Let’s take a look at some of the biggest movers in free agency from a fantasy football perspective:

DONE DEALS
WR Mike Wallace (Dolphins): It didn’t take long for Wallace to find a new home and the Dolphins broke the bank to land the much-needed playmaker receiver. Wallace put up some eye-popping performances at time during Pittsburgh, but he’s still pretty much a one-dimensional receiver. He’ll also take a downgrade at quarterback going from Ben Roethlisberger to Ryan Tannehill.  Wallace will likely be overpriced in this summer’s fantasy drafts. He is a top 25 receiver, but mostly a low-end WR2/high-end WR3.

TE Martellus Bennett (Bears): Free agency started at 4PM Eastern and by 4:05 the news broke of Bennett reaching a deal with the Bears.  Bennett has always had the potential and finally started to show it last year, his only season with the Giants. Bennett reached career highs in 2012 as he finished with 626 yards and five touchdowns on 55 receptions. In Chicago, he could quickly become Jay Cutler’s No. 2 receiving target behind wide receiver Brandon Marshall. He remains a low TE1 candidate worthy of a mid-to-late round pick.

TE Jared Cook (Rams): With it looking more likely that the Rams will not retain neither Danny Amendola nor Brandon Gibson, the team moved quickly to find someone to work out the slot and stretch the field. Cook fits the bill. He has always had the potential to be great player, but was often underutilized by the Titans.  He will have plenty of chances to rack up targets from Sam Bradford in St. Louis. His fantasy value certainly goes up with the move, but owners should still view his as a high-end TE2 for now.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
RB Steven Jackson – The biggest prize in free agency, at least from a fantasy standpoint, is running back Steven Jackson. Many reports on Tuesday suggested that the Packers are the front runners to land the veteran’s services. The Falcons and Broncos also have been reported as teams with interest. Jackson’s value is on the rise if he lands in any one of these spots.

RB Reggie Bush – Bush visited Detroit late Tuesday night and the Lions have made no secret of their interest in landing the free agent running back. In fact, rumors suggest that the Lions are dangling the “full time” running back job to him.  Bush would be a great fit for the Lions, but I was initially envisioning a 1-2 punch of him and Mikel Leshoure. Now it appears that Leshoure and incumbent Joique Bell will both take a hit in their 2013 fantasy value if Bush signs.

RB Rashard Mendenhall – While Miami seemed liked a logical spot a couple of days ago, it appears that the Broncos and Cardinals are now the front-runners to land Mendenhall. Given the right opportunity the 25-year old could still have some gas left in the tank to be productive.

WR Wes Welker – Welker and his agent have broken off their talks with the Patriots as the two sides remain far apart on money. The next step is going to be to test the free agent waters. The problem is that is a lukewarm market for a player that many around the league feel is more a product of the system rather than a premier talent. His fantasy stock will go down if he winds up anywhere that is not New England.

WR Danny Amendola – One of the hot names out there, Amendola is being mentioned as a possible fit with the Ravens, Titans, Vikings and even the Patriots. He reportedly had narrowed the list to two teams late Tuesday. Amendola has fantasy upside, especially in PPR formats, but he needs to prove he can stay healthy before he can be fully trusted.

OTHER HEADLINES
Gonzalez Delaying Retirement – Tony Gonzalez has informed the Falcons that he will come back for one more season. After catching 93 balls for 930 yards and eight scores a year ago, there’s no question that the future Hall of Famer has plenty left in the tank. Consider him a top-tier fantasy starting option in 2013. His return also spells good things for Matt Ryan and his continued development.

Bills Cut Fitzpartick – It came as little surprise that Buffalo released Ryan Fitzpatrick before paying him $3 million owed. It leaves Tavaris Jackson atop the team’s depth chart for now. Expect to Buffalo to add to the position in both April’s draft and perhaps before free agency comes to an end.

Raiders Release DHB – Former first-round pick Derrius Heyward-Bey was cut by the Raiders as free agency kicked off.  He’s shown some flashes over the past two seasons, but the production didn’t match the $10 million cap hit Oakland was due to take or his $7.7 million salary.  DHB could be a late-round filler for wide receiver depth if he finds a new home that makes sense, but his value remains low.

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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Eli Manning posted career highs in passing yards (4,933) and yards per attempt (8.38) a year ago on his way to his third consecutive 4,000-yard season. He’s averaged 29 TD’s during that span. Manning took better care of the football in 2011 as he watched his interceptions drop from 25 in 2010 to 16 during his run to a second Super Bowl ring. The Giants’ signal caller is a solid QB option and one of the top selections in fantasy quarterbacks second tiers.

SCHEDULE
The 2012 slate is full of challenges for the defending Super Bowl champs. For starters, two of their first three games come in the middle of the week which will make it difficult to get into an early rhythm. Playing in the NFC East is always a daunting task and drawing the NFC South and the AFC North only makes the grind harder.  New York faces seven teams that made the playoffs a year ago, including three of the four teams who earned byes a year ago.

STUDS
It’s a rare that one team can boast two top 10 fantasy wideouts, but the Giants’ Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz may prove to be the exception. Nicks, who broke a bone in his foot during May’s OTA’s, is legitimate candidate to be a top 5 fantasy receiver after eclipsing 75 catches and 1,000 yards for the second straight year with 18 TD’s over his past 28 contests. Cruz emerged as one of fantasy football’s top waiver wire pickups in 2011, finishing third in the NFL in receiving yards (1,536), while ranking among the top 10 in receptions (82) and TD receptions (9).

DUD
Even though the Giants’ offense is a high-powered attack, place kicker Lawrence Tynes has yet to emerge as a consistent fantasy option. He’s never kicked more than 27 field goals in a season and connected on just 19 of 24 attempts a year ago. He struggles on long-range kicks, costing owners who get bonus points based on the distance of the field goal. Throw in the cold weather games late in the year that he’ll likely be playing in and Tynes is nothing more than a bye-week filler.

SLEEPER
With a current ADP of 39.63 (16th RB off board), Ahmad Bradshaw is falling into the fourth round of many drafts. However, with the departure of Brandon Jacobs his final numbers in 2012 could prove to be much more valuable. Bradshaw totaled 926 yards and scored a career-best 11 touchdowns a year ago despite being limited to playing parts of just 12 games due to injury. If Bradshaw can avoid the injury bug, he should be able to take full advantage of being the team’s unquestioned No. 1 RB.

NEW ADDITION
After watching Mario Manningham depart via free agency, New York moved to add depth to its receiving corps by nabbing Rueben Randle out of LSU with its second-round pick in April’s draft. Widely considered one of the most NFL-ready wide receivers coming out of college, Randle could make an immediate impact. He’ll have to beat out Domenik Hixon and Jerrel Jernigan for snaps and might be inconsistent early in his career, but the rookie wideout has a ton of upside.

POSITION BATTLE
Veteran DJ Ware is currently listed as the No. 2 running back on the team’s depth chart, but rookie David Wilson has more fantasy appeal and is the better option as a handcuff to Bradshaw. Ware has been part of the team for five years and has great familiarity with the offense. However, Wilson possesses a much greater skill set and is greatly undervalued heading into drafts. While Ware could be worth a late-round stab, Wilson could be a nice grab in the mid-rounds of a draft and even higher in dynasty/keeper leagues.

BENCH BUILDER
Over the past two seasons Kevin Boss and Jake Ballard have both emerged as weapons in the Giants’ passing game at the tight end position. With Boss long gone and Ballard recovering from a knee injury, newcomer Martellus Bennett could be the next in line. The former second-round pick by the Cowboys never really got a chance to shine in Dallas playing behind Jason Witten, but snaps won’t be a problem in New York. He’s worth a look as a late-round TE2 option in deeper formats.

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Before the trade deadline passed on Monday it appears as if the Cincinnati Bengals did make a run at improving their tight end depth.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen tweeted that Cincinnati made an offer to the Dallas Cowboys for Martellus Bennett, but the deal was turned down by the team.

Bennett turned some heads with an impressive training camp, but has not lived up to the hype. He has managed just four catches for 40 yards in five games.

Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones told the Dallas Morning News on Wednesday that the club had the opportunity to acquire a key player but turned it down. He declined to name the team or player, but called it "a very firm, significant offer for one of our young players."

Jones said while the Cowboys could have probably acquired the "now impact" player, he never engaged in an extended dialogue with the club.

With both Reggie Kelly (Achilles) and Ben Utecht (concussion) lost for the season with injuries during training camp and the slow development of rookie Chase Coffman, the Bengals have left with Daniel Coats as their starter. Key drops and fumbles from the position played a hand in the team's loss to Houston last week and have hindered the offense most of the year.

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