Giant fallout of K.C. trade
HALLOWEEN is a time for tricks and treats, ghosts and goblins and scary stories that will have you flinching at even the slightest noise coming from just outside your house. But there is no story scarier than what could happen to your fantasy football league with the Nov. 1 trade deadline coinciding with the waiver wire in the coming week.
But before you put your brave face on, you still need to make it out of Week 8 unscathed. That eerily creaking floorboard you are hearing just might be coming from inside your house should you reside in Kansas City or New York.
Maybe it wasn’t really the scariest story told when the Giants traded wide receiver Kadarius Toney to the Chiefs, but the fantasy fallout is worth noting.
On the Chiefs’ side, there isn’t much unrest. Toney profiles much in the same way as both Mecole Hardman and Skyy Moore. He is an undersized “Swiss Army knife” who can return punts, run routes out of the slot and maybe get involved with jet sweeps and end-arounds. Insiders claim there is a scary-sized ego with which to contend, but Brian Daboll refused to capitulate and Andy Reid will as well. It is a wait-and-see approach.
For the Giants, not only does the move entrench Wan’Dale Robinson as the go-to guy for Daniel Jones and Daboll’s passing scheme, but it also keeps the door open for Darius Slayton to see more work. Slayton has done everything asked of him, from agreeing to take a pay cut to stay with the team to doing everything, both physically and mentally, his coach is asking of his players. Snaps and targets will continue to grow for him and his fantasy value is on the rise, at least for the short term.
What this move also does is open the door for the Giants to make a bold move. Trading Toney opened up $755,000 in cap space for this year. The Giants are 6-1, the playoffs are in sight, and they still have a need for a No. 1 receiver. Is there anything scarier than a reunion with Odell Beckham Jr.? Fantasy football owners might want to prepare themselves now.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at Fantasy-Alarm. com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy football advice.