During every NFL offseason, several players move to different teams either through free-agent signings or trades resulting in new faces in new places. In Fantasy Football, these moves can have a big impact on the players, so it’s important to keep up with off-season changes to stay ahead of the competition in your leagues. When choosing players for your fantasy team, you need to consider how these changes could affect their performance, for better or worse.
To make wise decisions regarding drafting these players, it is essential to keep a close eye on their coaches and the overall team atmosphere. Drafting players for fantasy football can be an exhilarating experience however it also raises many questions. It’s crucial to carefully evaluate all the NFL players who move to new teams in order to achieve the ultimate goal of success.
How New Faces in New Places Affect Fantasy Football
Calvin Ridley From Zero to Hero Back To (Number) Zero
Calvin Ridley is an extremely talented wide receiver who executes his routes with precision and finesse. He displays remarkable poise and composure in and out of his routes. Just ask fellow NFL wide receiver Devante Adams who recently said that Calvin Ridley is a top 5 wide receiver in the NFL currently. That is some of the highest praise coming from perhaps the best wide receivers in the league today. Prior to his suspension, Ridley was becoming the number-one receiver in Atlanta.
On November 1 of 2022, you could hear the splash across the NFL world that Calvin Ridley had been traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Immediately, the connection between Ridley and former number-one overall pick Trevor Lawrence was going to be exciting to see. This gave Lawrence that top receiving option to pair with an already up-and-coming offense.
This year, the NFL implemented a new rule where players could wear the number “zero.” Immediately, Ridley took advantage of the new rule and became the first player to dawn the number “zero” this season. If you are giving Calvin Ridley a zero percent chance of succeeding this season, you will be sorely mistaken.
DJ Moore Has A QB1, Finally
DJ Moore has been a reliable wide receiver for the Panthers for five seasons. With hiring Frank Reich as head coach this season, it appears to be a perfect fit for Moore. Reich is known for his “West Coast Offense,” which heavily focuses on passing. The Panthers had one major concern: who would be their quarterback? To address this, they traded DJ Moore to Chicago in return for the first overall pick selecting Bryce Young as their future quarterback.
Throughout his career, DJ Moore has had to adapt to playing with different quarterbacks, which has sometimes impacted his performance. However, he had an outstanding season in 2019 when he played with Cam Newton. Justin Fields and DJ Moore could be a fantasy football dream team in Chicago.
D’Andre Swift Gets To Enjoy Some Home Cookin’
Returning home is always a great feeling and Philadelphia native D’Andre Swift knows this all too well. In his rookie year in 2020, Swift impressed with a total of ten touchdowns. He was a promising running back, and many were excited to draft him for their fantasy teams. However, the main obstacle for Swift was his inability to stay healthy. What made it even more frustrating was that his injuries often caused him to miss a significant amount of playing time. This resulted in Swift being in and out of games, which was a challenge for both him and his fantasy managers.
During this year’s draft, many of us were surprised when the Lions selected Jahmayr Gibbs as the 12th overall pick. It appeared that the Lions may have grown tired of Swift’s recurring injuries. Soon after acquiring Gibbs, the Lions traded Swift to Philly, which turned out to be the ideal destination for him. The Eagle’s offensive line is just as good, if not better than the Lions. Swift now has a possible upgrade at quarterback and exceptional receiving options to create more opportunities for him, especially in the passing game in which Swift will provide great value for Points Per Reception (PPR) formats in fantasy.
Odell Beckham, Jr. Is Ready For A Huge Bounce-Back
During this offseason, Odell Beckham, Jr. has been in high demand as a free agent. However, he has been recovering from his second ACL tear for the past sixteen months. His most recent game was when he won a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2022. Beckham Jr is striving to regain his elite status as a wide receiver. Rumors suggest a possible move to the Jets for a comeback in New York. The Ravens signed Beckham Jr. on April 14, 2023, which helped convince Lamar Jackson to stay with the team in Baltimore.
Despite the numerous new receiving options available to Lamar Jackson, it seems that Beckham Jr. would be one of his top reads this coming fall. For fantasy Beckham Jr. provides a possible high return on investment in his current double-digit round draft position.
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