Rizzla discusses the first trade of the NFL offseason. The Denver Broncos traded for Joe Flacco. Rizzla breaks down the trade from a fantasy context.
John Elway strikes again. John Elway got his offseason target in the form of a big armed quarterback he is sure to have long admired. The Denver Broncos acquired Joe Flacco from the Baltimore Ravens for a fourth round pick.
Breaking: Baltimore has agreement in principle to trade former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco to the Broncos, league sources told ESPN.
Trade cannot be processed until new NFL league year begins Wednesday, March 13. Teams prohibited from commenting on deal or terms surrounding it.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 13, 2019
This is not a deal that came as much of a surprise to me as Joe Flacco fits the mold of what John Elway covets in a quarterback. The Broncos paid a fair price of a fourth round pick, especially when one considers they had an extra one from trading Demaryius Thomas to the Houston Texans.
The Ravens were openly shopping Flacco and found a taker for him at his $18.5 million dollar salary. They landed a potential impact pick in one of the deeper drafts in recent years. With Lamar Jackson firmly entrenched as their franchise quarterback the Ravens did well to get a solid return for a player the world knew would be released if they could not find a trade partner.
This looks like a win-win as the Ravens shed salary ahead of a big offseason, and the Broncos get to move on from Case Keenum. The Broncos get some stability at quarterback and have an excellent bridge option if they opt to select an early round signal caller this April.
Fantasy Context:
Joe Flacco sees an obvious value boost as he looks likely to have the starting job for at least the 2019 season. With a strong run game and top tier defense Flacco seems to be in a position to succeed in Denver. The Broncos will undoubtedly add some pieces to their offensive line this offseason which should help Flacco stay upright. If Sanders is retained by the Broncos, Flacco will have an exciting trio of receivers to work with. Flacco still projects as a low end QB2 but should be able to sprinkle in some QB1 weeks. Dynasty league owners who still have him on their rosters should use this opportunity to extract whatever value you can out of him.
Emmanuel Sanders gets a quarterback upgrade but there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding his health and future with the team. Sanders was a strong fantasy option with Case Keenum, but with DaeSean Hamilton expected to see the majority of the slot snaps, Sanders will kick out wide. Sanders is a better as a slot option and loses some value relative to what we saw from him last year. If he stays with the Broncos, Sanders will have upside WR3 value with a flex2 floor. If he is released or lands on the PUP list Sanders becomes a WR5 stash.
DaeSean Hamilton remains an upside WR3 option despite the quarterback upgrade. Hamilton should flirt with WR2 value this season and is the Broncos wide receiver to own in PPR formats. Hamilton can create more separation than Courtland Sutton, a skill that will endear him to his new quarterback. The Broncos will remain a run heavy team but Hamilton should still see five plus targets a week as Flacco’s volume receiver.
Courtland Sutton sees a nice value spike with this news. Case Keenum gave Sutton red zone targets but preferred to work short passes throughout the season. Flacco has a much stronger arm and should feed Sutton multiple downfield targets per game. Sutton currently looks like an upside WR3 heading into free agency and the draft. Sutton should push for top-20 in air yards this season.
Jeff Heuerman stands to get a nice boost with this news if the Broncos do not add a tight end this offseason. Heuerman showed some flashes last year with Case Keenum and with tight end loving Joe Flacco now at the helm, he could be in line for a breakout season. Heuerman will not be a sexy name of draft day but is someone who could surprise and push for TE1 numbers given the inevitable volume of targets he will receive. A worthwhile flier in the later rounds of your draft, especially deeper leagues, Heuerman has the goods and opportunity to generate a significant return on investment.
Tim Patrick is a deep league flex2/3 option until further notice. A candidate to be pushed down the depth chart via a draft or free agency addition, this news does little for Patrick at this time.
Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman see spikes in their fantasy value with this news. Both running backs get more stability at quarterback and should see a higher percentage of snaps with the team likely to be in or leading more games. Freeman should emerge as the closer if and when the Broncos hold comfortable leads. We also expect Lindsay to see more passing down work in favor of bugaboo Devontae Booker. When Lindsay returns he should be a high end RB2 capable of producing at an RB1 level on any given week while Freeman will be a borderline RB2 until he proves he can show some consistency.
