The NFL offseason is about to get very interesting.
From the start of free agency and the trade period (March 13, 4 p.m. ET) to the NFL Draft (April 25-27), we're about to see a lot of players signed, released and drafted. That also means a whole lot of speculation on where some of the best free agents and rookies will land in the weeks and months to come. Far be it from me not to join in on the banter with a bunch of my own predictions and prognostications as they pertain to the wonderful world of fantasy football, so here are some potential scenarios that might or might not be realistic but would benefit fantasy owners ahead of next season.
Le'Veon Bell signs with the Indianapolis Colts: No team has more dough to spend this offseason than the Colts, according to Spotrac.com, and the addition of Bell to an already loaded offense would be a marriage made in fantasy football heaven. Bell seemed to like the idea too, as he liked one of my tweets suggesting the Colts should make a play for the talented running back this offseason.
Antonio Brown is traded to the San Francisco 49ers: The best fantasy scenario would be for Brown to remain with the Steelers, but that doesn't appear likely to happen based on Brown's recent social media post. So ... unless the Colts want to reunite Bell and Brown (!!!), I'd like to see the latter land in San Francisco. Why? Well, the Niners have cash to spend, a good, young quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo, an offensive-minded coach in Kyle Shanahan and a huge need at wide receiver. Would Brown's value decline a bit in the Bay Area? Yup. But it's not going to be better (or as good) anywhere than it has been in Pittsburgh. Oh, and any thoughts to him being traded to the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots should be forgotten. That ain't happening, friends.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft Josh Jacobs: The Buccaneers are in the market for a running back (sorry Peyton Barber and Ronald Jones), so why not draft the best one in the 2019 class? Jacobs averaged 5.3 yards per carry and scored 11 rushing touchdowns while in a timeshare with Damien Harris at Alabama last season. He also tacked on 20 catches for 247 yards and three scores as a receiver. New coach Bruce Arians has coached six top-20 PPR backs, including David Johnson, Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker, and nine backs have had 30-plus catches under his guidance.
Mark Ingram signs with the Baltimore Ravens: The 2017 season was fun, but let's be honest. We as a fantasy community need to see Ingram and Alvin Kamara split up for the good of their statistical futures. It's more for Ingram of course, as he floundered this past season while his younger teammate put up another top-five PPR campaign. Ingram might be older at 29, but he's never had more than 230 carries in a single season and he averaged just 118.7 totes in his first three years in the league. Imagine his fantasy value behind Lamar Jackson in the Ravens' run-first attack? Sign me up!
Nick Foles signs with the Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars have the ugliest cap situation in the entire league, but they'll make a few roster subtractions to make a run at Foles. With Joe Flacco headed to the Mile High City, Jacksonville now has the most glaring hole at the quarterback position in the entire league. While Foles won't have a ton of stand alone value no matter where he lands, his presence in the Jags offense would bode well for Marqise Lee, Dede Westbrook and D.J. Chark.
Golden Tate signs with the Green Bay Packers: This one seems unlikely, but it sure would get Tate back in the good graces of fantasy owners. Randall Cobb is heading into free agency, so the Packers could lose their top slot man. Enter Tate, who would flourish with Aaron Rodgers throwing him the football in an offense that ranked fifth in targets to the slot position (12.4 per game) last season.
Kyler Murray is drafted by the Miami Dolphins: Reports out of South Florida suggest the Dolphins are parting ways with Ryan Tannehill, so why not draft one of the most dynamic quarterbacks to come out of the college ranks in years? Murray might be undersized, but the dude has a right-hand cannon and is accurate on short passes. He is also a talented runner, as he rushed for 1,001 yards with 12 touchdowns and posted a sick 7.2 yards-per-carry averaged in his final collegiate season at Oklahoma. You would think that if he does land with the Dolphins, Murray would have a shot to start in Week 1.
Tevin Coleman signs with the Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles are in need of a running back, as Jay Ajayi and Darren Sproles are both pending free agents. I'm not sure Coleman can handle a featured role, but I do think he'd be a nice fit as the lead back in a committee situation in Philadelphia. Their rushing offense was dreadful this past season, so Coleman would have an opportunity to come right in and make a contribution. His departure from Atlanta would also add to the value of Devonta Freeman, who is coming off a lost 2018 campaign but still has plenty of gas in the tank.
Jay Ajayi signs with the Oakland Raiders: There are a lot of questions about Ajayi's durability, so he's likely to sign a short-term, "prove it" deal. He's also still young entering his age-26 season, and the Raiders will be in need of running back help if Marshawn Lynch decided to retire. A former 1,200-yard runner, Ajayi would have a chance to lead a committee in Oakland under coach Jon Gruden.
Teddy Bridgewater signs with the Washington Redskins: People tend to forget that Bridgewater was a very highly-touted prospect out of Louisville with an upward-pointing arrow when he suffered a horrific knee injury with the Vikings. The Redskins are in need at quarterback due to the questionable status of Alex Smith, so Bridgewater could come right in and likely start for coach Jay Gruden's squad.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. You can follow Michael on **Twitter**, **Facebook**, **YouTube** and **Instagram** for the latest fantasy football news and analysis!
