Zeke’s calendar says: Trade me
Caleb Receives: Jordy Nelson
Benny Receives: Ezekiel Elliott
Benny’s Grade: A-
Caleb’s Grade: A+
After news broke about Zeke withdrawing his appeal, Caleb made the right move and moved him to a playoff contender. In return he obtained Jordy Nelson who is now just a lowly WR3 (barely) with Hundley at the helm. Rodgers looks to be coming back Week 15 and frees Caleb up to roll with him and await Rodgers’ return or flip him to another contender for something else.
Benny is definitely banking on getting to the finals now, but if he does, Zeke will be huge, although it’s starting to look like Tyron Smith is the key for the Cowboys now.
Given the circumstances, it’s probably the best value both parties could’ve gotten for their respective players, but I like Jordy better as he can still contribute and hopefully find some chemistry with Hundley for the next few weeks.
- Alex
DEZperation Eagle
Danny Receives: Ameer Abdullah, LeSean McCoy, Dede Westbrook
Alex Receives: Christian McCaffrey, Carlos Hyde
Danny’s Grade: B
Alex’s Grade: A
This set of trade grades will be more malleable than most primarily due to Tyrod’s benching.
This move presents two possibilities: either the Bills commit to the run to hide Peterman’s deficiencies or they attempt at a more balanced approach. How effective can he be with a non-rushing QB at the helm? Should the Bills commit to the run, McCoy will have to fight against a history of declining returns:
McCoy (Bills) YPC: With Tyrod (4.67 YPC) | Without Tyrod (4.20 YPC)
McCoy (Eagles) YPC: With Vick (5.02 YPC) | Without Vick (4.38 YPC)
McCoy’s best-case scenario is being utilized heavily as a receiver out of the backfield, in which case, he’ll have the high floor to post RB1 numbers. However, his floor is unknown at the moment. The range of outcomes could be volume-dependent RB2 to mid-range RB1. I am more willing to bet on the former outcome.
In obtaining Dede and Abdullah, Danny’s process here is starting warm bodies with vastly different routes to fantasy points (Dede via splash plays; Abdullah via unspectacular volume).
Meanwhile, we have Alex sitting on a winning record with slack to deal for two premier RB’s on BYE. Both McCaffrey and Hyde have room to trend upward, but from opposite ends of the spectrum: rushing and receiving.
After ranking 60th out of 65 running backs in yards gained after defender closes, McCaffrey finally saw some daylight rushing against the Dolphins, getting goal-line work on MNF. If the Panthers can give the elusive back room to run, McCaffrey has a probable shot at reaching RB1 consistency. On the other hand, Hyde has averaged 4.2 receptions on 5.9 targets. Should that usage hold steady under negative game scripts, Hyde could be considered a consistent low-end RB1.
In a nutshell, Alex paid the price of a fluid RB1 situation and expendable pieces for two running backs who are knocking on the upper tier. Given he was starting Marlon Mack and Tarik Cohen a week ago, Alex has vastly improved his starting lineup.
This trade is a desperation move for Danny, where he had no choice but to trade the core of his winning strategy (streaming wide receivers behind two core running backs) to buy back into the table and play what could be one last hand.
Since I am more willing to bet on McCoy becoming a mid-range RB2, Danny is given a lesser grade, but I love the thought behind Danny’s approach. I just love Alex’s returns better.
- Bode
todos ganan
Caleb Receives: Jarvis Landry
Paul Receives: Mike Evans
Caleb’s Grade: A
Paul’s Grade: A
Caleb made a big WIN NOW move for Week 10, knowing that any loss would banish him to the shadow realm (of not going to playoffs). Jarvis ended up scoring 15 points for Caleb’s team which put up 124 overall, which is a respectable total that would’ve beaten many teams this past week…except Sambo’s.
Still, regardless of name value, this trade is actually fairly even. Jarvis has out-produced Mike Evans by 20 points this year, though that’s partially due to Evans’ suspension.
Paul got a nice buy low in Mike Evans (who still has a higher ceiling & floor than Jarvis) without having to sacrifice his result vs the almighty Heisenberg, so I think it’s actually a win for both teams. Unfortunately, Caleb is pretty much out of playoff contention, but props for going all-in on salvaging his season.
- Benny
Return of IR’d
Benny Receives: Corey Coleman
Paul Receives: Danny Woodhead
Benny’s Grade: A
Paul’s Grade: B+
The Browns’ best WR might be Duke Johnson currently so Coleman should reclaim his spot as the #1 WR easily (unless Josh Gordon returns). This is a nice move since Jordy’s value continues to free-fall since the Rodgers injury. Benny gains a start-able WR with upside, while not having to sacrifice any RB depth.
Woodhead has proven he’s made of glass, but if he can stay on the field, he should be able to produce as well. Collins and Allen may still be in the rotation, so the work splits remains to be seen. Neither Coleman nor Woodhead would have been starters on this loaded roster. Still, this move gives Paul some depth should one of his stud RB’s get hurt.
Slight edge to Benny since I think Coleman has more upside, but the moves are good for both teams.
- AA
On Blast Live at PV: “Please, Trump”
AA Receives: Brandin Cooks, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Josh Gordon
Caleb Receives: Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, Dez Bryant
Alex’s Grade: A++
Caleb’s Grade: F — -
Video analysis provided by Benny Huang at Casa Jade. Enjoy:
Update:
“Dez is mine 2NITE”
AA Receives: Dez Bryant, $10 FAAB
Theo Receives: Adam Thielen, Chris Hogan
K-Pop CEO’s Grade: A+
Heisenberg’s Grade: B+
Alex “Heisenberg” Aur strikes yet another deal to acquire Dez Bryant, rounding off his Cowboys Trifecta of Dak-Zeke-Dez, sending Chris Hogan and Adam Thielen to K-Pop CEO Theo.
While AA’s other trades and gambles have panned out favorably so far, I think this is definitely a case of homer-ism and buying a name instead of production (something that Theo did as well in giving away Melvin Gordon). Both Hogan and Thielen have scored more fantasy points than Dez this season, and pending a serious injury to either one, should continue to do so.
You might say this is another buy low situation. Dez, talent wise, is no doubt still one of the top WRs in this league. Swap places with Julio on the Falcons or AJ Green on the Bengals or Mike Evans on the Bucs and Dez could definitely put up similar numbers to any of those guys. But as AA himself has pointed out to me before, fantasy production isn’t necessarily about talent. And the reality of the Cowboys is simply this: they are, and will continue to be, at their best when feeding Zeke the ball behind an offensive line that is still one of the best in football, grinding down defenses, and killing clock.
The Cowboys want Dak, a very efficient QB, to throw the ball AT MOST 30 times a game. Let’s say he completes about 18–22 passes a game. How many targets can you reasonably expect Dez to get, especially when Dak doesn’t force the ball to anyone, uses all threats available, and has suspect downfield accuracy? This isn’t the 2014 Cowboys with Romo and DeMarco Murray. Sure, Dez is still capable of dominating a game a la playoff game vs. the Packers (9 catches, 132 yards, 2 TDs) and is still one of the elite red zone threats in the game. But the Cowboys don’t want to be in that situation in the first place. As such, I think Dez’s ceiling will continue to be limited. If you just look at the numbers, he’s pretty much a Chris Hogan or Adam Thielen in terms of fantasy production (between 7–20 points per game). Those aren’t “sexy” names like Dez, but points are points.
That means this trade is a win for Theo because of simple math: 2 > 1. Still, I respect Heisenberg going all in on his Cowboys fandom, so for that alone, I bumped him up half a letter grade.
- Benny
Appendix: Alex’s ambition
Will PizzaDetective ever score below A?
Paul L Receives: Melvin Gordon
Theo Receives: Lamar Miller, Marshawn Lynch
Paul L’s Grade: 😇 (A+++)
Theo’s Grade: 🤦 (F — — — )
Or will his trade partners ever score above F — — — ?
Let’s focus on the positives. Theo has KPop Sauce (yay!) and doesn’t have to worry about making a living as a fantasy football GM.
Paul has real life Star Wars Force Persuasion. Look for him to be cast in Star Wars Episode 9 in the upcoming years.
Well done.
- AA
*This post was sponsored by KPop Foods:
Try KPOP Sauce, the sauce with attitude.
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Shady 3-Way
AA Sends: Cam Newton, Alfred Morris, DMC, Jerick McKinnon, Tyreek Hill
AA Receives: Adam Thielen, LeSean McCoy, Corey DavisJesse Sends: LeSean McCoy and Marvin Jones Jr.
Jesse Receives: Matt Stafford, Jerick McKinnon, Tyreek HillDanny Sends: Matt Stafford, Adam Thielen, Corey Davis
Danny Receives: Alfred Morris, Cam Newton, DMC, Marvin Jones Jr.
Jesse’s Grade: A
AA’s Grade: B-
Danny’s Grade: B+
Wow, the first 3-way trade in the storied history of our league that I can recall, and it’s quite a doozy. The fact that the parties involved found a satisfactory swap of assets is impressive in its own right — just ask the Rockets how hard it can be to find a 3rd trade partner. I feel like everyone deserves some extra credit just for seeing this through.
How the trade benefits Jesse
In terms of grades, let’s start with our resident Chinaman. Jesse has been sending out lowball trade feelers (if you’ve received a message asking if you were interested in “g-spot,” raise your hand) all season, and he finally came through with a way to break his only real asset of value in Shady into speed demon WR Tyreek Hill and combine freak RB Jerick McKinnon. Jesse also got a replacement NFC North QB for Aaron Rodgers in Matt Stafford, who may not be posting elite numbers this season but is still a very capable veteran QB. Jesse does lose Marvin Jones Jr., who has been inconsistent at best this year but has flashed glimpses of early 2016 Marvin Jones recently and who may be playing a bigger role with Golden Tate possibly sidelined for a few games.
While it’s possible McKinnon already had his two best games of the season, he should still remain a high floor, high ceiling option, especially in PPR, where he’ll receive a steady stream of check downs from whoever is at the helm. At only 25 years of age, McKinnon has always been an athletic freak, posting a SPARQ score in the 100th percentile and one of the highest in the last 16 years among all running backs. However, how that athleticism has translated to the football field has always been a question mark, though perhaps, he was being held back by AP, Matt Asiata (!), and more recently Dalvin Cook & Latavius Murray.
Jesse also gets Tyreek Hill, who should need no introduction as the fastest WR in the league right now and is able to turn any catch or missed tackle into long touchdowns. In terms of fantasy production, “Reek” is WR7 on the year, averaging 14.75 Fantasy Points/Game and while his production is somewhat boom/bust, his floor is relatively stable for such a type of player with his lowest scoring output so far at about 8 points. These two guys give Jesse the ceiling he’ll need to play spoiler to a few teams, though it seems unlikely he’ll make a playoff push himself.
How the trade benefits AA
On the Heisenberg side, AA loses the two aforementioned players in addition to Cam Newton, currently QB5 (18.86 FP/G) on the year after an extremely slow start, but who was redundant for Alex after Dak Prescott (QB6 on the year with 1 less game played, 21.66 FP/G) had his bye week. He also pushed his chips all-in on his Zeke gambit by dealing away handcuffs Morris and DMC, who in addition to McKinnon made up the vast majority of his FAAB budget spent this year.
In return he gets Shady, currently RB16 (14.76 FP/G). Hopes were high for Shady coming into the year, drafted as RB3 overall in most leagues right after DJ and Le’Veon, but so far he has fallen far short of the expectations. Shady is averaging only 3.2 Y/A on the season, much lower than his career average of 4.7 Y/A and a far cry from the 5.4 Y/A he averaged last season. Additionally, Football Outsiders has him ranked 30th out of 34 qualified RBs in both DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) and DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value over average). These are all career lows. He’s also been shut out of the end zone, so the only thing keeping him afloat at this point is his value as a receiver, averaging about 5 catches a game for 37.8 yards. Maybe Alex took Caleb’s previous ON BLAST post to heart as Shady is the ultimate buy-low candidate, but it’ll be tough sledding ahead as teams will stack the box and continue to force Tyrod Taylor to make plays with his arm since the Bills have absolutely no playmakers on the outside right now (Zay Jones? HAH). Through sheer volume alone though, Shady will continue to have a respectable floor, and this seems to be what Alex is truly buying.
The other piece of the puzzle is Adam Thielen (WR13, 14 FP/G), who has been much discussed on Slack already, but is indeed producing legit PPR receiving numbers, currently averaging 6 catches and 81.5 yards per game. However, Thielen’s upside is capped by his lack of TD production. While it’s likely that he’ll eventually hit pay dirt in that area, he only scored 5 TDs through all 16 games last season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a similar amount this year. This then seems to be another PPR floor play for Alex, though Tyreek and Thielen’s floor this year have been the same, with Reek having much higher TD potential in a potent Chiefs offense.
Finally, there’s also the much-hyped Corey Davis, who flashed his potential in week 1 but has been sitting out since. Davis has received comparisons to none other than Terrell Owens during the draft and combine process, but his production will be capped as Mariota likes to spread the ball around, so there may not be much volume to be had after accounting for Matthews, Walker, Decker, and Murray. I’d probably rate Davis as a WR3 with WR2 upside for the rest of the year.
Overall, it would seem that AA has basically traded $170 worth of FAAB pickups for Shady, while swapping Newton and Reek for Thielen and Davis. While I don’t hate the move overall, I think AA is undervaluing his players here a little bit and overvaluing the floor of Shady and Thielen, and ultimately could’ve gotten more for his pieces. I don’t think his team got significantly better, and he took on risk and lost depth to do so, which is why I rate this a B- for him.
How the trade benefits Danny
Lastly, Danny upgrades Stafford (QB10, 16.13 FP/G) to Cam, and trades away his top receiver & Corey Davis for Zeke’s handcuffs & Marvin Jones. Danny is gambling the opposite side of the Zeke equation, and will only win this trade should Zeke be suspended (or injury) at any point this season, while expecting Marvin Jones Jr. to flash low end WR1 numbers for a few weeks while Golden Tate recovers. Danny needed to shake things up and take a gamble in order to parlay a relatively fortunate 3–3 start into playoff contention, so I like what he did here even if Morris & DMC don’t end up panning out.
- Benny
Grade AA student or High-School Dropout?
AA Receives: Ezekiel Elliott, Julio Jones
Vince Receives: Devonta Freeman, Tevin Coleman, Stefon Diggs
After an eventful weekend in DC for the MegaLong wedding, we dive into the blockbuster trade that occurred at Shake Shack with our glorious grade school panelists: Benny and Caleb.
1. How do you grade the trade?
Caleb: Alex: D- || Vince: A+
Alex’s (former) undefeated record must have granted him a giant pair of Huevos Rancheros because this is the Degree ALL-IN Moment. He is risking it all for an RB who has spent half of his season inside The People’s Court. The appeals process is so complex and complicated…WORST CASE SCENARIO, ZEKE ends up serving his suspension on the tail end of the season, which is closer to The Big Dance. No doubt, when he is on the field ZEKE is a monster…but his future is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatball, and Vince found a gambler willing to take on that risk. Vince was able to salvage Freeman and Coleman who vulture from each other, but has officially rid his hands clean of the mess that is ZEKE.BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE….Vince successfully dumped off a SLUMPING Julio Jones…A Julio Jones that has now been shut out of the end zone in all five games to start this season. That has not happened since his rookie year.
Simple economics…buy LOW sell HIGH. Alex has proven to flip conventional wisdom on it’s head and has given up DIGGS who has caught eight deep passes (20-plus yards in air) and has a 61.5 percent catch rate on deep targets, both of which are the highest marks among receivers with at least five deep targets. He has proven it doesn’t matter what Minnesota quarterbacks is under center…They all have a combined passer rating of 138.1 when targeting Diggs, which is the third-highest mark in the NFL.
Lastly…Alex has one of the toughest schedules down the stretch. he is 1–1 vs Top half of the league. 7 Weeks till playoff seeding and he will still has 4 contenders to face.
Benny: Alex: B || Vince: A
Heading into the MeganLong wedding weekend with a 5–0 record, AA made a forward-looking move by gambling big — buying low on Zeke, whose impending suspension looms as a large unknown when trying to assess his value, and Julio, who has had a relatively lackluster year so far by his standards.On the flipside, Vince bolsters his RB depth getting 2 every-week startable RBs who’ve already had their byes and gets Diggs, who has arguably been better than Julio in the games he’s played, but caught the injury bug recently.
While I respect AA’s cajones for taking on the risk here and buying low on a couple of guys who have proven capable of winning leagues, he may be looking a little too far ahead as there’s still half the season to be played and there’s too much uncertainty for my taste. Additionally, AA had to invest his entire FAAB budget into obtaining DMC and Morris, so he has no $$ left to make acquisitions.
2. How would you grade AA differently if Zeke does not get suspended at all this season?
Caleb: D- to B.
Benny: B to A.
3. How would you grade AA differently if Zeke’s case reaches the worst-case scenario?
Caleb: If Zeke serves suspension during fantasy playoffs, AA gets a F — — — . Grounds for removal.
Benny: Flunk out of College for AA. A+++ for Vince.
The worst case scenario (for fantasy purposes) would be if Zeke and the Cowboys decide to fight this case in NY, lose, and he still has to serve his suspension at the end of the year. In that case, the entire purpose of this trade will be invalidated for Alex… as Ricky Bobby’s life motto goes — “if you’re not first, you’re last.”
4. So far, who has the best team in the league?
Caleb: Benny is running away with the title on the back of harlot L. Fournette…easily the best running back…but has he truly repented from his Fournettecation and has turned from his ways?! JORD-y seeks to punish, especially without archangel Aaron Rodgers serving up the TDs. He Giveth and he Taketh.
Benny: Pizzadetective remains the best team in the League IMO, and it wouldn’t even be close, were it not for a couple of unlucky (ankle) breaks along the way.
P2P: Miller Lite Quenches Trade Thirst
Paul Chung Receives: Amari Cooper, Elijah McGuire, Rob Kelley
Paul Liang Receives: Jarvis Landry, Lamar Miller
Paul L’s Grade: A+
Paul C’s Grade: C
Wow. Rob Kelley is a lackluster RB. Plus, he has been hurt this entire season. McGuire’s value is dependent on volume, which may be short lived as Forte and Powell are nearing healthy status. Maybe McGuire has the potential to overtake Forte, but McGuire’s future value is a wait-and-see scenario that I don’t think PC’s team has the time to wait on while sitting at 0–5.
The crux of this trade lies with Amari Cooper — an enigma this season as he has been dealing with drops. Surprisingly, Cooper is tied for 7th in RZ targets (8) this season, but he has only caught 1 of them (source). Cooper undoubtedly has talent, posting back-to-back seasons of 1000+ receiving yards. However, he has had his ups-and-downs, dealing with drops and inconsistency. He is a great hold, but not for a team on the cusp of elimination, like PC’s team. Cooper will probably turn it around eventually, but I don’t think PC can wait around for that to happen. There’s also a very real possibility he won’t and/or can’t salvage this season.
Jarvis Landry is tied for 43rd in RZ targets (4). However, Landry is a target hog (ranked 10th on the season) with a high 72% completion rate. Landry is a reliable PPR play with lackluster TD upside. Miller also has a solid floor but won’t blow you away. D’Onta Foreman has faded slightly, but he still has some potential to take over.
Overall, great play for Paul L as he gains additional start-able assets to make up for losing OBJ by trading away waiver wire fodder and getting rid of the Amari Cooper headache in the process. PC is making a HUGE gamble that Cooper can turn his season around in a BIG way starting this week.
PC needs to go undefeated and win the next 8 games just to have a CHANCE at making playoffs. Current projections have Caleb’s team missing playoffs with an 8–5 record and 1600+ pts scored.
- AA
Heisenberg’s first deal of the season
Alex Receives: Stefon Diggs, Tevin Coleman
Caleb Receives: Mike Evans
Alex’s Grade: A
Caleb’s Grade: B+
Diggin’ It!
With the devastating news that Dalvin Cook would be lost for the season due to ACL injury, AA had to make a move to shore up the depth at his RB position, and he did so by breaking up top-5 WR Evans into Diggs and Tevin Coleman. Usually teams possessing depth will trade up multiple good pieces for an elite one, but rarely do you see the opposite — a top tier contender breaking up a bona-fide superstar into smaller pieces. This is happening because there are only a handful of league-winning players out there, while good or decent players can be found weekly on the waiver wire.
Stefon Diggs seems to have hit another gear this season and currently sits as WR1 through 4 weeks of play (3 of them being starts from Case Keenum). Diggs’ combination of size, speed, and route running/technical prowess have drawn many comparisons to Antonio Brown, who is a consensus top-3 receiver in the NFL. Caleb is selling high here, but there is no doubt in my mind that Diggs can put up relevant fantasy numbers week in and week out, though of course Diggs carries a higher degree of risk due to his QB situation hampering the Vikings’ offense overall.
On the other hand, Mike Evans has already proven that he post consistent numbers for a full season and has a much better QB situation with Famous Jameis at the helm, finishing as last season’s WR3. Thus, it could be said that Caleb is simply trading into a safer situation, which isn’t bad, and in a vacuum, I may have rated this an A- for Caleb… but if we consider what Caleb gave up to obtain Diggs in the first place, the trade becomes:
-Caleb trades away: Demarco Murray, Alshon Jeffery, Jeremy Maclin, Tevin Coleman
-Caleb receives: Mike Evans
While Caleb had plenty of depth to sacrifice, some would say that this seems like a smidge too much to give up for a single player, especially considering that he’s now on the shallower side of things. Bye weeks will be coming up in full force, and no one knows when the injury bug will strike.
I really like the move for Alex because, in this man’s humble opinion, he made a mostly lateral move by swapping a proven elite game changing wideout for another elite game changing wideout (who carries some risk) and got a “free” flex starter in return in Tevin Coleman. The only thing holding him back from an A+ is that Tevin Coleman plays in the same backfield as Devonta Freeman, who is also on Alex’s team, though the Falcons’ high octane offense can usually sustain enough offense for both to remain fantasy relevant.
- Benny
Crowell: bang for the Buck?
Benny Receives: Buck Allen
Caleb Receives: Isaiah Crowell
Benny’s Grade: A
Caleb’s Grade: A
Nothing much to see here.
Caleb gets some insurance for Duke Johnson (he has more rushing TD’s than Crowell!).
Benny trades away a slumping Crowell on the Browns, who are always playing from behind, for Buck Allen to mix things up.
- AA
No Diggity, No Doubt
Josh Receives: Alshon Jeffery, DeMarco Murray, Jeremy Maclin
Caleb Receives: Stefon Diggs
Caleb’s Grade: A-
Josh’s Grade: A
Caleb traded up some smaller pieces for a potential league-winner in Diggs, who showed he can tango with Keenum or Bradford. It’s hard to say where Diggs will end up. He had a similarly strong start last season, before fading and ending the season on a rather lackluster note.
His last 5 games of 2016:
6–37–0// 8–59–0 // 3–55–0 // 2–13–0 // 4–29–1
This year should be different, as he has already surpassed his TD total in 2016. The question is: how much better will he be?
Personally, I like Diggs as a potential league-winner. He has shown has a strong floor and an insane ceiling this year.
“But Derrick Henry is the future!”
While Henry is a star in the making, DeMarco has shown he is not going away anytime soon. Murray has out-snapped Henry 132–78 on the season, 48–30 in Week 3. The two had nearly even touches in Week 3, but Murray was by far more efficient with his touches. Generally, it might be hard to predict who will go off, but Murray still has plenty of value in that backfield.
Alshon has settled as a boom/bust WR2 this season, and Maclin could be a nice filler during Bye weeks. These guys will bolster Josh’s team, while he is dealing with Kelvin Benjamin and Cam Newton’s issues.
I personally like the trade on both sides. Caleb had already lost a key RB piece in Jordan Howard to acquire Keenan Allen. Now, he has lost another RB in Murray. It looks like Caleb is going all-in with Mixon as his RB1 now, which may pay off, while Duke and Abdullah provide support. But now he has regained a potential league-winner in Diggs (see OBJ).
I like the move for Josh who got insane value for Diggs. Now he can finally start a serviceable RB, instead of trotting out AP.
A Scandal-free Keenan Trade
Benny Receives: Jordan Howard
Caleb Receives: Keenan Allen
Benny’s Grade: A
Caleb’s Grade: A
Nice move for both parties.
This is what Benny’s team needs right now. He already has 2 solid WR1s and can safely move Keenan to gain an RB1. Howard proved he’s still the workhorse in Chicago in Week 3. Caleb gets to dump his insane RB depth (thanks to Ramon’s trade) for a solid WR which he needs after the infamous OBJ/Cooper trade.
This is also the most even trade that has been made this year.
- AA
Fast check-out of Hilton Hotel
Ramon Receives: TY Hilton, Doug Martin
Caleb Receives: Alshon Jeffery, Buck Allen, Jordan Howard, Joe Mixon
Caleb’s Grade: A+
Ramon’s Grade: F
If we put the players each team is getting on a scale, it would be broken because of the weight on Caleb’s team.
Ramon’s Team must be banking hard on Doug Martin becoming an RB1 when he returns from suspension and TY Hilton building chemistry with Brissett or Luck returning from injury. Personally, I don’t think Luck will come back any time soon this season.
Without Luck, Hilton is probably a low end WR2. Ramon’s team does have a lot of WR talent so maybe he can afford to take on this risk. But if he’s willing to bet on Luck returning from injury and Doug Martin returning to form after a down season, why not bet on Jordan Howard continuing his stellar 2016 campaign and Mixon to break out in an untalented backfield?
Buck Allen looks to be a solid play until Woodhead returns. Alshon is still Alshon, but is turning into more of a boom/bust WR2 this season.
Caleb wins this trade by a mile.
- AA
Reunion with Golden Tatertots
Kong Receives: Mark Ingram, Rashard Higgins
Paul Liang Receives: Golden Tate
Paul’s Grade: A
Konky’s Grade: B-
Is Higgins the real deal? This is the question at the heart of this trade. Higgins is the 2nd most expensive FA acquisition to date (31.5%). Is he worth the money? It looks like he should be able to take over #1 receiving duties in Cleveland, at least while Corey Coleman is out, but he only has a 1 game track record to justify his value.
Hill and Ingram are both in frustrating RBBC’s, but Ingram should have a higher floor with his pass catching in the Brees-led offense. There’s way too many mouths to feed in NO, which will limit Ingram’s ceiling: Kamara is sharing passing down work, and AP gets mixed in there once in a while, not to mention Fleener, Snead, Ginn, Thomas also demanding targets.
Golden Tate is the best player in the trade here, and usually, whichever team gets the best player wins the trade. Emerging as the clear #1 after a slow start in 2016, Tate looks ready to continue his hot streak this season. Tate finished last season as the WR 17 with only 4 TDs. The only better WRs who had 4 or fewer TDs on the season were Julian Edelman (3 TDs, WR 15), and Jarvis Landry (4 TDs, WR 14). Most of his production came from receptions (8th most, 2016) and yards (14th most, 2016). He should have a great floor most weeks in a pass heavy offense.
Tate is not a league winner though, in my opinion, due to lack of TDs, and I think Konky had the right idea to split him up into multiple assets, but I’d rather have Tate and Hill here.
- AA
OBJ this year’s A-Rob
Caleb Receives: Brandin Cooks, TY Hilton, Duke Johnson Jr.
Paul Liang Receives: Odell Beckham Jr., Amari Cooper
Paul’s Grade: A+
Caleb’s Grade: C+
First of all, there is risk on both sides: can OBJ get healthy quickly, and can he produce once he plays? Can TY Hilton produce without Andrew Luck? Will Luck ever come back?
Cooks looked like a surefire WR1, after Edelman went down, but so far it’s not looking like it. Cooks is getting chunk gains and not enough RZ looks for my liking, but the appeal is there to wombo-combo with Brady. For now, he’s more boom-bust option like he was last season in NO.
Duke is a nice Flex player, but I don’t want to rely on anyone on the Browns.
Cooper has had an up and down start to the season and the rise of Crabtree will eat into his target share some weeks. Cooper (WR13) actually finished last season behind Crabtree (WR12), but he still finished as a WR1. Drops may be an issue, and who knows what the future holds for him there.
Hilton is a different player without his QB. He can’t be trusted right now until he shows he can build some chemistry with Brissett.
There’s one league-winner player here in this trade: OBJ. He has the talent, the volume, and a half-decent QB. Eli is not game breakingly bad as Blake Bortles was for A-Rob or any of the Houston QB’s for Hopkins. His numbers show it too: WR4 finish last year, TD Rank 5, Yds rank 3, catches rank 3, targets rank 2. His preseason injury this year negatively impacts his immediate outlook, but that’s something an owner has to deal with for a player of his caliber. OBJ IS the NY offense, and he will produce.
It remains to be seen how this trade will play out, but as of right now in Week 2, I’d much rather have OBJ & Cooper, bet on Cooper fixing his own issues, and OBJ healing up, as opposed to counting on Luck coming back to save Hilton’s value or the Browns offense. Caleb’s team is very strong, and he has the capacity to wait on his studs than have to move them now.
- AA
Kareem de la creme
Danny Receives: Adam Thielen, Corey Davis, Giovani Bernard
Paul Liang Receives: Kareem Hunt, Marvin Jones Jr.
Paul’s team: A+
Danny’s Team: F+++
What do D.B. Cooper, Oceans 11, and Paul’s team all have in common?? They were able to pull off the greatest heists in history. Not even one week in, we see Paul’s team pull off a remarkable trade to acquire 5 star diamond in the rough Kareem hunt (also acquired Marvin Jones jr) for literal garbage in A.Thielen, Gio Bernard and Corey Davis.
Through 3 weeks Kareem hunt has totaled 96.8 fantasy pts which is 10.2 MORE pts than Thielen, Bernard and Davis COMBINED!!!
What makes Hunt more valuable are the opportunities he gets as a pass catching back. Andy Reid’s west coast offense has his foundation built on the running back (See 2013 Jamaal Charles).
Anybody who watches Kareem Hunt knows he is a special player that appears once every decade or so. Here are his accomplishments:
•The first player in NFL history with touchdowns of at least 50-plus yards in each of his first three games.
•He has the second-most yards from scrimmage (538) in NFL history for a player in his first three games. Only the Lions’ Billy Simms in 1980 has more (562).
• He’s the first rookie to have at least 100 yards from scrimmage in his first three games since the Bears’ Matt Forte in 2008.
This trade is incredibly skewed and it’s an utter shame Danny’s team let such a talent walk away for peanuts. As Danny’s team handed off Kareem Hunt, he should have handed off his trophy in the process.
- Caleb
- Caleb
