Fantasy Football: Winners and Losers From Day 1 of Free Agency

Yesterday was the first day of free agency and there were a lot of moving parts. Who were the winners and losers from a fantasy football perspective?

The 2017 free agency period started off with a flurry moves and it did not slow down for quite a few hours. In that time frame numerous players had their fantasy football stock altered.

Must Read: Fantasy Football 2017: Who's the Top Quarterback?

Obviously the players who went to different teams have a new fantasy football outlook. However, even the players who didn’t switch teams had their fantasy stock affected due to other players arriving or departing.

So what players are in a better position compared to 24 hours ago and what players are trending down? Here are the winners and losers from Day 1 of free agency.

Winners

Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston – The Buccaneers signed wide receiver DeSean Jackson and this will immediately help the Buccaneers passing game. Jameis Winston has never had a respectable No. 2 wide receiver to throw to in his two years in Tampa Bay. Vincent Jackson was nice on paper but he simply couldn’t stay healthy.

Jacksonville Jaguars D/ST – The Jaguars signed A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell and Barry Church. Their defense has a lot of young and talented pieces and should add even more in the draft. It stinks they won’t face Brock Osweiler twice a year anymore—but hey, it’s still a good day for them.

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Colts TE Jack Doyle – The team re-signed Jack Doyle who was a top-12 fantasy football tight end last season. More importantly, they traded Dwayne Allen to the Patriots (You can read more here).

Ravens RBs Danny Woodhead and Terrance West – Kenneth Dixon is suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season. Both Danny Woodhead and Terrance West get a boost in value as a result.

Chargers RB Melvin Gordon – We all loved what we saw from Melvin Gordon last year when Danny Woodhead went down with an injury. Woodhead is now in Baltimore and the Chargers signed Russell Okung.

49ers WR Pierre Garcon – Right now, Pierre Garcon is the No. 1 wide receiver in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. History tells us that’s a VERY good thing (You can read more here).

Giants QB Eli Manning – The Giants dumped Victor Cruz and replace him with Brandon Marshall (You can read more here).

Eagles QB Carson Wentz – He gets a couple of new weapons in wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith. That’s a lot better than throwing to the guys he had last year.

New York Giants Running Game – If you’re a defensive coordinator, are you going to stack the box when you have to cover Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard? I didn’t think so. If Paul Perkins is the starter next season, he’s looking pretty good right around now.

Eagles WR Torrey Smith – He doesn’t have to deal with anymore inaccurate knuckle-balls from Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert. Instead, he gets the up-and-coming Carson Wentz.

Buffalo Bills Offense – It all starts with Tyrod Taylor, who the Bills elected to bring back (smart move). The dual-threat quarterback will be a low-end QB1 and his presence in that offense helps LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins. Oh yeah, they also added the best run-blocking fullback in the NFL in Patrick DiMarco (You can read more here).

Bears QB Mike Glennon – I mean, he’s now fantasy football relevant right?

Cleveland Browns Running Game – They added Kevin Zeitler, J.C. Tretter and extended Joel Bitonio. Don’t forget about that Joe Thomas guy either. Believe it or not, the Browns have a solid offensive line. Isaiah Crowell finished as a top-15 fantasy football running back last season. If he remains the starter, watch out.

Losers

Ravens RB Kenneth Dixon – The second-year man was expected to be the starter for the Ravens. Instead, he was suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season after violating the league’s policy on PEDs.

Patriots TE Dwayne Allen – Yes he goes to the Patriots who have a better and more efficient offense. With that said, he’ll now need an injury to Rob Gronkowski to have any fantasy relevance. The trade was a better real-life move than it was for fantasy (You can read more here).

Giants WRs Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard – Marshall goes to a better offense with a better quarterback. However, Odell Beckham Jr. is the king of that offense. The addition of Marshall knocks Shepard down a peg or two.

Miami WR Kenny Stills – He probably could have went to a team where he could have seen 100+ targets. Instead, he’ll have to fight with Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Julius Thomas for targets in the passing game (You can read more here).

Next: Fantasy Football: Pierre Garcon's Impact on the 49ers

Cincinnati Bengals Running Game – The Bengals lost both Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler yesterday in free agency.

Redskins QB Kirk Cousins – He lost both Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson. Not to mention, he’s on a team that he doesn’t want to be on and everybody knows it.