Fantasy football stunner: Rob Gronkowski unretires, traded to Bucs

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are reunited in sunny Tampa. Fantasy owners should rejoice.

I don’t think many people smelled what the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were cookin’ in the past few hours. Star tight end Rob Gronkowski not only unretired after a year hiatus but is traded to the Bucs and reunited with Tom Brady.

What a time to be alive.

Per Schefter, Tampa is the only place Gronk wanted to play. The ESPN insider credited the NFL star turned WWE wrestler’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, as saying the tight end will honor his one-year, $10 million deal at this time.

So, where does that leave everything for fantasy football purposes?

  • Gronkowski visibly lost considerable muscle mass in his year off, but reports say he’s training hard to get into football shape. Given all of his injuries, it may behoove him to remain on the leaner side. Gronk is one of the best blocking tight ends of the past few decades, if not ever, and the loss of mass could come into play in how the team opts to utilize him. He may be flexed out wide more often than ever.
  • Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard never fit the system and was in the doghouse most of 2019. Count on Tampa trading the young talent between now and the end of the draft. Could Howard remain on the team? It’s not outlandish, but it would be purely in an insurance role should Gronk fall to injury.
  • Presuming Howard is indeed traded (or is even released), the Buccaneers have veteran Cameron Brate on the roster, as well. He’s versatile and is a better blocker than Howard. Look for plenty of Brate on the field, although him seeing targets of consequence is a different tale.
  • In 2020, Tom Brady will have Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Ronald Jones and Gronk catching passes from him. The offensive line is solid, outside of right tackle, which should be a high priority in the draft. Running back also may be addressed to help complement Jones and build depth.

Fantasy football takeaway

One has to give Gronkowski the benefit of the doubt, even if he doesn’t get a formal offseason of preparation with his new team. He and Brady can play catch in the dark and still school most defenders. There is a major worry of injury with Gronk, and it’s fair to pencil in him missing at least a couple of contests. On the other side of that coin, losing some bulk is easier on his frame, and the year away should have helped him health in general.

This makes him a No. 1 fantasy tight end by default, and the fun-loving star is poised shine in his new city. There’s an intriguing blend of upside and proven returns that isn’t often found in a soon-to-be 31-year-old tight end.

Gronk’s return secures Brady as no worse than a low-tier starting quarterback, regardless of the risks associated with either player. As for Godwin and Evans, but are WR1 talents but may be occasionally game planned out of fantasy success due to all of the talent in this offense. Furthermore, it is unclear as to which receiver will have Brady’s eye the most. We’ll take a deeper dive after the draft and examine the ripple effect throughout the entire offense.

Brandin Cooks is in for a fantasy football rebound as a Texan

A proven veteran weapon, Brandin Cooks will be a fantasy football asset once again after being traded to Houston.

(Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports)

There it is … the kind of move everyone has been waiting for from the Houston Texans. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks was acquired via trade to help replace DeAndre Hopkins. Note the emphasis on “help.” Few players can do it alone, and the well-traveled veteran doesn’t belong to that exclusive club.

Cooks has proven to be one of the most adaptable wide receivers in the NFL in recent memory. His talent transcends quarterback situations and offensive systems, but the “go” button is still want butters his bread. Few receivers have the jets Cooks boasts. When healthy, he’s as dynamic is anyone — a weird thing to see from someone who is on his fourth in the past five seasons.

At just 26 years of age, Cooks is still in his prime and is one season removed from a career-best 1,204 yards on 80 grabs. He missed a pair of games last year but struggled all season in an offense that was largely unproductive and inconsistent. Cooks suffered two concussions in a 25-day span, and another one is a legitimate concern, so it’s not all roses. Barring an injury, however, his addition shapes up as one of the more exciting of the offseason.

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Quarterback Deshaun Watson gets another piece of the receiver puzzle to run free with the oft-injured Will Fuller, whose game isn’t terribly different from that of Cooks. The latter is more versatile in the route tree, though, and we’ve see him stay healthy four straight years entering 2019.

Watson’s fantasy prospects were looking awfully grim after Hopkins was traded for running back David Johnson (which still isn’t official). Bringing Cooks mitigates the loss of Nuk about as well as anyone could have hoped for without breaking the bank, which was the driving force behind trading Hopkins in the first place, according to head coach Bill O’Brien.

The projected top receivers now will be a 1a-1b situation between Cooks and Fuller, while Kenny Stills nestles into a versatile role that puts him all over the field. He lined up in the slot 31 percent of his snaps last year. That is where we should expect to see newcomer Randall Cobb do most of his damage. He also can line up all over. Cooks has seen vast majority of his work has come on the outside in recent years. Interchangeability is starting to look like Houston’s approach as it attempts to cover bases through a group effort of proven role players.

A few things should be granted off of the top: He has proven capable of digesting a playbook in a hurry, and Cooks can generate strong fantasy returns with limited touches. This offense could be tough to predict from week to week, especially if Johnson can return to being reminiscent of his former self. But there’s also potential for a more traditional WR1 role for Cooks if (when?) Fuller is lost to injury.

Fantasy football takeaway

Cooks finished WR13 in 2018, WR15 in 2017, WR11 in 2016, and WR14 in 2015 using PPR scoring … that’s an average of WR13 spread over three teams. Even if he gets lost in the mix some weeks, we’re still talking about a borderline WR2/WR3 floor in a healthy season — someone who really shouldn’t leave a fantasy lineup.

The top concerns are another concussion and a lack of an offseason to build a rapport with his quarterback. Neither of those things are really within Cooks’ control. Sure, he could shield himself better at times, but history shows us that when a receiver starts hearing those proverbial footsteps, it’s time to hang ’em up. Cooks finished the season playing some of his best ball in 2019, and there is no reason to be fearful of him being afraid.

Value will be the name this game, and if Cooks is available sixth or seventh rounds, he will look awfully attractive. Safety-minded gamers will opt for him as a WR3 and bypass if it costs more. Everyone else should not hesitate to value him as a low-end WR2 and build out running backs, tight ends and quarterbacks prior to adding Cooks.

Fantasy football reaction: Stefon Diggs traded to the Buffalo Bills

Disgruntled receiver Stefon Diggs was granted his trade wish, heading to the Buffalo Bills.

After voicing frustration with his role in 2019, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs posted a cryptic message on social media during the opening hours of free agency, and he eventually was indeed dealt to the Buffalo Bills for draft picks.

We will investigate the prospects of Minnesota’s fantasy football receivers in a future article. Today’s focus is on Diggs’ role with the Bills. Buffalo clearly has shown dedication to improve the talent around quarterback Josh Allen dating back to last offseason. WRs John Brown and Cole Beasley were free-agent additions to the Bills a year ago, and both played well throughout the year. Brown turns 30 this year, and Beasley’s game is rather one-dimensional. While serviceable, neither player has that coveted x-factor.

Entering 2019, Diggs was more of a glorified possession guy than anything, although he displayed the ability to shake free as the New Orleans Saints can attest. Last season, however, the Maryland product landed only 63 balls in 15 games but went for 17.9 yards per grab. His game in Minnesota has proven to be inconsistently productive, and most of his body of work points to him profiling as a WR2 in need of a standout opposite Diggs. Buffalo doesn’t have that going for them, so he’s going to be tasked with stepping up his game.

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The Bills have a talented running back in Devin Singletary, and the offensive line is sound. Young tight end Dawson Knox displayed potential as a rookie and has plenty of upside. The defense is among the best in the business, and the run-first system suggests Diggs doesn’t have sheer target volume on his side. Unlike 2018’s heavily utilized season (102-1,021-9), Diggs showed that doesn’t matter to sustain success. He posted career-best yardage in ’19 under a run-oriented offensive command from head coach Mike Zimmer.

Fantasy football takeaway

Diggs, 26, is prone to spurts of elite play and then disappearing. He has done it several times with Minnesota in multiple offenses. In Buffalo, he won’t have a roof over his head in the winter months, but he’s used to cold climates in general. The outlook is somewhere in the No. 2 PPR receiver territory as a ceiling and a consistently playable flex in any format.

Some fantasy footballers are bound to overvalue Diggs. While he does have a reasonable degree of potential to exceed expectations, Diggs comes with nearly as much of a chance to disappoint.