NFL Trade Deadline: 5 win-win moves that should go down before November 5 feat. Travis Etienne Jr. to Dallas Cowboys
Making trades isn’t just for Fantasy Football. The NFL’s trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 pm EST. In recent years, the cutoff on dealing has produced some drama. We’re fantasy players though. We care about getting players into situations that will improve their scoring or open up opportunities for stashes on our bench to become starters.
Let’s look around the league and develop trades that improve real-life and fantasy rosters.
NFL Trade Deadline: 5 win-win moves for all parties
1] Travis Etienne to Dallas Cowboys
It’s no secret that the Cowboys are thin at running back. The combination of Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott has produced the worst rushing offense in the league. Their yards per carry and overall yards are dead last in the NFL. That’s where Etienne comes in.
He’s expendable with the emergence of Tank Bigsby in Jacksonville. Etienne has one year left on his rookie contract worth just over $6 million next season. The Cowboys could likely get Etienne for a late-round pick and redo his deal for a few seasons to lower his annual salary. This gives them stability going forward, along with someone reliable for this season.
For fantasy, this would greatly improve Etienne’s stock as he would be a three-down back in Big D. It wouldn’t be hard to push Zeke and Uncle Rico aside on an offense dying for anyone with a pulse to step up. It would also elevate Bigsby to an every-week starter in fantasy, as he’s run for 75 or more yards in four of his last five games.
2] Adam Thielen to Houston Texans
With Stefon Diggs going down with a season-ending ACL injury, there’s an opportunity for someone to step up in Houston. So far, nobody has come close. Nico Collins is set to return in two weeks from his IR stint.
Pairing Thielen alongside Collins and Tank Dell would give the Texans a more well-rounded receiver room for the NFL playoff push. Thielen himself is recovering from a hamstring injury. His contract isn’t terrible, either. He has zero guaranteed money for 2024, which means the Texans can cut him without penalty in the offseason.
3] Chuba Hubbard to Las Vegas Raiders
Hubbard is on an expiring rookie contract and isn’t likely in the long-term plans for Carolina. The Panthers spent a second-round pick on Jonathon Brooks in April’s draft. Hubbard would instantly be an upgrade over Alexander Mattison and Zamir White. It’s likely a market-level deal could also keep Hubbard in Vegas for the foreseeable future as their starter. It’s unlikely a 2-6 team makes a move for a player, but then again, these are the Raiders we’re talking about.
4] Tee Higgins to Denver Broncos
The disgruntled Bengals receiver is set to be a free agent this NFL offseason. It would be a coup for Denver to trade for him and sign him to an extension before he hits the open market. This Broncos offense needs playmakers, and acquiring Higgins in his prime will greatly help their rookie quarterback, Bo Nix.
Denver is flush with cash next season and will need to play with some numbers to accommodate the move for the remainder of this year.
5] Tyreek Hill to Pittsburgh Steelers
With one year left on his contract (the contract is until 2026, but there's a potential out after 2025), the speedy Hill could be the move to help get the Steelers over the top this NFL season. With the only real threat on the outside being George Pickens, defensive coordinators are game-planning to shut down the Steelers' lone threat.
Adding Hill’s speed would unlock this offense in ways you’d never imagine. Now, I don’t like Steelers OC Arthur Smith at all. That said, this team is desperate for explosive plays, and nobody can provide that more than Hill.
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