The NFL's trade deadline has come and gone, and the flurry of deals - and non-deals - has shifted the fantasy landscape.
Let's dive into whose stock rose and fell the most after Tuesday's deadline.
📈 Risers
Justin Jefferson
After enduring Monday Night Football's Carson Wentz experience, Jefferson is clearly the day's biggest riser. The Vikings brought in Kirk Cousins to reunite with Jefferson and head coach Kevin O'Connell, aiming to stabilize an offense in serious need of help.
Jefferson played three full years with Cousins early in his career and arguably had his best seasons. In 55 games with Cousins, Jefferson averaged 6.5 receptions, 9.6 targets, and 98.1 yards per contest. He also posted 2.74 yards per route run, which would put him among the league's elite today.
Cousins shouldn't take long to get up to speed in Minnesota, and the veteran could make an immediate impact this week against the Packers. You can safely lock Jefferson into your WR1 slot and enjoy the better days ahead. Additionally, the Vikings have the Lions, Commanders, and Jets during the fantasy playoffs, which means Jefferson will likely be on many championship-winning rosters.
Vikings offense
Jefferson isn't the only winner in Minnesota. Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and the running back duo of Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones should all see their production increase. Most of Cousins' targets will still go to Jefferson, but the Vikings should score far more points than they did with Kyler Murray and Wentz.
Mason and Jones remain low-end RB2s, Addison is a WR3/flex option, and Hockenson is a low-end TE1 who should start most weeks in 12-team leagues.
Jonah Coleman
Plenty of speculation suggested the Broncos were actively looking to add a top-tier running back at the deadline, with Jonathan Taylor believed to be their target. However, Denver didn't make a move, meaning Coleman is locked in as the feature back moving forward.
Coleman's production since returning from injury may be the biggest reason the Broncos didn't add to their running back room. The rookie has 152 yards on 37 carries (4.1 yards per carry) over the last three games while contributing 109 receiving yards on 11 targets.
With RJ Harvey on IR, J.K. Dobbins has taken a backseat to Coleman in recent weeks. Since Week 7, Coleman has played 112 offensive snaps to Dobbins' 32. If you stashed Coleman all season and were worried about a Broncos acquisition, your patience has paid off.
Tyler Warren
The Colts cleaned out their wide receiver room, trading away Josh Downs and Keenan Allen. That leaves Laquon Treadwell, Ashton Dulin, Deion Burks, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as receiving options, none of whom will take targets away from Warren.
Warren may become a target hog as the season closes out. Though his ceiling is capped because the Colts' offense still has Daniel Jones at the helm, someone has to catch passes. Warren could see games with 10-plus targets, which would easily make him a top-five tight end.
Josh Downs
Downs may not have landed in a better spot for potential fantasy production. Going from Jones and the Colts to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs is a huge upgrade. While Downs' role in Kansas City is unknown, he complements Rashee Rice well and is better than Xavier Worthy in almost every aspect as a receiver.
The worst-case scenario is that Downs is a field-stretcher, a role Tyquan Thornton had before getting hurt. However, Downs could also play in the slot, and his ability to get open quickly off the line of scrimmage and over the middle gives Mahomes another legit weapon. Downs may need a few games to get comfortable with his new team, but he could be a WR3 with WR2 upside by the end of the season.
Keenan Allen
Allen is another receiver who escaped Indianapolis and ended up in a better fantasy situation. The 49ers' receiver group is battling injuries, so Allen should fit right in and play out of the slot immediately. Brock Purdy's offense will still flow through George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey, but Allen could be third on the pecking order until Mike Evans returns. Consider him a flex option and a potential sell-high candidate until Evans and Deebo Samuel are back on the field.
📉 Fallers
Jonathan Taylor
The Colts holding on to Taylor amid a fire sale makes little sense, and those with the star running back on their rosters shouldn't be pleased. Indy has given up on the season and won't be incentivized to give Taylor a ton of work. On the flip side, what motivation does Taylor have to leave it all on the field and risk injury?
A trade was the only way to save Taylor's season, but now he's stuck in one of the league's worst offenses and is giving up touches to Seth McGowan. Taylor slips into the mid-RB2 tier for the rest of the season, with potential to drop lower.
Brock Bowers
Sometimes change is good, but it always creates uncertainty, which is why Bowers' stock took a hit Tuesday. Cousins had a clear connection with Bowers and was comfortable force-feeding the star tight end. We don't know how Fernando Mendoza and Bowers will mesh, and it may take a few weeks for them to get on the same page. Mendoza might also be less eager to throw into tight windows and risk interceptions the way Cousins did.
One thing remains true: The Raiders still can't run the ball, so Mendoza will have to drop back a lot. Hopefully, head coach Klint Kubiak can find easy ways to get Bowers open and ease the pressure on his rookie quarterback. Still, the unknown hurts Bowers for now.
Breece Hall, Braelon Allen
Allen was exceptional while filling in for the injured Hall. He played so well that many thought the Jets could trade Hall to the highest bidder and turn the running game over to Allen full time. Had that happened, Allen's stock would have risen, and Hall would have gotten a fresh start somewhere else, presumably in a better situation.
However, the Jets kept Hall, and it now looks like they'll run a two-man committee. In Week 9, Allen logged 36 snaps while Hall played 27, with Hall handling 15 carries and Allen eight. If both continue to spend roughly the same amount of time on the field, they'll ultimately eat into each other's production.
Maybe Hall's snap share increases in Week 10, and Allen reverts to the clear backup role. But since the best-case scenario of Hall being traded didn't play out, both of their fantasy outlooks take a hit.
