Tony Gonzalez traded to the Atlanta Falcons – Fantasy Football Impact

Tony Gonzalez was traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a second round pick in 2010.  You don’t see a lot of trades this close to draft time involving just one pick for next year, so there must not have been too many teams chomping at the bit to get an aging 10 time pro bowl, future Hall of Fame tight end on their team.

I see in no way how this can possibly hurt Tony Gonzalez’s or Matt Ryan’s fantasy values.  Gonzalez goes to a team that surprisingly made the playoffs last year and has a young stud QB in the making that just needs more targets around him, there are only so many people Roddy White can beat.  Look for Gonzalez to get most of the end zone looks in passing situations and be the just the sure handed outlet that Matt Ryan needs in his second year to continue to develop and avoid the sophmore slump.

Matt Ryan probably benefits the most in this deal.  As mentioned above he gets a sure handed tight end, that can go down the field which will open up things for Roddy White as well making all the targets in Atlanta a little more open.

One beneficiary that might not be so obvious is Michael Turner.  After toting the rock more times then anyone else in the league last year Tony Gonzalez brings much needed help to the passing game, allowing Turner to not have to carry the entire franchise on his back and give his legs a much deserved rest with a lighter work load and bigger holes to run through.

Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe take a significant fantasy hit.  With no one else to take the pressure off Dwayne Bowe look for him to take a step backin his development as he is sure to be facing double teams all season long.  That leaves Matt Cassel looking for options and he will soon find he has none.  With no running game to speak of, as Larry Johnson is a shell of his former self, it is going to be a long season for Cassel and is sure to look like a one year wonder.

Torry Holt Signs with the Jaguars

One of the big outstanding questions of this offseason is who will shell out the money that Torry Holt is looking for…answer, Jacksonville.

Until Last Season Holt was one of the most consistent receivers in the history of the game. 1200 yards, 9 touchdowns, regardless of the St Louis Rams record. Last year, that trend was smashed. Holt had his least productive season since pop warner and left many people asking if he was no longer Mr. Dependable.
In Holt’s defense, all pro LT Orlando Pace proved that he can no longer be counted on for more than a couple of games a season and Marc Bulger showed that with conditions anything less than perfect, he is really not a good fantasy football quarterback. So where does that leave Holt and what does it mean for Fantasy Football.

Holt should be the first option for David Garrard. With the departure of the often maligned Matt Jones, and the exit of the best out of the backfield RB in Fred Taylor, Holt should be targeted early and often.
If he stays healthy Holt should climb back into the good graces of Fantasy Football owners everywhere. Look for another 1100+yrds and 9tds.

This will also make David Garrard a viable option as a fantasy Football QB as well. In 2007 Garrard showed flashes of brilliance and rarely makes mistakes. With the steady hands and flawless route running of Torry Holt to depend on, Garrard will make a resurgence as an elite Fantasy Football quarterback.

Eagles Acquire Jason Peters

Usually we don’t get all fired up about the movement of offensive linemen from team to team but this is no usual case. When Tra Thomas left the Eagles for the Jaguars via free agency, there where some huge questions as to the affect this would have on 2 fantasy football studs Brian Westbrook and Donovan McNabb. Left tackle is the one position on the offensive line that can make a break an offensive, especially an offense like the eagles which is set up almost completely by their ability to get the ball to Brian Westbrook. Since Westbrook is a running back, you would think that an interior lineman would affect production more, but Brian Wesbrook is not regular RB. He is as productive receiving the ball as he is running it and the eagles actually consider some of the short swing passes to Westbrook, runs!

This is also big fantasy football news because it removes Jason Peters from the Buffalo Bills O-line. Buffalo has just signed Terrell Owens to fortify their aerial attacks but with the departure of one of the best Left Tackles in the game, Trent Edwards may have to get rid of the ball pretty quickly!!!!

Although the Bills did get a bunch of draft picks in the deal, which will help them long term…..draft picks don’t help fantasy football production.

Look for this to help Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook and the rest of the Eagles receiving core (although I hope you are not planning on the Eagles receivers carrying you to the Promised Land). Also look for this to slow down the Buffalo Bills offense regardless of the Terrell Owens factor.

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