Now that was a trade deadline. What’s usually a calm few days that pass with a backup offensive lineman being shipped off turned into a flurry of major deals. Oddly enough, none of them had a significant impact on any player’s fantasy trade value, but let’s see where things stand after the craziness.

Analyze any potential deal with our Trade Analyzer >>

Quarterbacks



Deshaun Watson. I am officially out of superlatives. Sunday in Seattle represented an incredibly difficult task and he simply crushed it. All I can think about now is the year Michael Vick came on in relief of Kevin Kolb and just put up a 40 spot every game. He was a guy drafted in almost no leagues because he didn’t have a starting job, and anyone who picked him up off waivers was pretty much a guarantee to make the playoffs. If you own him, congratulations – you can probably relax until Week 14 or so.

The only other major mover is Tyrod Taylor, who was just outside the cusp of the quarterback chart last week, but now moves head-on right into it. Taylor has an incredibly favorable schedule down the stretch, should be getting back Charles Clay within a week or two, and just added Kelvin Benjamin. Benjamin may take some time to get a hold of the offense (more on that below), but everything is simply trending up for the under-appreciated Taylor.

Running Backs



I have proudly kept my streak going of being incorrect on every single development regarding the Ezekiel Elliott saga. Legitimately. Every one. There is still one out in the legal system for Elliott, but if you own him, you have to assume he’ll be out until Week 15 and just hope for the best (if he is indeed out for the next six games, his value will obviously drop further – his current value accounts for the small uncertainty that still exists). For those who have pretty much locked up playoff spots and are reasonably confident in a bye, go ahead and give up something small for him. But obviously, it looks like the best bet is two games in the playoffs, against Oakland and Seattle. As for his replacement, please insert a shrug emoji. Beat writers are speculating that it will be a committee between Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden with Morris perhaps leading the way, and that’s good enough for me. Personally, I’m letting others blow their FAAB on either guy. The Cowboys’ offensive line isn’t the same as last year anyway, and I’m sure Dak Prescott will be the biggest gainer.

Another guy making a big move is the aptly nicknamed Irish Dancer, Alex Collins (Nickname bestowed by Tony Romo, who appears to be better at everything than I am at anything). Collins’ play evokes many questions. How could the Seahawks have possibly cut him? Why haven’t the Ravens been giving him enough carries? Will Irish Dancing legitimately become a thing for NFL players to do to increase their agility? Collins has been averaging around six yards per carry all year, so Thursday night against the Dolphins was really just the first time the Ravens stuck with him. Yes, it’s soon to be a crowded backfield in Baltimore. But Collins is obviously the road the Ravens must travel if they want to win ballgames, and they should stick with him going forward.

And then of course we’ve got the whole Jay Ajayi getting traded to the Eagles thing. Phew, ok, let’s discuss the impact on every player involved in that deal. As you see, Ajayi’s value drops minimally. He’ll likely see a lower volume of carries, and he now has to deal with another bye week. But he’ll also be playing on a better offense, which largely counteracts both those negatives. In the end, the bye week is enough to drop him down a peg, but only that.

As for Blount, his value also drops a meager amount, as he obviously now will be, at best, splitting work with an excellent back. But he’s been fantastic this season, and he’s certainly not just going to go away. He’ll continue to see a fair volume of carries and get goal line work, so don’t run from him.

As for the Dolphins, it will be some type of split between Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake. Williams has more touches and snaps than Drake, but it’s hard to read too much into that given both backs’ limited work. For me, I’d expect Drake to be the primary rusher with Williams to take the passing-down role and be more valuable in PPR leagues. But neither one should alter the state of your league.

Wide Receivers



Will Fuller, man. Will Fuller. I mean, the touchdown rate has to slow down at some point, but there’s just no way he’s going to become irrelevant. He’s averaging 21.6 air yards per target, so the big plays are going to be there. Now that his targets have begun to rise, the sky is the limit.

I’m trying to think of a more likable athlete than JuJu Smith-Schuster. The dude loves his bicycle. He cares about his speed in Madden. And he just utterly crushed it on national television on Sunday night. He vaults up to being valued nearly as a WR2, and has room to grow.

And let’s touch on that tiny trade that Adam Schefter broke right around 4:00 p.m. EST – Kelvin Benjamin to the Bills. As you see, Benjamin loses a bit of value. We’ve seen from Sammy Watkins how difficult it is for a receiver to be traded to a new team in the preseason. How do you think it is for a receiver to be traded to a new team in Week 9? It’s a favorable schedule, as mentioned above, but Benjamin can’t possibly contribute meaningfully for at least a few weeks.

As for Devin Funchess, the needle doesn’t move for me. He’s already basically a tight end playing wide receiver, and he typically sees eight or nine targets a game. The move to becoming the “number one guy” shouldn’t impact his fantasy value much, though he’ll potentially see better cornerbacks. I wouldn’t let the Benjamin trade affect your value of him.

Tight Ends



Not much to see this week with the tight end position. I can’t imagine a day will come where we can truly trust Hunter Henry. And I can’t imagine a day will come where we’ll start Jordan Reed and not be thinking “Man, what are the chances that he makes it through this game without an injury? 50%?”

Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween. Happy trading!



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Dan Harris is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Dan, check out his archive or follow him on Twitter at @danharris80.