NFL Trade Deadline Recap: The Dynasty Fantasy Football Impact
The trading deadline has come and gone and we now have a pretty good read on the new landscape in the NFL. It was a little bit of an unusual year as we had so many deals occur prior to the deadline. Just over the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen Diontae Johnson traded to Baltimore, DeAndre Hopkins traded to Kansas City, Amari Cooper traded to Buffalo, and Davante Adams traded to the Jets. Today brought us a few more deals and while none of them shattered the Earth as we know it, they still have some dynasty impact.
Khalil Herbert traded to Cincinnati
The Bengals acquired running back Khalil Herbert from the Bears in exchange for a seventh round pick in next year’s NFL Draft. Later in the day, it was reported Bengals running back Zack Moss will also miss the rest of the season with a neck injury, so this made a lot of sense. Herbert was the odd man out in Chicago behind both D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson, so trading him away seemed inevitable. He should now slide in as a decent backup for Chase Brown, who suddenly has high-end RB2 value at the very least with Moss down and out for the time being. Herbert should be on rosters as he’s one injury away from real in-season value again, but the big news here is again in regards to Brown, who looks like he could be a difference maker in dynasty leagues down the stretch.
Jonathan Mingo traded to Dallas
The Panthers were able to fetch a fourth round pick in exchange for Mingo and a seventh round selection. Mingo was a second round pick just last season, but has posted just 55 catches for 539 yards thus far in 24 career games in Carolina, making him a bit of a bust. Dallas must see something they like here as their season doesn’t exactly lend itself to be “buyers” at the trade deadline. Mingo is still a decent bench stash in dynasty leagues, but it’s hard to see him being a difference maker. Making things even worse, Dak Prescott was placed on IR today, ensuring he’s going to be out for at least the next four weeks. Expecting Mingo to carve out value behind both CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Tolbert with Cooper Rush (or even Trey Lance) at the helm seems unreasonable. In the end, this looks like a move for the future more than anything else, and a curious one at that.
Mike Williams traded to Pittsburgh
The Jets will receive a fifth round pick in exchange for Williams, who clearly fell out of favor in New York. The Steelers have been in the mix for just about any wide receiver available and settled for Williams in the end. This could end up being good for both parties, however, as Williams excels on the deep ball, which just happens to be Russell Wilson‘s specialty. While Williams’ production has hit the skids in recent years, this should be enough to stop his dynasty value slide and keep him on rosters. This could also be some bad news for the likes of Calvin Austin, who had a recent mini-breakout. In the end, this should be good for Williams and Wilson, while Pickens will remain the WR1 in the offense and should continue to produce.
Bryce Young Stays in Carolina
Young was famously benched earlier this season in favor of Andy Dalton. However, he’s played better after replacing Dalton the past couple of weeks, perhaps instilling a glimmer of hope with a Carolina team that paid dearly for his services. Young will likely keep starting games until he regresses again (likely for the final time as a Panther) or shows enough for the franchise to continue building around him. Regardless, his dynasty value is near zero already after a disastrous start to his career. With just 3,571 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in his career, it’s time for him to get going and it looks like he’ll get one final chance to do so in Charlotte.
Anthony Richardson Still a Colt
Richardson has clearly not developed as quickly as the Colts had hoped he would, but they were also not willing to sell him for pennies on the dollar, either. Had Joe Flacco ignited the offense yet again this week, things may have changed. However, Richardson could be in line to start again this year if Flacco struggles. Regardless, Richardson’s dynasty value is falling quickly and he needs to show something soon to recoup it. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him under center again in a couple of weeks if the Colts don’t win with Flacco starting. In the end, it seems the Colts will ride Flacco until a losing streak occurs, then likely turn back to Richardson if the team underperforms this season. No matter what, the next string of starts he’ll have will likely define his career in fantasy and reality.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
