Other Fantasy Players Affected by Joshua Dobbs, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Ezra Cleveland Trades

Trades change the fantasy outlook for more than just the players on the move. Quarterbacks benefit from an upgrade at wide receiver, and the receivers on the team from which that player was traded get an immediate boost in opportunities.

I’m going to look at other players that were impacted by three deadline-day trades and what it means moving forward this season. Not everyone involved is listed here: we could go all night looking at EVERY player affected. Instead, this article is meant to identify the changing fantasy landscape of players on several teams.

Many of these players are on the fantasy fringe rather than weekly stars. It’s more informative to look at players who may be available on the waiver wire or for cheap in a trade.

Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Detroit Lions

Cleveland Browns Receivers

Peoples-Jones leaving town will open more opportunities for Marquise Godwin, Elijah Moore, David Bell, and Cedric Tillman. Peoples-Jones led Cleveland receivers in snaps played in five of their seven games and was tied for second (Week 6) and third (Week 7) in the others. There are a lot of routes to be run in the remaining 10 games, and those four guys are going to pick up the slack.

Peoples-Jones was only targeted 18 times in his bulk play, catching eight passes for 97 yards. He had just one game with more than 22 yards. Multiple receivers might get a chance to fill playing time, and the Browns will surely hope to get more production from that group.

Who is the fantay player to target, though? Amari Cooper is a WR2 and Moore a WR3/flex option. They are both probably on rosters already, and none of the others are fantasy relevant. Godwin is a veteran with just nine targets this season, and Bell is a second-year player with 28 career receptions.

Tillman has the most upside, as a rookie who has barely played but has great size and athleticism. Tillman has only played 45 snaps and none since Week 4. He’s not the worst option for the end of your bench with hopes of increased playing time over the second half, but Tillman is more likely to make an impact in 2024.

Randy Moss had high praise for Tillman, and I’m on the bandwagon.

Detroit Lions Receivers

Josh Reynolds has two top-20 fantasy finishes (Weeks 2 and 5). He has received over 11% of Jared Goff’s targets. Reynolds is a legit WR3/flex option some weeks. Peoples-Jones will have to be integrated into Detroit’s offense, so Reynolds should have a hold on his spot for the near future.

With Amon-Ra St. Brown a superstar, Jameson Williams is the real question mark. He missed essentially his entire rookie season recovering from injury then the first four games of 2023 while suspended; he is essentially operating as a green rookie right now, learning on the job. He has just seven receptions in his career, two ending up in the end zone.

The addition of Peoples-Jones would seem to affect Williams most once he gets up to speed. Williams is worth a spot on your roster because of his first-round pedigree and breakout ability, but he’s another player who looks set to help more in 2024 than right now. Detroit throws the seventh-most passes per game: there will be opportunities for Lions pass catchers.

Ezra Cleveland to the Jacksonville Jaguars

Trevor Lawrence

Let’s keep this one quick: Lawrence averages only 2.0 seconds per pass before throwing or being pressured. That’s the lowest number among quarterbacks who have started a game. He has also been sacked the ninth-most times in the league (19, tied with several others). Getting extra beef up front can only help keep Lawrence protected. He has just three performances among the top 15 quarterbacks.

Joshua Dobbs to the Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings Pass Catchers

Dobbs won’t start right away, but it seems likely he will get a chance once Jaren Hall shows he’s not ready (probably). That’s semi-good news for Minnesota pass catchers, but the big question is where they stack up in fantasy right now.

T.J. Hockenson is still a fantasy starter; just monitor things the next few weeks. K.J. Osborn falls off the fantasy map after a few decent weeks. Cousins helped make his receivers fantasy relevant, but life with Hall is going to be tough. I don’t trust Osborn.

Justin Jefferson will be inserted into lineups as soon as he’s back, and Jordan Addison is the real case study here. He has five top-20 Standard finishes (four PPR), including the last two weeks as Cousins’ top target. The drop-off in quarterback is likely to affect his fantasy status, but how much?

I think it will have a sizeable impact. A big part of the Minnesota pass catchers excelling is the fact that the Vikings throw more times per game than any other team. A good quarterback allowed the team to live and die by the pass, but a different style of QB will probably necessitate a change in offensive philosophy.

Dobbs has been most effective this season when running the ball: he has six top-20 weekly finishes, and each of those games saw Dobbs with at least 47 rushing yards and/or a touchdown on the ground. He had negative-two combined rushing yards in the two games outside the top 20. One of Hall’s biggest strengths is his mobility, and the team will surely focus on the run with him under center.

That lower volume will hurt everyone’s fantasy production, particularly Hockenson, though he may make up for it by being the safety blanket for the rookie. Addison is a WR3 at best in Week 9, and I would try to bench him unless I didn’t have any other options: a tough Atlanta defense is lurking. Let’s see how the Minnesota passing game looks before we commit too far.

Minnesota Vikings Running Backs

Alexander Mattison hasn’t been very good this year; Cam Akers hasn’t either. They are likely to see a bump in rushing attempts, though, for the same reasons listed above. Mattison has handled most of the carries but been terribly inefficient. The only thing saving him is that Akers has maybe been worse.

Both guys are players to consider for your flex spot, Mattison having RB2 upside. A lot depends on who gets in the end zone, as Akers did in Week 8. Akers is available in over 40% of ESPN and Yahoo leagues as of Tuesday; pick him up if you can because he’s likely to get more carries.