Fantasy Football: New Teams for Mark Sanchez, Justin Forsett and C.J. Spiller?

Fantasy football owners are pulling for the prime players on their dynasty- and keeper-league squads to end up with the NFL teams that will increase their numbers and enhance their fantasy values the most in 2015.

Mark Sanchez and Justin Forsett were surprising helps to fantasy football owners this past season. C.J. Spiller was not as useful thanks to a broken collarbone. All three are free agents, and where all three sign this offseason is paramount to millions of fantasy owners worldwide.

So here is a look at Sanchez, Forsett and Spiller and whether their fantasy values would be at their highest if they stayed put or if they signed with new teams.

Mark Sanchez (QB)

The best way for Sanchez to remain relevant fantasy-wise is to re-sign with the Philadelphia Eagles. After years of being the one quarterback you did not want on a fantasy roster, Sanchez surely helped many fantasy owners down the stretch in 2014 after he took over for an injured Nick Foles.

Sanchez averaged 268 passing yards per game in the nine contests he played in for Philadelphia, easily the highest yards-per-game output of his lackluster career. Sanchez also added 14 touchdown tosses and one touchdown run. He had 374 passing yards and two touchdown passes during Week 16, which is usually Super Bowl week in fantasy leagues.

Fantasy owners might recall that Sanchez actually had 32 total touchdowns (26 passing, six rushing) for the New York Jets in 2011, so it is not like Sanchez has below-average ability. He just has a notorious reputation for being a turnover machine that coughs up interceptions and lost fumbles quicker than a Starbucks machine cranks out cappuccinos.

Sanchez might have played well enough to earn a starting job with a lower-tier team with quarterback and offensive woes. But being Buffalo or Cleveland’s starting signal-caller is not going to be worth as much stats-wise than if he stays in Philadelphia and beats out Foles for the starting gig there.

Chip Kelly’s 500-plays-per-game offense can give the most average quarterback Drew Brees-like numbers. Sanchez’s fantasy stock would be best off if he stays with him.

Justin Forsett (RB)

Forsett went from a journeyman scatback who had never scampered for more than 619 yards in any season to rushing for a career-high 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns with the Baltimore Ravens. The powerful pipsqueak was one of the biggest surprises in fantasy football in 2014, if not the biggest.

Forsett can now cash in thanks to his career year, but with running backs seemingly on par with kickers, punters and long snappers in terms of how much money they have been making in recent years on the open market, Forsett’s suitors might not be willing to spend many millions on him.

Staying in Baltimore where he had his greatest success would sound like the brightest idea for Forsett, but with former offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak becoming the head coach with the Denver Broncos, the Ravens offense is in a state of flux. The zone-blocking, one-cut, downhill running scheme that helped Forsett so much might not be what Baltimore uses in 2015 under new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman.

Forsett probably would not follow Kubiak to Denver since the Broncos have C.J. Anderson, Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball in a crowded backfield, especially since the Broncos need to allocate their resources and salary-cap space to receiver Demaryius Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas.

The fantasy dream for Forsett owners would be if he could hook up with the Indianapolis Colts. Trent Richardson has likely had his last two-yard carry there, Ahmad Bradshaw and his perpetually injured lower limbs probably will not be limping back and Daniel Herron fumbles too much and is not ready to be a full-time starter.

If Forsett joined Indianapolis and was the feature back, he could run for 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns with quarterback Andrew Luck keeping defensive fronts from keying on the runty running back.

The only thing going against Forsett is if he is a one-year wonder. His smallish frame might make general managers wary that his body can take another season of 230 carries, and others might wonder if he was just a product of Kubiak’s running back-friendly system.

C.J. Spiller (RB)

Spiller is one of the most exciting and intriguing running backs in the NFL and fantasy football. The caveat is that he is only exciting and intriguing when he is healthy, which is about as often as Rex Ryan keeps quiet.

Spiller was a real head-scratcher for fantasy owners when he was with the Buffalo Bills. It was frustrating watching him split time and touches with Fred Jackson, because if Spiller was given 20-25 carries he could rack up 100-150 yards, but because he was fragile he needed to share playing time to keep him from continually breaking down.

Spiller is now a free agent and can sign with a team that will allow him the opportunity to be the main man. But in this new age of the NFL where only ultra-amazing running backs make multimillions and are not forced to have their carries cut by someone else, where is Spiller going to go where he could get a bigger piece of the rushing-attempt pie?

You cannot rule out a return to Buffalo, but Spiller might be looking to write a new chapter with a new organization after what has been a so-so stint with the Bills. With all of his talent and gifts, he should have more than 3,321 rushing yards and 18 total touchdowns after five years in the league.

The logical landing spot for Spiller is with the New York Jets. His former head coach, Chan Gailey, is now running the Jets offense. Spiller had his sweetest success while Gailey was his boss in Buffalo. Spiller was electrifying in 2012, when he rushed for 1,244 yards and added 459 receiving yards along with eight total touchdowns.

The Jets have millions of dollars in salary-cap room, so fitting Spiller into the budget would be no problem, especially with how running backs are not making as much scratch as they used to. And even more cap room and roster room would be created if the Jets release veteran Chris Johnson.

But does Gailey have a special regimen of milk and vitamins that he can put Spiller on that will keep him from breaking any bones? To be fair, Spiller is not Darren McFadden. In fact, he missed only three games over his first four seasons before his injured collarbone cost him seven games and countless carries in 2014.

Spiller’s career-high for touches was 250 during his breakout 2012 campaign, and if he signed with the Jets he would probably not get more than that with the violent-running Chris Ivory with him in the backfield.

Gailey proved that he knows how to use Spiller correctly in an offense. He will not overwork or underwork him, so Spiller signing with the Jets would make his fantasy owners in dynasty and keeper leagues happier than Tom Brady with a deflated football.