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The New England Patriots acquired Mohamed Sanu from the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday morning in exchange for a second-round draft pick. The 6’2” wide receiver from Rutgers is now on his third NFL team since being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012. The Patriots (7-0) have been struggling to find any steady talent at receiver besides Julian Edelman this season and the Falcons (1-6) were ready to part ways with their 30-year-old pass-catcher. Matt Ryan and the Dirty Birds have a slim chance of making the playoffs this year so a second-round draft pick was, in their minds, better than keeping Sanu in Atlanta. Major impact occurs with just one player heading up the east coast.

Professional football’s poker-faced genius, Bill Belichick, rostered a sure-handed playmaker that joins a mediocre group of receivers in New England and this could make Tom Brady very happy. Surprisingly Sanu is a talented slot receiver even though he’s over six feet tall and ran a 4.67 at his combine. The Falcons typically placed Jones and Ridley on the outside and used Sanu as their slot weapon so the Patriots gained yet another possession receiver. Tom Brady’s right-hand man, Julian Edelman, makes his living from the right slot as he’s lined up from that spot 48% of the time this season (Rotowire). Mohamed Sanu lined up from the right slot 50% of the time. This works well for a balanced attack through the air for Tom Brady as he can seek easy passes between the two. I believe Sanu’s role increases significantly in this offense due to the fact that he’ll be lined up against linebackers most of the time if the third corner or nickel chooses to defend the more successful Edelman.

It’ll be interesting to see when all the wideouts for New England are healthy. Josh Gordon is the only true outside receiver for Josh McDaniels’ offense and he’s still dealing with a knee injury. Phillip Dorsett and Jakobi Meyers are also slot receivers but should be no threat to Sanu’s playing time as he is the more talented and experienced of the three. If anything, Meyers’ value will drop with the addition to Mohamed Sanu. And with the size of Sanu, he can be a big-time red-zone target for Brady since there is no tight end presence.

This trade looks to be a win-win for both teams. The Falcons gain an important draft pick and can look to the future since their season seems to be almost ruined. Calvin Ridley looks to be the player to step up in Sanu’s absence. He can play outside and inside, so the speedy playmaker can add on to his 373 receiving yards and four touchdowns this year with more attention from Matt Ryan. Julio Jones will still possess the star power on this offense, but it will be a very curious case to see who steps up from the depth chart to be the third pass catcher. Justin Hardy has shown glimpses of success so he would be my guess. Russell Gage is another name to keep an eye on, but I wouldn’t pick up anyone for your fantasy team just yet. Somebody will step in line as the third receiver in Atlanta since Mohamed Sanu led this team in snaps through seven games (yes even more than Julio).

So all in all, Sanu’s fantasy stock rises through the roof while Edelman maintains his same role. Dorsett stays at a risky flex option each week when healthy and rookie receivers Meyers and Harry may have to wait a bit before stepping into fantasy relevancy. The Atlanta Falcons have more concern for their offense, but Ridley’s value could go up with all the attention directed at Julio Jones and Austin Hooper. There is a possibility that Sanu doesn’t perform well his first game due to not knowing the playbook so I’d make him a key trade target.