Fantasy Impact: Jimmy Graham Traded To The Seahawks

Jimmy Graham was traded to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday. The deal consisted of the Saints sending Jimmy Graham and a 4^th round pick to Seattle for Max Unger and Seattle’s 1^st round pick (31^st overall). Last year Graham caught 85 receptions for 889 yards and 10 TDs. Graham proved to be a big key to the success of the Saints offense over the last 5 years, and with his departure, the Saints are going to struggle to fill his void.

Nov 16, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) celebrates a first down catch against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first quarter of their game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Jimmy Graham TE Seattle Seahawks

Anyone leaving a prolific offense like the Saints is going to experience a drop in fantasy value. It’s a given. With him being in Seattle his production isn’t going to fall off a cliff either. He may not be a top 3 tight end going forward, but he’s still going to be a major asset in fantasy. Graham is the best weapon quarterback Russell Wilson has. Seattle likes to run the ball with Marshawn Lynch, and with the offense being run focused, Jimmy Graham isn’t going to get as many targets as he did in New Orleans. The receiving corps for Seattle is very weak, which consists of Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Chris Matthews, and Paul Richardson. This is not an impressive list of wide outs, and Graham will serve as the best wide receiver on the team. In redraft, Graham is going to drop a few rounds. He goes from potentially being a late 1^st round to falling to the middle rounds. In dynasty, Graham’s value is taking a major hit. He goes from one of the most valuable players in the league for dynasty to a tight end that you will be lucky to get a 1^st round pick out of.

Russell Wilson QB Seattle Seahawks

Graham is going to help Wilson a lot. Wilson finally has that big target in the end zone. Graham is a mismatch for linebackers and safeties, so he’s going to be an added target over the middle. Wilson’s value will increase in redraft and dynasty. Wilson finished the season as the 15th ranked quarterback in fantasy last year, and that was with one of the worst receiving corps in the league.

Dynasty leagues are where Wilson will find the most value. Wilson is going to be looked upon as a top 10 quarterback in dynasty due to his youth (age 26), and the prominent future that he has. Wilson could be one of the top QB’s in dynasty in the future if Seattle builds around him, which they will be forced to because Marshawn Lynch isn’t going to last forever. This trade helps Russell Wilson’s fantasy value more than any other player involved.

Need Help with your dynasty team? Contact me on Twitter @bmatz08 and I will give you the guidance you need to make the best decisions on trades, drafts, and the waiver wire.

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