NFL Trade Deadline: Fantasy Impact of Rashid Shaheed, Jakobi Meyers & More

This was one of the more interesting NFL trade deadlines we've seen in recent years, highlighted by the Jets shipping out two star defenders for an impressive haul of early draft picks. There were also two trades involving fantasy-relevant WRs, with Rashid Shaheed going to Seattle and Jakobi Meyers to Jacksonville. 

We'll look at everything below, but most of my focus will be on the Seahawks, Saints, Jaguars and Raiders, i.e., the teams whose target-share and playing-time projections are impacted by the aforementioned WR trades.

Seahawks Impact from Shaheed Trade

I'm not quite sure what to make of this trade from a non-fantasy standpoint. Rookie wideout Tory Horton has been an effective big-play threat, most recently scoring two TDs at Washington on Sunday, and it sounds like Cooper Kupp's hamstring injury isn't even serious. 

A lot of people in the fantasy world will want Kupp to be the odd man out, but Seattle brass won't necessarily see it that way. While his explosiveness is gone, Kupp still does a lot of little things well, like always knowing his assignments and running his routes with the proper depth and pacing (which helps create space for other pass catchers, in a different manner from how Horton/Shaheed do the same with speed). 

It's possible the Seahawks added Shaheed specifically to replace Kupp, but there's also some chance he instead replaces Horton* or ends up in a three-man rotation behind target monster Jaxon Smith-Njigba. One might expect the Seahawks to use three-wide formations more often now that they arguably have four starting-caliber guys, but they've been so good at throwing the ball from 12 personnel that it'll definitely remain a big part of the offense.

With TEs AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo both playing well and the Seahawks also using a fullback occasionally, there just aren't that many WR snaps to go around. Then there's the matter of JSN's absurd target rate (36.8%) and current infallibility, which explains why every other Seahawk has a target rate above 20 percent (Kupp: 19.1%, Horton: 16.3%, Barner: 18.3%, Arroyo: 17.6%).

Shaheed doesn't need a ton of targets to put up solid numbers in this offense, but he won't be a reliable fantasy starter if he's only getting 3-4 looks per game. Five or six looks per week could work, but even that sounds like an uphill battle when sharing the field with JSN unless you're north of 80% route share (a scenario where neither Kupp nor Horton is playing much in neutral-ish game scripts).

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I doubt Shaheed will push Kupp and Horton aside to that extent, even if he is a better player (not 100% certain) and spent last season with now-Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak (which should help immensely with a quick transition). For the immediate future, Horton still has Week 10 streaming appeal, figuring Kupp may be out again and Shaheed's role is an unknown.

Bigger picture, I wonder if this was essentially a luxury trade to provide insurance for various scenarios, e.g., keeping the passing game afloat if JSN misses time, or trying to mount a comeback purely out of 11 personnel late in a playoff game. Trusting Horton to make big plays isn't the same as trusting him to execute the hurry-up offense in a playoff game, and I don't think anyone really trusts Kupp to stay healthy at this point in his career

It sounds like a lot to give up 4th- and 5th-round picks for a guy on an expiring contract who won't automatically be a full-time player, but I think it actually adds up once we consider Shaheed's value on returns and the possibility that Kubiak specifically wants him over Horton/Kupp (and perhaps also is pushing to re-sign Shaheed?).

For dynasty leagues, where we can afford to be patient, Shaheed's value arguably got a slight boost Tuesday. If he's back with Seattle next year it'll almost certainly be as a starter, in an offense that can regularly connect on deep passes.

The counter-argument is that Shaheed won't be able to match his target volume from the past two seasons now that he's left New Orleans and has real competition for volume. That's likely true, for now, but things can change later in the season or next year if he proves he's more than just a deep threat and really does warrant the more varied usage.
              

Fantasy Value Up  ⬆️

• QB Sam Darnold 

Fantasy Value Down ⬇️

• WR Rashid Shaheed
• WR Tory Horton
• WR Cooper Kupp
• TE Elijah Arroyo

Saints Impact From Shaheed Trade

The Saints are left with Brandin Cooks, Devaughn Vele and Mason Tipton behind runaway No. 1 receiver Chris Olave, who has a 28.7% target share and 36.1% air-yard share for the season. Interestingly, Olave's volume was down some over the past two weeks, with only 21.6% of the targets compared to Shaheed's 28.4%. 

Someone needs to take on receiving volume with Shaheed's 21.8% target share and 29.8% air-yard share removed from the equation, but Olave seems close to maxed out already, and the other options appear... terrible. Cooks is already getting a lot of snaps and doing nothing with them, producing 0.71 yards per route run. 

Vele should play more now, but he's been no better than Cooks, with 0.49 YPRR across 80 routes. Mason Tipton is the fourth WR on the active roster, and he'll likely get some playing time as well. 

The more interesting possibility for fantasy is Shaheed's absence leading to more RB/TE targets, though Juwan Johnson already seems close to maxed out relative to his real-life talent, and Alvin Kamara keeps getting pulled early from blowout losses. We could see more involvement from RB Devin Neal, TE Foster Moreau and TE Taysom Hill, but not to an extent that matters unless Kamara/Johnson miss time. 

Fantasy Value Up  ⬆️

• TE Juwan Johnson
• WR Devaughn Vele (still irrelevant in most leagues)
• WR Brandin Cooks (still irrelevant in most leagues)
• WR Mason Tipton (still irrelevant in most leagues)

Fantasy Value Down ⬇️

• QB Tyler Shough 

Jaguars Impact From Meyers Trade

Meyers' lack of production meant any trade was a good one, if only because the status quo had zero value in most fantasy leagues. All the better that he landed on a team with an urgent need for healthy wide receivers.

It's also a good sign that the Jaguars gave up fourth- and sixth-round picks, even though Meyers is likely a pure rental on an expiring contract. That's an overpay, but justifiable after the Jaguars finished Sunday's overtime win with Parker Washington, Austin Trammell and Tim Jones as their only healthy WRs.

Washington retains short-team fantasy appeal, given that he's playing well and Trevor Lawrence seems to love him. If you were hoping for rest-of-season value, rather than just the next couple of weeks, Washington's outlook takes a big hit with the trade (but isn't totally in the gutter).

Meyers may jump right into a starting role if Brian Thomas (ankle) and/or Dyami Brown (concussion) can't face the Texans this coming Sunday. It's a brutal matchup, and Jacksonville's passing game has been mediocre, but there's plenty of potential for targets if the Jags are missing Thomas, Brown, Travis Hunter (IR - knee) and Brenton Strange (IR - quad). 

They frankly needed help even before this past Sunday, as Thomas and Brown both were playing poorly (while seemingly fighting through injuries). For Thomas, the addition of Meyers isn't ideal, but it's a tiny problem relative to the much larger issues of Thomas not playing well and not being healthy (perhaps related). Meyers' presence won't be the determining factor in whether Thomas rebounds (or not) from his miserable first half of the season.

Fantasy Value Up  ⬆️

• QB Trevor Lawrence
• WR Jakobi Meyers

Fantasy Value Down ⬇️

• WR Brian Thomas (slightly)
• WR Parker Washington
• WR Dyami Brown (head)
• WR Travis Hunter (IR - knee)

Raiders Impact From Meyers Trade

Second-round pick Jack Bech has just 10 targets and 73 yards on 68 routes (14.7% TPRR), and after a brief stretch as the Raiders' No. 3 receiver, he was demoted this past Sunday to No. 4 behind Tyler Lockett. Listed at 6-foot-1, 214 pounds, Bech offers stylistic similarities to Meyers as a possession receiver with good size.

We could also see larger roles for Lockett and/or Dont'e Thornton, the fifth-round pick who has fallen from Week 1 starter to Week 9 healthy scratch. Keep in mind that both Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer topped 80% snap share this Sunday, in a game where the Raiders were playing from behind for much of the second half. They're likely a TE-heavy offense* at full strength, avoiding 11 personnel outside of clear passing situations.

In terms of mainstream fantasy value, Bowers and Tre Tucker are the immediate guys of interest. Tucker has fallen back to Earth since the shocking three-TD game, but he has some WR3 fantasy appeal as the only sure-thing starter at wide receiver (in an offense that may actually be decent when Bowers plays). 

*If we count Bowers as a TE rather than WR

Fantasy Value Up  ⬆️

• TE Brock Bowers
• WR Tre Tucker
• WR Jack Bech
• WR Tyler Lockett (still irrelevant in most leagues)

Fantasy Value Down ⬇️

• N/A

Trades For Defensive Players

• Colts CB Sauce Gardner (acquired from the Jets)
• Jets WR Adonai Mitchell (acquired from the Colts)

The Jets have already paid out part of Gardner's long-term contract, which explains why they got a pair of first-round picks in the trade. He's a great player, but we've seen similarly impactful guys traded for much less when the contract stuff wasn't so advantageous for the acquiring team.

The Colts' main problem is still the threat of Daniel Jones turning back into a pumpkin under pressure, but it's hard to argue with the rest of the roster, especially if/when CB Charvarius Ward (IR - concussion) returns. Ward, Gardner and slot menace Kenny Moore would form arguably the best CB trio in the league, adding more punch to a defense that could use some more help behind DE Laiatu Latu and DT DeForest Buckner.

For Week 10, I moved the Colts defense (home against ATL) from 11th to 9th in my D/ST rankings, swapping places with a depleted Jets defense that may now make even Dillon Gabriel look good. Gang Green went from 1.5-point favorites to 1.5-point underdogs after trading Gardner and Quinnen Williams.

The Jets now have far more draft capital than any other team for 2026 or 2027, at least managing to maximize the return while making a horrible defense even worse. Mitchell is a nice lottery ticket, as well, potentially competing for a starting job in a WR room with no clear starters besides Garrett Wilson. 

I can't say I'm a fan of Mitchell's, but he's a 2024 second-round pick with 4.3 speed who has shown some ability to get open in the NFL. There's at least some kind of upside argument still, which is more than can be said for New York's other non-Wilson WRs.

• Cowboys DT Quinnen Williams (acquired from Jets)
• Jets DT Mazi Smith (acquired from Cowboys)

This may be too little, too late, but the Cowboys at least get a top player for their defense to rebuild around in the offseason. There's no fantasy impact, unless you're thinking of using the Cowboys D/ST to intentionally lose a matchup. Williams helps, a lot, but even 'a lot' may not be enough here.

• EDGE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (acquired from Browns)

Tryon-Shoyinka was the 32nd overall pick in 2021 but recorded just 15 sacks in 66 games (45 starts) for the Buccaneers. He's played more snaps on special teams (58) than on defense (31) in eight games since joining the Browns. Tryon-Shoyinka should get more playing time now, but he's never been an impactful player.

Trades Before Tuesday

• DL Dre'Mont Jones (acquired from the Titans on Monday)
• LB Logan Wilson (acquired from the Bengals on Monday)
• EDGE Jaelan Phillips (acquired from the Dolphins on Monday)
• CB Jaire Alexander (acquired from the Ravens on Friday)