NFL Trade Deadline Review: Joshua Dobbs, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Chase Young and More
The trade deadline has come and gone and it was underwhelming, to say the least. We had six moves, two that could directly impact fantasy lineups this week, and we will let you know how each one of them will impact your fantasy team.
Deadline Deals
Joshua Dobbs heads to Minnesota
The Arizona Cardinals went from saying that Dobbs is their starter until Kyler Murray returns to suddenly benching him this week. That move makes a lot more sense now. With Murray's return imminent and the team going nowhere, it was an easy choice to move on from Dobbs at the trade deadline. After losing Kirk Cousins to a season-ending Achilles injury on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings came calling and snatched Dobbs up for next to nothing. The Cards traded Dobbs along with their seventh-round pick to Minnesota for a sixth-round pick. All reports have pointed to the fact that, although it may take a week, the Vikings plan on going with Dobbs as their starting quarterback as soon as he's ready to roll.
Fantasy Impact:
While Dobbs is little more than a desperation play in SuperFlex leagues moving forward, this move is great news for the Vikings' pass catchers. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson will all retain their fantasy value or at least close to it. K.J. Osborn too for the immediate future while Jefferson is sidelined. Dobbs is certainly a downgrade from Cousins, but at the very least he has proved this season that he can sustain fantasy value for his pass-catcher and run a functioning offense. He also loved targeting his tight ends so that's something that could potentially transfer over to Minnesota with him as well.
For the Cardinals, this is a non-factor beyond this week. Kyler Murray is only expected to miss one more game so Dobbs would be heading to the bench soon either way. However, Murray returning should upgrade their entire offense, assuming he is anything close to what he was before tearing his ACL last season. With plenty of time to heal, he should be close to 100% when he returns as the starter.
Donovan Peoples-Jones goes from Cleveland to Detroit
In a bit of a surprising move, the Cleveland Browns sent Peoples-Jones to the Detroit Lions for a 2025 sixth-round pick. It's only surprising because Elijah Moore was the wideout who was rumored to be on the block for the past few weeks. Instead, it was DPJ who was shipped out of Cleveland. This comes not long after Lions wideout Marvin Jones retired from football to focus on other things. It's safe to assume that DPJ will slot into Jones's role in the Lions' offense.
Fantasy Impact:
This isn't a substantial move by any means. It could open up some more targets for Moore and Amari Cooper in Cleveland, but DPJ has only been targeted 18 times this season. The Browns were underutilizing him and the offense won't look much different than it has all year. David Bell or Marquise Goodwin will likely be the next man up.
When it comes to the Lions we shouldn't see a huge impact either. There is an outside chance that he could develop into their WR2 though. He's been a good player when given a shot in the past. There is a world where Jameson Williams doesn't pan out and DPJ steps into a larger role. Nevertheless, we aren't rushing to the waiver wire to pick him up by any means and we aren't concerned about any of the fantasy assets we already own from the Lions' offense.
The Rest of the Moves
Jaguars acquire OG Ezra Cleveland from the Minnesota Vikings for a sixth-round pick
This isn't a huge move, but should help bolster the interior offensive line of the Jags. That could help the rushing attack a bit. As far as the Vikings go we don't expect much to change as they weren't sellers at the deadline so they obviously aren't too concerned about losing him.
Rasul Douglas Goes from the Green Bay Packers to the Buffalo Bills
The Bills desperately needed help at corner and got a solid veteran player. This should have a significant impact on their D/ST. Mostly due to injuries, their defense has gotten progressively worse over the course of the season. He's not quite Jaylon Johnson, but Douglas is a solid plug-in option for the Bills.
The Commanders Ship Off Two D-Linemen
The Washington Commanders have traded Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick and Chase Young to the San Francisco 49ers for a third-round pick. While Sweat is the better player, Young should have the bigger fantasy impact. Simply because while Sweat definitely improves the Bears' defense, it's unlikely he improves them enough to make them a viable weekly fantasy option. However, if Young can come anywhere close to living up to his potential the Niners' defense could be even scarier. That front seven is already among the best in the league and plugging Young in opposite Nick Bosa could make their D/ST a fantasy powerhouse. This isn't a move that should go overlooked and could ultimately end up having the biggest impact on the fantasy playoffs of any move made today.
#josh-dobbs #donovan-peoples-jones #chase-young
