Fantasy Football Chain Reaction Series: No. 6 through 10 from Fantasy Experts

A group of independent fantasy sports writers have come together to predict 25 free-agent signings and trades that will impact the fantasy landscape.  

You can see a full description of the participating sites and the first five predicted player movements in the previous Bleacher Report article here, which included DeAngelo Williams, Kevin Kolb and some very big names.

Enjoy numbers six through 10 from the experts at FFSpin.com, GoAheadScore.com, FantasyShrink.com, ProFootballFocus.com and FantasyFootballTrader.com

Tune in here at Bleacher Report as we roll out the entire series or click here to see the entire series.

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Fantasy Football Chain Reaction No. 6: Darren Sproles to the Dolphins

Mike Clay of ProFootballFocus.com finished No. 2 in the second half of the season in the 2010 Fantasy Football Crystal Ball accuracy challenge, so he knows his stuff.  See the entire 2011 accuracy report and register for the expert ADP and preseason aggregate rankings report from 30 of the top fantasy football expert sites HERE.  

Now, let's see what Mike has to say about Darren Sproles and how he'll fare in Miami...

The Dolphins backfield will have an entirely new look in 2011. Gone are Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams and Patrick Cobbs. In are rookie Daniel Thomas, and after today’s projected signing, former Chargers tailback Darren Sproles.

Miami got their feature back when they selected Thomas in the second round of April’s rookie draft, but they were still left with very little depth and without a playmaker on passing downs.

Enter Sproles, who has an extremely impressive 86 percent catch rate on 171 targets over the last three seasons. His 10.4 yards-per-reception and 8.2 percent TD rate over that span also rank well above the league average for tailbacks.

Miami also adds a weapon to their special teams unit. Sproles is a capable kick and punt returner. Kick returner is a position of need for Miami after the team ranked 22nd in the league in yards-per-return in 2010.

The main item of concern with Sproles is that, at 5’6”, 180 pounds, it’s unlikely that he can hold up as a feature back. Consider that his career-high in carries is 93. If Thomas were to go down with an injury, Miami would need to find someone to team up with Sproles.

Reserve back Lex Hilliard is currently in position to take on that role, but Miami could still be in the market for a more complete and/or early-down back.

Sproles instantly fills multiple voids for Miami—No. 2 tailback, third-down back, kick returner and punt returner. His explosive speed, excellent hands and blocking skills will keep the rookie Thomas fresh and off the field in key third-down situations.

Fantasy Football Spin: As mentioned, Sproles isn’t built to carry the ball very often, so don’t expect to see any more than four to five carries/game. This is great news for Daniel Thomas, who should be a shoe-in for 15-20 carries every week (assuming Sproles is the team’s only addition at the position).

Sproles will, however, be heavily involved in the passing game. You can bank on 50 receptions and close to 800 total yards, which puts him in the RB3/Flex discussion in PPR formats. Thomas, meanwhile, is a better RB3 option and is worth back-end RB2 consideration.

Those of you in leagues that award points for kick return yardage and scores can bump Sproles up into the RB2 tier.

Fantasy Football Chain Reaction No. 7: Braylon Edwards to the Chicago Bears

In part seven of this series that predicts player movement once the lockout ends, Rob Warner, co-founder of FFSpin.com and writer for FFToolbox.com, project that WR Braylon Edwards will land in the Windy City. The Jets are concentrating their efforts on retaining free-agents Santonio Holmes and possibly Brad Smith, likely leaving Braylon as the odd man out...

In Chicago, pass-happy OC Mike Martz would welcome an upgrade at receiver, and pairing Edwards with speedster Johnny Knox/Devin Hester could be just what the mad scientist needs to recreate the glory days of the greatest show on turf (although a potential Edwards/Knox combo are a far cry from Bruce/Holt). 

The Bears got about as close as it gets in 2010, but their odds of repeating in the NFC North is contingent on upgrading a below-average WR corps. Johnny Knox (960 yards, five TDs) proved to be starter-worthy, but Jay Cutler would welcome an upgrade from Devin Hester.

Edwards (6’3') is not a prototypical Martz WR though as the mad scientist prefers smaller speedy WRs.  Regardless, the Bears need to improve their red-zone efficiency, and Edwards would help to upgrade Chicago’s 28th ranked passing offense

Edwards might want to consider investing in a limo driver after he was arrested for DWI in September and was previously pulled over for going 120 in a 65mph zone. In addition to his driving issues, Edwards pleaded no-contest to assault charges after a January incident at a Cleveland nightclub.

With six years of service, Edwards will be a true unrestricted free agent and could be in high demand depending on the outcome of the CBA. While more talented potential free agents like Santonio Holmes and Sidney Rice are likely to break the bank on the open market, Edwards character concerns could drive his price down, making him a reasonable investment for a Bears team in dire need of a big target at WR.

Fantasy Football Spin: Edwards' best season to date occurred in 2007 in Cleveland when he performed like a top five pick finishing with 16 TDs and 1,289 yards (finished third in fantasy points behind Randy Moss and Terrell Owens).

The breakout 2007 season was impressive considering Derek Anderson was the Browns' QB. In the three seasons since Edwards’ magical year, he has totaled 14 TDs and averaged just over 50 yards per game.

The 6’3", 215-pounder from the University of Michigan remains a legit red-zone threat, but his questionable work ethic and struggles with butterfingers makes him a No. 2 receiver for most NFL teams.

In 2010, Edwards didn’t have more than five receptions in any game but finished with seven TDs, making him a legit WR2 (finished as the 15th ranked fantasy WR).

A trip to the windy city would likely be an upgrade for Edwards fantasy value as the Jets employ a run-first offense, and Cutler has a better deep arm as compared to pretty boy Sanchez.

One caveat to Edwards fantasy stock in Chicago is the fact that the Bears face one of the more difficult schedules for wide receivers. If he lands in Chicago, we project that Edwards will be a serviceable WR3 worthy of selection in Rounds 8-10 in 12-team leagues.

With Edwards, Knox and Hester out wide as well as above-average receiver Matt Forte in the backfield, Jay Cutler could be positioned to produce borderline QB1 numbers in deeper leagues provided the gunslinger is able to cut down on his completions to the defense (averaged an abysmal 23 INTs per season during past two years in Chicago).

Fantasy Football Chain Reaction No. 8: Sidney Rice to the Washington Redskins

Jim Day of GoAheadScore.com says the Sidney Rice will be heading to the land populated by legislators and a baseball team that has absolutely no fans.  At least they can get excited about a football team that that may actually have a front office that "gets it" and can keep an owner who has treated his real NFL franchise like a fantasy football team out of player decisions... 

Santana Moss is coming off one of his best seasons as a pro, including a career-best 93 receptions. But at 32 years old, it is unlikely that Washington will pay him the money or give him the number of years he wants to basically finish his career.

Washington is getting younger across the board, and there is no reason to think that won't be the case with their wide receiver corps. Anthony Armstrong made a case to get more playing time last year with 44 receptions for 877 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged almost 20 yards a completion.

The team then drafted Leonard Hankerson in April. Hankerson is a good playmaker that sometimes just seems to lose focus. He is quick but not exceedingly fast and should make an excellent slot receiver at first. He will need to work on getting in and out of his breaks, but he has a nose for finding the open hole in a zone.

Rice would be an excellent and young, complement to Armstrong and Hankerson and would definitely give the team a true No. 1 WR. Even though he has played four years already, he will only be 25 in September. Rice had that one great season in Minnesota with Mr. "I will NEVER retire" Brett Favre, where he caught 83 passes for over 1,300 yards and eight touchdowns, so we know he can get it done.

In one fell swoop, Washington would go from struggling to finding receivers to having three good, young WRs, who all have the chance to grow with the right quarterback at the helm.

Now, the real problem becomes who do they land to play quarterback? Neither Rex Grossman, nor John Beck are the answer here. They will need to go out and get themselves a decent QB to hold them over until they can draft Andrew Luck with the first pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

The one thing we do know is that the Redskins, under owner Daniel Snyder, have never been reticent to spend money on players they feel will make them better. They will open the purse for Rice, even with him just coming off the hip injury he suffered in 2010.

Fantasy Football Spin: Even with this signing, Rice's fantasy value will be tied to whichever quarterback the Redskins can bring in to pilot this team. With the right QB, Rice can definitely be the top WR on this team and maybe even creep back into the ranks of the top 20 WRs.

With Cooley, Armstrong and Hankerson, this team would have four good receivers and really open up the field. It will also force defenses to cover the whole field and not just focus on Rice.

Rice is currently being drafted as the 23rd WR off the board with an ADP of 58.21 (pick 5.10). If he can stay healthy and they bring in a decent QB, Rice is a bargain at this price, but there are definitely a lot of IFs to this statement.

Fantasy Football Chain Reaction No. 9: Plaxico Burress to the New York Jets

This is where the domino effect starts getting fun. In honoring FF Spin’s Chain Reaction No. 7, which predicts Braylon Edwards will be blowing into the Windy City, Rick Perkins of Fantasy Football Trader the Jets in turn would be scrambling to add a vertical threat...

Last time we saw Plaxico Burress on Sundays, he was the quintessential big-play receiver. Burress possesses a career 15.5 yards per catch average, and at least on paper, the .65 touchdowns per game over his most recent 40 games played would be a welcome addition. 

There’s no denying Burress’ talent after the catch. With other receiving options such as WR Santonio Holmes and TE Dustin Keller, as well the aging but stable Jerricho Cotchery, Plaxico represents a calculated risk the Jets could afford to take.  

Fantasy Spin:  There’s just a slight problem with the gaudy stats I provided above. They all occurred when Bush was still in the White House. At age 33, Plaxico conceivably has time to make one last splash for fantasy owners, but I don’t see this offense supporting his cause. It’s relatively the same unit with which QB Mark Sanchez only mustered an abysmal 51.7 percent completion percentage to his WR corps.  

Even a best-case scenario, where Plaxico is able to pace Edwards’ 101 targets last season, puts his stats at roughly 50-775-5. 

With the Jets, you’d do well to consider Burress as nothing more than a WR5 and count your blessings if he hooks you up with a nice bye week performance or two. 

Fantasy Football Chain Reaction No. 10: Santonio Holmes Stays Home

John Paulsen of FantasyShrink.com is up, and he says that Santonio Holmes will be able to "wake and bake" in New York for a few more years...

With no idea why it has taken this long for his phone to ring, an unshaven and generally disheveled Santonio Holmes is startled out of a mid-afternoon nap when he hears his phone’s ringtone for Rex Ryan: “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins.

Ryan sounds apologetic, “Santonio, just wanted to let you know that we signed Plaxico Burress…and, um…well, we realized that we hadn’t yet re-signed you. Do you want to re-up?” Despite the downgrade from Braylon Edwards to Burress at WR2, Holmes agrees and becomes a sneaky-great pick in the fifth round of your fantasy draft.

In the nine games from Week 8 (after he eased himself into the Jets’ offense) to Week 16 (he didn’t play much in Week 17), Holmes averaged 4.9 receptions for 71 yards and .56 TDs. That equates to 15.3 fantasy points per game in PPR formats or WR9 numbers. Yeah, the Jets should re-sign him.

Fantasy Football Spin: And fantasy owners should draft him. At his current ADP (5.06, WR22), he’s a veritable steal. Maybe he has more off-the-field risk than other WRs and maybe there’s a (small) chance he doesn’t re-sign with the Jets, but the guy is simply better than many of the WRs currently going ahead of him in fantasy drafts.

With Edwards likely out the door, I just don’t see the Jets letting both starting WRs walk. A move like that would make Mark Sanchez’s pretty little head explode. Nope, not happening. Holmes is a borderline WR1 at a borderline WR2 price. Snatch him up in the late-fourth/early-fifth and laugh all the way to the playoffs.

More To Come from Some of the Top Fantasy Football Writers on the Web

Hopefully, you are enjoying the little guessing game the fantasy experts are playing.  

This is the first series from a group called the Independent Fantasy Sports Writers Round Table, and they welcome writers that want to contribute to future projects.

 If you are interested contact [e-mail].

Numbers 11 through 15 are up next, and you can expect a run on veteran running backs.  

Click here to peek ahead and see the entire series or here to see the first five from the previous Bleacher Report article.