Justin Rasile 
Non-Fantasy, Fantasy Impact Signings
This article is about impactful free agent signings that aren’t fantasy players. Non-Fantasy, Fantasy Impact Signings, if you will. It’s about an offensive lineman that can help protect the quarterback and open up holes in the running game. As well as Defensive players that can get the ball back for the offense. Then how will this impact certain betting odds. These are marquee, big named players so the teams with the most cap space will sign these star players. Check out my Free Agent tracker to see where these guys end up signing! I also have a Mock Draft and Fantasy Impact Signings up on the site!
Trent Williams – OT – Jacksonville Jaguars – 4 years / $80,000,000
The Jaguars just used their franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson, so why would they spend $20,000,000 on another left tackle? Trent Williams is better, plain and simple, and signing him would improve the entire offense as a whole. Arguably the best left tackle in the game, Trent Williams would protect Trevor Lawrence’s blindside. AJ Cann and Jawaan Taylor haven’t lived up to expectations so shuffling around the right side of the line with Cam Robinson playing right tackle and Jawaan playing right guard might give this team the best chance to win. The impact of signing Trent Williams would greatly help Trevor Lawrence’s development as he knows he can drop back safely on every play and not worry about what is behind him. This will give him more time to throw deep passes to DJ Chark and Laviska Shenault. James Robinson will have even more holes to run through. I’m not going to tell you to bet on the Jaguars to win the Super Bowl (DraftKings has the odds at +7500) but the potential of them winning the division (+1200) is very intriguing. The Texans are a complete dumpster fire. The Colts are betting their future on Carson Wentz. Derrick Henry is going to have to slow down eventually and that Tennessee team still can’t rush the passer. So why not take a chance on the Jaguars?
Shaq Barrett – DE – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 4 years / $70,000,000
A quarterback’s best friend (outside of protection and a number one wide receiver) is a great defense that can get the ball back to the offense. Not many players over the past few years have been better at that than Shaq Barrett. 2019, Barrett broke out in a major way racking up 19.5 sacks. Last year he totaled 12 sacks (8 regular season and 4 in the postseason) and two forced fumbles and was a disruptive force in the Super Bowl. If Shaq is on the team, the leads can continue to pile up and this means more opportunities for whichever running back is leading the way. Whether Leonard Fournette resigns or if Bruce Arians gives the full workload to Ronald Jones II or Ke’Shawn Vaughn, one of these guys could be a beast in season-long and DFS. Barrett is a monster off the edge and is somebody that Tampa Bay needs to resign. If Shaq does leave the Bucs, I have a hard time believing that Jason Pierre-Paul can get it done by himself. Ndamukong Suh is also a free agent. If Tampa Bay loses two of their top four leaders in sacks, I see them having a difficult time making it back to the Super Bowl (+850). Tom Brady and Mike Evans will rearrange some money to help as many players come back from that championship team but none are more important than Shaq Barrett.
Yannick Ngakoue – DE – Miami Dolphins – 4 years / $60,000,000
I mentioned Shaq Barrett above and how much of a sack guru he has been, but let’s take a look at the forced fumble master. Since Yannick Ngakoue came into the league in 2016 he has 19 forced fumbles. The impact of forced fumbles cannot be underestimated as having an extra drive every couple of games can do wonders for building or maintaining a lead. Turnovers play such a key part in helping the offense and those drives have a higher chance of ending as a scoring opportunity. Tua Tagovailoa struggled last season. He had a difficult time reading defenses and the coverages they were running but Tua will improve in year two. Miami also has two first-round picks again and one of them will be used on an offensive playmaker. I believe Miami will look long and hard at bringing in Aaron Jones and Chris Carson, so this offense will be much improved in 2021. I think that Ngakoue would be a key piece to helping Tua get better. The Dolphins’ current odds to win the Super Bowl are +2500, which is a bit steep considering we need to see more improvement from Tua, but their +300 odds to win the AFC East is pretty tasty.
Joe Thuney – OG – Cincinnati Bengals – 4 years / $65,000,000
Joseph Lee Burrow needs better protection next season as exemplified by that gruesome injury he sustained. I have talked ad nauseam about how bad he was at throwing the deep ball, something he was so good at in college, and he needs that back in his repertoire. Burrow has the weapons to go deep and the Bengals have money to add another piece but they badly need offensive line help. It has long been presumed that the Bengals will draft a left tackle with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Players like Penei Sewell and Rashawn Slater will instantly upgrade that line. Plug in Joe Thuney at left guard and this allows Jonah Williams to move to right guard or right tackle or whatever the best shuffle of the offensive line is. Then we can see Burrow drop back without hesitation and step up into the pocket. Another player beneficiary from Thuney joining the team is Joe Mixon. A polarizing fantasy football player with incredible talent but his lackluster stats and inability to stay healthy have caused some to stay away from him. His offensive line has been subpar since he’s been in Cincinnati and with the improvement of Joe Burrow, Mixon will see some open holes to run through. The Bengals are at least a few years away from competing for a Super Bowl but in the NFL anything can happen and their +2500 odds to win the division sure is intriguing.
Anthony Harris – FS – Minnesota Vikings – 5 years / $60,000,000
Anthony Harris resigning with the Vikings is an absolute must. The Vikings defense was one of the worst in the league last year, even as it did begin to show signs of life towards the end of the season. Adding Danielle Hunter back to the defensive line will help improve the secondary and another year of experience will help their second-year corners (Jeff Gladney and Mike Hughes) improve but Anthony Harris is the glue that holds it all together. His seven interceptions in 2019 led the entire NFL and even without a pick last year, he’s still an incredible free safety. Harris’s ability to play elite centerfield creates more opportunities for the Vikings offense. Either ending a drive with an interception or making a pass deflection to end a drive, gives the offense more opportunities to score. This allows Dalvin Cook to grind out more yards when the Vikings are leading and Kirk Cousins more passing touchdown opportunities to Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. The Vikings don’t have any in-house upgrade to take over the spot if Harris does leave but with Minnesota having -$5,500,000 in salary cap space, good players won’t be kept. Dalvin Cook currently has +6600 odds and Kirk Cousins at +5000 to win MVP next year. It might be worth throwing a few dollars on those guys if Anthony Harris resigns with the team.
Alejandro Villanueva – OT – Indianapolis Colts – 3 years / $40,000,000
Since the day that Anthony Castonzo retired there has been a massive hole at the Colts’ left tackle position. A very underrated player, Castonzo held down the Colts quarterback’s blindside for ten seasons and now they have to address the position. Alejandro Villanueva has done the same thing for Big Ben for the past seven seasons and now it’s time to give Carson Wentz protection. The Colts mortgaged quite a bit to get the former Eagles quarterback so he needs to show improvement from last season. Standing at 6’9 and 320 pounds, Wentz will take one look at the former Army Ranger and know that he’s got his back. Wentz has some good weapons in Michael Pittman and Parris Campbell and a total stud in Jonathan Taylor. Taylor will be fed the rock a lot next season. I know the MVP award is a quarterback award but Jonathan Taylor at +12500 odds is a nice bet since he has a real opportunity to hit 2,000 rushing yards next season with Villanueva paving the way. Jonathan Taylor’s success will take a lot of pressure off of Wentz and allow him to set up play-action passes that he has been so successful at running throughout the years. If Carson can return to his MVP-ish form, it will be because the offensive line was able to keep him upright and healthy. Currently at +3300 odds to win MVP, Wentz is giving us good odds on a longshot quarterback.
Patrick Peterson – CB/FS – Las Vegas Raiders – 3 years / $30,000,000
This is a little bit of a curveball that I’ve been considering. Not so much of Peterson leaving the Cardinals and going to the Raiders but him switching positions to free safety. A potential Hall of Famer, Peterson has had a storied NFL career but there could be a resurgence to the second half of his career if he accepts this switch. It appears as though he has lost a step so a move to the back part of the secondary will still allow him to use great instincts and incredible ball skills. The Raiders are in desperate need of a veteran presence on that team and just so happen to have a hole at free safety. Las Vegas also has a good amount of cap space now that they have cut some bad contracts from the team. Derek Carr appears locked in at quarterback for 2021 but he needs some help to get it done. This is where Peterson’s playmaking abilities can help out. 28 career interceptions and a tremendous leader can help shape the defense into a much-improved unit. The Raiders had one of the worst defenses in the league last year, allowing close to 400 yards per game, but I think that if the Raiders can be successful it’ll start with a better defense. This will allow Josh Jacobs to be utilized in better situations and will give Darren Waller and Derek Carr more opportunities for touchdowns. I can’t with a straight face say that the Raiders can win the division, it’s way too hard to bet against Patrick Mahomes, but anything is possible. +8000 for Derek Carr to win MVP could be an interesting bet as they NEED him to succeed to win.
Carlos Dunlap – DE – Buffalo Bills – 2 years / $20,000,000
The Buffalo Bills have a real shot to win the Super Bowl next year and after years of criticism, Josh Allen looks like a perennial MVP candidate. He took a major step forward and will be critical to the success of this team. One area that the team can improve upon is fixing the defense. They were middle of the pack in sacks with 38 last year, 27th in rushing touchdowns allowed, and 23rd in yards per carry allowed. The Bills defense has to step up if it wants to compete with the Chiefs for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Carlos Dunlap, a two-time pro bowler, hits the open market after a short stint with the Seahawks. Dunlap was dominant in 2019 and still had a very good season in 2020 despite the midseason trade from the Bengals. He graded positively against the run and the pass and is exactly what the Bills could be looking for. Stopping the run and adding a few more sacks will help give Josh Allen the ball with more opportunities to score and will take more pressure off of him to do everything. No running game and a subpar defense held this team back from being great. Josh Allen is already one of the favorites to win MVP at +1300 and the Bills are considered one of the early favorites to win the Super Bowl at +1200 and those odds could get better if Dunlap signs.
Haason Reddick – DE – New England Patriots – 4 years / $44,000,000
The New England Patriots of 2020 did not look like a Patriots team we were used to seeing. The offense was horrific and the defense had a lot of turnover and opt-outs. Whoever the quarterback is for 2021 will have to be better for this team to compete again. The offensive line has already had some shake-ups with the Trent Brown trade and the potential loss of Joe Thuney to free agency but I can’t lose faith in Bill Belichick. He’s a defensive genius and knows what he needs his players to do. Finally, with some cap space, he can go and grab the players that he covets. One of those players I believe is Haason Reddick. The Patriots had a pitiful amount of 24 sacks last season and a +3 turnover differential. JC Jackson accounted for 9 of the team’s interceptions and adding Reddick would improve every facet of the team but especially the pass rush. Belichick would have him in the best position to make plays and get the ball back to the offense. A player I liked last year was Damien Harris but with this team constantly behind, they couldn’t get him involved in the offense as much as they would have liked. I believe that with a more improved defense and better quarterback play, Bill will have this team in a position to succeed next season. I am not sure of the odds for Harris to win a rushing title or to score the most touchdowns in 2021 but they will be worth a look once those get released.
Russell Okung – OT – Arizona Cardinals – 3 years / $40,000,000
The Arizona Cardinals will be a team with very high expectations next season. Kyler Murray will be an MVP candidate but if Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim can’t fix the offensive line woes, then it will be another lackluster season. Being a smaller quarterback, Kyler needs to protect himself or he risks injury. We saw this happen last season and once he got hurt the threat of his rushing ability gets taken away, he’s a sitting duck behind that porous line. Arizona has two holes at right guard and right tackle after JR Sweezy and Kelvin Beachum are going to leave via free agency. Russell Okung will allow another shuffle of the offensive line. Okung can start at left tackle and DJ Humphries can move back to right tackle. They have the 17th pick in the draft and filling their two tackle positions beforehand will allow them the flexibility to take the best guard/ center option or supplement their defense. With the offensive line fixed, the Cardinals can get their running backs hitting open holes and allow Kyler more opportunities to step up into the pocket and throw the ball with conviction. The Cardinals currently have the worst odds to win the NFC West at +550. Easily the toughest division in the NFL, there is a very good chance the Cardinals are in it at the end of the season.
Thanks for the read-through of my Non-Fantasy Fantasy Impact Signings! Looking at non-fantasy players that can affect major fantasy players and gambling is a bit different. There are a lot of quality free-agent offensive linemen that can drastically improve their teams. As well as a bunch of edge rushers and safeties that can cause turnovers to get the ball back to the offense. Hopefully, you see some odds in this article and make a couple of bucks off it.
