The NFL free-agent period begins on Wednesday, March 16, so we’ll soon start to see changes to rosters, depth charts and, of course, fantasy football values.
With that in mind, I’ll be covering all four of the major fantasy positions and will list the top available players, including their best fantasy fits, over the next two weeks. Let’s start things off at quarterback. Unfortunately, the list of free agents is quite underwhelming. In fact, a lot of the talk at the position will focus on players who could be moved in the offseason despite still being under contract -- including Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, Carson Wentz and Jimmy Garoppolo.
For now, let’s examine the quarterbacks who will be free to change teams.
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1. Jameis Winston
Winston has been a top-five fantasy quarterback in the past, but he averaged just 16.8 points in his seven games with the Saints last season. He is still young at 28, but he’s coming off an ACL tear and won’t be guaranteed a starting job no matter where he lands. Even in a best-case scenario, I don’t see Winston as anything more than a matchup-based No. 2 fantasy quarterback who won’t be drafted much in 2022.
Best fantasy spots: Broncos, Buccaneers, Commanders, Saints, Steelers
2. Teddy Bridgewater
Bridgewater has shown flashes of fantasy value at times in his career, but he’s typically been little more than a No. 2 or 3 quarterback. That’s obvious in his average points per game totals, which have never been better than 16.1 (2020) in his career. He should have a shot to start next season, but he’s no guarantee to bring back much value and won’t be picked in most drafts. Excuse the pun, but he’s just a “bridge” quarterback.
Best fantasy spots: Broncos, Buccaneers, Commanders, Saints, Steelers
3. Marcus Mariota
The No. 2 overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, Mariota was jettisoned by the Titans after the 2019 campaign and has languished as a backup in Las Vegas the last two seasons. He’s never averaged more than 17.6 fantasy points per game (his rookie campaign), and Mariota would need to land with a team that allows him a chance to compete for a starting role to have even a sliver of fantasy value for next season.
Best fantasy spots: Broncos, Browns, Colts, Steelers, Texans
4. Mitchell Trubisky
Laugh if you want, but Trubisky could have a shot to earn a starting role in the NFL next season. (That tells you the state of the quarterback position right now). After four mostly disappointing seasons with the Bears, he attempted a mere eight passes while playing behind Josh Allen in Buffalo last season. Regardless, quarterback-needy teams could look to add the 27-year-old Trubisky to compete for a starting role.
Best fantasy spots: Commanders, Giants, Panthers, Steelers, Texans
5. Ryan Fitzpatrick
In typical Fitzpatrick fashion, he started just one game in a season in which he was slated to be the starter in Washington. Strangely, he’s started more often when he has entered a season as the backup. Go figure. Heading into his age 39 season (Fitzpatrick will turn 40 in November), he’s likely looking at a backup role somewhere in the league. But with the Amish Rifle, a backup role could mean having more value than projected.
Best fantasy spots: Broncos, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Saints, Texans
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6. Cam Newton
I’m not sure how much the one-time fantasy superstar has left, but he should still land on a team as a backup quarterback somewhere around the league. Playing the role of a mentor to a young signal-caller like Trey Lance or Justin Fields makes sense, but he could reunite with Ron Rivera in Washington or head to the Great Northwest.
Best fantasy spot: 49ers, Bears, Commanders, Panthers, Seahawks
7. Andy Dalton
Dalton has seen his fantasy stock tumble since leaving the Bengals, and there’s no real reason to think that will change in 2022 and beyond. Now better off as a backup behind a young quarterback, Dalton will demand attention in a secondary role around the NFL.
Best fantasy spots: Bears, Commanders, Giants, Steelers, Texans
8. Tyrod Taylor
Taylor once again dealt with injuries last season, ultimately losing his job to rookie Davis Mills in the process. His proneness to injuries will make it tough for any NFL team to put much stock in him as a starter, but he should get a look as a backup.
Best fantasy spots: Broncos, Giants, Jaguars, Saints, Texans
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9. Jacoby Brissett
Brissett has been a serviceable NFL backup, and that’s what teams will be looking for him to be in 2022. The veteran has 37 regular-season starts on his resume and could have limited matchup-based value in fantasy if he’s forced into a starting role.
Best fantasy spot: Broncos, Dolphins, Giants, Raiders, Steelers
10. Trevor Siemian
Siemian wasn’t terrible for the Saints last season, scoring 19-plus fantasy points in two of his four starts. He completed just 57.4% of his passes, however, and he didn’t lead the team to a single win in those contests. He’ll be a strict backup option in 2022.
Best fantasy spot: Bengals, Bills, Chargers, Jaguars, Steelers
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Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst at Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business!
