Update: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Brown will not go to the Buffalo Bills.
Buffalo has spoken to Pittsburgh about a potential trade for WR Antonio Brown, as have a handful of other teams. Those talks occurred only in recent days. A source this morning called a Brown-to-Buffalo trade “unlikely.” Not out of the question but, at this time, “unlikely.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 8, 2019
Antonio Brown has been one of the most consistently elite fantasy performers for years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. His last season finishing outside of the top five at the position was all the way back in 2013 when he was the WR6. However, things began to go sour with the team that drafted him back in 2010, and a trade appeared imminent. According to Ian Rapoport, the Buffalo Bills are the team that will be acquiring Brown. Assuming the deal closes, Brown will help the fantasy outlook of the Bills, but not everyone benefits from the trade.
Fantasy Impact of Antonio Brown Trade to the Buffalo Bills
Trending Up: Josh Allen
The biggest benefactor of the Brown trade will be second-year starter, Josh Allen. Statistically, Allen didn’t have the best season for a rookie through the air. In 12 games last season, he threw just 10 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He struggled to find quality receivers to connect with. Kelvin Benjamin was about as big of a disappointment as he could’ve been, and he ended up getting cut after twelve games, managing just 354 yards during that span.
Zay Jones led the team with 652 yards on 56 catches. Robert Foster started to come on strong later in the year, piling up 431 yards from weeks 10 to 16. Still, neither of the two were very reliable for Allen. Despite his lackluster receiving corps, Allen heated up during the final quarter of the season, ranking as the QB6 during that span. This was due to his rushing prowess though. He had four games of 90+ yards rushing and scored eight touchdowns on the ground last year.
Now, throw in Antonio Brown to complement his production on the ground, and Allen is suddenly a sneaky quarterback to target at the end of drafts next season.
Trending Down: Robert Foster, Antonio Brown
Foster was looking to build on a productive finish to 2018, and come into the Bills new season as the number one wide receiver. Like his quarterback, Foster had one of the hotter finishes to the 2018 season. After only putting up 30 yards and not getting playing time the first three-fourths of the season, Foster exploded to finish the year. He got his first start in week ten, and was the WR9 from then to week 16. He had three 100-yard games during that span. However, now he will be relegated to second fiddle with Brown eating up targets from Allen. He’s a wait-and-see guy now for fantasy purposes.
While Foster was a rising star at the end of the season, Brown was his usual consistent self. And by consistent self, that means he was a beast. Brown finished the year as the WR1, marking his fifth straight top-two fantasy finish in standard leagues and PPR leagues. However, the going will be a bit tougher with his new squad. Allen is nowhere near as polished as Ben Roethlisberger. LeSean McCoy will always be known as a great running back, but he’s coming into his 11th season and showing signs of decline.
Brown’s expectations will obviously have to be tempered. He should still be treated as a top-ten wide receiver, but a volatile one for now.
Trending Up: LeSean McCoy
Speaking of McCoy, the trade could really help him. McCoy looked worn out last year after being the focal point of the Bills offense since he arrived in 2015. He only had 514 yards on the ground, and a paltry 3.2 yards-per-carry average. It didn’t help that the team rotated between the infamous Nathan Peterman and a rookie quarterback last year. As a result of the lack of receiving options and inconsistent quarterback play, teams just weren’t afraid of having to defend the pass, so they could sell out to stop McCoy.
Having Brown to garner some attention will undoubtedly free McCoy up for more yardage. The question remains, however, just how effective McCoy will be. McCoy has hit the dreaded age of 30, where running backs drop off cliffs. Most people who drafted McCoy last year in fantasy dropped him by the end of the season. With Brown, McCoy does get some value, but it is still tough to say just how he will do next year.
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