Corey Coleman to the Bills: Fantasy Context
The Cleveland Browns have shipped 2016 1st round pick Corey Coleman to the Buffalo Bills for a seventh round pick. Coleman was an old regime pick in Cleveland and for one reason or another they decided to part ways with a former first rounder who ran a 4.37 40 at Baylor’s pro day and proved his lower body explosiveness at the combine with top grades in both the long and broad jumps.
The narrative emanating from Cleveland is that they prefer 2018 4th round Antonio Callaway and while there is no denying that he likely does indeed have more overall talent than Coleman, shedding Coleman for such a pittance seems more like an organization trying to get rid of a problem rather than trying to extract maximum value from a 24 year old who could become one of the league’s premier deep threats in the years to come; especially when you consider Jeff Janis and Rashad Higgins are currently lining up beside Jarvis Landry in three wide sets.
There is also the much reported possibility that the Browns do indeed sign Dez Bryant but they apparently haven’t even put enough money on the table for him to take a visit with the team according to the latest reports.
Fantasy Context:
Corey Coleman gets new fantasy life in Buffalo as he was likely to fall to at least fourth on the wide receiver depth chart and at least fifth on the overall target totem pole for the Browns. He enters a Bills depth chart pretty much devoid of talent behind Kelvin Benjamin with only the likes of bust Zay Jones and journeymen Rod Streater, Jeremy Kerley and Andre Holmes to compete with. Coleman does indeed see a quarterback downgrade in Buffalo but increased target volume will more than make up for that in this case.
AJ McCarron/Josh Allen – Both of these quarterbacks get an upgrade but not to the point that they have made any actual movement on our quarterback rankings. Both will greatly benefit from another legitimate vertical threat who also profiles as legitimate number two receiver in the NFL. Both remain nothing more than QB2’s or late round best ball fliers with Allen of course having the higher upside due to more projected starts as well as his mobility and athleticism.
Antonio Callaway – No Browns receiver benefits from this trade more than Antonio Callaway. Callaway is now the favorite to start in three wide sets and could become a two wide starter if the team fails to land Dez Bryant and does not see Josh Gordon come out of rehab. We would all do well to remember that Callaway is arguably the most talented receiver in the 2018 draft class but off-field issues including but not limited to minor possession, unfounded allegations and credit card fraud. Callaway now boasts deep league flex value with WR3 upside in redrafts and is a top-15 option in dynasty leagues. He will find the most value in best ball/draft masters leagues where he could become a low risk difference maker numerous times throughout the season.
Zay Jones/Andre Holmes/Jeremy Kerley/Rod Streater – Of the three it appears that Kerley takes the biggest hit here as he stands to lose a significant amount of targets with a new number two receiver type in town. Kerley should still hog slot snaps and could eek out some sneaky value this year for those in ocean deep leagues and for those in best ball leagues. Look at Kerley as a bye week filler/injury replacement type who is one injury away from a potential high volume role albeit in a run first offense. Holmes and Streater may be fighting for one roster spot.
Tyrod Taylor/Baker Mayfield – Both of these quarterbacks get a slight downgrade in redraft formats while Mayfield takes a bigger tumble in dynasty. The last thing I would want to do if I just drafted a quarterback first overall is get rid of weapons, especially my teams top speed demon vertical threat when my next best option is a Jeff Janis the Packers let walk despite not retaining Jordy Nelson. The best thing about the Browns offense was their embarrassment of riches but now with Coleman gone and Gordon in rehab, a Landry and Callaway starting duo is far less exciting or enticing. This is especially true for dynasty circles with Josh Gordon short and long term future with the Browns and even the NFL constantly in question.
LeSean McCoy – McCoy’s value remains unchanged with this news but on the field the presence of a legitimate deep threat should help to unstack the box, at least on some snaps. McCoy remains a locked and loaded RB1 for the 2018 fantasy football season.
