The Tennessee Titans made a big splash Tuesday, trading embattled wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham to the Philadelphia Eagles for backup offensive lineman Dennis Kelly. It comes as a complete shock since Green-Beckham was Tennessee’s second-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, but they’ve opted to pull the plug after just one year.
Fantasy impact of Titans trading Dorial Green-Beckham to Eagles
Wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham moves to Philadelphia after a rough start to his NFL career in Tennessee. We break down the fantasy implications.
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The Eagles, meanwhile, are not happy with their current group of receivers, so it wasn’t a surprise to see them add another one. Even though Kelly was a good swing lineman, getting a guy who was taken in the second round one year ago at a position of need is a good move for Philly.
As a rookie, Green-Beckham caught 32 passes for 549 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games. He improved as the season wore on and looked primed to be Tennessee’s No. 1 receiver in 2016.
Green-Beckham has the tools to be a big-time receiver in the NFL, but his attitude, off-the-field problems and work ethic issues, which date back to college, had the Titans ready to move on.
Fantasy Spin: If Green-Beckham can use this trade as a wake-up call and get his head on straight, he could be a significant player in the Eagles offense. He is already in line for a lot of preseason reps, with Jordan Matthews sidelined by a knee injury, which will keep the latter out of Thursday’s preseason matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This trade could also indicate the Eagles aren’t optimistic about Matthews’ recovery timetable. The reported bone bruise in his knee is projected to sideline Matthews two to four weeks. Making a big splash to get another receiver might suggest the latter is more likely. That puts him in danger of missing Week 1 of the regular season against the Cleveland Browns. Matthews is falling into WR3 range after being drafted like a WR1 before his injury.
This trade could also be bad news for Nelson Agholor. After a disastrous rookie season, Agholor hasn’t impressed much in camp thus far. He now has another talented receiver to challenge him for playing time. He’s not worth drafting at this time.
As for the Titans, this is great news for Kendall Wright, Andre Johnson, Tajae Sharpe, Justin Hunter, and Rishard Matthews. They’re all going undrafted in most fantasy leagues with Wright and Matthews having some late-round buzz. Both are still only worth a flyer towards the end of your draft until one of them steps up and takes over the No. 1 receiver role.
