In my previous offseason reaction articles, I’ve looked at a variety of offseason moves and how they relate to dynasty formats. Here are the links below:
Stefon Diggs trade to the Bills
Anderson signs with the Panthers
Now, it’s time to break down the smallest move yet. Devin Funchess signed with the Packers in free agency to a 1-year, $2.5 million contract. His contract also contains $3.75 million in incentives, making Funchess’ maximum salary $6.25 million. Therefore, if Funchess performs well, he has the opportunity to earn a significant amount of extra money. Before going into Funchess’ future outlook, let’s look back at how he arrived at this point in his career.
Funchess’ Rocky Past
Funchess was an exciting prospect coming into the NFL. He played a significant amount of tight end in college at Michigan and was considered a versatile weapon as a prospect. The Panthers decided to draft Funchess with the 41st overall pick in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Funchess was considered somewhat of a project and therefore did not receive too much immediate playing time.
In 2015, Funchess was the third most-targeted Panther behind starting wide receiver Ted Ginn and tight end Greg Olsen. 2014 first-round pick Kelvin Benjamin missed the entire season with a torn ACL, opening up some room for Funchess in the lineup. Funchess started five games and recorded 31 receptions on 63 targets for 473 yards and five touchdowns. He flashed as a rookie, and many expected him to leap forward in 2016.
However, in 2016, Benjamin returned, and Funchess fell to the fourth target, behind Benjamin, Ginn, and Olsen. Funchess dropped in all categories, catching only 23 of 58 targets for 371 yards and four touchdowns. Funchess only caught 39.7% of his targets in 2016, the worst of any qualifying wide receiver. Considering that Funchess had caught just under 50% of his targets in his rookie year, a significant step down in that category was undoubtedly an alarming sign.
Since Funchess had regressed in 2016, expectations were low for Funchess in 2017. While Ginn had moved on to sign with the Saints, the Panthers had drafted superstar receiving back Christian McCaffrey in the first round and wide receiver Curtis Samuel in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Benjamin and Olsen returned from 2016, so Funchess would struggle to see many targets in 2017.
However, a series of unfortunate events struck the Panthers during the 2017 season, allowing Funchess to climb into a significant role. Olsen broke his foot, forcing him to miss nine of 16 games, and after eight games, the Panthers traded Benjamin to the Bills. While McCaffrey played well and led the Panthers in targets, Samuel missed significant time with back and ankle injuries. Therefore, Funchess became the Panthers’ second weapon after McCaffrey. In the top outside role, Funchess caught 63 of 111 targets for 840 yards and eight touchdowns.
While Funchess had served as a capable number one receiver in 2017, the Panthers decided to upgrade their receiver room in both free agency and the 2018 NFL Draft. They signed both Torrey Smith and Jarius Wright and selected D.J. Moore in the first round. Through Week 7, Funchess still served as the number one receiver, with everyone else splitting time behind him. He performed well, catching 29 of 47 targets for 374 yards and three touchdowns. He was 31st in fantasy points per game and was a solid WR3 for fantasy owners.
However, after this point, Funchess’ time in Carolina started to fall apart. Smith went down with an injury, leading the Panthers to explore what they had in Moore and Samuel. For the next four weeks, Funchess and Moore split the WR1 role, operating with an almost identical snap share and an identical 21 targets. Moore was significantly more effective, though, turning his targets into 17 receptions, 283 yards, and a touchdown. Funchess managed just 12 catches, 142 yards, and no touchdowns on his targets.
Then, Funchess missed Week 12 with a back injury. Samuel started in his place, and the Panthers decided to make that decision permanent after Week 12. Funchess only saw spot duty the rest of the season and was even a healthy scratch in Week 17. The Panthers had grown tired of Funchess and didn’t offer him a contract to return to the team in 2019.
Therefore, Funchess entered unrestricted free agency in the 2019 offseason. Surprisingly, he signed a 1-year, $10 million contract with the Colts, far more money than most expected him to earn in free agency. When he signed, the Colts had Andrew Luck at quarterback, and Funchess was their second wide receiver behind T.Y. Hilton. Funchess’ dynasty value mostly evaporated when Luck retired, and Jacoby Brissett stepped in as the starter. Disaster struck for Funchess in Week 1 when he broke his collarbone. He missed the entire season, never getting much of a chance in Indianapolis.
Funchess on the Packers
Unlike in 2019, Funchess received little attention on the free-agent market. His value may have gone up when he signed in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers. While Davante Adams is the clear number one receiver on the Packers, they are looking for alternative receiving options behind him. The Packers do utilize both Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams in the receiving game, but that is insufficient. After Adams and Jones, the Packers’ next three receiving weapons in 2019 were Jimmy Graham, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Geronimo Allison. Graham and Allison signed with the Bears and Lions, respectively, in free agency, and Valdes-Scantling was ineffective in 2019.
By the end of 2019, Allen Lazard had taken the WR2 role away from Valdes-Scantling and Allison. Therefore, as of this moment, Funchess and Lazard will compete for the WR2 role in Green Bay. Last offseason, everyone debated between Valdes-Scantling and Allison as to who would be the WR2 and who would have fantasy potential. As we know, neither player succeeded, and I think 2020 will be precisely the same. Additionally, the Packers have young tight end Jace Sternberger, who projects in a similar big target role that Funchess could play. As I discussed in my Dead to Me: Aaron Rodgers article, Rodgers has not been the same fantasy boon for his receivers as he has been in the past. Therefore, I don’t expect anyone to break out of this group of players.
I also believe that the Packers will draft a wide receiver in the first or second round of the NFL Draft. While Lazard flashed in 2019 and Funchess has some history of success, I cannot imagine that the Packers are satisfied with either of them as their WR2. I think the Lazard vs. Funchess competition is really for their WR3 role, with a highly drafted rookie as the WR2. This receiver class is super deep, so the Packers will still get a quality player even if they wait until the second round. If anyone believes that Funchess is valuable after this move, dump him right now from your dynasty rosters for whatever you can get. I don’t expect him to succeed in 2020.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Justin. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
