Ranking the biggest offseason moves: Kirk Cousins ​​​​to Atlanta, Derrick Henry to Baltimore and more

NFL free agency is an annual seismic event: Dozens of players changing teams significantly alter the NFL landscape. The 2024 offseason was no exception: There’s a new favorite in the NFC North, and the Buffalo Bills left themselves one step away from that side after holding wide receiver tryouts in the Famous parking lot Duff Wings.

When the NFL landscape changes, the fantasy landscape changes alongside it. AthleticismKC Joyner and Gary Davenport came together to assess the impact of this year’s biggest signings – for better or worse.

NOTE: The grading scale is based on the upside or downside value for the player relative to where they stand in 2023. As a baseline, a lateral move for a player would be considered a “C” grade. Additionally, transactions were not included in these ratings.

Kirk Cousins, QB, Atlanta

Cousins ​​is widely considered a QB2 due to his move to Atlanta, but remember he ranks 10th in QB PPG since 2021 (minimum 30 starts) and has the talent around him to repeat that level of performance with the Falcons. Given that his ADP is almost certainly much lower than the low-end QB1, Cousins ​​should be a high-value pick in the later rounds. – Joyner

Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore

There’s certainly a lot to be excited about for Fantasy managers regarding King Henry’s arrival in Charm City — Gus Edwards scored 13 rushing touchdowns a season ago, and he’s no Derrick Henry. Henry also surpassed 1,100 rushing yards last year, scored 12 times on the ground and finished 10th in fantasy points in the PPR. But Henry is also a 30-year-old running back with over 2,000 career carries, and the Ravens haven’t fielded a 1,000-yard running back since Mark Ingram in 2019. He’s the definition of a pick risk/reward for 2024. — Couch

Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia

Barkley ranks fifth in the PPR PPG as a running back over the last two years and was just 1.2 points behind second in that category. A move to an Eagles offense that consistently ranks at or near the top of the league in my good block rate category (largely thanks to Jeff Stoutland, arguably the best offensive line coach in the NFL) should close that gap and put Barkley among the top three picks in this year’s fantasy drafts. — Joyner

Austin Ekeler, RB, Washington

There may be no bigger lottery ticket to return to fantasy football this year than Ekeler, who joined the Commanders on a two-year, $11.4 million contract. This relatively small contract speaks to a complementary role passed to Brian Robinson with limited fantasy value. But Ekeler is also a back who has scored 38 touchdowns combined in 2021 and 2022. Robinson has never rushed for 800 yards or averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry – Ekeler could be a more important part of the offense than some people think. — Couch

Zack Moss, running back, Cincinnati

Moss will have competition for carries in the Bengals backfield, but it’s also worth noting that Moss gained more than 10 yards on 10.4 percent of his carries in 2023. That pace was just a tenth percentage point behind Joe Mixon’s 10.5 percent mark, and it shows that Moss can replicate Mixon’s breakaway production rate. This is something that provides an upside path that could make Moss a go-to RB2/RB3 in fantasy scoring this season. — Joyner

Aaron Jones, running back, Minnesota

Frankly, I’m not sure what the Packers were trying to accomplish when they signed Josh Jacobs and released Jones. But I know what the Vikings got out of this deal: a massive upgrade over Alexander Mattison in the backfield. Yes, Jones will turn 30 in December. The Vikings might not be very good either. But Jones showed late last year that he had something left in the proverbial tank. There is value here. — Couch

Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee

His former RB coach in Dallas once said publicly that Pollard simply couldn’t handle a cow-level workload. This proved to be the case last year, as Pollard saw a huge increase in plays from scrimmage, but also a notable decline in fantasy production. The Titans will likely respect this limitation and limit his work, but it could be a fantasy advantage, as it could lead to Pollard returning to a much higher number of fantasy points per level of scrimmage play. — Joyner

Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta

Mooney joins Kirk Cousins ​​in a suddenly crowded Falcons pass-catching corps, and some fantasy managers may see that as a less than ideal landing spot. But Atlanta didn’t give Mooney $13 million per season for decoration, and Newton’s third law of fantasy football states very clearly that Kyle Pitts cannot be targeted more than three times in consecutive games. Mooney is a mid-round wide receiver who will outperform his draft slot. — Couch

(Top photo of Saquon Barkley: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports)