Daily Newsletter: NFL Trade Deadline Recap + Must Add WR (Nov. 5th)
Welcome to our daily newsletter! As we approach the halfway point of the season, the NFL trade deadline brought some significant moves, with teams like the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders bolstering their rosters for a playoff push. In this edition, we break down the key trades, take a look at important injuries to watch in Week 10, and highlight Quentin Johnston as a top fantasy football add. Let's dive in!
NFL Trade Deadline Report
Detroit Lions Acquire Za’Darius Smith- Detroit looks Super Bowl ready and they absolutely had to go get another pass rusher due to Aidan Hutchinson’s injury. Smith still has juice left, and should fit right into their aggressive play-style.
Washington Commanders Acquire Marshon Lattimore- This is my favorite move of the entire deadline. Washington looks for real, they can compete right now I don’t see any reason to wait and that’s what they’re doing. Their defense has outperformed expectations this season and this allows them to make strong personnel changes in the secondary.
Pittsburgh Steelers Acquire Mike Williams- This is a solid move in my opinion. Pittsburgh’s offense has been good with Russ Wilson at the helm and this helps them cement a WR2 behind George Pickens who can also play as a downfield threat.
Dallas Cowboys Acquire Jonathan Mingo- This is objectively one of the worst trades I’ve ever seen. Not only does Jonathan Mingo grade out as one of the worst WRs over the last three years – they gave up a 4th round pick to get him. Diontae Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins both cost less than that. Make it make sense!
Baltimore Ravens Acquire Tre’Davious White- This was just a luxury move, but I don’t hate it. White isn’t who he once was but having depth is never a bad thing when you’re gearing up for a play-off run.
Week 10 Early Injuries to Watch
Dallas Cowboys- Dallas will be without Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb for multiple weeks due to injuries suffered vs the Falcons. This team is already having a disaster of a season, and they will now turn to Cooper Rush at QB. Brandin Cooks (if healthy), Jalen Tolbert and Jake Ferguson will be needed for bigger offensive roles.
AJ Brown- Scans came back negative on AJ Brown’s knee after their Week 9 win, and it seems like if anything it was just bruising. He has a chance to play in Week 10.
Tee Higgins- Higgins has missed the last two games, and with the Bengals on the schedule for Thursday I would say it’s likely he misses once again. I don’t think it would make much sense to bring him back on a short week, give him the extra rest and have him back for Week 11. Mike Gesicki will continue to have a bigger role in his absence.
Christian McCaffrey- I’ll believe it when I see it, but it appears McCaffrey is set to return in Week 10 for the 49ers.
Season Long Priority Add: Quentin Johnston
I’ve been very critical of Johnston throughout his NFL career, but I think he is the best add-drop in any league he’s available in this week – he’s currently on the waiver wire in 83% of Yahoo leagues.
The belief coming into the season was that the Chargers would be arguably the most run-heavy team. Their offseason moves led most to believe that – drafting an offensive lineman as opposed to a WR with their top draft pick and letting go of multiple WRs to free agency. This has been far from the truth over the last month with the Chargers completely unleashing Justin Herbert. Los Angeles currently ranks second in the NFL in Pass Rate Over Expectation per NFL per nflfastR and Herbert tanks 6th overall in AY/A (8.43) ahead of the likes of Joe Burrow and Baker Mayfield.
Johnston is coming off a 22 fantasy point day against the Browns, and has garnered a 20% target-share when healthy this season. If LA continues to be this pass-heavy, Johnston will be start-able as a flex option most weeks.
Written by Ben Hossler