The Trade
Miami Dolphins Receive: RB/WR Lynn Bowden Jr. + 2021 sixth-round pick
Las Vegas Raiders Receive: 2021 fourth-round pick
Considering the Raiders selected Lynn Bowden Jr. in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, taking an immediate loss is a stunning admission of a bad selection. The Raiders likely traded Bowden Jr. for a few reasons. First, the team already had receiving back Jalen Richard on the roster, who they recently signed to a contract extension. Bowden Jr. was unlikely to contribute significantly in 2020, if at all, behind Richard and workhorse running back Josh Jacobs.
Also, the Raiders have a full wide receiver room. Even after placing Tyrell Williams on injured reserve, the Raiders still had two clear outside starters in Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards, and a dedicated slot receiver in Hunter Renfrow. With Renfrow locked into the slot, there wasn’t a role for Bowden Jr. on the team.
Bowden Jr. also got into some trouble during the 2020 offseason. While no charges were filed and he wasn’t arrested, he was present at the scene of a DEA raid at his home. Nothing much came of this event, but it’s a red flag. For all those reasons, and especially in a trying 2020 season, I can understand why the Raiders quickly gave up on Bowden.
Impact on the Raiders
I don’t see this trade as having much impact on the Raiders either in 2020 or in dynasty formats. I believed that Bowden Jr. would challenge for targets in the Raiders’ offense, but he was off the radar as a rookie. Renfrow and Richard are the most significant beneficiaries of this deal, as Bowden would have directly competed with them for targets.
However, I don’t think either player has gained much dynasty value after the trade. Richard is now worth a roster spot and becomes a desperation PPR flex in strong matchups. Renfrow moved up a few spots, but nothing substantial.
On the other hand, Jacobs is a big winner from this trade. We’ve all wanted Jacobs to receive more work in the passing game in 2020, as he excelled as a receiver at Alabama, but head coach Jon Gruden barely used him there in 2019. With Bowden Jr. gone, Jacobs’ receiving upside has taken a slight uptick.
Impact on the Dolphins
Almost immediately, the Dolphins declared that Bowden Jr. was a wide receiver, in contrast to the Raiders who saw him as a running back. At Kentucky, Bowden Jr. played both running back and wide receiver, finishing his college career with 1,530 rushing and 1,303 receiving yards. However, the Dolphins already have running backs Jordan Howard and Matt Breida atop their depth chart. They also have receiving backs Patrick Laird and Malcolm Perry as backups.
Unfortunately, the Dolphins have little depth at wide receiver, as receivers Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to COVID-19 concerns. Wilson was going to be the Dolphins’ starting slot receiver in 2020, alongside outside starters DeVante Parker and Preston Williams, leaving a massive void in the offense. While the Dolphins have Jakeem Grant, Isaiah Ford, and Mack Hollins as depth options, none provide the same explosiveness, versatility, and upside that Bowden Jr. does.
I don’t see much of a dynasty impact from this trade. Bowden Jr. will play receiver for the Dolphins, so I wouldn’t change either Howard or Breida’s value. I do think that there’s only room for one scatback/gadget type player, so I find all of the Dolphins’ depth options at running back and wide receivers worthless after this deal. That’s not a huge change from before, but dynasty owners can feel slightly more comfortable dropping Perry, Laird, Grant, or Ford from their rosters now.
As for Bowden Jr.’s value, I can’t see this move as a positive. While he might have more of an opportunity to see the field in Miami than he did in Las Vegas, it’s a bad sign that an NFL team quit on a third-round pick before he even saw the field. If anybody is excited about Bowden Jr.’s landing spot, I would use the opportunity to get out from under him. If you can recoup the third-round rookie pick you spent on him, I’d be happy to do that and take a shot at a new prospect in next year’s rookie draft.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
