Who Should I Start? Saquon Barkley or Tyler Lockett

Monday, March 11, 2:57 PM

Free-agent running back Saquon Barkley is signing with the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million deal. The deal includes $26 million in guaranteed money and has an additional $9 million available in incentives. After a 2018 rookie season that saw the former Penn State star go for over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns, he has struggled to stay healthy over a chunk of the next five years of his career. He missed 21 games from 2019 to 2021. He bounced back in 2022 with 1,312 rushing yards but regressed to 962 yards in 14 games in 2023. However, the Eagles believe in him as a game-changing running back, as his average salary ($12.58 million) ranks only below Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and Jonathan Taylor. Although the Eagles' offensive line could take a hit after the retirement of Jason Kelce, Barkley should be playing behind the best offensive line of his career in 2024. He will have an immediate high-end RB1 upside in fantasy football.

Sunday, March 10, 12:08 AM

The Seattle Seahawks and wide receiver Tyler Lockett agreed on a two-year, $30 million restructured contract on Saturday. The deal includes a maximum value of $34 million, including $13 million guaranteed this year. The restructured deal gives the Seahawks extra cap space with NFL free agency officially beginning on Wednesday. The 31-year-old caught 79 passes for 894 yards and five touchdowns across 17 games in 2023, his lowest yardage output since 2017. Lockett will remain Seattle's No. 2 wideout behind superstar DK Metcalf and compete for targets with first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The veteran wideout is a boom-or-bust fantasy option and a better best-ball pick than standard PPR formats. Lockett is a fantasy WR3 heading into early best-ball drafts in 2024.