The Seahawks and Jets worked out a trade today that may end up being bigger in reality than in fantasy as Seattle traded wide receiver Jermaine Kearse and a second round pick to the Jets in exchange for Sheldon Richardson. The teams will also reportedly swap seventh round draft picks next year. While the trade will have some minor impact in IDP leagues, the movement of Kearse also creates some waves in traditional dynasty leagues.
Let’s run down the players most affected by the trade.
Jermaine Kearse, WR NYJ
Kearse goes from a forgotten man in Seattle to a primary weapon in New York. While that may sound great, it’s not really something to get overly excited about. Kearse has proven to be a solid blocker over his career but hasn’t been consistent enough to really be a player you could rely on. Over his five-year career (all in Seattle) Kearse has posted a modest 153 catches for 2,110 yards and 11 touchdowns.
With the Jets, Kearse is immediately added to a receiving corps that could easily be considered the worst in football. While Kearse hasn’t been anything close to a star, he’s certainly good enough to make an impact on a pre-cutdown day receiving corps that currently boasts Robby Anderson, ArDarius Stewart, Jalin Marshall, Charone Peake, Chris Harper, Chad Hansen and six clowns popping out of a clown car.
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Kearse should step right in and push for a starting job opposite Anderson. His numbers will be hampered by the poor quarterback play by the Jets but the fact he should be able to start is a good step up for his fantasy value. Anderson is the best bet to lead the Jets in targets and receiving yards but I wouldn’t be shocked if Kearse ended up being very close or even ahead of his production when all is said and done. While that’s not going to be nearly enough to rely on in a dynasty league, it could be enough to provide WR3 value and bye week consideration. His ADP will certainly trend higher now, though it’s currently non-existent.
In short, this move breathes some life into Kearse’s value and likely makes him a waiver pickup in most leagues as a player who should get some opportunities. Still, his short-term potential is capped by a bad offense.
Kasen Williams, WR SEA
If there’s a winner in Seattle, it’s clearly Williams. The third year player (ironically he also played at Washington where Kearse played collegiately) played so well in the preseason that the Seahawks had no choice but to shop Kearse. Seattle will rely on Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Paul Richardson and presumably Williams as their top four receivers this year (that’s also not counting Jimmy Graham). With the injury history of Lockett and Richardson, that’s a spot that merits roster consideration in dynasty leagues. Williams has been great this preseason en route to posting nine catches for 208 yards and a touchdown. He looks poised to have a third year breakout.
Robby Anderson, WR NYJ
Anderson will undoubtedly improve upon his 42/587/2 line from last year but it’s fair to wonder if his targets may come down just a bit now with Kearse in town. Still, it’s hard to see the Jets making one fantasy receiver relevant, no less two. I’d expect Anderson to start opposite Kearse and make steady improvement this season, though he’s hardly a player I’d feel comfortable starting at the beginning of the year.
Josh McCown, QB NYJ
Any time a quality offensive weapon is added, you have to like it for the quarterback of the team involved. However, McCown is statuesque and likely won’t last long enough to really make use of Kearse or generate enough offense to be fantasy worthy. I can’t see a spot for him on many rosters as he hasn’t been relevant since he worked with Marc Trestman in Chicago so many years ago. The best thing McCown has going for him is easly the fact he looks like Dolph Lundgren.
Other Jets Receivers
The addition of Kearse is likely going to push every receiver other than Anderson down a notch on the depth chart. It’s possible ArDarius Stewart can beat out Kearse for the starting job but it’s also likely the veteran would get the nod here once he gets up to speed. Still, with all the moves the Jets are making, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them start lesser players to ensure they aren’t very competitive. The addition of Kearse doesn’t help the short-term prospects of players like Chad Hansen, though.
Sam Darnold, QB USC
Keep shopping for your apartment in New York! This isn’t going to change much.
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Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
How often do they run 3WR sets? This could be good for ArDarius Stewart for year 1, as he’ll more often be matched up with opposing #2 & #3 CBs and turn out to be a good development year for him.
What’s the impact for Richardson? Does this increase or decrease his value for IDP?
