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The Grass IS Greener - NFL Free Agent Moves That Will Increase Value

There's a Sheryl Crow song from the '90s in which Crow sings that "a change would do you good." It's a sentiment that works well when applied to someone's personal life, but it's a complicated notion when it comes to sports. Players who move between teams often find themselves struggling to fit in with their new environment, failing to mesh with new coaching staffs and new offensive schemes. For every successful move--DeMarco Murray going from an afterthought with the Eagles to a workhorse back last year in Tennessee--there's a less than successful move, like Brock Osweiler's ill-fated season with the Texans.

We saw a good deal of player movement this season. Some of these players have found their way onto my DO NOT DRAFT list--Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, and Latavius Murray are all in new situations that don't seem ideal--but there are also some who really will find greener pastures after their change of scenery, players you should seriously consider drafting.

Here are four names that should be on your radar this preseason. (Note: All Average Draft Position (ADP) information is for a 12-team standard league and taken from FantasyFootballCalculator.com.)

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

NFL Free Agents with Rising Stock

Mike Gillislee (RB, NE)

Current ADP: 5.10

Last season, the logic that fantasy players should never trust the New England backfield went out the window when LeGarrette Blount finished as a top-10 fantasy back. Blount is gone now and the Patriots have brought in Gillislee and Rex Burkhead as replacements. With those two players, plus Dion Lewis and James White behind the quarterback, it would make sense for you to revert to your old Patriots plan--don't draft any of their running backs.

But wait! Lewis, White, and Burkhead are all variations of the same thing--backs who are quick and good at catching from the backfield. None of them resemble Blount. That's where Gillislee comes into play.

Last season, playing as LeSean McCoy's backup, Gillislee averaged 5.1 yards a carry, with eight touchdowns. He added nine receptions as well, but the majority of Gillislee's work came from his rushing ability. Trying to figure out who to own out of Burkhead, Lewis, and White is going to be nearly impossible, but Gillislee should be on the field on first and second down more than any of them, he should see the majority of the goal line work, and he should the back that New England uses to run the clock when they get ahead. Gillislee doesn't have a history of fumbling, so expect Bill Belichick to trust him right out of the gate.

 

Eric Decker (WR, TEN)

Current ADP: 10.02

Anything has to be better than being a Jet still, right? Decker is a tough case because he missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, but moving to Tennessee is a huge, huge move up from what could have been a wasted season with the 2017 New York Jets.

Last season, the Titans offense had a lot going for it--the RB5 in standard scoring in DeMarco Murray, a top-15 fantasy quarterback in Marcus Mariota, and the TE5 in Delanie Walker. All that they were really lacking was a top tier receiver--Rishard Matthews finished with 945 yards and nine touchdowns last year despite being on no one's radar at the start of the season. Decker--who finished with 1,000 yards and double digit touchdowns in three of his last four full seasons--should slide right into the Tennessee offense and put up those kind of numbers again. Health is a concern, but it shouldn't deter fantasy players from giving him a chance. Decker gives a good offense its one missing piece.

 

Jeremy Maclin (WR, BAL)

Current ADP: 9.06

Maclin's raw numbers from last year don't look great: 44 catches for 536 yards and two touchdowns. Remember, though, that those numbers came in 12 games and that Maclin wasn't 100% healthy in all the games he played. Also remember that Kansas City receivers--minus Maclin's 2015 campaign--have struggled under the Andy Reid/Alex Smith regime.

Maclin still averaged 12.2 yards per catch last season--just .3 less than in his 1,088 yard and eight TD 2015 season. Yes, it was a career low, but Maclin still displayed his ability to get first downs and keep the chains moving.

Now, he finds himself in Baltimore, a team that is looking to replace the departed Steve Smith. Smith put up 799 yards and five touchdowns last season and did that while being thirty-seven years old. Look: I'm not trying to say that Jeremy Maclin is a better player than a prime Steve Smith, but it seems pretty reasonable to assume he can give the Ravens AT LEAST what Smith gave them last season. Factor in the Baltimore run game being...well...underwhelming, plus the Ravens no longer having Dennis Pitta there to be Joe Flacco's sure thing safety valve, and Maclin's future season looks really, really enticing for fantasy owners.

 

Alshon Jeffery (WR, PHI)

Current ADP: 3.08

This ranking is dependent on Carson Wentz showing continued growth in 2017. Wentz was a below average quarterback in his first season--both in real life and in fantasy, where he was only owned in most leagues by that one Eagles fan who always overdrafts Eagles players. Still, there are signs that he could look better in 2017. His success over his team's first four games shouldn't be disregarded, and the addition of Jeffery gives him a number one receiver. That helps Wentz.

It also helps Jeffery.  A combination of injuries and suspension limited Alshon to just twenty games over the past two seasons. Chicago signing Mike Glennon and drafting Mitchell Trubisky would have limited Jeffery's output had he stayed with the Bears, but a fresh start in Philadelphia should be just what Alshon needs to get back to the heights of his 2013 and 2014 seasons. The Eagles already had a strong defense--this offseason they went all in on improving an offense that ranked 22nd in yards per game.

Again, this ranking depends on a lot of factors--can Carson Wentz average more than one touchdown per game?Regardless, Alshon Jeffery should be a solid pickup for both the Eagles and your fantasy team, though be warned that his expected ADP is higher than the other players mentioned here. Jeffery is definitely a risk, but he's one who could pay off big time.

 

More 2017 Fantasy Football Analysis




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Blake Snell

Activated From Paternity List Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Still Expect Micah Parsons to Play in Week 1
Luis Robert Jr.

Exits Early With Hamstring Soreness
Chris Godwin

Passes Physical, Will be Activated From PUP List
Willson Contreras

Issued Six-Game Suspension
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez Placed on Injured List
Brandon Aiyuk

49ers Officially Place Brandon Aiyuk on PUP List
Nathan Eovaldi

Likely Done for the Season
Tyreek Hill

Remains Out of Practice
Najee Harris

Moved to Active Roster
Yordan Alvarez

Activated and Starting on Tuesday
Oneil Cruz

Back From Injured List
New York Mets

Jonah Tong Promoted to Major Leagues
Spencer Rattler

Saints Name Spencer Rattler as Starting QB
MarShawn Lloyd

Packers Leaning Toward Placing MarShawn Lloyd on Injured Reserve
Tyjae Spears

to Begin the Season on Injured Reserve
Nikola Jović

Heat Have High Hopes for Nikola Jovic
Golden State Warriors

Cody Martin Drawing Interest From Warriors
Minnesota Timberwolves

Timberwolves Interested in Reunion With Bones Hyland
Kylor Kelley

Joins Lakers
Colin Castleton

Links Up With Magic
Brock Bowers

Pete Carroll Classifies Brock Bowers Among His Best Players Ever
De'Von Achane

Lingering Calf Injury Poses Concerns for De'Von Achane
Adam Thielen

Vikings and Panthers Struggling to Finalize Adam Thielen Trade
Malik Monk

Kings "Not Actively Engaged" in Trade Discussions Involving Malik Monk
P.J. Washington

Mavs Likely to Offer P.J. Washington a Contract Extension
Kenny Pickett

Raiders Acquire Kenny Pickett From Browns
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Give Trey Hendrickson a Raise
Amari Cooper

Signs One-Year Deal With Raiders
NHL

Jan Rutta Lands in Switzerland
Kirby Dach

Skates on Monday
COL

Tyson Barrie Retires From NHL
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Back in Toronto's Lineup
Joe Mixon

to Start Season on Non-Football Injury List
Jaylen Wright

Not Expected to Play in Week 1
Jakobi Meyers

Requests Trade
Jauan Jennings

Not Practicing on Monday, has Avoided IR for Now
Matthew Stafford

Taking 11-On-11 Reps on Monday
Zhang Mingyang

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Johnny Walker

Gets Back In The Win Column
Brian Ortega

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Aljamain Sterling

Proves Too Much For Brian Ortega
Chris Sale

Penciled in to Start on Saturday
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Suffers Unanimous-Decision Loss
Sergei Pavlovich

Wins Decision At UFC Shanghai
Terry McLaurin

Signs Three-Year Extension with Commanders
Kevin Borjas

Drops Decision At UFC Shanghai
Sumudaerji

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Kiefer Crosbie

Still Winless In The UFC
Taiyilake Nueraji

Gets His First UFC Win
Ryan Blaney

Earns his Second Daytona Cup Series Win
Tyler Reddick

Locks Into the 2025 Playoffs Despite Underwhelming Daytona Performance
Erik Jones

Misses the 2025 Playoffs Despite Top-Five Run at Daytona
Justin Haley

Best Performance of 2025 Falls Short of Victory at Daytona
Chase Burns

To Throw Bullpen on Tuesday
Kyle Larson

Enters Playoffs As Co-Points Leader
Alex Bowman

Advances to Playoffs Despite Crashing at Daytona
Cole Custer

Finally Shows Signs of Life at Daytona
Daniel Suarez

Lame-Duck Daniel Suarez Delivers Clutch Second-Place Finish
Logan Gilbert

Punches Out 13 in Victory
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez Battling Arm Soreness
Marcus Semien

Out 4-6 Weeks, Could Miss Rest of Season
Ranger Suárez

Ranger Suarez Strikes Out 11 in Win
Cal Raleigh

Sets Catcher Home Run Record
Yordan Alvarez

Likely to Return on Tuesday
Jacob deGrom

to Start on Monday
Kyle Tucker

Homers Twice in Win
Chris Sale

Likely to Return Next Weekend
Brian Robinson Jr.

to be RB2
Marcus Semien

Placed on Injured List
Chase Elliott

Despite Being Winless at Daytona, Chase Elliott is Probably the Best DFS Option
Ryan Blaney

Will Likely Lead a Lot at Daytona
Kyle Larson

a Poor DFS Option at Daytona
Christopher Bell

Consistent Enough to Consider for DFS
Chris Buescher

Now Must Win His Way Into Playoffs
Ryan Preece

Being One of the Slowest-Starting Fords Makes Ryan Preece a Strong DFS Option
Ross Chastain

Leads a Lot on Drafting Tracks
Daniel Suarez

Now in Desperation Mode With his Career on the Line
Chase Briscoe

Tendency to Finish Better Than He Runs May Reap Dividends at Daytona
Carson Hocevar

Hard to Forecast Since He's Rarely Given 100 Percent at Daytona
Michael McDowell

has a Solid Drafting Record
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Arguably Starting Too Well for Place-Differential Points
Austin Dillon

Will Likely Be Too Conservative for DFS Consideration
Moses Moody

Warriors Not Interested in Trading Moses Moody
Kevin Durant

Rockets Expected to Agree on New Contract
Trey Murphy III

Warriors, Spurs Interested in Trey Murphy III
CAR

Luke Kunin Joins Panthers on One-Year Deal
Auston Matthews

Says His Health is "Good" Before Start of Season
Roope Hintz

"Feeling Good" Ahead of New Season
Matthew Tkachuk

Recovering From Surgery
Marco Rossi

Wild Re-Sign Marco Rossi to Three-Year Deal
NBA

Malik Beasley Now Drawing Interest from Teams
Zhang Mingyang

Set For UFC Shanghai Main Event
Johnny Walker

In Dire Need Of Victory
Brian Ortega

An Underdog At UFC Shanghai
Aljamain Sterling

Set For UFC Shanghai Co-Main Event
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Sergei Pavlovich

A Favorite At UFC Shanghai
Kevin Borjas

Set for UFC Shanghai Main-Card Bout
Sumudaerji

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kiefer Crosbie

Set To Open Up UFC Shanghai Main Card
Taiyilake Nueraji

Set For His UFC Debut
Connor Ingram

Clears Player Assistance Program
Frank Nazar

Inks Seven-Year Extension With Blackhawks
COL

Victor Olofsson Signs One-Year Deal With Avalanche
Dru Smith

Aims to Be Healthy for Training Camp
Jayson Tatum

Provides Injury Update
RJ Barrett

Considered a Trade Candidate
Golden State Warriors

Warriors "Remain Very Confident" About Signing Al Horford
Jahmir Young

Agrees to Deal With Heat

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