Last year I looked into the Restricted Free Agent (RFA) market in search of sleepers we may be able to dig up. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that exciting. The likes of Kendrick Bourne, Isaiah McKenzie, David Moore, and others ended up resigning and had limited impact throughout the year. The best of that group last year was Keelan Cole who ended up with 55/642/5. We as dynasty owners are always trying to find value or that next guy that could take a leap. The free-agent class this season is much deeper and more exciting. However, for fantasy, we are always looking for that throw-in piece into a trade or a player forgotten as an afterthought. I am hoping to give you some names to grab before the beginning of free agency to acquire cheaply or for nothing at all.
Tim Patrick WR 6’4”, 212 lbs. + Phillip Lindsay RB 5’8”, 190 lbs.
Let’s start it off with a pair of Broncos who are both underrated and underappreciated. Tim Patrick was a matchup problem all year. He really had a breakout season with Courtland Sutton going down early on. Patrick was the “veteran” wide receiver that took advantage of a young group of receivers. He had career numbers across the board and finished with 51 receptions on 79 targets with 742 yards and six touchdowns.
That was good enough for WR4 numbers and he led the team in fantasy points at the position in both standard scoring and PPR scoring. The Broncos have plenty of cap space but whether or not they are willing to spend the money on Patrick (who will be 28 next year) will be interesting considering the draft capital they spent on the position just a year ago. Patrick could potentially be a WR3 in a good offense. I could see him fitting in nicely with the Packers, Jets, Giants, Raiders, or WFT.
As for his underutilized teammate, Phillip Lindsay had big hopes in the fantasy community after posting back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with 35 receptions in both 2018 and 2019. 2020 was an entirely different picture. The Broncos signed big-money free agent Melvin Gordon and Lindsay found himself on the outside looking in. Although he kept a commendable 4.3 yards per attempt average it was still a career-low. Lindsay posted career lows in all statistical categories. He still showed the burst throughout the season needed at the NFL level.
The fantasy community is all over the place on Lindsay coming into the offseason and rightfully so. He lost his job and didn’t really have any resemblance production-wise of what we were used to. This opens up a real nice possibility for him to produce elsewhere. The Broncos could definitely bring him back on a cheap deal but I don’t see that happening with Lindsay. Landing places where I would be buying Lindsay shares would be the Falcons, Seahawks, Steelers, Jets, or Texans. I still think that Lindsay can be a 1,000-yard and 35 reception kind of player. Unfortunately, though he may never get that kind of opportunity again.
Zach Pascal, WR 6’2”, 219 lbs.
Pascal is a blue-collar receiver that did nothing but back his 2019 with a slightly better season in 2020. He finished with almost identical numbers catching 44 balls for 629 yards and five touchdowns. He has been “Mr. Next Man Up” for the Colts and due to the fact he was undrafted out of Old Dominion, he is a restricted free agent this off-season. With T.Y. Hilton’s situation still up in the air, Pascal hopes to get a bigger workload in an offense full of uncertainty now heading into the Carson Wentz era. The likes of Michael Pittman Jr. and Parris Campbell will look to secure their roles in this offense, but Campbell has been banged up and has only played in nine games in his career so far.
Pascal, I don’t feel will get away from this situation as many believe that he will be back with the Colts on a cheap one-year deal this season. Even if that is the case I still like stashing Pascal in Dynasty leagues. He finished #66 in Fantasy Points Per Game last season. In PPR leagues he finished 56th in points. As you can see in this clip below and in any Colts game Pascal just gets the job done both as a receiver and a route runner.
He also does the dirty work and can block as well.
GM Chris Ballard has said that they plan to bring Pascal back and I believe that is a good spot for him especially if they let Hilton walk. I think he could be a nice dependable asset for your Dynasty team as well. At his ceiling, I think he could be a WR4 in fantasy this year. If he is out there pick him up for nothing. Try and grab him before we know what is going on with Hilton.
Gus Edwards, RB 6’1”, 229 lbs.
I am not going to lie; I have an affinity for Edwards and his style. He is a perfect fit in what the Ravens like to do. Edwards made my “Dynasty Sleeper” column early in 2020 https://dynastyfootballfactory.com/dynasty-sleeper-of-the-week-gus-edwards/ and if you grabbed him he was a pleasure to watch all season long. Edwards as a fantasy player is a must-have for all you Dynasty owners that whiffed on running back the last couple of years. Edwards put up some nice stats as well finishing #2 in the NFL in EPA (expected added points). He was also top 10 in a number of efficiency stats such as True Yards Per Carry, Yards Per Touch, Breakaway Runs, and Breakaway Run Rate. Plays like these were all over the place last season.
Edwards has shown that he can be a three-down back. He has been very consistent in his first three years as a pro in Baltimore. Then there is this stat which was tweeted out by Field Yates.
Gus Edwards should be a hot commodity but I do not see how the Ravens let him out of town without an extension even with J.K. Dobbins waiting in the wings. Both these guys can be valuable in this Ravens’ offense. Ideally, if you are going to pick up or trade for Edwards you would like him to have a bigger role. If Edwards landed in a place like Arizona, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Atlanta, Miami, or Buffalo I think he could be a Top 25 running back in the NFL. It is unlikely that Edwards gets the bounce but he is still someone I feel you should grab if you can before Free Agency begins.
Honorable Mentions: Chad Beebe, Cedrick Wilson, Robert Tonyan Jr., Mike Boone, D’Onta Foreman
This off-season should be wild and crazy and who knows what will happen? However, as Dynasty owners we don’t have to wait we can make moves now. Thank you for checking out my latest on restricted free agents. Feel free to reach out anytime on Twitter you can find me @cmoney52 my DM’s are open for discussion anytime.
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