NFL Free Agency 2024: Early Winners and Losers

Every year, there are some blockbuster moves made in NFL free agency, but I don’t think I can remember a year like this. It was a running back carousel on the very first day, with MAJOR movement happening with pretty much all the top names at the position. Kirk Cousins went to Atlanta on a huge deal, and Calvin Ridley shocked everyone with a huge four-year, $94 million deal. With all of this movement, rankings have to be adjusted as system fits and depth charts are analyzed, and with this, there are inevitably winners and losers for fantasy football. Let’s touch on a few that stick out thus far through the free agency period.

NFL Free Agency Winners

Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens

I mean, there’s not a lot to say here. Derrick Henry finally went to a contender, he finally has a better offensive line, and he finally has a dynamic quarterback who will force opposing defenses to respect the pass. He may not have a ton left in the tank at 30 years old, but by going to Baltimore, he is still going to terrorize the league in the years he has left.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Barkley has been a great running back when healthy throughout his career, and his stats are even more impressive when you consider how little protection he got from the Giants’ offensive line. Of his 962 rushing yards in 2023, a whopping 719 of those were after contact. He was getting ZERO protection from that line, but now, he gets to go to the Eagles, which had one of the best offensive lines in the league.

For comparison’s sake, only 582 of D’Andre Swift’s 1,083 yards came after contact, a marked improvement from what Barkley saw. Sure, the line will be affected by the loss of Jason Kelce, but that could be even better for Barkley in terms of touchdown production, as they may not be as effective at the polarizing “Tush Push” without him. He should easily terrorize the NFC East and could make a run for the overall RB1.

Joe Mixon, RB, Houston Texans

After it was initially reported that he was going to be released, Joe Mixon manifested himself into an arguably better situation than he left in Cincinnati with the Houston Texans. After letting Devin Singletary walk in free agency, Dameon Pierce is the only real competition, and, let’s face it. If he couldn’t get past Devin Singletary on the depth chart, he’s likely not going to be a threat to Mixon.

Mixon is an aging back, but he’s consistent in short-yardage situations with the ability to break out at any given moment and has added pass-catching ability to pad his stats. A running game was pretty much the only weakness the Texans have, and they just upgraded in a big way with Joe Mixon.

Gus Edwards, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

With Austin Ekeler out of the picture, it looks like this backfield belongs to Gus Edwards. Not only will he get the shot as the lead back, the Jim Harbaugh system should lend itself to a run-heavy approach, giving him even more upside as one of the few bell-cow backs in the league. While it likely won’t be as drastic a split as it was at Michigan (563 rush attempts to just 361 pass attempts in 2023), there will be much more emphasis on the run in L.A. than there has been in the past.

There are also rumors that the Chargers are targeting Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt, and if that line gets even stronger, it’s wheels up for Edwards. He could be a sneaky value in early drafts, and I’m going to flag-plant right now and say he could be this year’s Raheem Mostert. (Quick, someone call Fantasy Receipts!)

Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

While we can argue that Kirk Cousins is one of the biggest winners thus far in free agency, you can’t overlook the impact that the signing has on Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and even Bijan Robinson. Cousins is a MAJOR upgrade over the revolving door of Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and Taylor Heinicke they’ve dealt with the past two seasons, and the new West Coast offense that Zac Robinson implements should make the Falcons one of the best offensive teams in the league.

For more on the Cousins signing, check out Britt’s first article with Club Fantasy!

I’ve been trying to keep the hyperboles in check, but it’s nearly impossible to do with this group. They’re all top-ten picks, and now they finally have both a quarterback who isn’t afraid to throw downfield and an offensive coordinator who will call those big plays. They may not have been directly involved in free agency, but they are big winners, nonetheless.

Free Agency Losers

Devin Singletary, RB, New York Giants

Remember when we were talking about the Giants’ offensive line in regards to their protection of Saquon Barkley? Yeah, that’s why Singletary falls into the losers category for me. While he was good at gaining yards after contact in Houston last season, his small frame is concerning behind a line that ranked 30th in run blocking. There’s also the issue of offensive efficiency from New York, where they also ranked 30th in points scored per game. Sure, he should get the bulk of the work, but the quality and production of that work is not going to be what we saw last season.

Brian Robinson, RB, Washington Commanders

Even with Antonio Gibson in the mix last year (who many, myself included, thought was going to steal the majority of the pass-catching work), Brian Robinson emerged as the lead back and finished the fantasy season as a low-end RB2. Now, with Austin Ekeler in the mix, his value is in free fall. You could argue that he’ll still get goal line and short yardage work, but taking away the 72 points for his receptions and receiving yards would have knocked him down from RB21 to RB40 in PPR leagues last season. At this point, he may be no better than a best ball dart throw.

Gabriel Davis, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

On its face, this one may look like a good signing, but I view it as a downgrade. For one, Davis is going from the WR2 in Buffalo to likely the WR3 in Jacksonville behind Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, and he could even be fourth on the team in targets if you add Evan Engram into the mix. There’s also a downgrade at quarterback here. As much as I don’t want to talk about Trevor Lawrence’s production versus his expectations, I have to. He has not delivered in the same way as Josh Allen has, and at this point, Lawrence has not proven himself to be an elite quarterback who can support multiple fantasy receivers. Add to that Davis’ problems with drops and ball security, and it’s a no-go for me.

Treylon Burks, WR, Tennessee Titans

My poor, sweet prince, Treylon Burks…it’s looking like he’s never going to get the chance to be the true number-one receiver in this offense. There were already concerns about his health, his quarterback play, etc., but now the Titans brought in Calvin Ridley on a long-term deal that all but guarantees that Burks will be no better than the number three on the team. Now, you could argue that Ridley was better with a legitimate number two to take the pressure off of him, but I don’t think Burks is that guy yet. At this point, hopes of a third-year breakout are all but dead.

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