Oct 16, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver wide receiver Chase Claypool (11) reacts as he takes the field to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh won 20-18. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers
The NFL trade deadline has officially came to an end. In total, there were 10 trades made today, the most ever made on any NFL trade deadline day. Here are the fantasy implications:
Chase Edmonds: Dolphins -> Broncos
After signing a two-year deal in the offseason, Edmonds tenure in Miami comes to a crashing end after just eight weeks. The pass-catching specialist was phased out of the Dolphins rotation, failing to surpass seven touches since Week 1. Raheem Mostert will continue to be used as the workhorse on a offense that has been exceptional with Tua Tagovailoa under center. As for Edmonds, his outlook is murky. The Broncos have divvied up touches between Melvin Gordon and Latavius Murray post-Javonte-Williams-life. Edmonds figures to play on passing downs. He’s worth a stash.
Chase Claypool: Steelers -> Bears
The Bears acquired wide receiver Chase Claypool from the Steelers for a 2023 second-round pick. Claypool will slot in as Chicago’s No. 2 receiver, which should give him more volume in fantasy despite arguably going to a worse pass offense. He may eventually overtake Darnell Mooney. It’s a bit puzzling that the Bears decided to give up a second-rounder for a third-year receiver without a 1000-yard season to his name, with just a year-and-a-half of his rookie deal left. They did have a major hole to be filled at the spot and were using rejects like Equanimeous St. Brown and N’Keal Harry as starters. Claypool was fighting for scraps with Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth and George Pickens in a feeble Steelers offense. There were no major winners in this deal.
TJ Hockenson: Lions -> Vikings
To summarize, the Lions are moving up two rounds in 2023 and one round in 2024 in exchange for Hockenson. The former first-rounder is owed $9.4 million on his fifth-year option next season and will undoubtedly be looking for an extension next spring — one it seems the Lions were not interested in handing out. With Irv Smith on the shelf for at least a couple of weeks, Hockenson will step in as presumably the No. 3 option in Minnesota’s passing game. That will keep him in the TE1 mix. The 25-year old is fantasy’s TE4 but his numbers are misleading thanks to an outlier Week 4 (39.9 Points.)
Jeff Wilson: 49ers -> Dolphins
It’s didn’t take very long for the Dolphins to replace Chase Edmonds. Wilson served as the 49ers lead back after Elijah Mitchell went down in Week 1 against the Bears. Wilson rushed 92 times for 468 yards, averaging a career-high 5.1 YPC through eight weeks. However, he predictably took a back seat to Christian McCaffrey. Wilson heading to Miami reunites him with head coach Mike McDaniel and running back Raheem Mostert after the three spent the last several seasons together in San Francisco. With Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed as the only two running backs on the roster, Wilson has a chance to serve as the immediate backup to Mostert, and could even crack into his weekly touches.
Nyehim Hines: Colts -> Bills
The Bills acquired Nyheim Hines from the Colts for Zack Moss and a 2023 conditional sixth-round pick. Buffalo drafted James Cook with a second-round pick earlier this offseason in hopes that he’d fill the pass-catching role they’ve longed seek. Many considered the 23-year-old as the top pass-catching back in the class, but that’s deemed untrue through eight weeks. Cook likely will take a backseat to Hines, who has made a career for himself as a satellite back. Hines caught 25 passes for 188 yards on 28 targets this season, but Josh Allen is far from check-down kings like Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan, who Hines has been accustomed to playing with. The biggest winner in the Buffalo backfield is Devin Singletary who will continue to serve as the team’s lead back.
