Dynasty Football Fan

What a complicated life DeAngelo Williams leads.  He was supposed to be an unrestricted  free agent in 2011 but with the labor uncertainty this off season there is a chance the NFL plays under 2010 rules which would make him a restricted free agent tendered already by Carolina.  Here’s a few ways this could play out and my take on what will happen:

First, let’s discuss unrestricted free agency.  He could, of course, stay in Carolina.  This is likely actually, since they did not take a RB in the draft and he gets along well with Jonathan Stewart and Mike Goodson.  There has been broadly reported interest from the Miami Dolphins in Williams.  There are also considerations for him to go to Washington, Denver and New England.  While all of these are still likely, I don’t believe any are particularly compelling.  Miami drafted Daniel Thomas, a big bruising back and they probably don’t want to put big money into a part time starter like Williams.  It’s much more likely they go for a cheaper complementary back like Darren Sproles who can help them as a third-down back and the desperate need they have for a special teams playmaker.  Washington is equally not compelling as they have Ryan Torian for cheap and they drafted two quality young backs and we all know how Mike Shanahan loves to play young, low-round rookie RBs.  Denver is a stronger possibility as he and Knowshown Moreno could share the load.  New England drafted Shane Vereen and has a ton of role players in that position, so it’s hard to see where Williams would fit in there.

More likely than any of those scenarios, knowing what we know today about the labor dispute, it’s likely the season will be played without a CBA in place and Williams will be a restricted free agent. If that happens, even if he is the best RB on the market this year, nobody will spend a 1st and 3rd round pick to take him in a trade.  The most likely scenario as a restricted free agent is for him to stay in Carolina.

Prediction:  Williams stays in Carolina as a restricted free agent or goes to Denver as a free agent.  This seem to be the most likely scenarios as the labor issue and the draft have played out.  If he stays in Carolina, I believe he will be a solid #2 RB as he will have a better year than last year coming off of injury and he should (and I mean SHOULD) have better QB play than last year.  If he goes to Denver, he’ll again be sharing the load and will have value as a #2 RB in fantasy ball.  Draft accordingly!