A year after trading up to select Trent Richardson with the 3rd pick of the draft, Cleveland trades him away for a future first-rounder. What the heck? Ian Allan looks at the fantasy ramifications.
They're called win-win trades, right?
That's what this one looks like. The Colts get a running back who could help them overcome Houston in the AFC South, and at the cost of only a 2014 first-round pick. That probably will fall somewhere in the range of 16th to 26th in next year's draft. That's a win.
The Browns, on the other hand, can see that they're not going anywhere. At the very best, they'd finish 3rd in the AFC North (if they can sneak by Pittsburgh). Richardson is a high-contact runner who will never stay healthy for long and isn't going to have a long career. Why not move him now while he still has some value? You can see the logic in it.
The deal comes only 17 months after the Browns traded away some later round picks to move up one spot to get Richardson. What changed?
Well, that was a previous regime. The new group, with general manager Mike Lombardi, doesn't think building around a high-contact running back is the way to go. Cleveland wants to select a franchise quarterback -- a Luck-Kaepernick-Wilson-Griffin kind of guy -- and the extra first-round pick could make that more possible.
FANTASY BREAKDOWN
Trent Richardson
Neutral. His value should remain similar. He probably won't get as many carries (the Colts pass more and will spell him more) but he's playing on a much better team. He'll score more touchdowns. Playing on turf is a slight concern, given his durability issues.
Ahmad Bradshaw
Loser. Was a starting running back for less than a week. Now he's a handcuff again. Should see some change-of-pace work.
Willis McGahee
Winner. He'll likely be the starter in Cleveland. They're bringing him in for a physical. They'll sign him, and he'll be their guy. But he's unlikely to make much of an impact there. The Browns have a few nice blockers, but they haven't really put anything together. Richardson (and this is remarkable) averaged under 4 yards per carry in 12 of his 17 games with the team.
Andrew Luck
Neutral. He's got another weapon to work with, but he's numbers won't necessarily improve or decline. Maybe the team runs a little more, but it should have more overall success (and Richardson might help slow down opposing pass rushes).
Brandon Weeden
Loser. His tenure in Cleveland, apparently, is going to be only slightly longer than Richardson's. The Browns in the preseason for just a little while looked capable of maybe making a run at .500. Now they look like an also-ran type team -- down with the likes of the Raiders and Jaguars.
Bobby Rainey
Winner. Likely will get to start at tailback on Sunday in Minnesota. If not Rainey, then it will be Chris Ogbonnaya (or, more likely, a combination of both). McGahee will be 32 next month, so the Browns likely will need another player to start some games before the year is through.
2013 Browns fans
Loser. Let's see, I ponied up $475 for season tickets. They really only had one player I want to see -- Richardson. Now what? Hope that Jordan Cameron keeps up his hot streak, I guess.
Jim Brown
Winner. Remember how everyone unloaded on Brown when he suggested that Richardson looked ordinary? Was written off as a crazy old man. Brown's looking a lot better now.