Nnamdi Asomugha signed with the Eagles for five years – Asomu-watch ended Friday evening with the surprise announcement that he will join two other Pro Bowl corners in Philly in Asante Samuel and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, making the Eagles, without question the big winners in free agency. What this means for fantasy is that opposing QB's will struggle whenever they play the Eagles. But more importantly, in spending $60 million over the next five years for Nnamdi, Philly will have a much more difficult time satisfying the contract dispute with DeSean Jackson. That, my friends, could have a huge fantasy backlash if D-Jax holds out into the regular season.
Chris Johnson WILL hold out – This news is distressing for anyone owning Johnson in a keeper or dynasty league or anyone with a top three pick in fantasy drafts. Players that hold out for any significant length of time are notorious for incurring nagging injuries when they get back to the field. That legitimate concern could cause Johnson to fall a few spots in drafts if the holdout becomes prolonged or if it appears that it might go into the season, though the latter seems unlikely considering CJ is vital to the Titans offense.
Matt Forte will NOT hold out – Contrary to reports yesterday that claimed Forte would not participate in camp without renegotiating a new deal, he stated today that he will be in camp with his teammates. Apparently GM Jerry Angelo has given him his word a new contract will be in the works soon. This is good news for a potential top-10 fantasy back.
Kyle Orton to Miami has been shelved – Various accounts indicate that Miami is no longer pursuing a trade with Denver for Orton, and it appears that may be due to Orton's contract demands. In the meantime, the Dolphins went out and signed former Panther quarterback Matt Moore, presumably to compete with Chad Henne for the right to continue making the Dolphins passing game look awful.
Antonio Gates opens camp on the PUP list – Gates is still dealing with lingering foot problems from the injury that ended his 2011 season and it appears he will miss most of camp. Given his value to the Chargers offense, it's not likely they will keep him on the PUP list to start the season and be without him for six weeks, so count on Gates being available for fantasy play. Despite his premier talent though, he is a risky pick given his injury history.
Willis McGahee signed with the Broncos for three years – It was a forgone conclusion at the start of free agency that Denver would bring in someone to add depth at running back and they found their man in McGahee. This could definitely have the same adverse effect on the value of Knowshon Moreno that McGahee's presence did in Baltimore to Ray Rice. McGahee is one of the premier touchdown-vulture backs in the league and may bounce back to fantasy relevance in 2011 if he gets the type of carries split that John Fox utilized with his backs in Carolina.
Roy Williams signed with the Bears for one year – Williams will reunite with Mike Martz, with whom he had his most successful seasons in Detroit, including a 1,300-yard Pro Bowl season. Williams is the big target the Bears passing attack has lacked for several years and, at only 29, he still has plenty of time to redeem himself for fantasy owners.
Mike Sims-Walker signed with the Rams for one year – Sims-Walker will jump into the deep rotation of Rams receivers in the preseason and hopefully for fantasy owners it will be determined quickly where he ranks among them. After something of a breakout 2009, MSW was mostly underwhelming last season. Throw in his injury history and it's unclear if he will become a star in Josh McDaniels' passing circus or just another guy on the field. Nevertheless, he is certainly worth a late-round selection for the upside.