Justin Fields Finds a Home

Not much from me this week, I need a bit of R&R. But, I don’t want to leave you hanging, so here are some quick reactions to some of the bigger stories that have come out since we last saw each other.

Free Agency News and Reactions Pt. 2

• 🐻 Justin Fields has found a home with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That all but confirms Caleb Williams to the Bears with the first overall pick. Now, where do they go with their own pick at ninth overall? They now have Keenan Allen via trade with the Chargers, which is a great move by them. Williams will have serious firepower coming into the league.

• On the Steelers' side of things, they bring in competition for Russell Wilson. At worst, each QB is a one-year rental. At best, Fields shows he can actually put together a good year and is worth paying up for. The problem is that the Steelers have traded away one of their best receivers, Diontae Johnson (more on him in a minute). Whoever is behind center is doing so with less weaponry than they could have had. On the bright side, especially for Fields, he has a stable coaching staff who can bring out the best in him regardless or should be able to anyway. 🔴 🟡 🔵 

• 🐈‍⬛ Diontae Johnson being traded to Carolina gives Bryce Young a true top target in the passing game. Johnson may have fallen off in recent years for fantasy but I think he is still a fine wideout. He just had 147 targets two years ago and dealt with injuries and the inept play of Kenny Pickett the past two years as well. I do think it was more of a quarterback problem than a WR problem, as Pickett was 26th and 30th in on-target % in his two seasons. Bryce Young wasn’t much better, but his situation was much less stable, and weapons far worse. Johnson gives Young a fair shot at progression and it’s fair to say that Carolina likely isn’t done adding pieces. I like Diontae as a sleeper this year.

• 🐄 In a weird twist of events, Joe Mixon wasn’t released by Cincinatti but traded to the Texans who gave him a 3-year deal. He might not be who he once was but I think he’s a great addition to the Texans’ offense and should be a high-end RB2, low-end RB1. Don’t forget he was the RB5 last year in half-PPR formats and that was without Joe Burrow for a large chunk of the season.

• ☠️ The Zamir White hype train really hasn’t slowed down, and that’s even with the addition of Alexander Mattison. What a wild ride for him. Starts off as a backup for Dalvin Cook, gets the starting job, and then is released after a single season as the starter, now to be the likely backup for a different team. I don’t think it’s a full-on bell-cow role just yet for White, and we have yet to see what the Raiders will do at the draft. I’ve sold him for a mid-second in a league I had him, and I’m hoping to use it to draft a rookie RB this year with the prices being so low, or perhaps an upside shot at WR. You don’t have to sell him. He was dirt cheap in drafts when he came in and even in startups until recently. It won’t cost much to take the gamble that he has the starting job.

• Calvin Ridley got the bag from the Titans after the Jaguars let him go. It’s no excuse time for Will Levis with the cupboard stocked with Ridley, Hopkins, and Burks. Yes I know Burks has not panned out so far, and may never, but I still think there’s something there. Pollard and Spears in the backfield give Levis a great duo to hand the ball off to, and suddenly the Titans look interesting. As for Ridley, I think he and Hopkins take turns switching who has a boom/bust week, and it’s possible that this move actually allows Burks to shine, operating out of the slot much like he did in college and using his size and speed to create mismatches. Maybe the third-year breakout is still a thing. 🔥 

• 🐦️ Derrick Henry may be on the tail end of his career, but he gets to play alongside Lamar Jackson next season. What a nightmare for defenses. I cannot and will not fully fade Henry, but it is fair to wonder how much gas he has left in the tank. I say that as if he didn’t just finish at the RB8 in half-PPR last year. That’s probably about where he goes this season, and I think an RB8-12 finish is easily in the cards. 🟣 

• ⚡️ It’s the end of an era, as both Mike Williams and Keenan Allen are no longer in LA. The Chargers will likely bolster their running back and wide receiver positions, potentially going with Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze at pick 5, with a running back on day 2. I would bet money on it, because quite frankly, they have to. Most top-tier WR free agents are gone, they could try to get Tee Higgins but that puts them back at square one with their cap situation. RB is much the same. They signed Gus Edwards but he is not a long-term solution at RB. Blake Corum maybe? The connections are certainly there, but time will tell. ❓️ 

That is all I have for this edition of the Ballfield Banter newsletter! Don’t forget to join the discord, we’re having a ton of fun in there! Share it with your friends too, the more the merrier!