Earlier this week, the Washington Football Team signed 38-year old quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one-year, $10 million deal. Soon after, the Chicago Bears signed Andy Dalton to a one-year, $10 million deal after a reported trade for Russell Wilson fell through. With both veterans in prime position to start in 2021, Zachary Krueger assesses their value in FFPC Superflex leagues.
Despite being only a few days into the free agency period of the 2021 NFL offseason, player movement with major fantasy implications has run rampant. The Patriots have made the biggest splashes with the singing of both Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, while Marvin Jones signing with Jacksonville provides another solid target for (eventual) Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Two other signings this week, which are less flashy but perhaps more impactful, are the signings of Fitzpatrick and Dalton.
Both quarterbacks join playoff contenders from the 2020 season in the Football Team and the Bears, meaning it’s unlikely either team selects a first-round QB — barring a trade to move up in the draft.
For the Football Team, they get a quarterback in Fitzpatrick who has averaged 20.2 PPR/gm since 2018 (QB22) and 2.0 fantasy points over expectation/gm (QB15). Never confused for being the best quarterback in the league, there’s no doubting the infatuation fantasy managers have with Fitzpatrick.
Dalton has yielded less hype in recent years, being tied to a bad Bengals franchise and disappointing Cowboys team. Since 2018, Dalton has averaged a dismal 17.4 PPR/gm (QB31) in 35 games. He hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2017 and hasn’t thrown for at least 4,000 yards since 2016.
With the hopes of keeping the NFL dream alive for one more season, how could these veterans impact their respective teams next season?
