Fantasy Football Trade Impact: Randall Cobb Reunites With Packers & Aaron Rodgers
Folks, The soap opera is finally over. Aaron Rodgers has agreed to return to the Green Bay Packers for his 17th NFL season. The move means he’ll return to being one of the top five or six quarterbacks selected in 2021 fantasy football drafts (he was the QB2 last season), and it keeps Davante Adams atop the list of the elite fantasy wide receivers.
The return of Rodgers is also good news for Aaron Jones, who has been a top-five running back in each of the last two seasons, not to mention 2020 breakout Robert Tonyan (though I would argue that regression is still coming for the veteran tight end). However, it does put a cap on the ceiling of A.J. Dillon, who might have seen a bigger role as a ball carrier if Jordan Love were under center. He's still mostly as RB4 in drafts.
Part of Rodgers's return was predicated on the acquisition of his pal, Randall Cobb, from the Texans. That move was confirmed earlier today (according to reports, Cobb was acquired in exchange for a sixth-round selection), and it certainly shakes things up from a fantasy perspective. Remember, Cobb was the WR8 with Rodgers throwing him the ball in 2014. He was the WR25 the following season before falling off the radar in his final three years with the Pack. Still, he has a great rapport with Rodgers.
Also, Rodgers wanted him back, so he's going to throw him the football.
I wouldn't expect massive totals in an offense with many mouths to feed, but I can see drafting Cobb as a WR4/WR5 who could bring back WR3 value in some weeks. His presence in the offense puts a huge damper on rookie Amari Rodgers, who might have seen more work as a slot man before the trade. I'd also drop Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, neither of whom will warrant more than a late flier at best in drafts.
In Houston, the Texans now have one of the ugliest wide receiver groups in the league. Brandin Cooks will remain on the WR3 radar because he’s going to get a ton of targets. We’re just not sure who will be throwing him the football at this point. Behind Cooks, the duo of Anthony Miller (newly acquired from Chicago) and Nico Collins will have WR5 value in the late rounds on a team that could be facing deficits all year long.
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Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business!
