Favre Trade Changes The Fantasy Picture…

August 7, 2008 at 12:26 am | Article by Paul Hickey |

In our second mid-week special edition of the Stock Market Report, the trade that we predicted - Brett Favre to the Jets - has rocked the face of fantasy football in many ways. Had he been dealt to Tampa Bay, it really wouldn’t have made as big of an impact, but check out what one of the best QBs of all time moving to the Big Apple does…

Rising - Brett Favre, Jets QB - We have to start with the man who started it all. The 38 year old Favre will be the clear cut starter in New York, and will be welcomed by players, coaches and fans alike. The QB spot has been a sore one for Eric Mangini’s ball club, and now they have one of the best signal callers of all time in Favre. He will play, and unless the Madden Curse hits him, he’ll be a legit QB1 in all 12 team leagues in 2008. Hey, he may even have dynasty value if he decides to commit to more than one season - but what does his word mean now anyway?

Rising - Laveranues Coles, Jets WR - The next logical player to benefit directly from Favre’s arrival will be Jets number one WR Laveranues Coles. The 30 year old veteran will be fully healthy for the start of the regular season, and ready to resume his role as the Jets’ top possession man. Due to the fact that Favre is one of the best ever at throwing accurate, short, and intermediate possession routes, Coles could be in for 90-100 catches if he stays on the field all year.

Rising - Jerricho Cotchery, Jets WR - The 26 year old underrated pass catcher from North Carolina State has hauled in 82 balls in each of his last two seasons, and will be a solid possession man and deep threat for Favre. He’s a mix between a Donald Driver and a Greg Jennings, so expect solid chemistry between the new QB and Cotch. He’s now worthy of consideration in round 6 and should be gone by round 8 of all seasonal drafts.

Rising - Dustin Keller, Jets TE - The Jets invested a first round draft pick in speedy pass catching TE Dustin Keller out of Purdue. He’s been compared to Kellen Winslow and Dallas Clark because he’s more like a WR than a TE, and now he has a top notch QB to find him. He’s a rookie, so don’t expect too much, but dynasty and keeper owners should target him now. Bubba Franks - a former teammate of Favre’s - and Chris Baker - who is currently atop the team’s TE depth chart - also benefit from this move.

Falling - Chad Pennington & Kellen Clemens, Jets QBs - Well, Pennington should be released soon, and he’s reportedly had his bags packed for quite some time anyway. Clemens will become “the next Aaron Rodgers” in that he is now Favre’s new understudy.

Rising - Aaron Rodgers, Packers QB - There’s now no doubt that he is truly the man in Green Bay, and their offense is not too shabby. Rodgers is a very solid sleeper QB2 in all formats - especially dynasty leagues.