Big Blue View
Fantasy observations from recent player moves
Spring is here! As the calendar flips from March to April, all football eyes are on the NFL Draft, which kicks off on Thursday, April 24. For the most part, free agency and big trades are now in the rearview, other than the many trades of picks (and maybe some players) that will happen during the Draft. Get ready to hear more than you ever wanted about short arms, football smarts, non-stop motors, character guys, athletic freaks, coachable players, and the rest. What a time!
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Two weeks ago, I shared some takeaways from the flurry of moves over the first few days of the 2025 NFL free agency period. If you missed it, here it is. Today I’m going to jump back in with more takeaways from subsequent signings and trades. It’s funny: When I wrote that first free agency column it felt like an Aaron Rodgers signing was imminent, yet here we are two weeks later and the 41-year-old, four-time MVP is still “mulling it over”. Yeesh.
Let’s get to it. All rankings noted are for Half-point PPR.
Fantasy Takeaways:
1. The Steelers have hot rods, but no driver. Pittsburgh made one of the biggest moves so far this offseason when they traded for (and extended) D.K. Metcalf. Metcalf has played six seasons but is still just 27, and pairing him with fourth-year man George Pickens gives the Steelers a dynamic 1-2 punch at wide receiver, plus tight end Pat Freiermuth is a solid chain-mover and red zone target in the passing game. But who’s getting them the ball? As of now it’s Mason Rudolph, who started 13 somewhat forgettable games for the Steelers over four seasons and then played last season in Tennessee before returning.
The annual game of quarterback musical chairs is almost over, and the Steelers are just about the only desirable seat remaining. The aforementioned Rodgers is just about the only ass left to take that seat. Will they pair up, or will A-Rod retire? Tune in to Pat McAfee’s show to find out. Personally, I don’t care and I’m tired of the drama. The bottom line is that it’s going to be hard to invest too much fantasy draft capital in the Steelers’ pass catchers if Rudolph is the QB1 in the Steel City.
2. The Pats get their WR1. Or do they? Getting better weapons for second-year QB Drake Maye was a huge priority this off-season and after unsuccessfully pursuing multiple receiving weapons, the Pats’ big catch is Stefon Diggs (3 years, $69M), who tore his ACL in Week 8 last season, is 31 years old, and has shown some real decline over the past two seasons. The Pats gave him a lot of money but only $26 million of it is guaranteed. Diggs (and Mack Hollins, who the team also added) should help Maye. New England has had the worst receiver room in the league for several seasons after...
