10 Contract-Year Fantasy Football Options

Jul 25, 2023

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There are many good reasons to look at contracts in fantasy football. For example, one of my favorite things to do when evaluating future opportunity for rookies is to look at the contracts of the starters in front of them. For example, Devon Achane is on a Miami roster that includes two-year deals for both Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson, with significant cap savings on each if they cut the players after this season (per OverTheCap).

Additionally, for those drafting early, it’s important to see who might be a cap casualty heading into the season. Be sure to look at that 27 million dollars Tennessee saves off the cap by cutting Ryan Tannehill when you evaluate Will Levis.

Most importantly, checking on contract status can clue fantasy managers into which players may be extra motivated while gunning for a new deal. There’s a strong list this season of players who may be looking to next offseason, highlighted by a great group of wide receivers. Teams looking for help offensively should have plenty of options to choose from heading into 2024 free agency. Here is a look at some of the more notable players who may thrive this year with some extra incentive.

*ADP is taken from our powerful Multi-Site ADP Tool.

Quarterbacks

In my recent article about whether or not players historically perform better in contract years, I found quarterbacks could experience some boost in production due to contract status. There really isn’t a good contract-year target at the quarterback position this year. Lamar Jackson and Daniel Jones both got paid, and no one else is pending free agency. I expect we’ll see Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow extensions before they finish up their five-year rookie contracts in 2024. The two guys I included here are on one-year prove-it deals, fighting off a youngster and definitely aiming to show other teams they can be long-term NFL starters.