Free agency opened the doors for some players that were an afterthought or not good enough to roster. Which guys are great buys now?
As free agency plays out, it only means more chaos in dynasty football. Players landing in different situations sets up trade pieces for things managers truly want or game-changing players who can take a team to the promised land.
With numerous offensive pieces finding new homes this off-season, who are three players to target in dynasty football after finding a new him for 2022 and beyond?
Marcus Mariota gets another shot
The Atlanta Falcons blow leads of all sorts. They blew the Super Bowl, being up 28-3 and now they blew the chance of getting Deshaun Watson. No one knows what truly happened, but the Falcons, for about two consecutive days, were the favorites to land Watson.
That all changed when Watson elected to lift his no-trade clause only to go to the Cleveland Browns. That left the Falcons in a frenzy. Last week, the Falcons shipped off Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts, and Atlanta was stuck. The Falcons then agreed to terms with former number two overall pick, Marcus Mariota.
Highlight of Marcus Mariota's time in the Silver & Black. Prime time game, head to head with fellow Oregon legend Justin Herbert, both played flawless football, & the embrace at the end. Quite the moment for Oregon Ducks football. https://t.co/Tc0U7Beeqh
— 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩 𝘿𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙞 (@MattDeBlasi) March 21, 2022
For starters, the Atlanta Falcons are going to be a very bad team in 2022. With that being said, Mariota is a buy in dynasty football. With the Falcons potentially being a bad team, Mariota is going to always be playing from behind which will lead to more passing opportunities and running opportunities with his speedy legs.
Let’s not forget Mariota was a QB2 in his first three seasons in the NFL. This was a man being drafted in the 15th round or later in startup drafts recently. Mariota was the QB12 in ppg in 2016 and at just 28 years old, can be acquired for a late second round or early third-round pick in this year’s rookie draft.
Mariota has shown in the past to be able to put up decent numbers as a fantasy QB. Even though the Falcons will be bad, that fortunately does not mean a thing in fantasy football.
Chase Edmonds: Chasing RB1 status
Chase Edmonds was sharing the backfield with James Conner and Kyler Murray in Arizona. Due to injury as well, Edmonds did not see any valuable production as Conner took pretty much away all the touchdowns that the backfield was responsible for.
Now, Edmonds finds himself in South Florida with the Miami Dolphins. A new “look towards the future” head coach, Mike McDaniel. The former offensive coordinator for the 49ers will now look to bring that explosive west-side offense to Miami.
Chase Edmonds: I put my faith in Mike McDaniel as an offensive guru. https://t.co/rnkJ6EVV2r
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 22, 2022
Last season, Edmonds averaged the 11th most yards per touch with 5.7 yards. He makes the most of all his touches. Edmonds is in a beautiful spot to produce.
Chase Edmonds was also 12th in true yards per carry at 4.7 yards. The 2022 season will be a very interesting one in dynasty football for Edmonds. One thing for certain is that he will get the opportunity to produce at a high level in McDaniel’s high-powered offense.
Hayden “Heading in the right direction” Hurst
Hayden Hurst can follow the footsteps of former Cincinnati Bengals tight-end, CJ Uzomah and have some big fantasy weeks. Having Joe Burrow as the quarterback plays a big factor as well. Hurst signed a year deal, worth only 3.5 million with the Bengals. This does not hurt the Bengals pockets and Hurst gets a place to play and produce.
Every season, there are dart throws for tight-ends at the end of fantasy drafts. It happens every single season. In 2020, it was Logan Thomas and in 2021 it was Dawson Knox. In 2022, Hayden Hurst has a chance to join both of those men and be a TE1. All it takes is a handful of touchdowns to solidify a spot in the TE1 rankings.
What better opportunity to do that other than with Joe Burrow. It is the year of the tiger by the way. Expect a big season from Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ weapons.
Thank you for checking out my free agents to acquire in dynasty football article for the 2022 season! You can read all of my articles on my IDP Guys’ author page. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @NBF_Clo and @IDPGuys (we have offense too) and please check out our website at idpguys.org.
