Dynasty Trade Value Update: Free Agency Impact

 With the first-wave of free agency complete, now is a great time to update the dynasty trade value chart. As always, the numbers listed below in the "Value" column are the approximate trade value for each player in a normal 12-team PPR league. In the "Change" column, it is noted whether each player has seen his value go up or down (and by how much) since our pre-free agency update two weeks ago.  

Running Back Values

Runnings Backs Rising

Lamar Miller landed in a nice spot. Houston runs an up-tempo offense and he is clearly the top back. If the Texans give him 20 touches-per-game, Miller's fantasy upside is immense. The Houston offensive line is a work-in-progress however...Eddie Lacy remains entrenched as the starter in Green Bay and the Packers don't seem to be in too big of a hurry to bring James Starks back...Doug Martin's contract (five years, $35.75M with $15M guaranteed) shows that Tampa Bay views him as a key piece of the offense going forward. Expect Martin to continue to be the lead back and receive nearly 300 touches-per-season over the next few years...C.J. Anderson gets a slight bump on the assumption that Denver does not match and Miami is paying him to be more of a true #1 back than he was in Denver last season.

DeMarco Murray lands on his feet in what looks like an up-and-coming offense in Tennessee. He has a decent chance to bounce back towards fantasy RB1 status over the next couple seasons. The deal basically guarantees Murray's salary for the next two seasons with two more option years after that...Matt Forte did not land big money (and Bilal Powell will get his touches as well), but the Jets offense has been RB-friendly in recent years so this is a relatively strong landing spot for the veteran runner...Ryan Mathews was reportedly on the trade block right alongside Murray, but for now remains an Eagle and the lead back on what should be a RB-friendly offense...Arian Foster remains a free agent but rumors of a possible reunion with Gary Kubiak in Denver are gaining steam after the Broncos applied the lowest restricted free agent tender to C.J. Anderson...Chris Ivory received surprisingly big money in free agency and the Jaguars clearly have significant plans for him in their emerging young offense. His deal contains more than $10M in guaranteed money...Darren McFadden surprisingly remains the top option in Dallas with no new additions made in free agency. The Cowboys will probably add a potential replacement in the draft, but we all said that last offseason as well...Ronnie Hillman is still a free agent but gets a slight bump because there are still some potentially strong landing spots remaining (including Denver) and Hillman has the ability to wait and find the best opportunity for touches.

Running Backs Falling

TJ Yeldon is one of free agency's biggest losers. It appeared he was primed for an even bigger role after receiving 218 touches in just 12 games. But the addition of Chris Ivory is a blow to his value in two ways. In the short-term, the $6M per year contract is clear evidence that Chris Ivory is likely to get at least half of the touches, which makes Yeldon a Flex option (at best). Even longer-term, the signing is a sign that the Jaguars do not view Yeldon as a true bell-cow type of back, but as more of a committee runner...Jeremy Langford dodged a bullet when CJ Anderson passed up an offer from the Bears to sign an offer sheet with the Dolphins. But the pursuit of another running back (at ~$5M per year) shows that the Bears are not sold on their current options at running back...Javorius Allen also was able to get through the first wave of free agency without his team adding any backfield competition. But Baltimore was rumored to have been sniffing around some running backs in free agency. Expect some added competition in the backfield through the draft after Baltimore filled some other prominent needs in free agency...Duke Johnson Jr saw two of his starting linemen leave in free agency and will run behind a worse offensive line...Charles Sims, Jay Ajayi and David Cobb saw their hopes of ascending to the top of the depth chart dashed by major free agent signings (or trades in the case of Murray coming to Tennessee).

Wide Receiver Values

 Wide Receivers Rising

Antoinio Brown should see an even bigger workload without Martavis Bryant and could approach 2,000 receiving yards in 2016 if both he and Ben Roethlisberger can stay healthy...A.J. Green will also see an increased workload with both Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu moving on in free agency. After averaging over 170 targets per season in 2012 and 2013, Green saw just 132 in 2015 but still managed almost 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns...Phillip Dorsett should be the prime beneficiary of the departures of Coby Fleener and Andre Johnson and should see plenty of snaps in 2016...Stefon Diggs should see an increase in deep targets with the departure of Mike Wallace...Marvin Jones gets a bump moving from the clear #3 option in Cincinnati to Detroit where he should emerge as the top option in the passing game (or at least co-#1 with Golden Tate)...Travis Benjamin lands in a nice situation as the #2 receiver in San Diego. Philip Rivers is a big step up from Josh McCown/Johnny Manziel...Willie Snead should remain the #2 option in New Orleans and could see an increase in targets with Marques Colston getting cut and the Saints lack of additions at receiver in free agency.

Sammie Coates Jr and Markus Wheaton both move up a notch on the depth chart with Martavis Bryant suspended. Coates has a more similar skillset to Bryant and has a real chance to emerge if he can polish his raw skills...Chris Hogan lands in New England where Tom Brady has been able to turn under-the-radar receiverss into fantasy stars before. When you factor in the injury histories of Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola, Hogan becomes an even more intriguing buy-low candidate for dynasty owners...Mohamed Sanu landed one of the more surprising contracts of free agency (5 years, $32.5M) to take over the #2 receiver job in Atlanta. It is hard to get too excited about the possession receiver in Atlanta's Julio Jones-centric offense, but the high dollar contract does foreshadow that Atlanta envisions a major role for Sanu.

Wide Receivers Falling

Demaryius Thomas is coming off a rough postseason and Mark Sanchez currently sits atop the Broncos quarterback depth chart. It is getting harder and harder to justify the 28-year old as an elite dynasty receiver...Dorial Green-Beckham is not majorly impacted by the addition of Rishard Matthews, but the added competition for targets does not help the second-year receiver's value...Josh Gordon hanging out with Johnny Manziel in Las Vegas is not a big deal. But it's still not a good look for the suspended receiver and the vibes being given out by the new coaching staff in regards to Gordon aren't particularly encouraging...Golden Tate is negatively impacted just slightly by the signing of Marvin Jones. Jones has a knack for making plays in the red zone and increases the odds that Tate remains the same five touchdown per season receiver he has been in Detroit.

Martavis Bryant saw by far the biggest hit to his value of any player. His strong 2015 season after returning from suspension had everyone optimistic about his future. But multiple missed drug tests and a one-year suspension put his future in the NFL in question. We have seen players like Justin Blackmon, Odell Thurman, and Jamarcus Russell fail to ever make it back after suspension. We've also seen guys like Brandon Marshall conquer their demons (mental health issues) and go on to have great careers...Jermaine Kearse returns to Seattle and gets to grow alongside one of the league's best young quarterbacks. But he remains the third or fourth target in the passing game instead of potentially moving on to a more prominent role with another team in free agency.

Tight End Values 

Tight Ends Rising

Tyler Eifert should see a slight bump in targets over each of the next few seasons as the Bengals attempt to replace two of their top three receivers with draft picks...Ladarius Green lands in a plum situation in one of the NFL's elite passing offenses and could pick up a large chunk of the targets available due to the retirement of Heath Miller and the suspension of Martavis Bryant. The opportunity is clearly there for the freakish young athlete, but he was unable to sieze similar opportunities in San Diego and it is worth noting that his deal is structured in a way that allows the Steelers to cut him after one season with very little dead money...Coby Fleener landed a surprisingly lucrative deal in New Orleans. He steps into arguably the league's most tight end-friendly offense and should put up TE1 fantasy numbers. It is worth noting that his 5-year, $36M deal is really structured as a 2-year, $14.7M deal with three option years and thus not quite as rich as it initally looked on paper...Dwayne Allen gets a bump due to finally getting a shot as the clear top tight end in Indianapolis. Also, the surprisingly big contract (4 years, $29.4M with $16M guaranteed) bodes well for Allen's usage rate in the offense. If Allen can stay healthy, he has a chance for a mid-career breakout under new TE-friendly offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski...Antonio Gates was able to garner a two-year, $11M contract with $6M guaranteed, which was somewhat surprising considering his age (36 years-old). The financial commitment to Gates and the decision to let Ladarius Green walk indicate that the Chargers are confident Gates can continue to produce in the receiving game. He may have one more fantasy TE1 season left.

Tight Ends Falling

Maxx Williams was widely considered the best of a weak crop of tight ends in the 2015 draft. He played sparingly as a rookie despite injuries decimating the Ravens crew of pass catchers and earned mixed reviews overall. The decision by Baltimore to add veteran Ben Watson in free agency likely drops Williams to third on the depth chart if Crockett Gilmore's shoulders hold up...Jesse James had some dynasty appeal in the aftermath of Heath Miller's retirement, but Pittsburgh quickly filled their void at the position with a top pass-catching free agent (Green).

Quarterback Values