This Week's Under-the-Radar Moves

Photo: USA Today Sports

The NFL's opening week of free agency gave us a string of jaw-dropping transactions. But fantasy success is made by finding the value overlooked by everyone else in your league.

We asked the Footballguys staff "Which under-the-radar move got your attention this week?" Here's the discussion.

See players who gained value here
See players who lost value here

Anthony Amico

Isaiah McKenzie returning to Buffalo for two years and $4.4 million isn't going to grab headlines but is super intriguing as we advance through free agency. It isn't enough money to guarantee him any kind of role, but with Cole Beasley moving on from the Bills, McKenzie could wind up the primary slot man in a Josh Allen-led offense. McKenzie notably had 11/125/1 against the Patriots in Week 16 with Beasley out.

Dave Kluge

Tevin Coleman returning to the Jets is far from a splashy move. And no, I'm not advocating that you draft Coleman in any fantasy formats. But this move shows us that the Jets are ready to give Michael Carter a larger role in his sophomore campaign. Coleman is coming back for a $1.5M salary with just $650K guaranteed. The Jets have more pressing needs in the draft than running back. With an aging Tevin Coleman and Ty Johnson and likely to be his only competition, Carter should be a reliable RB2 next season.

Jason Wood

Cedrick Wilson signing in Miami piques my interest. Wilson understandably struggled for regular playing time in Dallas because he had a murderer's row of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb in front of him. But when Wilson did get snaps, he looked capable of being a full-time receiver in a high-target role. Miami has Jaylen Waddle as the No. 1, but Wilson could step in for Devante Parker and become a 70+ target option in 2022 or 2023.

Zareh Kantzabedian

James White resigning with the Patriots on a two-year $5 million contract was his best-case scenario. I was high on White going into the 2021 season and for a good reason. Before going down in Week 3, he had 12 receptions on 14 targets and 1 touchdown.

He’s in the final stretch of his career but is productive when healthy. When on the field, White produces as a reliable PPR RB2. I'm a fan of Rhamondre Stevenson, but the pass-catching role is exclusively reserved for White.

I'm not in the business of predicting injuries, but the expectation of one happening will be baked into White’s draft cost.

He’ll be slept on once again in most formats and will return value at a reduced cost. Be sure to grab him when he falls to you.

Sigmund Bloom

Any worries about the addition of Ty Montgomery?

Zareh Kantzabedian

I’m assuming he's the replacement for Bolden who signed with the Raiders.

Ryan Weisse

I wouldn't exactly say it's not getting publicity, just the wrong kind of publicity. I don't hate Amari Cooper to the Browns the way many others do in fantasy football. With Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, and Rashard Higgins gone, Cooper will be the clear-cut WR1 with just Donovan Peoples-Jones and likely a rookie wide receiver as primary competition. Add to that the fact that Kareem Hunt is also likely to play elsewhere, and all of a sudden, you have 195 targets vacated. While Cooper won't see them all, he will see the lion's share. Last year, Landry averaged over seven targets per game; Beckham was just under six as a Brown. If Cooper hits 119 targets, seven per game, that will beat his average as a Cowboy. He can easily end up a top-20 wide receiver in fantasy again, especially with Deshaun Watson behind center.

Ben Cummins

The Jaguars are handing out contracts like they’re free keychains at a job fair, creating a negative sentiment around the already floundering franchise. But the Evan Engram one-year, $9 million contract makes me perk up. Engram offers an extra gear as an athlete not many other tight ends possess and has a 722-yard six touchdown season on his resume as a 23-year old rookie. Since that 2017 season, Engram has been a disappointment but some of that can be explained by the expectations that were set after his exciting NFL start, the retirement of Eli Manning, and the incompetence of the Giants as a whole. Now paired with the promise of Trevor Lawrence’s arm on a bad team and playing a position where I like to hunt for late-round value, I’m interested in the possibility of Engram becoming the next tight end to see an uptick in production on their second contract.

Phil Alexander

D.J. Chark goes from an afterthought in Jacksonville to an intriguing late-round flier in Detroit. T.J. Hockenson, DAndre Swift, and Amon-Ra St. Brown will force opposing defenses to focus their attention near the line of scrimmage when game-planning against the Lions, which should enable Chark to break free downfield for some explosive plays. Don't let last year's injury-shortened campaign cloud your opinion of Chark as a player. His sophomore season placed him in rarified air among young wide receivers who have gone on to have impactful careers. And for Best-Ball leagues specifically, let's not forget Kalif Raymond produced six fantasy-relevant games as Detroit's WR2 in 2021. Given Chark's superior pedigree and the present state of the Lions defense, it's easy to envision the former Jaguar standout exceeding expectations as a pick in the double-digit rounds of drafts.

James Brimacombe

C.J. Uzomah to the New York Jets has my attention. I honestly was shocked that he chased the money and didn't stay with the Bengals to try to make another run. I like the idea of the Jets offense again this year and I believe they are doing as much as possible for Zach Wilson to succeed in 2022. Uzomah will be a nice safe option for Wilson outside of Corey Davis and Elijah Moore and help open up the entire offense. I see this signing as one that helps the entire Jets offense be more balanced and one that allows Wilson to not have to force the ball to just a single receiver.

Jeff Haseley

Cedrick Wilson to Miami and the extension for Isaiah McKenzie in Buffalo are two good calls. I'm going with Russell Gage to Tampa Bay. Gage has shown success when called upon and he'll be the WR3 in Tom Brady's offense along with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. He is also capable of much more if an injury opens up more volume. This is a great spot for Gage.

Victoria Geary

Dave, Troy, and I spoke about the Browns tagging David Njoku on the Mailbag Show Podcast last night. I think he will be the sleeper tight end everyone is talking about in a few months' time. With both Austin Hooper and Jarvis Landry out of the picture and Harrison Bryant as his only other positional competition, Njoku has a fantastic chance to be a serviceable week-to-week fantasy asset at the tight end position. Many unknowns are still at play, though, including who will be passing the ball for the Browns in 2022, but the door is wide open. Njoku was fourth in yards per reception for tight ends last year. Though the Browns identify as a run-first team, it's worth noting that Browns' tight ends garnered a 28% target share as a group in 2021. If he can garner more concentrated targets, Njoku could end the 2022 season as a back-end TE1.

Sigmund Bloom

Olamide Zaccheaus is in line to be the Falcons #1 receiver after Calvin Ridley was suspended for a year and Russell Gage left for Tampa in free agency. The team kept him with a right of first refusal RFA tender worth around 2.4 million and no matter what happens with their quarterback situation and wide receiver depth chart, he'll be on the field a lot by default.

Jeff Bell

The Titans tipped their hand on the wide receiver room with the release of Julio Jones. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine flew well under the radar when he re-signed with the Titans the week before free agency. He had a quietly productive breakout in the second half of the season, leading the Titans in season-long wide receiver snaps and posting a 38-476-4 line that placed second in all three categories on the team. Over 65% of that production came after week ten when he shone in a production window that would put him with players like Brandon Aiyuk and Kendrick Bourne on a per-game PPR basis. The team should continue to add to the room through free agency and the draft, but currently, Westbrook-Ikhine stands as a potential year three breakout and a clear second in the team’s receiving chart.

Kevin Coleman

The Cincinnati Bengals were able to fill a big need at their tight end position this week by adding former Falcon Hayden Hurst. The Bengals lost starting tight end C.J. Uzomah to the New York Jets but quickly found his replacement in Hurst. While Hurst isn't the most prominent name signed this week, this move helped his fantasy outlook. People forget that Hurst finished the 2020 season as TE10 in PPR formats with 56 receptions for 571 yards and six touchdowns. He finds himself as TE1 on the depth chart in a Joe Burrow-led offense where C.J. Uzomah had 63 targets in 2021. Hurst will be the perfect late-round tight end target in drafts this offseason.

Andy Hicks

The running back room in Miami received a significant upgrade. Not only the addition of Chase Edmonds and the return of Salvon Ahmed to join Myles Gaskin, but Raheem Mostert comes over from San Francisco. It looks like a crowded backfield. The new coaching staff is going to use their choice of player, especially over the lower end of a previous roster. Myles Gaskin was relatively unimpressive in 2021. Chase Edmonds should be the player fantasy manager's draft significantly higher. That said, I like adding Mostert, the former 49er often was at the top of their complicated depth chart. He is an excellent late-round draft option.

Jordan McNamara

I think the best signing of the free agency period was Pittsburgh's two-year, 14-million dollar contract with Mitchell Trubisky. There is a chance Pittsburgh can turn around Trubisky's career and find a franchise quarterback at bargain prices. There is also a chance Trubisky may be a bust and could be a third-string quarterback by August, which is why the investment was so sound. This cost Pittsburgh nothing in the form of picks or commitment, so it is all upside. Likewise, this deal does not prevent Pittsburgh from addressing the position in the 2022 or 2023 NFL Draft. If Trubisky does not work out, they can cut him and move on much more easily than Indianapolis and Washington have experienced with Carson Wentz and Carolina has experienced with Sam Darnold. These low cost, low risk, high reward decisions are the type we should strive for on our fantasy teams. Winning franchises are the result of a consistent pattern of good decisions and this is a good demonstration of why Pittsburgh is consistently competitive.