Rizzla discusses the trade of Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles and the wide reaching fantasy context for all of the players affected by this trade.
Sometimes in the NFL the rich get richer.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter the Detroit Lions have traded away star wide receiver Golden Tate to the Philadelphia eagles in exchange for a third round pick.
Detroit is trading WR Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 30, 2018
This is a huge move for the Philadelphia Eagles who pick up a very good wide receiver to play opposite Alshon Jeffery. Nelson Agholor simply was not getting it done and the Eagles were desperate for a playmaker to round out their receiving corps.
The Detroit Lions pulled off a shrewd move to get 2019 compensation for walk year wide receiver Golden Tate. The Lions were stacked with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Golden Tate as their top three receivers and can now involve the talented Golladay more consistently after he saw just three targets total over the past two weeks.
This is still a puzzling move for the Lions who are in the playoff hunt but as alluded to above this move was likely partially due to the coaching staffs desire to get Kenny Golladay more involved in the offense.
Fantasy Context:
Golden Tate loses quite a bit of value with this news as he is now more of a WR3 as opposed to a WR2. Tate is still a starter in deeper leagues but now possesses a lower floor than he did with the Lions. Tate should quickly find himself at home in the Eagles offense which was desperate for a true playmaker with a speed element to his game. While Tate can make plays at every level of the field, the most interesting factor at play here is Tate’s yards after catch ability. Tate has been among the NFL’s leaders in that category over the past few seasons and with the Eagles nursing a struggling run game he can be manufactured touches at or behind the line of scrimmage as an extension of it.
Nelson Agholor has flashed in the NFL but has proven to be too inconsistent to be counted on as a number two receiver on a good team. Agholor may be reduced to a rotational role in three wide sets and is thus only worth holding onto in deeper leagues. Agholor is now nothing more than a bye week filler at best and is someone to try to package away in redrafts.
Jordan Matthews was seemingly in line for a larger role following his best game of the season in London, but now much like Agholor will be used as a rotational receiver in three wide sets. Matthews is only worth a look in the deepest of leagues as the presumed number four in Philadelphia. Matthews is an ocean deep league bye week filler at best.
Zach Ertz is destined to lose a bit of his fantasy upside with Golden Tate coming to town. A clearly superior player to former number two Nelson Agholor, Tate can operate at all areas of the field but really excels over the middle where Ertz makes his living. Ertz is currently sporting a massive 10.5 targets per game and a 27.6 target percentage, numbers that are likely to drop to the high sevens with the playmaking Tate demanding targets. Ertz remains a top three option but should no longer be viewed as a WR1 with TE eligibility.
Carson Wentz sees a spike in his fantasy value now that he has a top tier number two receiver to go with one of the best tight ends in the game in Ertz and a legit number one wideout in Jeffery. We were already quite bullish on Wentz since the offseason but this news solidifies Wentz as a top eight fantasy option at quarterback on a weekly basis. Already one of the brightest talents in the league, Wentz is ready to launch a full on assault on the opponents of his fantasy owners.
Alshon Jeffery is a big winner here as Golden Tate’s presence alone is sure to ease the coverages on both Jeffery and Ertz. Alshon has been picking up steam as of late and remains a borderline WR1 with a chance to reclaim a spot once Tate starts devastating defenses all over the field. While Tate is not really considered a burner he has low 4.4 speed and will help boost Jeffery’s low end average separation of 2.4 yards.
Kenny Golladay is the biggest winner of this trade. Shockingly becoming an afterthought in the offense despite his immense talent, it is now time for every Sunday to be a Golladay for Lions fans. An upside WR2 the rest of the way, Golladay has scary upside with Matthew Stafford at the helm. Top twenty among wide receivers with 2.18 fantasy points per target Golladay could clamor for WR1 consideration by seasons end by pusing Marvin Jones for the 1a crown in Motor City.
Marvin Jones now looks like an every week WR2 and is a must start in most formats. While Jones is expected to be pushed by the sophomore receiver, Jones should remain the 1a in the offense. The biggest reason for the spike in fantasy value for Jones is the weekly consistency we can expect to see from him going forward with nine targets now available to divy up between Jones, Golladay and either TJ Jones or Brandon Powell. Jones led the Lions in receiving yards in 2017 but has proven a boom or bust option this season with an improved run game decreasing the desire to pass on every down.
While many expected TJ Jones to be the one to get the nod to take over the slot role in Detroit, Dave Berkett of the Detroit Free Press suggested that it may instead be preseason standout in rookie receiver Brandon Powell who is instead tabbed to get the call. After reading the column I came away convinced that Powell has more exciting upside and made a claim of my own in one of my leagues. Both are more speculative adds at this point but if one distinguishes himself from the other they could enter the flex2 conversation.
Matthew Stafford loses some of his fantasy upside with Golden Tate headed to Philadelphia. What was one of the best wide receiver trios in all of football is now just an impressive duo and with Michael Roberts looking like their best tight end, Stafford now possesses a lower fantasy floor. Stafford will remain in the weekly WR1 conversation but can now be comfortably streamed as opposed to being looked at as an every week starter.
