12 Old Fantasy Football Faces in New Places
Lots of big names have moved to new places this offseason. We run down some of the most impactful moves for fantasy football.
August 9, 2020 - by Jason Lisk
Cam Newton will try to take the place of Tom Brady in New England (Photo by Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire)
Plenty of old familiar faces will be in new places for the 2020 season. Three star quarterbacks have changed teams. Two running backs that have led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage are trying to rebound in a new location. And one of the best wide receivers in the game was part of a blockbuster trade.
Here is a rundown of some key familiar names that will have a different uniform this season:
WR DeAndre Hopkins – Arizona
Hopkins was traded to Arizona from Houston, in one of the biggest wide receiver moves in a while. Hopkins’ move is on par with Randy Moss going to the Raiders (and later Patriots) and Terrell Owens to the Eagles. He had been named first team all-pro three consecutive years, is still only 28 years old, and has averaged 105 catches the last three seasons.
Hopkins’ move leaves some big shoes to fill in Houston. It also means that Kyler Murray has a big-time weapon entering his second year in the league, and expectations have increased in the desert.
RB Melvin Gordon – Denver
Melvin Gordon did not get the contract he wanted with the Chargers, but did get a long-term deal this offseason. He’s staying in the AFC West with the Denver Broncos. Gordon had three straight years of over 1,300 yards from scrimmage and double digit touchdowns, before a drop in production last year. Here is a list of other running backs who switched teams at age 27, to various levels of success:
- Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh to NY Jets
- LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia to Buffalo
- DeMarco Murray, Dallas to Philadelphia
- Warrick Dunn, Tampa Bay to Atlanta
- Charlie Garner, Philadelphia to San Francisco
- Terry Allen, Minnesota to Washington
- Herschel Walker, Dallas to Minnesota
- Eric Dickerson, LA Rams to Indianapolis
RB Todd Gurley – Atlanta
Todd Gurley’s decline has been precipitous. From back-to-back top running back seasons, to being limited in the 2018 playoff run, to a decline in performance a year ago with the Rams. And now, to being released and signing with Atlanta. Gurley does move to another high-scoring team, and if he can find his form and turn back time, the potential is there for a good season.
RB David Johnson – Houston
David Johnson was a part of the DeAndre Hopkins trade, and will try to find the fountain of youth in Houston. Johnson led the NFL in yards from scrimmage and touchdowns scored back in 2016, but it’s been awhile. He suffered an early season-ending injury the next year, and has averaged less than 3.7 yards per carry since then. Last year, he had high expectations playing in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, but was benched (and the team traded for Kenyan Drake).
History hasn’t been kind to running backs at age 29 with Johnson’s recent track record, but he will be hungry to prove the doubters wrong.
WR Stefon Diggs – Buffalo
Stefon Diggs has wanted to be a bigger part of the passing offense for several years, and now moves from the run-oriented Vikings to the … run-oriented Buffalo Bills. Still, Diggs should be the top wide receiver on the team, and improve the talent around quarterback Josh Allen.
WR Brandin Cooks – Houston
Cooks missed a big chunk of last season with a concussion, and will now become part of the wide receiver group in Houston that will try to make up for DeAndre Hopkins’ absence. Still just 26 years old, Cooks is trying to set a record for the most pro bowl quarterbacks as teammates. He’s already played with Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Jared Goff, and will now add Deshaun Watson to the list. Cooks will also try to join Brandon Marshall by having a 1,000 yard season with four different teams.
TE Rob Gronkowski – Tampa Bay
How much does Gronk have left? He retired before last season, and when we last saw him play in 2018, he averaged 53 yards per game, the lowest since his rookie year. He’s 31 years old, and we’ll see if a year off allowed his body to heal. He would probably still be retired if his buddy Tom Brady hadn’t moved to the Buccaneers. Now, he’ll be on a team loaded on offense with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin also at wide receiver, and will likely transition to being more of a red zone threat.
TE Austin Hooper – Cleveland
Austin Hooper has been an undervalued weapon in recent years, totaling nearly 2,000 receiving yards in the last three seasons in Atlanta. He signed a big free agent deal to move to the Browns and become their top receiving tight end this offseason. We’ll find out how much of his success was tied to playing in the Falcons’ high volume passing offense.
QB Tom Brady – Tampa Bay
The Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era has come to an end in New England. Brady had his lowest yards per attempt of the last 16 years, and his fewest touchdown passes thrown (other than the year he missed with a knee injury) since before Randy Moss went to the Patriots. Now, we find out how much of that decline was related to offensive personnel issues in New England, and how much of it was age. Because Brady has a pretty good situation in Tampa Bay, with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at receiver, and his old pal Rob Gronkowski joining O.J. Howard at tight end.
WR Emmanuel Sanders – New Orleans
The New Orleans Saints have been looking for a second wide receiver opposite Michael Thomas for several years. Sanders will have the opportunity to revitalize his career with Drew Brees. Sanders was traded in the middle of last season to the San Francisco 49ers, where he made a Super Bowl appearance. But he opted to go the Saints’ offense this offseason when he had a chance to sign a new contract.
QB Philip Rivers – Indianapolis
Philip Rivers and his family are on the move after 16 years with the Chargers. Rivers will take over for Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, a year after Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement rocked the Colts’ organization.
QB Cam Newton – New England
Finally, Cam Newton will have a chance to step into Tom Brady’s shoes with the Patriots, and bring a different style to the position. Newton has had some rough times since his 2015 MVP campaign, and missed almost all of last season with a foot injury. If he can win the job ahead of Jarrett Stidham, he will get a chance to win Comeback Player of the Year playing with one of the best coaches of all-time, and on a team with a stout defense.
All Articles in the 12 Days of Fantasy Football Series
12 Old Fantasy Football Faces in New Places
11 Depth Chart Battles to Watch
10 Backup Running Backs that Provide Upside
9 Wide Receiver Sleepers to Target
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5 Tight End Sleepers to Target
4 Quarterback Sleepers to Target