The weekend before the NFL season kicks off is always wild as teams scramble to get down to the 53-man roster limit. Hundreds of transactions take place and it can be a difficult task to keep up with all the trades, cuts, and injured reserve announcements.
2019 was no different as some shocking trades and release of some veteran players shook up the landscape of the league. Prior to Week One, it’s important for the well-prepared fantasy football fan to stay abreast of these transactions and to know what kind of impact the moves might have on the upcoming campaign.
Let’s take a look at the fallout from a busy final weekend of August and see how the news affects the 2019 fantasy football season.
Houston Texans Trades
Acting Texans’ general manager Bill O’Brien engineered a pair of questionable trades that both changed the 2019 Houston roster and mortgaged the team’s future. First, O’Brien sent holdout edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle for a 2020 third-round draft pick and a pair of linebackers that the Seahawks likely would have released. The most puzzling part of this deal is O’Brien also paid nearly half of Clowney’s salary and the Texans would have been eligible for a 2020 third-round compensatory pick if Clowney signed his franchise tag and the club let him walk after this season.
Then, O’Brien sent two future first-round picks and a second-rounder to Miami for standout LT Laremy Tunsil and WR Kenny Stills. Tunsil is a great fit and was absolutely the biggest position of need for the Texans, but O’Brien essentially paid a quarterback ransom for a player that will be up for a huge contract extension in two years.
Kenny Stills is a big-play-maker who has posted top-40 fantasy wideout seasons in each of the three years in which he’s surpassed 65-plus targets. Stills would move into three-side sets and is capable of playing from the perimeter or in the slot. He’ll act as insurance for the oft-injured Will Fuller but his arrival is a blow for sophomore Keke Coutee, who will be bumped down to WR4 duties.
The acquisition of a premier left tackle and playmaking wideout is obviously great news for QB Deshaun Watson, who looks firmly entrenched as the No. 2 overall fantasy quarterback.
Houston also acquired journeyman RB Carlos Hyde to add depth behind Duke Johnson. The Texans’ backfield is in flux after losing Lamar Miller for the season to a knee injury. Hyde offers little speed or pass-catching skills but can be a decent short-yardage option. Expect Hyde to get 10-12 touches per week in a role that is similar to how O’Brien utilized Alfred Blue.
Johnson is still the Houston running back to target in fantasy drafts, but his ceiling is certainly capped by the arrival of Hyde. The Texans don’t employ their running backs as receivers all that often, so Johnson is no guarantee to exceed the 75 targets that he would need to command weekly flex value.
LeSean McCoy reunited with Andy Reid
As for McCoy, he immediately resurfaced in Kansas City and complicates an extremely desirable Chiefs backfield. McCoy excelled under Andy Reid’s tutelage early in his career and the Chiefs offered McCoy $4 million in 2019, indicating they have plans to use the newly-acquired veteran back.
This is worrisome for incumbent starter Damien Williams, who has no history of being featured. Williams has been commanding a second-round fantasy investment, but if McCoy wrestles the job away or even splits the workload, Williams has no shot at recovering that ADP. Considering McCoy’s track record with Reid and salary, it’s a real concern.
However, over his tenure as an NFL head coach, Reid has tended to rely on one running back rather than a committee backfield. Also, McCoy was one of the least-efficient running backs in the league last year, so it’s entirely possible that he’s simply done after a brilliant career with over 2,800 regular-season touches.
Promising sixth-round rookie Darwin Thompson is the real loser here, after flashing some solid skills and looking like an excellent fit in the Reid system. Now presumptively bumped to the RB3, Thompson holds little redraft value but is still a dynasty hold.
Running Back Holdouts
The news seems more promising for Ezekiel Elliott, who is seeking to become the highest-paid running back in the league. Reportedly, the Cowboys and Elliott are close after Elliott rejected a contract that would have paid him as the second-highest back, behind Todd Gurley. Obviously, we’d like to have seen Elliott signed, sealed and delivered prior to Labor Day, but since that didn’t happen, it’s looking more and more likely that he’s willing to miss at least one week, which hurts his stock and makes Tony Pollard and intriguing RB2.
Melvin Gordon‘s situation looks far bleaker. The latest rumors are that the Chargers have given Gordon and his agent permission to seek a trade and look prepared to go to war with Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson. At this point, Gordon looks like a real threat to sit out multiple weeks, if not the entire 2019 season in order to get the lucrative deal he’s seeking.
The only thing Gordon owners can do at this point is hold. It makes no sense to try to trade him while his value is at its lowest.
Ekeler owners, however, can rejoice as a mid-to-late round gamble now looks like it has a real chance at returning a huge profit. Ekeler has done quite well when thrust into action and should receiver 65% or more of the Chargers’ touches out of the backfield.
Jackson’s role is less defined but he could get double-digit touches right out of the gate with the opportunity for an even bigger share if Ekeler stumbles.
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