Smooth like Tennessee Ridley ⚔️

We hope everyone that got their hands on the Upper Hand Dynasty Kit is enjoying the content so far and finding it useful – but don’t forget that the third annual Upper Hand Rookie Draft Kit is coming on April 1st – no joke!

What’s in store:

• The Commanders ship Sam Howell to Seattle. The former 5th-rounder from the 2022 draft will get a fresh start just two years into his career.

• Calvin Ridley gets a bag in Tennessee. 💰 The former Jaguar signed a four-year deal after an up and down season in Duval.

• The Chargers pull the plug on Mike Williams 🪫. The 29-year old veteran wideout will test the market as he makes his way back from an ACL tear in Week 3.

• The biggest winners from the first wave of free agency. Faraz identifies the players that gained the most early this week.

• Commanders trade QB Sam Howell, handful of draft picks for picks No. 78 & 152 in this year’s upcoming draft

  • File this one under ‘unexpected moves that don’t really change a whole lot’. With new ownership and a new coaching staff installed over the past two offseasons, Howell officially qualified as a relic of regimes past and was promptly shipped out as part of a pick swap with the Seahawks. Washington is a lock to draft a quarterback in a year where the class is as loaded as it’s been in recent years, and after a very up and down 2023 season, Howell finds himself down a peg on the depth chart behind current Seahawks starter Geno Smith. At this point, Howell is officially a backup and is unlikely to provide any legitimate fantasy value in 2024 barring an injury to or complete and utter collapse from Geno, so fantasy managers who rode the high of Howell’s inflated passing numbers this past season may have to look for other options in 2024. The silver lining for Howell’s fantasy managers: Geno Smith is coming off a down year and is also dealing with a brand new coaching staff. If things would get dicey, Howell could potentially see the field should Geno ever be benched.

• Former Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley signs with Titans on four-year, $92M deal

  • After a one-year stint with his new division rival Jaguars, Ridley heads to Tennessee on the big money deal he never got in Atlanta. He’ll now line up alongside veteran pass catcher DeAndre Hopkins and former first-round pick Treylon Burks in the receiving game as part of a movement by the Titans to surround their strong-armed QB Will Levis with talent heading into year two. With two dynamic running backs also residing in the backfield in Tyjae Spears and the recently-signed Tony Pollard, nobody knows for sure exactly the designs new HC Brian Callahan has for the offense, but one thing is for certain –the Titans will not be lacking firepower in the post-Derrick Henry era. With Levis a menace with the ball in his hands (he sports the league’s highest deep throw percentage in the NFL – bordering on a ridiculous 20%), Ridley should have ample opportunity even with plenty of other weapons available in the offense. The four-year deal he signed indicates that Tennessee plans to make him a fixture in the offense moving forward, and that continuity should allow Ridley to continue contributing as a WR2 in fantasy land in 2024 as he did in 2023.

• Chargers release WR Mike Williams as cap casualty to get under the limit to begin the new league year

  • The NFL is a business at the end of the day, and biting the bullet on the oft-injured Mike Williams was evidently easier to stomach for the Chargers than kicking either of the team’s premier edge rushers in Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack to the curb. Williams, who tore his ACL early in the 2023 season, will face an uphill battle to sign with a team any time soon as he continues to work through his recovery – but at just 29 years old, he’s likely to find a destination for the 2024 season later this summer. In his last full season in 2021, Williams posted a cool 76/1146/9 line en route to his most recent top-12 PPR finish albeit as part of a pass-happy offense that saw Justin Herbert attempt a blistering 672 passes. That type of volume won’t easily be uncovered throughout the league, but even then, Williams is likely more suited to a WR2 role than a true WR1 at this point in his career. With multiple opportunities in 2022 to prove that he can be a true WR1 without Keenan Allen in the lineup, Williams folded. With his 2024 team yet to be revealed and the chance that he could miss some time early in the season, Williams will almost certainly carry a heavily deflated price tag heading into draft season. Whether he’ll be worth the risk at whatever his price ends up being remains unknown.

• RB Saquon Barkley - PHI

  • Saquon moves to a much better offense with a much better offensive line. Even with the tush push still in play, he’s going to get a ton of opportunities in the red zone compared to what he had in New York. Expecting a bell cow role, which would make him a Top-5 fantasy RB in 2024.

• RB Josh Jacobs - GB

  • Jacobs is the lone back in Green Bay after Aaron Jones was released and AJ Dillon likely leaving in free agency. While he took a dip in efficiency last year, volume trumps all, and he’ll get it on a much better up and coming offense. Expecting a bell cow role, which would make him a Top-5 fantasy RB in 2024.

• Falcons offense - as a unit

  • You have to be excited for Atlanta’s offense with Cousins behind center. After what they have went through over the last couple of seasons, they deserve it. Drake London has a clear shot at breaking out as a fantasy WR1 this year, Kyle Pitts can prove all the haters wrong (still a dynasty buy), and Bijan Robinson has a path to be a Top-5 RB with overall RB1 upside.

• Titans backfield - RBs Tony Pollard & Tyjae Spears

  • Neither Tony Pollard or Tyjae Spears were likely to be workhorses this year, and given their efficiencies as complementary backs, this can be a very efficient and possibly explosive pairing. The Titans added C Lloyd Cushenberry to help shore up that line, but new OL coach Bill Callahan will get that line in order regardless.

• RB Devin Singletary - NYG

  • It’s very possible Singletary goes into the season as the Giants primary RB, assuming they don’t draft a solid incoming rookie RB. He currently doesn’t have anyone behind him who will challenge him, and it’s possible we see him play a high-snap role similar to his days with Brian Daboll in Buffalo.

• WR Davante Adams - LV

  • Adams was very close to having an extremely questionable QB situation this year, but Minshew is a solid contingency QB. We saw Michael Pittman’s value sustained with Minshew (29% target share), and we should see the same for Adams. Jakobi Meyers also has a chance at salvaging some value.

• RB Zamir White - LV

  • …for now. I’d actually take advantage of Jacobs’ departure and White as the last man standing as an opportunity to sell. Can White be the Raiders’ starter this year? Sure. But don’t get Chase Brown’d or Ty Chandler’d.

• RB Derrick Henry - BAL

  • Can’t ask for a better landing spot for Henry. Moving to a good offense with a good offensive line, in addition to wider running lanes because of the threat of Lamar Jackson is a what you want. Expect him to be a workhorse and a RB1 as long as he can stay healthy.

Jayden Reed

Reed was a borderline fantasy WR2 last year - he finished as the WR25. Rookie finishes went Puka, Tank, Reed, Rashee, Zay, Jordan Addison. With an up and coming QB in Jordan Love who can take another step forward, Reed can become the guy in that passing offense. However, I do think they can use a true WR1 - and it's possible that guy is in this NFL Draft class. If that happens, Reed can take a backseat, but still be somewhat productive - especially if he remains active in the run game.

His 23% TPRR, 2.05 YPRR, and a PFF receiving grade of 76 are all WR2 numbers, so if he doesn't get much competition next year, he could take a step forward.

Don't sleep on Dontayvion Wicks either; The combination of his 77.8 receiving grade, 20% TPRR, and 2.05 YPRR as a rookie all scream untapped upside. He could be someone you started as an every-week WR3 next year.

Zay Flowers

Flowers has a good chance of being a WR2 next season after a very solid rookie year. His 20% TPRR and 1.64 YPRR didn't quite make the cut as a WR3 benchmark, but he did in fact finish as a WR3 last year, and had a WR-worthy 73.9 PFF receiving grade. Let's see if Baltimore adds another target earner in this year's draft.

Demario Douglas

Douglas is a nice cheap buy in dynasty. 23% TPRR, 75.6 PFF receiving grade, and 2.04 YPRR - as a rookie. Those are fantasy WR2 numbers right there. Don't sleep, this dude is a good route runner and was extremely efficient last year. Don't be surprised if he's in your lineup every week next season with whoever the Patriots end up drafting at QB.