It’s been an odd few days in the NFL with free agency starting, and while a lot of the moves made haven’t had a tremendous fantasy football impact, there were still some that warrant attention.
I’ve already written about smoked his way to free agency. Last season, Bess had a negative Target NEP (meaning the Browns lost points when they targeted him), and his Reception NEP per target was .16 points below Hawkins' average, which is significant.
Ted Ginn Signs with the Cards
Ted Ginn had his best year a season ago, catching 36 passes for 556 yards and five touchdowns with the Panthers. Though he did catch 56 balls with Miami during his sophomore year in the league, Ginn's Reception NEP from 2013 was actually only six points off of that, thanks to more efficient play. He was a deep ball threat in Carolina's horrible receiving corp, and always has the ability to take the ball to the house.
This move doesn't do a whole lot for Ginn's fantasy value, as he'll still be, at best, the number three option in his offense. And now instead of being behind Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell, Ginn will see Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd ahead of him on the depth chart.
While he's not much of a traditional receiver, the move just makes Carolina's wide receiver group that much weaker. And actually, they don't really have a competent one right now. Expect them to make at least one move in free agency (Hakeem Nicks?) before snagging a couple of pass-catchers in the draft.
The Texans Keep Garrett Graham
Veteran Owen Daniels won't be playing tight end for Houston next season, and the Texans filled their void by re-signing Garrett Graham. If you recall, Graham filled in for Daniels this past season and ended the year with 49 receptions and five touchdowns. Unfortunately, on a per target basis, Graham's Reception NEP wasn't very good - only eight tight ends with 10 or more catches saw worse efficiency numbers.
But Graham is only 27, athletic, and in a tight-end friendly offense. New head coach Bill O'Brien loves multiple tight end sets, as we saw in New England with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. And it's been reported that O'Brien said he plans to move Graham around, both as a tight end and H-back. Perhaps he'll be the Aaron Hernandez in the Texans' offense.
For now, treat him like a streaming option. The tight end position is always going to be devalued in fantasy, and there's no reason, if we were in August, to reach for a player like Graham. Not yet, at least.