Sometimes the best fantasy decisions are the ones made by NFL GMs. A couple days ago a reader told me he'd been fielding a lot of trade requests for Kenny Golladay. I advised him to hold tight -- that these opponents were anticipating a potential NFL trade that would free up Golladay for more targets. I credit his opponents for reading the tea leaves; that's how to play the game. But it doesn't mean we should make it easy for them.
With Golden Tate now in Philly, the ripple effects should be fairly clear. In Detroit, Matthew Stafford takes the biggest hit, as he's now the losers are Matthew Stafford, who loses last year's #1 wideout based on catch percentage (Tate caught a league-high 76.7% of balls thrown his way). While this year Tate was more middling in that area, historically he's been highly reliable. Stafford already has been a mid-range QB2; I don't see that improving much, if at all.
Obviously, Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones get the biggest bumps, while T.J. Jones or Brandon Powell will be on the deep-league flyer map for the coming weeks.
For the Eagles, Nelson Agholor clearly is the biggest loser in all this, as he'll descend to the #4 or #5 offensive option. Rostered in 63% of ESPN leagues, he's now almost entirely TD dependent, making him mostly droppable. Meanwhile, Alshon Jeffery and Zach Ertz will take small hits, though both should remain Philly's top two fantasy receivers. And what about Tate? Stafford and Carson Wentz are averaging about the same number of throws a game. But Detroit's giving up an extra touchdown a game. A disproportionate 25 of Tate's 69 targets (36%) have come in the fourth quarter. That's not sustainable on his new team. This and many other factors that will limit Tate to a WR3/4 role at best.
And aside from Golladay and perhaps Jones, Wentz is the biggest winner in this trade. With a questionable running game and now a half-dozen very capable pass-catchers, he's primed for a big second half.
The other big pre-deadline trade featured Demaryius Thomas going to WR-needy Houston. This could turn out to be a wash for DT, as Deshaun Watson, hinging largely on whether the capable Keke Coutee can get healthy soon. With Lamar Miller now looking like a bellcow and DeAndre Hopkins eating up targets and red-zone looks (he has the sixth most WR fantasy points inside the opposing 20-yard line), DT will find himself once again as the #2 receiving option, but with a better (and more injured) QB throwing to him -- and with a young, talented #3 battling for looks.
This is obviously a big win for Watson, who was at risk of being unstartable if Vyncint Smith had to start opposite Hopkins. Houston is now primed for a strong push to the postseason.
In Denver, Case Keenum takes a small hit, which matters primarily to two-QB leaguers. And Courtland Sutton is obviously the biggest winner and should be viewed as one of this week's biggest waiver adds.
Elsewhere, the perennially overrated Ty Montgomery (every preseason I've tried to warn readers about him) goes to Baltimore in exchange for a 2020 seventh-round pick. The TD-dependent Javorious Allen is the biggest loser assuming Montgomery can stay on the field. And in Green Bay, Aaron Jones solidifies his 1A role in the backfield, pushing him into RB2/3 territory with massive upside.
Some other news to briefly highlight: C.J. Beathard is hurt, so keep an eye on that situation. Rookie Nick Mullens would get the start tomorrow if Beathard can't go, and it couldn't come at a better time for Mullens, as the nothing-to-lose backup should find surprising success against a dreadful Gruden defense . . . I mean "Raiders" defense.
Kyle Lauletta was arrested yesterday for nearly running over a cop. If you're backing up a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback who's nearing the end of the line, and you're about to get a shot at a 2019 starting job, the second-to-worst thing you can do is almost run over a cop (running over the officer would, of course, be worse).
As Derek Anderson deals with concussion symptoms, Nathan Peterman is likely to start Week 9 against Chicago. We know Peterman as the guy who throws a lot of interceptions. What many don't know is that he makes a fantastic cheesecake. Really, this could be another disastrous start, though the newly signed Terrelle Pryor will do everything in his power to support his new QB, which is like saying I'll do everything in my power to put out a raging fire with an eyedropper.
With Golden Tate now in Philly, the ripple effects should be fairly clear. In Detroit, Matthew Stafford takes the biggest hit, as he's now the losers are Matthew Stafford, who loses last year's #1 wideout based on catch percentage (Tate caught a league-high 76.7% of balls thrown his way). While this year Tate was more middling in that area, historically he's been highly reliable. Stafford already has been a mid-range QB2; I don't see that improving much, if at all.
Obviously, Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones get the biggest bumps, while T.J. Jones or Brandon Powell will be on the deep-league flyer map for the coming weeks.
For the Eagles, Nelson Agholor clearly is the biggest loser in all this, as he'll descend to the #4 or #5 offensive option. Rostered in 63% of ESPN leagues, he's now almost entirely TD dependent, making him mostly droppable. Meanwhile, Alshon Jeffery and Zach Ertz will take small hits, though both should remain Philly's top two fantasy receivers. And what about Tate? Stafford and Carson Wentz are averaging about the same number of throws a game. But Detroit's giving up an extra touchdown a game. A disproportionate 25 of Tate's 69 targets (36%) have come in the fourth quarter. That's not sustainable on his new team. This and many other factors that will limit Tate to a WR3/4 role at best.
And aside from Golladay and perhaps Jones, Wentz is the biggest winner in this trade. With a questionable running game and now a half-dozen very capable pass-catchers, he's primed for a big second half.
The other big pre-deadline trade featured Demaryius Thomas going to WR-needy Houston. This could turn out to be a wash for DT, as Deshaun Watson, hinging largely on whether the capable Keke Coutee can get healthy soon. With Lamar Miller now looking like a bellcow and DeAndre Hopkins eating up targets and red-zone looks (he has the sixth most WR fantasy points inside the opposing 20-yard line), DT will find himself once again as the #2 receiving option, but with a better (and more injured) QB throwing to him -- and with a young, talented #3 battling for looks.
This is obviously a big win for Watson, who was at risk of being unstartable if Vyncint Smith had to start opposite Hopkins. Houston is now primed for a strong push to the postseason.
In Denver, Case Keenum takes a small hit, which matters primarily to two-QB leaguers. And Courtland Sutton is obviously the biggest winner and should be viewed as one of this week's biggest waiver adds.
Elsewhere, the perennially overrated Ty Montgomery (every preseason I've tried to warn readers about him) goes to Baltimore in exchange for a 2020 seventh-round pick. The TD-dependent Javorious Allen is the biggest loser assuming Montgomery can stay on the field. And in Green Bay, Aaron Jones solidifies his 1A role in the backfield, pushing him into RB2/3 territory with massive upside.
Some other news to briefly highlight: C.J. Beathard is hurt, so keep an eye on that situation. Rookie Nick Mullens would get the start tomorrow if Beathard can't go, and it couldn't come at a better time for Mullens, as the nothing-to-lose backup should find surprising success against a dreadful Gruden defense . . . I mean "Raiders" defense.
Kyle Lauletta was arrested yesterday for nearly running over a cop. If you're backing up a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback who's nearing the end of the line, and you're about to get a shot at a 2019 starting job, the second-to-worst thing you can do is almost run over a cop (running over the officer would, of course, be worse).
As Derek Anderson deals with concussion symptoms, Nathan Peterman is likely to start Week 9 against Chicago. We know Peterman as the guy who throws a lot of interceptions. What many don't know is that he makes a fantastic cheesecake. Really, this could be another disastrous start, though the newly signed Terrelle Pryor will do everything in his power to support his new QB, which is like saying I'll do everything in my power to put out a raging fire with an eyedropper.