While simply entering a contract year is not a guarantee of increased fantasy football production, us gamers look to unearth any extra motivation that may help real-life players put put our fake squads over the top.
The key when evaluating such data is to treat it as another piece of the puzzle and not get too caught up in this extra info. The salary cap increased as usual this year after a dip during the height of the pandemic. We’ve seen a fair amount of one-year deals this offseason to create a deep class of free agents at wide receiver, and running back shows a few promising names as well, so look for it to continue into 2024’s free agency season.
The data is based on USA TODAY Sports’ partner Spotrac.com’s free-agent charts.
Notes: All players listed below will be unrestricted free agents as of March 2024, focusing on those who have made a dent in fantasy in recent years or could be in position to matter. Age* reflect how old the player will be upon the opening free agency. The list includes only players with potential fantasy relevance beyond 2023.
2023 contract-year players
Quarterbacks
Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Seasoned vets Tannehill and Cousins have already peaked. The other four have outside chances of making progress in their stagnant careers, but it will take a few breaks. Mayfield is the only one of this lot with a legitimate chance at a true career resurrection. It’s a safe assumption that no one from this group is poised to jump forward in fantasy production as a whole.
Running backs
Credit: George Walker IV, The Tennessean
Marquee names, such as Henry, Taylor, Jacobs, Ekeler and Barkley, all are seeking new deals and could be pulled from the market sooner than later. If not, the 2024 free-agent RB market will be one of the strongest in ages. The next tier of backs is where we could see a few names jump into RB1 status as Swift, Dobbins, Dillon, and Pollard have the most to prove.
Wide receivers
Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
The impending class of receivers has a wide range of names but mostly role players looking to hang around for another contract. Evans, Pittman, and Higgins are in line to secure massive contracts. Ridley, Claypool, Mooney, Gabe Davis and OBJ arguably have the most to prove. Otherwise, we’re looking at a crop of has-beens, what-ifs, and who-cares types.
Tight ends
(The Tennessean, USA TODAY Network)
Schultz placed a one-year wager on himself with Houston. He is poised to shine given the limited weaponry around him and the quarterback situation working in his favor. Kmet is a curious one, as is Smith. Both will have chances to earn some real coin in the ’24 offseason. Hockenson has the most financially on the line with a monster season. Bryant is intriguing since he has the tools one would look for in a breakout TE, but the opportunity doesn’t figure to be there. It’s quite likely we’ve seen the best from the Vegas and New England duos on this list.
