Fantasy: 5 players on the rise after free agency

Isn't free agency exciting?

With all the player movement that's happened over the last few days, it's easy to get lost in it all. Let's take a look at some of the players whose fantasy value has been noticeably improved thanks to free agency.

Martellus Bennett, Packers

Bennett gets to go from one Hall of Fame quarterback to another, adding his red zone skills (at least five touchdowns in three of the last four seasons) to Aaron Rodgers' arsenal.

Playing through injuries and sharing the field with Rob Gronkowski for part of 2016, Bennett still finished as the TE7, hauling in 55 receptions for 701 yards and seven touchdowns. While there are several mouths to feed in Green Bay, the pass-heavy attack will keep everyone busy, allowing Bennett to maintain his value as a mid-range TE1 in fantasy, something that likely wouldn't have happened if he stayed in New England.

The Packers targeted tight ends 103 times last season, resulting in 64 catches, 683 yards, and three touchdowns, but the signings of Bennett and Lance Kendricks signal a potential desire to take advantage of the position. You also have to think if general manager Ted Thompson is finally dipping into the free-agent market, the Packers plan to put that piece to use.

Projected stats for 2017: 85 targets, 61 receptions, 715 yards, 8 TDs

Willie Snead, Saints

Snead provided an excellent return on value after capturing the hearts of fantasy owners as an undrafted rookie, averaging 70.5 catches, 939.5 yards, and 3.5 touchdowns over his first two seasons. Unfortunately, that discount is about to disappear as fantasy owners realize the opportunity ahead of him with Brandin Cooks out of the picture.

The Cooks trade paves the way for 2016 star rookie Michael Thomas to emerge as the Saints' No. 1 option, but his numbers should only receive a slight bump. The real beneficiary will be Snead, who'll see an uptick in targets leading to his first 1,000-yard season.

The Saints' propensity to spread the ball around will cap the high-end upside of all the receivers in New Orleans, and the arrival of Ted Ginn shouldn't be dismissed, but Snead's draft stock is guaranteed to soar, and rightfully so. With WR34 and WR35 fantasy finishes already under his belt, Snead is set up to deliver a top tier WR3, who can flirt with low-end WR2 numbers.

Projected stats for 2017: 119 targets, 86 catches, 1,091 yards, 5 TDs

Melvin Gordon, Chargers

We got a taste of what Gordon could do with Danny Woodhead out of the way last season, when the latter missed most of the year with a torn ACL. Now the receiving specialist/goal-line thief is off the roster completely and new head coach Anthony Lynn is hoping to take Gordon's game to the next level.

In Woodhead's only full outing in 2016, he rushed for 89 yards, caught five passes for 31 yards, and reached the end zone once, so he represented a legitimate threat to Gordon's fantasy value if he returned to the club. With Woodhead sidelined, Gordon made huge strides as a rusher and a receiver, amassing 997 yards on the ground while topping 40 receiving yards in seven of his 13 games played. Gordon's biggest fantasy leap came in the touchdown department, where he had 12 after failing to score the year before.

Had he stayed healthy for all 16 games, Gordon's on-pace stats work out to 1,227 rushing yards, 50 receptions, 515 receiving yards, and 14 touchdowns. Those numbers would have moved him from eighth, where he ended the year, to third in fantasy behind only David Johnson and Ezekiel Elliott. Gordon is locked in as a solid RB1 with little competition for carries.

Projected stats for 2017: 295 carries, 1,192 rushing yards, 11 TDs, 47 catches, 461 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs

DeAndre Hopkins, Texans

We’ll have to wait to find out who will be under center for the Texans, but anyone is an upgrade over Brock Osweiler, who managed to overthrow or underthrow Hopkins countless times in 2016.

For now, Hopkins will return to the top-20 in my receiver rankings, after a frustrating year that saw him fall to WR36 in fantasy.

If Houston manages to land Tony Romo, Hopkins will re-enter the WR1 conversation come fantasy draft season.

Projected stats for 2017: 159 targets, 90 catches, 1,203 yards, 6 TDs

Pierre Garcon, 49ers

Garcon's change of scenery represents the biggest risk/reward of anyone on this list. Barring another major acquisition in free agency or the draft, the 49ers will enter the year with the 31-year-old as their No. 1 option. On paper, that's great news for Garcon, who is coming off an excellent campaign in Washington with 79 receptions, 1,041 yards, and three touchdowns.

However, at the moment the 49ers' offense is in a state of flux as new head coach Kyle Shanahan implements his system and tries to find a new quarterback. Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley are the only two passers under contract, and neither inspires much confidence for fantasy owners hoping to capitalize on Garcon's opportunity. That's where volume comes into play.

If he can get into the 130-140 target range, where players like Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin reside, Garcon's catch rate of 64 percent over the last five years would translate to a nice rise in production. There's always a gamble involved in taking a receiver with a questionable quarterback scenario, but Garcon should be locked in as a high-end WR3, with WR2 upside in 2017.

Projected stats for 2017: 141 targets, 90 receptions, 1,071 yards, 5 TDs