NFL Trade Deadline Analysis: Calvin Ridley, T.J. Hockenson, Chase Claypool Dealt
We just saw the most active trade deadline the NFL has ever had on Tuesday. That comes after big names like Christian McCaffrey, Kadarius Toney, and Roquan Smith had already been shipped off to contenders changing the landscape of the league. Now we have a bunch more trades to go over and the fantasy impact they could have during the back half of the season.
Dolphins Receive: EDGE Bradley Chubb, 2025 5th Round Pick
Broncos Receive: RB Chase Edmonds, 2023 1st Round Pick, 2024 4th Round Pick
This is the only trade that consists of two players worth mentioning at this deadline. The key piece here is Chubb as you can tell by the compensation. The Dolphins desperately needed to add a pass rusher and got themselves a good one. His win rate as a pass rusher is third in the league behind only Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett. They are near the bottom of the league in pressure and managed to sack the quarterback just 15 times this season. Injuries in their secondary, specifically Byron Jones, had thrown a wrench in their ability to blitz and trust their corners like in years past.
Edmonds adds a pass-catching back and explosiveness to a plodding and ineffective Broncos backfield. However, Edmonds has been more of a pass-dropper this year. He leads all players in drops this season and the biggest win of all here may be Miami finding somebody to take that contract.
Fantasy Impact
The Dolphins D/ST could see a significant boost during the second half of the season. A pass rush featuring Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Melvin Ingram could be a game-changer. Look for them to get a nice boost in sacks, interceptions, and forced fumbles down the stretch. They will get after Justin Fields, Jacoby Brissett, and Davis Mills in the next three games.
Edmonds just further muddies the backfield in Denver. Could he emerge as the top guy? Certainly. However, he’s far from a lock to be an impact player. He was awful in Miami and he will need to turn things around if he’s going to become an impact player in Denver. The one thing he has going for him is he’s far more dynamic than anyone they have on their roster. Still, he’s worth a speculative bench stash at best.
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Vikings Receive: T.J. Hockenson
Lions Receive: 2023 4th Round Pick, 2024 Conditional 4th Round Pick
This was a bit of a surprise. There wasn’t much talk of a potential Hockenson deal and it was surprising seeming him traded inside of the division. The deal does make sense for both sides though. The Lions obviously didn’t feel like he was part of their future and got something for him while they could. They also cleared $13 million in cap space off their books for this year and next year.
The Vikings needed to replace the oft-injured Irv Smith Jr. who is back on the IR after an ankle sprain. Although the trade seemed to come out of nowhere, the deal does make sense for the one-loss Vikings and the one-win Lions.
Fantasy Impact
Hockenson isn’t going to suddenly become a superstar because he’s Minnesota. His value will likely remain similar to where it is now as a middling TE1 with matchup-based upside. The biggest winner here is probably Kirk Cousins who looked like he was about to be down a weapon and has now gained himself a replacement immediately. It’s safe to drop any shares you had of Smith and his dynasty value takes a big hit as well.
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Bears Receive: Chase Claypool
Steelers Receive: 2023 2nd Round Pick
The Steelers must have had a hostage or something when completing this deal because this was a robbery. It’s incredible they got a 2nd for a generally unproductive player that wasn’t in the team’s future plans. The Bears don’t do much right and there’s no reason to believe they started to this week. They essentially traded All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith for Tik Tok enthusiast Chase Claypool, A.J. Klein, and a fifth-round pick. Not great.
Fantasy Impact
There shouldn’t be much of an impact at all. If anything, it could hurt Darnell Mooney if the team wants to force Claypool the ball. The Bears’ offense can’t sustain two fantasy pass-catchers. Much of the time it can’t even sustain one. Physically Claypool is a monster and should be a great player. The reality is he’s not though. He will make an occasional highlight catch and disappear for a month. This team didn’t need two N’Keal Harrys
Dolphins Receive: Jeff Wilson
49ers Receive: 2023 5th Round Pick
This was a solid under-the-radar pickup for Miami. Wilson is already familiar with Mike McDaniel’s system from their time together in San Francisco and he is a huge upgrade from Chase Edmonds. The deal makes all the sense in the world for the 49ers as well after they acquired Christian McCaffrey last week and Elijah Mitchell is expected to return off the IR in the near future.
Fantasy Impact
The concern here is that Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson will cannibalize each other in this backfield. The Dolphins wanted to run a two-back system but couldn’t because Edmonds was so terrible. There are a lot of fantasy owners that were starting Moster or Wilson as an RB2 who may soon have to look somewhere else to replace their production.
Bills Receive: Nyheim Hines
Colts Receive: Zack Moss, 2023 Conditional 5th Round Pick
The Bills have been searching for a pass-catching back all year going back to free agency and the draft. They finally got their guy in Hines and gave up very little to get him. A conditional fifth and a guy they had no interest in using isn’t much if for a guy you think can put you over the top for your franchises first ever Super Bowl championship. For the Colts this just seems like a salary dump.
Fantasy Impact
First and foremost, Moss is a non-factor. Moving on. Hines’s floor remains the same, but he now has a much higher ceiling in one of the league’s best offenses. He is worth stashing on the end of your bench to see what his usage looks like in Buffalo. Devin Singletary could see a hit to his snap count and upside. Nonetheless, these backs are very different players and Hines shouldn’t hurt him too much. James Cook on the other hand can probably be dropped in most leagues if you were holding on to him and hoping for a late-season breakout.
Jaguars Receive: Calvin Ridley
Falcons Receive: 2023 Conditional 5th Round Pick, 2024 Conditional 2nd Round Pick
It’s hard to know what to make of this deal because there are so many unanswered questions. Ridley left the Falcons last year with personal issues then was suspended for all of this season for gambling on his team. He is suspended indefinitely for a minimum of one year. So he still has to apply for reinstatement which can be denied by the league. We have no idea where Ridley is mentally or where the league stands on him at this moment. However, he is a tremendous talent and the Jags swung for the fences on this one. A lot has to go right still, nonetheless, this was a nice buy-low move by the Jags. Surely, the conditions on the picks are that he plays. So if he doesn’t they won’t be on the hook for those picks.
Fantasy Impact
There is no impact this season. However, this does breathe some life into Ridley’s dynasty value and makes Trevor Lawrence a more interesting dynasty option. Ridley has high-end WR1 upside when right. Anything else we will have to wait and see this offseason.
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