The great thing about a dynasty league is that you can make trades all year round, acquiring sleepers in periods when NFL players are on vacation. The bad thing, of course, is that deals you make in February can be severely damaged by free agent moves in March, before you've even enjoyed any of the benefits of your transactions.
Jordan Todman, Latavius Murray, Ryan Mathews; those are some of the players whose stock seemed high just a week or two ago. It took only one day of free agency to cool the hype. Let's take a look at the signings and departures that had the biggest fantasy impact yesterday.
Toby Gerhart, Jaguars. If you were hoping that Todman or "Offensive Weapon" Denard Robinson was going to be a Week 1 starter, the $10.5 million, three-year deal that Gerhart received scotched all that. (Obviously, if you've been hanging onto Gerhart the last few years, you're elated. Gerhart, stuck behind Adrian Peterson since being drafted, is going to get the chance to be a lead back in Jacksonville. His contract and third-down ability suggest he'll be a full-time guy in Jacksonville.
Donald Brown, Chargers. I don't want to overrate Brown, but he did some nice things for the Colts last season, and now he joins a team that seems to have both an established starter coming off his best year in Ryan Mathews and a strong third-down back in Danny Woodhead. So either the Chargers expect Mathews to get hurt again, or they plan to use all three running backs? Any way you slice it, it's a blow to Mathews and a strange choice for Brown. I'll go so far as to say it's not ideal for Philip Rivers, either, because adding another running back and presumably promising a major role suggests a far more run-focused approach in 2014.
Darren McFadden, Raiders. It seemed certain that both McFadden and Rashad Jennings were moving on from Oakland, which seemed to benefit Marcel Reece and 2013 sixth-rounder Latavius Murray. Instead the team retained McFadden, not for big money (roughly $2 million, perhaps $4 million if he can actually stay healthy for a full season), but enough that he's probably the favorite to start. I suppose you can acquire Murray even more cheaply now in dynasty, from his disappointed owner, but it would have been nice if McFadden were out the door.
Rashad Jennings, Giants. I haven't seen the money yet on this deal, but presumably it's starter-quality; he wouldn't have signed on Day 1 to be a backup. Positive stuff has been said since the end of the season on David Wilson's neck injury, but New York's quick signing of Jennings (they also brought back Peyton Hillis) makes it clear they're not counting on him. Wise move for them, and I guess it makes for a nice landing spot for Jennings -- New York wants to run the ball and is rebuilding a bad offensive line from a year ago. But bad news for Wilson, and it's tough to get excited about the 29-year-old Jennings regardless.
Maurice Jones-Drew, Knowshon Moreno, Ben Tate, Andre Brown. These guys haven't signed yet, but it sounds like they're going to mess up somebody's value, including their own, when they do. Jones-Drew has been mentioned in connection with the Jets, which would torpedo Chris Ivory's appeal. Moreno could actually return to Denver, disappointing those of us excited about a breakout year for Montee Ball. Haven't heard much of anything on Tate (beyond the fact that he thinks he's great). Brown has been connected to the Raiders (ugh). No point speculating too much on these guys, but it doesn't sound like there's a wide-open starting job waiting for any of them. Here's a prediction: the Saints will sign one of them, crushing the hopes of those who believe a breakout is coming for Mark Ingram or Khiry Robinson.
Offensive line developments. Not running back developments per se, but it's a little worrying to see Kansas City part ways with three linemen, Brandon Albert, Jon Asamoah, and Geoff Schwartz, on the first day of free agency. Was offensive line a problem for Kansas City? Next year it might be. The Raiders immediately lost Jared Veldheer to Arizona, replacing their quality left tackle with Rodger Saffold, who the Rams only wanted back at guard -- they've seen him play tackle. The Cardinals and Dolphins, who badly needed help at left tackle, get better with those signings. The Raiders did manage to get RT Austin Howard away from the Jets; one wonders if he'll ultimately be tried at left tackle over Saffold.
That's just Day 1, and we haven't even touched on the defensive moves, of which there were plenty. The main takeaway for dynasty owners is that if you're high on the prospects of some youngster who seems to be headed for a major 2014 role, be careful not to pay too much. Free agency and the draft can change all that in a hurry.