The following trade review is from UTH subscriber Paul. Find him on twitter @pwindynasty.
This trade was made in a 12-team PPR league, start 1-2-3-1-2Flex. 30 man rosters with a 2-year taxi squad for all drafted rookies.
The Approach
I am looking to sell DeAndre Hopkins at market value this offseason across all formats. A perfect storm of a weak run game, no secondary options and the Texans running the most plays in the NFL led to Hopkins’ uptick in volume in 2015. Offseason additions of Will Fuller, Braxton Miller and Lamar Miller likely will lead to decreased targets in 2016. Often overlooked is Hopkins also has 4 documented concussions.
Because my team is a contender, I wanted to divest from Hopkins into another core wide receiver and picks/players. I began shopping Hopkins selectively to teams that had my target wide receivers. I targeted this owner initially as most of the core of their team is at the end of their prime, and they had already traded their 2017 1st to make a push this year. Initial Negotiations involved Hopkins-Coby Fleener-Kenneth Dixon for Rob Gronkowski-Brandin Cooks, but Gronk proved too costly. After giving up on Gronk, I sent out this offer that was accepted.
The Trade
- Gave DeAndre Hopkins, 2017 3rd
- Received Brandin Cooks, 2017 2nd, 2018 1st
Though the other team did not have a 2017 1st, I wanted a couple shots at premium assets in return for the downgrade from Hopkins to Cooks. I expect to take a 2-4 point per game downgrade with Cooks this year, but there are realistic scenarios where Cooks can outscore Hopkins this year. The upgrade from the 2017 3rd to 2nd gives me a shot at a premium piece in the deep class, and the 2018 1st has potential to be early due to an aging roster and limited 2017 picks to make moves.
His Roster Highlights
Drew Brees, Matthew Stafford
LeSean McCoy, C.J. Anderson, Latavius Murray
Antonio Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Travis Benjamin, Pierre Garcon
Rob Gronkowski, Gary Barnidge, Julius Thomas, Jordan Cameron
2017 3,3,4,5
Post-Trade Team Roster
Jameis Winston, Kirk Cousins
Le’Veon Bell, Giovanni Bernard, Matt Jones, Tevin Coleman, Kenneth Dixon, Jordan Howard, Josh Ferguson
Mike Evans, Brandin Cooks, Keenan Allen, DeVante Parker, Devin Funchess, Sammie Coates, Phillip Dorsett
Coby Fleener, Clive Walford
2017 1,2,2,2,4,5
2018 1,1,2,3,4,5
The added rookie value balances this trade, but in the scenario where Cooks outscores Hopkins this year or Hopkins suffers another concussion, this turns into a landslide.
