Hey there, fantasy footballers! Long time, no fantasy. Welcome to the start of another year of Frontline Fantasy Football and the Fantasy Hangover. It feels real good to be back in the swing of things, and I’m excited for another year of being addicted to watching football and changing my lineups constantly.
Draft season is almost upon us, which means it’s time to start thinking about who you want to draft, what draft strategy you want to use, and what’s changed since last year, so you can be ready when the pressure is on and it’s time to choose your team.
In the past, I’ve gone into some of my fantasy drafts not realizing that a player had moved to another team during the off-season. My friends would say: “Oh, you didn’t know that? Yeah, that happened months ago.” I would bow my head in shame, realizing I should’ve been better prepared. That player being on a different team threw me off, and I usually avoided him because I didn’t know if I could trust him anymore.
This year, I’m not going to be surprised when it comes time to draft my team. And neither should you.
To help you catch up on all of the moves and changes throughout the off-season, here are six players that have new teams this year.
Ted Ginn Jr.
Old team: Panthers
New team: Saints
The Saints lost Brandin Cooks, but gained Ted Ginn Jr. It seems like Ginn will take over Cooks role, and could be a sleeper this year. With Drew Brees’ arm and Ginn’s speed, they could be a dangerous duo.
Brandin Cooks
Old team: Saints
New team: Patriots
After a lack-luster and frustrating season for fantasy owners, it wasn’t surprising that Brandin Cooks and went to the Patriots. It seemed like the Saints and Cooks didn’t want to be together, so why not help out the Super Bowl champions and give them a great wide receiver? Now Tom Brady has another threat, and Cooks gets a fresh start. I like Cook’s chances this year to have a big impact right away, and be the upgrade in wide receiver that the Patriots needed.
Adrian Peterson
Old team: Vikings
New team: Saints
After spending his entire career at the Vikings, the Vikings decided to not resign Adrian Peterson. So, Peterson signed with the Saints, and now he’ll vie for carries with Mark Ingram. It remains to be seen if AP’s injuries have finally caught up to him, or if he still has some juice in him. After all, this is AP. Even so, he’s a risky player, and he’s in a split backfield, which makes me hesitant to want to draft him.
Marshawn Lynch
Old team: Seahawks
New team: Raiders
Beast Mode is back! Marshawn Lynch’s return will be one of the more exciting things to watch this season. For those who don’t know, Lynch retired before the 2016 season, but the Seahawks still technically held the rights to him if he decided to come back. There were rumors last year of him coming back, but those never materialized. Then, in the off-season, it was reported that Lynch wanted to play again, but only if he was traded to the Raiders. The Seahawks and Raiders made it happen, and now Lynch is ready to beast and feast again. With the Raiders giving up Latavius Murray, Lynch seems ready to take over the majority of the carries, granted he can stay healthy. I’ve always been a Beast Mode fan, and I’m eager to see how we does.
Eddie Lacy
Old team: Packers
New team: Seahawks
“If Eddie Lacy can lose the weight, then so can you!” should be the slogan for every diet commercial. Lacy was picked up by the Seahawks over the off-season, and so far has been hitting all of his weight goals. Lacy will supposedly also be splitting time with Rawls and C.J. Prosise, so it’s up in the air how many snaps Lacy will actually see. However, Rawls looked pretty bad last year, so it shouldn’t take much for Lacy to win the job.
Jay Cutler
Old team: Bears
New team: Dolphins
You can’t keep a good man down…or Jay Cutler. Just three months after announcing his retirement, Cutler is back in the NFL. Back story: Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill injured himself in practice the other week, forcing the Dolphins to find a new starting QB for the season. Cue Cutler. Who else did they try to force out of retirement? Tony Romo?
Obviously, Cutler is very excited to be back, as you can tell by the picture below.
Want to know who else is on a new team this year? Tune in to our podcast later today to find out.