Hello Fantasy fans! This post is the beginning of my way-too early fantasy analysis based on every team’s prominent free agent signings, and the impact they will have on fantasy for the upcoming season. I will also give some insight as to what each team may be thinking as far as draft strategy goes. I will be going into more depth with the drafts in other articles as this is prominently about free agency. I am starting by analyzing the NFC East, and will be moving around to cover all of the action across the league in the coming weeks.

Philadelphia Eagles:

While Executive Vice President of Football Operations Howie Roseman has spent most of his first off-season back in charge of player personnel dumping off assets that former head coach Chip Kelly acquired just a season ago, there was definitely some addition by subtraction. (And your ordinary everyday addition too) The major subtractions Roseman made were trading away Demarco Murray, Kiko Alonso, and Byron Maxwell. There is still a ton of time before week 1 of the regular season, but if it started today, Ryan Matthews would be the starting running back, with Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner coming in as change of pace backs. If the Eagles do not make any more moves to acquire another RB, this makes Matthews worth a look in the first few rounds of your fantasy draft. You can expect the Eagles to run a more conventional offense under new head coach Doug Pederson, which would give Matthews potential for 200-300 carries next year. With an injury History as deep as his, and a new offense being implemented in Philly, I would be skeptical taking Matthews any earlier than round 4 or 5 in a standard fantasy draft today. Rumors have circulated that Matthews may get traded just like Demarco Murray did, and I would also expect the Eagles to seriously consider taking a back in this year’s draft.

The moves to get rid of Murray, Maxwell, and Alonso were mostly centered on increasing cap space, and improving draft choices. Some of that money was re-allocated to re-sign quarterback Sam Bradford and to sign guard Brandon Brooks. If Bradford can stay healthy (which could be asking a lot) he could be a serviceable QB2 in fantasy. Brooks will definitely help keep him upright, though another guard could really solidify this line and make it elite. We have all seen what Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, and Jason Peters can do when healthy.

Another offensive playmaker would do a lot to help Bradford as well. The tight ends are solid with Zach Ertz coming into his own as a receiving tight end, and Brent Celek always reliable for a clutch catch here and there. What really needs upgrading is the Wide Receiver core. Not that Riley Cooper was much of a play-maker, but without him, the Eagles starting wide outs are Jordan Matthews, and Nelson Agholor. The jury is still out on whether Agholor will blossom into a starting caliber talent, and Matthews played inconsistently through flashes of genius last season. The Eagles will look long and hard at adding another skill position player with the number 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, and two names that will be tossed around a lot are Ole Miss star wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and 2015 national championship game star running back Ezekiel Elliot from Ohio State. Both would be solid picks and instant impact starters as a rookie. If Elliot was the choice, you could make the argument that he would immediately be an RB2 with RB1 upside if not a flat out RB1. If Elliot and Treadwell aren’t the choice, there are a few solid defensive picks, most notably at cornerback that the Eagles would look at. If Florida corner Vernon Hargreaves is still available at number 8, he may be too difficult to pass up. Potential lock down corners do not grow on trees, and receivers and backs can often be found in the mid rounds.

The moves the Eagles have made so far (and I have neglected to even mention the solid Rodney Mcleod signing) should go a long way to stabilizing this team. The defense is a total unknown right now after switching from a 3-4 run under former defensive coordinator Bill Davis to the 4-3 defense that will be run under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Every player in the front 7 will be learning a new position, and it is anybody’s guess as to how this defense will mesh together. There are certainly excellent players on this side of the ball, and if they can rally around Jim Schwartz, this defense could be in the upper echelon of NFL defenses.

Don’t expect the Eagles to stand pat from here. The Eagles have traditionally been big draft day movers, and with the amount of picks they are loaded with this year (9 with 6 in the first 5 rounds according to bleeding green nation) any fan should expect them to move around and pick up some good young prospects for this team on both side of the ball.

New York Giants:

Out of the door is 2-time Super Bowl winning head coach Tom Coughlin, and in is former offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. The offensive minded head coach will definitely look to have an improved defense to support Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. and company. While Prince Amukamara left in free agency to go join the money wielding Jaguars, the Giants replaced him with Janoris Jenkins. Jenkins signed a very lucrative contract, averaging $12.5 million per year, putting him in elite company at least money wise with the Richard Sherman’s and Darelle Revis’s of the world. Regardless of whether you think Jenkins was worth that much money, there is no question that he can improve this defense. Speaking of players that can improve the defense and are now earning more money than the market may dictate, the G-men signed on Olivier Vernon, the estranged defensive end previously of the Miami Dolphins, and Damon “snacks” Harrison over from the jets. The giants also re-signed Jason “fingers” Pierre-Paul to a one-year deal to see if he can regain some of his sack-producing form he showed the world before his little Independence Day party. I made up the nickname, but I’m hoping it will stick. These moves should significantly better the play of the front four, and when you combine Jenkins with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Landon Collins Big Blue may just have a good secondary to go along with their improved front four. New York’s D/ST has some sneaky streaming appeal in fantasy, especially if they can add another linebacker or two in free agency and/or the draft.

On the offensive side of the ball, the team remains basically the same. The biggest change will be if Rueben Randle decides to sign elsewhere, which is looking likely at this point. With Randle expected to sign with another team, and Victor Cruz’s health still uncertain, it is easy to predict that the Giants will look to take at least one wide receiver in the draft.

Since the Giants finished 19^th in rushing yards last year (per ESPN stats) I would also expect them to add a running back in the draft as well. The combination of Shane Vereen, Rashad Jenning and Andre Williams isn’t the most inspiring group. Vereen is a good 3^rd down and receiving back, but New York is really lacking that bell-cow back that can tote the rock 15-20 carries a game and take pressure off of Eli Manning and OBJ to move the ball and produce points.

Beckham Jr. will be a stud as usual and should be drafted in the 1^st or 2^nd round of all fantasy drafts. Manning is a borderline QB1/QB2. This is almost entirely because of Beckham. Without his primary weapon, Manning is no more than a low-end QB2. If the Giants can add another viable weapon to the offense, Manning will sneak into the reliable QB1 tier. He will always give you a couple of awful outings per season, but if you can predict those with any kind of accuracy, you can stream a QB off the waiver wire and have yourself good QB fantasy points on the cheap. He is never one of the first options off the board.

Dallas Cowboys:

It has been a quiet offseason in Jerry world. There have been only two notable re-signings to date. Dallas does not have one of the better salary-cap situations in the league, so many of the moves made (and maybe more importantly, the moves not made) were made around the money situation that the Cowboys have found themselves in this offseason.

Dallas fans will be happy to hear that star tackle Tyron Smith will be sticking around after he re-structured his contract to free up $7.2 million in cap space according to SB Nation. The ‘boys also re-signed linebacker Rolando McClain, who continues his resurgence with the team after looking like one of the bigger busts in draft history. The team also re-signed cornerback Morris Claiborne to a team-friendly $3 million deal.

The Dallas D has some talented young pieces on all levels of the defense, but until they put it all together, they should not be trusted as an every week starter. If they start showing any signs of life at any point during the season and they are on your waiver wire, don’t be afraid to scoop them up and see if they can get hot.

When you look back at last season for this team, it can definitely be considered a lost season. With the major injuries to Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, last season was doomed almost from very early on. This year, the cowboys hope to start back on a clean bill of health. Romo’s health in particular proved to be crucial to this team’s success, and I think the Cowboys found out just how valuable their QB is in his absence.

When you take a look at this roster, it does not reflect a team that finished at the bottom of the division with only 4 wins. If Romo can stay healthy, he can easily put up solid QB1 numbers all year. This is especially true if Dez Bryant can return to playing like he did back in 2014 when he caught 16 touchdowns on 88 catches. If Bryant can return to form he will put up WR1 numbers. After watching him at the tail end of last season, fantasy owners will definitely be hesitant to draft Bryant high. If Romo and Bryant are both healthy, Bryant is worth a pick in round 2 or 3. The guy is only 27 years old which means he should be in the prime of his career. I would just try and forget last year. Jerry Rice would have had a hard time playing with Matt Cassel too.

The other relevant fantasy commodity in this offense is running back Darren McFadden. The former Arkansas Razorback had a little career resurgence and earned the starting gig after Demarco Murray departed last offseason for Philadelphia and Joseph Randle lost his mind. The biggest question with him has and always will be health. If he stays healthy, he can be a solid RB2 with RB1 upside because of the Cowboy’s elite offensive line.

Look for the cowboys to potentially draft Tony Romo’s successor this year. After last year, even above average backup play would be welcome if any of Tony’s injuries act up again. They could also use another running back to compliment Darren McFadden and eventually overtake him as the starter. I have heard rumors that Heisman trophy winner Derrick Henry wants to play in Dallas, and he would be an intriguing mid-round fantasy pick with fantastic upside if that happens. Most of the Cowboy’s other draft picks will likely go towards improving their defense.

Washington Redskins:

Like the aforementioned Cowboys, the Redskins have remained pretty quiet this offseason as well. Their biggest move was undoubtedly to franchise tag Kirk Cousins. After his breakout season last year that saw him throw for 29 touchdowns, run for 5 more and come on very strong towards the end of the year, making sure he stayed in Washington was priority number 1 this offseason. Cousins was playing like a fringe QB1/QB2 last season, and I would expect him to flirt with QB1 status when he has good matchups. Look out for my pre-season rankings to see what I think of him after a full off-season as the starter and leader of this organization on the field. On a side note, The RGIII experiment is finally over as well, so maybe, just maybe, Washington will resemble a normal, stable organization this upcoming year.

The Redskins seem content to let Alfred Morris test free-agency, so that should indicate more work for Matt Jones and Chris Thompson. Due to their styles of play, I would guess that Jones would be the de-facto first and second down back with Thompson spelling him on third down. Washington has had a messy backfield situation for a couple of years since Alfred Morris’s production started declining after his rookie year. Matt Jones certainly has the talent to become an RB1, but this is a situation to keep a close eye on until your fantasy draft. If it looks like Jones will be given 200+ carries this season, that would easily put him in the RB2 tier. Chris Thompson would be a decent handcuff at best unless he carved out a Danny Woodhead-like roll.

The Washington wide receivers are an interesting bunch. It starts with DeSean Jackson, the blazing fast wide out from Cal. I have never been a fan of him from a fantasy perspective. (and it has nothing to with my Eagle’s fan bias) The reason for my opinion is that he is so reliant on the big play that he can be inconsistent with his production. Not only that, it is hard to predict when he will break off a 60 yard touchdown making his day fantasy relevant. He may be great one day, and go catch-less the next. I always let another owner deal with that headache. The other wide receiver worth mentioning in this offense is Pierre Garcon. Garcon is a steady possession receiver who will grab about 5 balls a game for about 50 yards and get you the occasional touchdown. Those are WR3/WR4 numbers even though he will put up a few games with WR1 numbers.

The best option on this team from a fantasy, and real life perspective is Jordan Reed. Reed finally put together a season that wasn’t riddled by injuries, and the results were fantastic. Reed caught 87 balls for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns. Reed ended the year absolutely on fire catching 6 touchdowns in his last 5 games. (Including postseason) Look for him to be a top 3 tight end off the board in your fantasy drafts this summer.

The defense for the Redskins, like the Cowboys, has some good pieces in place, but they were starting to gel at the end of last season. If they add another starter or two, particularly in the secondary, this could be a decent D/ST worthy of matchup plays. In the league today, there are only a handful of defenses that can be started week in and week out, and the Redskins, barring some serious changes, are not one of those units.

I would expect the Redskins to draft mostly on the defensive side of the football this year as most of the offense has solid starters. Secondary is probably the Redskin’s biggest need at this point.

League Edge    March 15, 2016