Breaking down the fantasy impact of this offseason’s wide receiver moves

There haven’t been a ton of big name pass catchers changing teams this offseason, but we have seen a couple blockbuster trades from teams hoping to drastically improve their receiving corps. While Michael Thomas was the only receiver to finish as a top 10 fantasy player regardless of position in 2019, having elite targets at your disposal can make a huge difference. Let’s go over the most relevant wide receiver moves of the offseason and what it means for fantasy football.

DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals (from Houston Texans)

Some argue that Hopkins is the best pass catcher in the NFL, which made his trade from the Texans to the Cardinals this offseason surprising. He has consistently been a top-notch fantasy player despite having had 10 different quarterbacks throw to him since he entered the NFL in 2013. He isn’t getting a quarterback upgrade by moving from Deshaun Watson to Kyler Murray, but he should be the top target from Week 1 forward in 2020. It’s hard to say what Hopkins’ ceiling will be, but the top 10 is within reach if he clicks with Murray.

Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills (from Minnesota Vikings)

The Bills forked up a ton of assets to acquire Diggs from the Vikings this offseason. He was 10th in PPR leagues in 2018 but was outside the top 15 in all formats last year. It’s clear that Buffalo intends to make him the top option alongside John Brown and Cole Beasley. Josh Allen’s accuracy is still developing, and he ranked 24th in passing touchdown’s (20) by the end of his sophomore season. It could be difficult for Diggs to compete in Buffalo’s offense with the stats of the league’s elite wideouts

Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans (from Los Angeles Rams)

Cooks snapped his streak of four straight 1,000-yard season’s last year with the Rams, but now he’s looking to bolster the receiving corps of a Texans team that is trying to replace Hopkins. Cooks fell just outside the top 10 in standard and PPR leagues in his best season with the New Orleans Saints in 2015 and finished around the same spot in 2019. If the oft-injured Will Fuller has trouble staying on the field, Cooks could reclaim top-15 status after finishing outside the top 50 in 2019.

Randall Cobb, Houston Texans (from Dallas Cowboys)

Cobb was one of the best slot receivers in the NFL last season while playing alongside Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup with the Cowboys. The Texans don’t have a definitive head honcho in their receiving corps after trading DeAndre Hopkins. Cobb was a top 50 fantasy wideout in all formats while competing with two 1,000-yard receivers in 2019 and could climb higher if surrounded by a less talented group.

Emmanuel Sanders, New Orleans Saints (from San Francisco 49ers)

The 49ers traded for Sanders last year to bolster their receiving corps, and he was just about even with Deebo Samuel. He hovered around 30th in standard and PPR leagues in 2019 and will join a Saints team that’s led by Drew Brees and Michael Thomas on the offensive end. Sanders will play second fiddle to Thomas in 2020 and should see his stats drop significantly, as Thomas racks up a massive amount of targets and has tremendous chemistry with Brees.

Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers (from New York Jets)

Anderson has fallen off since his breakout year in 2017 but could get back on track as a member of the Panthers. The speedster hasn’t had a lot of consistency at the quarterback position and has caught passes from Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh McCown, and Sam Darnold over the course of his pro career. Teddy Bridgewater could very well be the best signal caller he’s played with so far, but Anderson likely won’t be the go-to guy in Carolina. D.J. Moore is expected to lead the receiving corps and Curtis Samuel has blazing speed as well. It’ll be hard for Anderson to become a top 20 fantasy wideout with this talent around him unless he claims the top spot from Moore.

Breshad Perriman, New York Jets (from Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Perriman was ridiculous in the last four weeks of 2019. The wideout tallied five touchdown receptions in the last quarter of the season and crossed the century mark in the last three games of the year. He’ll join a Jets team that Jamison Crowder led in receiving yards last year and has a chance to build on the career year he had with the Buccaneers.

Marqise Lee, New England Patriots (from Jacksonville Jaguars)

Lee’s last season was ended prematurely because of a knee injury. The former Jaguars receiver is one of the latest in a string of cheap pass catchers the Patriots hope to make useful. Can he be productive without Tom Brady under center? It isn’t clear yet whether Cam Newton or Jarrett Stidham will start in 2020, so the ceiling for a player who didn’t even crack the top 40 in his best year isn’t high.

Ted Ginn Jr., Chicago Bears (from New Orleans Saints)

Ginn has parted ways with the Saints to join the Bears ahead of the 2020 season. His speed gives him big play potential, but he’s known for his bad habit of dropping passes in critical moments. There’s uncertainty surrounding Chicago’s quarterback situation, as Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky will battle it out for a starting spot. A lack of consistency could make it hard for 35-year-old Ginn to establish a role while competing with Allen Robinson and other young talent. Ginn cracked the top 25 in standard leagues once, but that was in 2015 with the MVP Cam Newton.