Offseason Value Machine: Anquan Boldin And Others Change Addresses

With free agency finally underway and a spending spree enveloping the NFL, the biggest news in terms of fantasy football came in the form of a trade. There have also been a handful of fantasy relevant players who have changed teams. Of course, when these players move, their presence (or lack thereof, when it comes to the teams they departed) has an impact on other players in the offense.

Thus, it's a good time to fire up the old value machine. We'll run through all the names who have recently seen a shift in fantasy value, starting with the big one. Keep in mind, the arrows denote a change in fantasy value from where it previously was. A down arrow next to a player doesn't mean he's definitely less valuable than a player with an up arrow. Everything is relative.

Anquan Boldin, Ravens - Sure, he'll be the undisputed top option through the air for the Ravens, but there are three reasons Boldin takes a hit in value. First of all, the AFC North plays a lot tougher defense than the NFC West (and this especially worries me when it comes to Boldin's inability to stay healthy). Next, Boldin will receive the lion's share of attention from opposing defense on passing plays, as opposed to have Larry Fitzgerald on the opposite end of the field. Finally, while Joe Flacco is a quality quarterback, he's not Kurt Warner in terms of being able to man a prolific passing offense.

Joe Flacco, Ravens - Boldin's better than Derrick Mason. If Mason returns, Boldin is a significant upgrade over Mark Clayton or Kelley Washington.

Matt Leinart, Cardinals - It wasn't going to be easy to replace Kurt Warner, but now Leinart has to do it without Boldin.

Larry FItzgerald, Cardinals - Sure, the Cardinals might end up trying to force the ball to Fitzgerald more with Boldin out of town, but there's going to be a lot of extra attention paid to Fitz with his long-time partner having left town. The saving grace here is that Fitzgerald has had some big games with Boldin out. In fact, that's an understatement. In the past two seasons, including the playoffs, Fitzgerald has played in eight games without Boldin. He's recorded 49 catches for 810 yards and 11 touchdowns -- which is more productive than with Boldin around. The problem is that this sample came at random instead of with weekly gameplans -- and now Boldin is completely out of the picture and Leinart is the quarterback.

Steve Breaston, Cardinals - He'll permanently take over for Boldin and being across the field from Fitzgerald is a good place to be.

Nate Burleson, Lions - Yes, being across the field from a star wideout opens up lots of possibilities. Burleson will be a really nice complement to Megatron for his second year quarterback.

Matthew Stafford, Lions - Once tight end Brandon Pettigrew (who is recovering from a torn ACL) returns to full speed, Stafford has some really nice options through the air. His second year under center would have brought improvement anyway, but with Burleson in house his prospects look even better.

Calvin Johnson, Lions - He'll continue to develop a rapport with Stafford -- who can hopefully stay on the field all season -- and will benefit from Burleson's presence. Expect a bounce-back season for Megatron.

Chester Taylor, Bears - While the Bears have added Brandon Manumaleuna -- a fine blocking tight end -- their offensive line is still much worse than the Vikings. And Taylor only averaged 3.6 yards per carry in Minnesota last season. Unless he gets more than an even split, which doesn't seem likely, he's not an attractive option.

Matt Forte, Bears - Other running backs only accounted for 69 carries last season to Forte's 258. Wanna bet Taylor gets more than 69 while Forte gets lots less (like, around 200)?

Jay Cutler, Bears - Getting a second viable running back and a solid blocking tight end will help to give Cutler more time. Plus, he's going to be working with Mike Martz instead of Ron Turner.

A.J. Feeley, Rams - He hasn't started a game since 2007, but -- assuming the Rams don't take a quarterback in the first two rounds of the draft -- he'll probably get a chance. Feeley's most productive stretch as a starter was in Philadelphia in 2002, when current Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo was a defensive coach there.

Marc Bulger, Rams - There's no reason for Spagnuolo to have any loyalty to Bulger. Between Feeley, Kyle Boller, Keith Null or a possible draft pick, there are plenty of other options. Bulger's career as the Rams quarterback will conclude very soon.