Our LBXII and LBXI champions linked up for a blockbuster involving a pair of (oft-injured) first round running backs! With the teams combining for a 3-9 record through six weeks, this deal has a chance to jumpstart (or doom) either season.
PAWNEE ACQUIRES: RB SAQUON BARKLEY & WR DEEBO SAMUEL
NEW JERSEY ACQUIRES: RB DALVIN COOK, RB ALEXANDER MATTISON, & WR MICHAEL THOMAS
At 1-5 the Pride are in the more immediate bind and decided that they could wait no longer for Michael Thomas' eventual return. Deebo Samuel is an immediate playmaker who should slot into a starting lineup on a team that boasts six quality receivers (when healthy) with the bonus that Deebo, unlike the other five options, has already had his bye week. In Saquon Pawnee is taking a major gamble- if his injury lingers or is exacerbated the depth at running back is not nearly as impressive, especially with Chris Carson on the shelf. That said, if Saquon can get back to premier form in week seven, you can squint your eyes at this roster and see a team capable of reeling off seven straight wins with a little bit of luck.
Jersey's straits are not as dire as Pawnee's but only just so; they will still need to win five or six times over the next seven weeks. Getting the Dalvin Cook/Alexander Mattison combination is a safeguard they lacked with Saquon, and with the Vikes on bye this week the Crew should be able to get by with a healthy Josh Jacobs and another week of Khalil Herbert at bellcow.
The tradeoff here is that without Deebo, Jersey has to thrust Nelson Agholor or Zach Pascal (or, when healthy, Darius Slayton) into the flex position until Thomas can return to the field. None of the three players has produced a double digit score in over a month, and with Hollywood Brown and DK Metcalf set for upcoming bye weeks in games 8 and 9 respectively, that will further stretch a talent strapped receiving corps... but that's a tomorrow problem!
With today's deal will we see the floodgates open on the trade market? With the trade deadline set for November 20th, we have a month left to see teams torn their excess into gains.
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