[h=1]Fantasy fallout of Sam Bradford trade[/h]Eric Karabell
ESPN Senior Writer
ESPN INSIDER
It's rare to see a starting quarterback traded one week prior to the start of the NFL season. But in this case, with overrated Sam Bradford moved from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Minnesota Vikings for draft picks, it makes sense for each side.
The Eagles were going nowhere this season, and that remains the case, but at least they added a first-round selection for the 2017 draft to be held in -- you guessed it -- Philadelphia. The Vikings needed a starting quarterback, and now they kind of have one. Kind of. As you can see, I'm not exactly a Bradford fan.
From a fantasy aspect, Bradford is an upgrade on the team's current, and perhaps still, Week 1 leader, Shaun Hill. This shouldn't be disputed. But Bradford is neither a good NFL quarterback nor a durable one, so Vikings fans are likely to see Hill play in 2016. My stance when starter Teddy Bridgewater shredded his knee earlier in the week was clear: Fantasy repercussions were minimal. Bridgewater was not a top-25 quarterback by any statistical measure. Adrian Peterson remained the top running back off the board for a clear running team. The wide receivers weren't likely to help fantasy owners anyway.
Little changes with the Bradford acquisition, except for the obvious "all-in" attitude exhibited by the Vikings. Good for them, I guess. Bradford is capable of performing at a high level, just not on a consistent basis, and he's joining an organization that was last in the NFL in pass attempts last season, and that was by choice. This is Peterson's offense, and the best chance to win is when he runs the ball a lot, the defense does its job and the quarterback doesn't turn the football over to the other team. I think the Vikings were still a playoff team even with Hill guiding them.
Knowing Bradford's injury history, Hill might still need to guide them at times, perhaps in December. Bradford sustained two ACL tears when he played for the Rams, and he missed two games for the Eagles last year (shoulder, concussion). And even if we go on a game-by-game basis for fantasy points, he was 31st in the NFL in standard scoring at the position, behind luminaries Brian Hoyer, Brock Osweiler and Blaine Gabbert. Bradford was my No. 28 fantasy quarterback in drafts entering Saturday … and I'm not moving him one bit. At least he'll rank better than Chase Daniel!
As for other Vikings, Peterson couldn't go any higher at running back and remains my No. 5 choice overall. He is the lone Viking going in the first 10 rounds of ESPN average live drafts, and that won't change. Wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Charles Johnson look a bit better Saturday than they did Friday, but I won't make the case for either as definite top-40 choices at the position, not with some combination of Bradford/Hill throwing their way. Same for rookie Laquon Treadwell, who isn't even likely to play much early on, with no guarantee it's adjusted by Thanksgiving.
The Vikings secured another veteran quarterback because they needed one, but they didn't get Aaron Rodgers. They got a guy who has never played in the postseason and is 25-37-1 during the regular season, with subpar stats. Status quo for fantasy.
In Philadelphia, where dreams of a playoff season were already largely blunted, Daniel presumably gets his chance to be a starter, but even that isn't forever; rookie Carson Wentz will take over as the starter at some point, perhaps in September. And no, you don't want any part of that in fantasy.
One might presume Eagles playmakers, such as they are, take a value hit here, but nah, that's not really the case either. Daniel does not possess Bradford's raw ability, but he can keep slot receiver Jordan Matthews busy and aid tight end Zach Ertz in his quest to finally emerge as a definite top-10 option. That doesn't change. No Eagles are going in the first six rounds of drafts. The Eagles had an extra quarterback in lame-duck Bradford, a one-year fill-in at that. Daniel takes that role now but doesn't rank among my top-30 quarterbacks. Nor does Wentz. A valuable first-round pick was extracted from a desperate team. Everyone wins except, in this case, in fantasy, where nobody really does.
ESPN Senior Writer
ESPN INSIDER
It's rare to see a starting quarterback traded one week prior to the start of the NFL season. But in this case, with overrated Sam Bradford moved from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Minnesota Vikings for draft picks, it makes sense for each side.
The Eagles were going nowhere this season, and that remains the case, but at least they added a first-round selection for the 2017 draft to be held in -- you guessed it -- Philadelphia. The Vikings needed a starting quarterback, and now they kind of have one. Kind of. As you can see, I'm not exactly a Bradford fan.
From a fantasy aspect, Bradford is an upgrade on the team's current, and perhaps still, Week 1 leader, Shaun Hill. This shouldn't be disputed. But Bradford is neither a good NFL quarterback nor a durable one, so Vikings fans are likely to see Hill play in 2016. My stance when starter Teddy Bridgewater shredded his knee earlier in the week was clear: Fantasy repercussions were minimal. Bridgewater was not a top-25 quarterback by any statistical measure. Adrian Peterson remained the top running back off the board for a clear running team. The wide receivers weren't likely to help fantasy owners anyway.
Little changes with the Bradford acquisition, except for the obvious "all-in" attitude exhibited by the Vikings. Good for them, I guess. Bradford is capable of performing at a high level, just not on a consistent basis, and he's joining an organization that was last in the NFL in pass attempts last season, and that was by choice. This is Peterson's offense, and the best chance to win is when he runs the ball a lot, the defense does its job and the quarterback doesn't turn the football over to the other team. I think the Vikings were still a playoff team even with Hill guiding them.
Knowing Bradford's injury history, Hill might still need to guide them at times, perhaps in December. Bradford sustained two ACL tears when he played for the Rams, and he missed two games for the Eagles last year (shoulder, concussion). And even if we go on a game-by-game basis for fantasy points, he was 31st in the NFL in standard scoring at the position, behind luminaries Brian Hoyer, Brock Osweiler and Blaine Gabbert. Bradford was my No. 28 fantasy quarterback in drafts entering Saturday … and I'm not moving him one bit. At least he'll rank better than Chase Daniel!
As for other Vikings, Peterson couldn't go any higher at running back and remains my No. 5 choice overall. He is the lone Viking going in the first 10 rounds of ESPN average live drafts, and that won't change. Wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Charles Johnson look a bit better Saturday than they did Friday, but I won't make the case for either as definite top-40 choices at the position, not with some combination of Bradford/Hill throwing their way. Same for rookie Laquon Treadwell, who isn't even likely to play much early on, with no guarantee it's adjusted by Thanksgiving.
The Vikings secured another veteran quarterback because they needed one, but they didn't get Aaron Rodgers. They got a guy who has never played in the postseason and is 25-37-1 during the regular season, with subpar stats. Status quo for fantasy.
In Philadelphia, where dreams of a playoff season were already largely blunted, Daniel presumably gets his chance to be a starter, but even that isn't forever; rookie Carson Wentz will take over as the starter at some point, perhaps in September. And no, you don't want any part of that in fantasy.
One might presume Eagles playmakers, such as they are, take a value hit here, but nah, that's not really the case either. Daniel does not possess Bradford's raw ability, but he can keep slot receiver Jordan Matthews busy and aid tight end Zach Ertz in his quest to finally emerge as a definite top-10 option. That doesn't change. No Eagles are going in the first six rounds of drafts. The Eagles had an extra quarterback in lame-duck Bradford, a one-year fill-in at that. Daniel takes that role now but doesn't rank among my top-30 quarterbacks. Nor does Wentz. A valuable first-round pick was extracted from a desperate team. Everyone wins except, in this case, in fantasy, where nobody really does.
