signing moved McCarthy straight to backup duty, and Wentz’s signing even puts the backup role in jeopardy. One of the worst feelings for an NFL team is whiffing on a first-round quarterback. It’s painful for dynasty managers in superflex leagues, too, but they have to admit now that McCarthy was a big swing and miss. I’m grateful that I only drafted him in one one-quarterback league that is transitioning to superflex, but not until 2027. McCarthy’s chance at becoming a starting quarterback in the NFL has dwindled to nearly nothing. His best chance is to get traded to another team during the NFL draft. His only other chance would be if Kyler Murray fails this season, which is highly unlikely. In his limited number of NFL starts, the optics and analytics showed that McCarthy is not ready for a starting role. He’s bound to a career as a backup quarterback unless he becomes the next reclamation project like Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones, the last two seasons. I wouldn't rule it out, but it’s highly unlikely.

Michael Penix

• Penix, on the other hand, proved that he can play in the NFL. He looked very capable and productive in his second season before he was injured and lost for the remainder of the season after week eleven. His late-season injury meant the Falcons had to sign a capable backup who would likely start the season while Penix continued his recovery, especially after letting Kirk Cousins go. They didn’t just get a capable backup; they signed a young NFL veteran who has started for 6 seasons, Tua Tagovailoa. For now, the Falcons claim that their starting quarterback job is a competition between the two left-handed quarterbacks, but Tua is likely to start the season unless Penix’s recovery is on the fast track. I imagine the two lefties each getting starts for the Falcons next year while they try to determine who could be the quarterback of the future. They know they would be best served by having Penix as their future starter since he is so much younger, so he will get the favorable treatment since it is close. Still, Penix could lose the job for this season and longer if Tua plays well and earns a new contract with the team. The competition itself causes Penix’s dynasty value to drop until it is won or lost, and the dynasty market changes again.

Bucky Irving

• Irving’s dynasty stock steadily fell last season as he battled injuries, while Rachaad White and Sean Tucker performed well. They stole Irving’s role in the passing and short-yardage game, respectively, a double blow to Irving’s productivity and future dynasty value. White and Tucker both became free agents this year, giving Irving’s managers hope again that his competition would leave. Instead, however, the Bucanneers signed Kenneth Gainwell to fill White’s role and gave Tucker a restricted free-agent tender, making it very unlikely that he will sign with a new team. So it appears the Bucs are running it back this season with Gainwell in the White role and Tcuker in his same role. Dynasty managers will find out real quickly whether Irving’s loss of touches last season was all due to his injury or because the coaching staff believes it’s all he can handle. Gianwell was arguably the best receiving back in the NFL last season and will certainly be heavily involved in the passing game. Tucker, on the other hand, may have benefited from Irving’s injury, and the team allowed him to test free agency before tendering him. Still, he’s much bigger than Irving and could maintain the short yardage and red-zone roles based on his size alone. Irving is the highest-ranked running back affected by these offseason moves. His dynasty managers, of which I am one, have to be sickened by his new situation.

Trey Benson

• While Benson’s dynasty stock was nowhere near as high as Irving’s, his dynasty managers were holding out just as much hope for an increased role next season. However, the Cardinals restructured James Conner’s contract rather than letting him go, and they signed one of the best available free-agent running backs, Tyler Allgeier. Both moves are a strong signal that Benson’s opportunities and dynasty stock are dwindling. It’s almost impossible to see Benson emerge as a starting-caliber fantasy-producing running back at any point in his career. What’s more, his handcuff value in spot games is also in question from here on out. Benson is almost a droppable player after these offseason moves by the Cardinals and their new coaching staff, who did not draft him and have no loyalty to him. Sadly, Benson is now an almost droppable asset on dynasty rosters. The only chance his stock will ever rise again is if Conner’s recovery goes poorly or he has clearly lost a step after his many injuries and long NFL career.  If Conner is healthy and looking good to start the season, Benson can be dropped from most dynasty rosters.

R.J. Harvey

• Harvey’s stock began to rise near the end of last season as his role in the Broncos’ offense increased as they made their run in the playoffs. However, the offseason buzz was that the Broncos planned to sign a free-agent running back to lead the backfield. While they missed out on the top-tier guys who were rumored to be on their list, they did bring back their own from last season, J.K. Dobbins, who got far more touches than Harvey when they were both healthy. The Broncos believe that Harvey needs a running mate. They believe he is a complementary back, not even a lead back of a committee. Even with his age and injury history, I would almost rather have Dobbins than Harvey on my dynasty rosters because, at least, Dobbins will be the lead back of a committee as long as he is healthy. I don’t think Harvey ever will be. I’m grateful that I passed on Harvey several times last season in rookie drafts. I regret trading up to draft him in one league where I desperately needed a running back, and Harvey was the last first-round back drafted in most leagues. I should have waited and drafted Cam Skattebo as I did in many of my rookie drafts instead, though his dynasty stock will plummet, too, if the Giants draft Jeremiyah Love.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt

• The only running back I drafted more than Skattebo last year was my late-round favorite, Croskey-Merritt. I sold one share of JCM when his opportunity in Washington and speculative dynasty stock was high. I wish I had sold him in the other leagues at that time, too. The Commanders could draft Jeremiyah Love with the seventh pick in the first round, but their offseason moves indicate that they know he will not be there for them at pick seven. Instead, they signed Rachaad White and Jerome Ford. To my surprise, Ourlads already have White and Ford listed ahead of JCM on their projected depth chart. JCM is terrible in the passing game, so White will always be used ahead of him in that way, and Jerome Ford is a very solid and proven productive back in the NFL. He’s one of the fringe players I will try to trade for immediately after the draft if the Commanders do not draft Love. As much as I loved him as my sleeper in last year’s class, I think his days as a starting running back are over already. I need to learn a lesson: capitalize on the preseason hype of late-round draft picks rather than smugly hold on to them to appear the smartest guy in the room.

Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant

• The biggest news of the week is that Jaylen Waddle was traded to the Denver Broncos. He and Courtland Sutton will be an amazing new wide receiver duo for Bo Nix and the improving Denver offense. Their skills complement each other and will make the offense much better and more predictive for dynasty managers who could only safely count on Sutton last year as the Broncos rotated their many other receivers from week to week. The trade for Waddle negatively affects the dynasty value of Mims, Franklin, and Bryant in a big way. Dynasty managers hoping for a future reliable starter in these guys are out of luck. They will never become reliable fantasy assets while playing with the Broncos now. Sutton and Waddle will dominate targets. Franklin will be the most productive of the three and get more looks, but nothing that dynasty managers will be happy about unless they have very deep rosters. As for Waddle’s dynasty stock, it takes a nice rise after this trade. His stock dipped quite a bit over the offseason as the Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel and signed Malik Willis to lead the offense. This final move of Waddle proves they are him complete rebuild mode, which would have crushed Waddle’s value even more. Now he has new life, and his dynasty stock is back on the rise.

Ricky Pearsall

• The 49ers signed Mike Evans, a dynasty riser from last week, and this week signed Christian Kirk. Both of these veteran additions make me concerned for the value of Pearsall, whose injuries alone the last two seasons have caused his dynasty stock to fall. I love the addition of Evans and Kirk. They will be great additions to the 49ers’ passing game, though they contribute in very different ways. I am supremely confident that coach Shanahan will maximize their skills as the downfield man (Evans) and underneath man (Kirk) in their offense. Their veteran skills and involvement will reduce Pearsall's workload, who, while younger and faster, is less savvy and proven. If I were a Pearsall dynasty manager, which thankfully I am not, I would be unhappy with the competition the 49ers have added in free agency.

Chimere Dike and/or Elic Ayomanor

• The Titans’ big free agent signing of Wan’Dale Robinson was no surprise to me, but the restructured deal for Calvin Ridley was. As one with a few shares of Dike and Ayomanor, I hoped to see Ridley let go. These two deals mean there is only room for one more starter in three-receiver sets. Plus, the Titans are sure to draft a receiver or two in this year’s deep class. Neither Dike nor Ayomanor fully capitalized on the wide-open opportunity they had last season with a very weak and injured depth chart. That said, the entire Titans’ offense was a disaster last season. Hopefully, their new coaching staff can help the offense improve and develop Cam Ward so he can make his receivers more productive. I expect Dike  or Ayomanor’s dynasty stock to rise this season unless another rookie whom the Titans draft moves ahead of them on the depth chart, but I am not sure which receiver I would bet on to see his dynasty stock improve. I lean toward Dike more and would love to see him get more opportunities than Ayomanor, but Ayomanor started ahead of him early last season, and he is listed ahead of him on the current projected depth chart. The Titans may value Dike most for his role on special teams, where he excelled last season.

Theo Johnson

• I’ll close on a personal note by saying the Giants’ signing Isaiah Likely was my most disappointing move during free agency. I had a lot of investment in Johnson and loved the improvement he made in year two with Jaxson Dart. While he had a number of drops and showed some inconsistency, he was targeted often and built chemistry with his young quarterback. I expected yet another lap this season, especially under the new head coach, John Harbaugh. Instead, Harbaugh signed one of his own, bringing Likely from Baltimore. I don’t believe Likely’s signing completely kills Johnson’s dynasty value, but it drops his stock for sure. It’s a new team and a new offensive coordinator, but Harbaugh has made two tight ends productive in the past. What’s more, for me at least, I think Johnson is a better player than Likely and could win the job outright if given a fair fight. I am disappointed but still holding out hope for Johnson in my deeper leagues. In another, however, I dropped him so I could pick up Chig Okonkwo, one of my dynasty risers from last week. I’m more excited about his new opportunity alone on the depth chart in Washington than Johnson’s competition in New York. That said, another savvy manager quickly picked up Johnson for his squad days later. It’s good to know others still have hope for him, too.

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