Kenny Golladay is arguably the most dangerous weapon still available in free agency, and leads an absolutely loaded wide receiver market. With other established stars like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Will Fuller garnering the majority of the fantasy buzz, the 27-year-old Golladay is fully healthy and ready to step in as a difference-maker in any offense. These are the five best landing spots Golladay owners would thank the fantasy gods if he ended up in.
Baltimore Ravens
If Kenny Golladay ends up on the Ravens – which I’ll admit is pretty unlikely at this point – he could take a MASSIVE step forward, carrying as much upside as any (non-cheetah) receiver in fantasy football. Before injury cut his 2020 season short, Golladay was coming off back-to back 1,000 yard seasons (‘18-‘19) while seeing a combined 235 targets over that span. In 2019, the uber-physical Golladay led the league with 11 total TDs.
According to PlayerProfiler, he finished as the overall WR7 in target premium (+27.8%), WR6 in yards per target (10.3), and WR4 in yards per reception (18.3). If Baltimore were to bring in the 6’4” Golladay as the true alpha receiver Lamar Jackson so desperately needs, the duo could quickly evolve into one of fantasy’s best stacks. This is, of course, anticipating Lamar makes significant improvements as a passer; which I fully believe he is capable of doing.
If a complete playmaker like Golladay is able to alleviate pressure from Baltimore’s other weapons like Hollywood Brown and Mark Andrews, Lamar Jackson could regain (maybe even surpass) his previous MVP form. Being the main beneficiary of a locked-in Lamar Jackson would be Golladay, who would immediately step in as the unquestioned top option in the Baltimore passing game.
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are in store for quite the offseason so far, even if they haven’t really made any major moves yet. Armed with $30 million in cap space and a slew of draft picks, the Dolphins could give Tua (who still might in fact be good at football) a loaded arsenal of weapons around him.
While DeVante Parker (63/793/4 on 103 targets) looked serviceable last season as Miami’s de facto WR1, Golladay would immediately step in as the team’s primary outside receiving threat. There remains lot of speculation around Miami’s draft strategy (they have the 3rd and 18th overall picks, as well as two early second rounders), but Miami has plenty of flexibility in how they can address several areas of need.
If the team decides to bring in a receiver (such as Ja’Marr Chase or Tua’s college teammate and this year’s Heisman winner DeVonta Smith), Golladay’s dynasty value would uncountably take a hit, but he would still be the Dolphins receiver to own in 2021. If the team decides to utilize the draft to bulk up their line and add a young running back, then bringing in an established receiver like Golladay could bring the entire offense together.
The Dolphins have a number of ways they can attack this offseason, but bringing in Golladay would be a massive addition to an up-and-coming offense that desperately needs reliable playmakers on the outside.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Assuming they keep the pick, it would be one of the biggest surprises in NFL history if Jacksonville were to not draft Trevor Lawrence first overall this year. Jacksonville, in anticipation of this exciting new era, has gone all-out this offseason in laying the foundation for Lawrence to step into a winning situation.
The Jaguars brought in a new coach in Urban Meyer (though I personally have my doubts on his ability to manage an NFL roster), and have nearly $45 million in cap space to work with. If Lawrence is even close to as good as advertised, Jacksonville has enough resources to build a competing roster around him right away.
If Jacksonville were to add Kenny Golladay to an already exciting young skill position corps that includes James Robinson, Laviska Shenault, and DJ Chark (assuming Chark isn’t traded this offseason as is being speculated), then Lawrence could find himself at the helm of one of the most versatile offensive units in the NFL. With Robinson again expected to handle the lion’s share of carries (he led all RBs last year with an 85.2% opportunity share), Shenault’s versatility and YAC prowess would make him the perfect complement to play inside while Golladay mans the outside.
For any rookie QB, even one as highly-touted as Lawrence, having an established receiver like Golladay to lean on is absolutely crucial to the success of the offense; and would lead to a high number of quality targets. Obviously everything comes back to if Lawrence is legit, but if the kid lives up to the hype, Golladay could easily vault into the high-end WR1 conversation.
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers vs the Packers front office is one of my favorite rivalries in all of sports. After Rodgers (among others) pleaded for Green Bay to bring in another receiving weapon last year, the Packers used their first two selections in the 2020 NFL Draft (a draft rich with receiver talent) on QB and RB; arguably the two strongest positions on the roster.
Rodgers responded by going on his own revenge tour, en route to an MVP campaign. It really is laughable at this point that Green Bay has simply refused to give Rodgers another legit receiver to play opposite Davante Adams, but that trend has to end at some point, right? If Green Bay doesn’t want to draft a receiver early again this year, then signing Golladay would provide Rodgers with the dependable secondary option to Adams that he has been begging for all this time.
Obviously Green Bay would have to make some magic happen with the salary cap, but we have already seen teams find a number of creative ways to get under the cap if needed. Green Bay sported the league’s highest-scoring offense in 2020, leading the NFL in points per game (31.5) and red zone scoring percentage (76.81%), and the rangy Golladay would be in line for plenty of opportunity near paydirt.
While it is highly unlikely Green Bay actually ends up signing Golladay, the thought of him lined up opposite of Adams should send shivers down the spines of the entire NFC North.
Detroit Lions
Maybe the best landing spot for Kenny Golladay this offseason could be back in Detroit. The Lions, after all, are entering a new era of their own; led by their electric new coach Dan Campbell and new QB Jared Goff.
Before his disappointing 2020 season, Kenny Golladay was quietly one of the most reliable receivers in fantasy football, and the Detroit roster has already under gone a massive overhaul this offseason.
New OC Anthony Lynn has shown that he has no problem featuring a single receiver in his offense, as evidenced by Keenan Allen averaging a whopping 147.8 targets per season under Lynn. With second-year back D’Andre Swift expected to take a leap forward in 2021, and the continued development of stud TE TJ Hockenson, Goff and this new-look Lions offense could return some serious value for fantasy football owners.
Marvin Jones Jr. has departed via free agency, which means Golladay would have little competition for targets among returning receivers (although I have gone into detail on what I think of Quintez Cephus). With a new situation, paired with a plethora of weapons around him, Goff could sneak up on some people in 2021, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Detroit bring back Golladay to serve as his unquestioned WR1. If Golladay returns to Detroit, he is a virtual lock to see his usual 100+ targets and heavy usage in the red zone.
