Wow! The signs were there for the past year Denver would be making a big splash in the quarterback market. Denver suffered through poor quarterback play the last few years with Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater manning the helm. Then the Broncos signed Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick to contract extensions to make it an attractive destination for a potential new quarterback. Rumors were everywhere Aaron Rodgers was on his way to Denver. Then Rodgers announced he is staying in Green Bay and signing a new deal with the Packers. Hours later we get hit with the news from Adam Schefter on the blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson.
Let’s take a look at how this impacts the various players involved for Seattle and Denver.
Russell Wilson – Stock Up Moderate
Wilson should see a moderate uptick in dynasty value. Wilson has been one of the top dynasty quarterbacks for nearly a decade. He goes to an offense loaded with weapons between Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Javonte Williams, Tim Patrick, KJ Hamler, and Albert Okwuegbunam. Since 2015, Wilson has averaged 3,872 yards passing. Denver has passed for 3,593 and 3,451 yards the past two seasons. Denver’s pass catchers all receive an uptick in value.
Wilson is 33 but has mentioned in the past he wants to play into his 40’s so he has a lot of dynasty years left in him.
His best rushing years are behind him, averaging just 353 yards per year the last four years. However, he can still contribute in that area as well even if he isn’t a “Konami” quarterback at this stage of his career.
Jerry Jeudy – Stock Up
Jerry Jeudy figures to be the major beneficiary to the Wilson deal. Jeudy was the 15th overall pick in 2020 and had a promising rookie season with 856 yards receiving. Jeudy has never had issues getting open. Jeudy led the NFL in target separation in 2021. He has just had trouble connecting with Denver’s sub-par quarterback play.
Wilson has had fantastic chemistry with Tyler Lockett over the years. He throws one of the prettiest deep balls in the NFL. The Jeudy-Wilson marriage should see similar benefits. Jeudy was second in the NFL in unrealized air yards in his last full season (2020). A lot of those will become realized air yards now. Lockett has four straight top 24 fantasy seasons. Jeudy is still looking for his first but everything is set up perfectly for that to happen.
Albert Okwuegbunam – Stock Up
Albert “O” is probably the second biggest value gainer in this deal behind Jeudy. Denver trading Fant as part of the deal tells you what the Bronco’s think they have in Albert “O”. The size, speed combination matters a lot for the tight end position. Albert “O” is in the Darren Waller category as far as that with a 100th percentile speed score. He stands 6’6” tall, 258 lbs. and ran a 4.49 forty-yard dash at the combine.
He contributed 330 receiving yards last year in limited playing time with a limited quarterback. His yards per route run were fourth overall among tight ends. With Fant gone that efficiency will become volume. I wouldn’t be surprised if Albert “O” overtakes Noah Fant dynasty value shortly. He has that kind of potential.
Courtland Sutton – Stock Up
Sutton had a strange year. This was his first year back from his ACL tear. It can take some game playtime for a receiver to get back to his original form. It seemed as if Sutton was ahead of schedule with that early in the season. Jerry Jeudy was out with injury for six games in September and October.
This is Sutton’s game log for those six games
| Targets | Receptions | Receiving Yards |
| 12 | 9 | 159 |
| 5 | 5 | 37 |
| 8 | 3 | 47 |
| 11 | 7 | 120 |
| 14 | 8 | 94 |
| 5 | 5 | 68 |
Once Jeudy came back Sutton all but disappeared from the offense. We know the potential is there with Sutton. Let’s not forget he was impressively the WR27 overall in PPG his rookie season. Sutton instantly gets a boost in dynasty value from the improved quarterback play and Wilson’s ability to spread the ball around.
Javonte Williams – Stock Up
Javonte Williams was the third pick of the second round in last year’s draft. He is coming off a solid rookie season sharing the backfield with Melvin Gordon. He rushed for 903 yards and contributed a nice receiving line of 43 receptions and 316 receiving yards.
Williams’s biggest dynasty value impact still depends on what happens with Melvin Gordon in free agency. If Gordon wants to be a part of this new offense he will have to take a pay cut to do so. If he doesn’t then Williams’s value goes to the moon. The improved offense will lead to more sustained drives and touchdown opportunities for the Denver backfield.
Drew Lock – Stock Hold
Drew Lock is on his way to the Seahawks. Seattle gets the ninth pick in the first round of the upcoming draft in the deal. You would have to think Seattle goes quarterback with that pick. Matt Corral, Kenny Pickett, and Malik Willis should all be in play. Depending on who they go with, Lock could serve as a placeholder until the starter is ready. In SF leagues, if you are a starter you have value.
Noah Fant – Stock Down
Fant is now going to an offense with Metcalf and Lockett as the headliner pass catchers with either Drew Lock or a rookie as the quarterback. That is not an ideal situation. Fant is a former first-round pick and is just 24 years old. He is a key part of the trade for Seattle’s rebuild. For dynasty owners, you may need to wait a few years before he returns the value in this offense.
D.K. Metcalf – Stock Down
Tyler Lockett – Stock Down
Lockett and Metcalf both take a significant hit in dynasty value. I would not be surprised to see Lockett traded if Seattle is entering a full rebuild. As previously mentioned, Lockett was a perfect marriage for Russell Wilson’s deep ball accuracy. If he stays with Seattle he will be playing with a quarterback inferior to Wilson. Metcalf should be impacted less than Lockett. He is one of the most athletic wide receivers in the NFL and can bail out an inexperienced quarterback with his sheer athleticism. He will be able to grow along with whichever rookie quarterback Seattle selects in the draft. Nonetheless, both Lockett and Metcalf will see fewer touchdown opportunities and less sustained offensive drives which will lead to lower fantasy production
Statistics source: Player Profiler
I hope you enjoyed reading my article. My goal is to provide actionable advice you can utilize to improve your dynasty team. You can follow me on Twitter @force_fantasy.
