Fantasy implications of tight end moves in 2017 NFL free agency

With the NFL offseason now focusing in on the draft, we are getting a clearer picture of what all 32 teams will look like in 2017.

That means it’s time for a look at how some of the biggest moves this offseason have affected the fantasy football landscape, focusing right now on the tight end position.

One of the biggest moves in fantasy football this offseason came when Martellus Bennett left New England to sign with another high-powered offense in Green Bay. Bennett no longer has to worry about being the second fiddle to Rob Gronkowski with the Patriots.

Now, Bennett is the No. 1 tight end in an offense that has been longing for someone of his caliber since the days of Jermichael Finley. Even Jared Cook last year was unable to provide Aaron Rodgers with a reliable target at this position, but Bennett will do that and then some.

Bennett is now primed to be an elite fantasy tight end that should even give Rodgers a slight boost. This also makes Richard Rodgers irrelevant in Green Bay.

Speaking of Cook, he left to sign with the Raiders this offseason after a poor showing in his one year with the Packers. Injuries helped limit Cook to just 10 games in 2016, in which he caught 30 passes for 377 yards and one score.

But Cook would show he can still be a great fantasy tight end when the playoffs began. In three postseason games, Cook racked up 18 grabs for 228 yards and two scores.

If Cook can play like that over a 16-game season, he will be a great starting tight end on your fantasy team in 2017. Problem is, he still has Lee Smith and Clive Walford to hold off for snaps. Those are two solid guys who could keep Cook from getting all of the tight end snaps in this offense.

After Julius Thomas became an elite fantasy tight end in Denver, Jacksonville signed him to a massive contract in 2015, but he failed to ever live up to it. That led to Thomas being traded to Miami this offseason, where he is reunited with Adam Gase, who was Thomas’ offensive coordinator in Denver before becoming Miami’s head coach.

That is why many believe Thomas will get back to being fantasy relevant in 2017 after becoming a ghost in Jacksonville. The Dolphins no longer have Jordan Cameron or Dion Sims, so Thomas should get almost all of the tight ends snaps in this offense.

We probably won’t ever seen Thomas rekindle the magic he had with Gase and Peyton Manning in Denver, but he still could become a decent fantasy starter in 2017.

One of the more under-the-radar moves this offseason came when Sims left Miami to sign with Chicago, who badly needed to add a younger tight end this year. With Zach Miller being injury prone and 32 years old in the final year of his deal, the Bears appear to be banking on Sims being the starter this year and giving them a more consistent option at tight end.

Sims spent most of his Dolphins career behind Jordan Cameron and Charles Clay, so opportunities to produce came few and far between. But when Cameron was lost to concussions last season, Sims finished on a good note with 19 catches for 176 yards and four scores over his final seven games (including playoffs).

That included four touchdowns from Weeks 12-15. It’s a small sample size, but enough to think Sims has fantasy potential in 2017.