As if having the NFL Draft this week wasn’t fun enough, Rob Gronkowski decided to make a run-of-the-mill Tuesday into a major event by essentially forcing the Patriots to trade him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so he can play with his old pal Tom Brady again. This is huge news, no doubt, but what does this mean for those of us who play in dynasty leagues? Other than the obvious run to the waiver wire in your league to check if Gronkowski is still available, let’s take a quick look at how this Gronkowski trade affects fantasy values both in New England and Tampa Bay.
Rob Gronkowski Traded to the Buccaneers
What is the fantasy effect in Tampa Bay?
At first glance, this trade is a huge positive for Tampa Bay. Obviously, the connection between Brady and Gronkowski is one of the best we’ve ever seen, so there isn’t much of a need for practice or preseason to get them up to speed with each other. However, Gronkowski did lose some weight since he left the league, and has ventured into a lot of different things outside of football. Therefore, I would be more concerned with Gronkowski’s physical and mental abilities as well as the need to get back up to speed as opposed to the two players needing to get back in sync. The good news is that a lot of that preparation can be done away from the football field over the coming months.
This trade initially downgrades Chris Godwin and Mike Evans a little bit for me, since Gronkowski will almost definitely get more targets than the current tight ends on the team. However, overall I doubt it affects them all that much when it comes to the bigger picture. If you own either of them in dynasty, I wouldn’t go selling them for peanuts. In contrast, if you’ve been eyeing them, then now might be a good time to enquire about their asking price in case their owners are panicking after hearing the news. You never know, you might be able to pull off a trade at a discount.
This trade also makes it more likely that OJ Howard gets moved before the season starts, maybe even within the next week or two, as the draft is a great time for teams to make moves. In an article I wrote recently, I mentioned that Leonard Fournette could be traded to the Bucs in exchange for OJ Howard. With the Bucs now adding a potential Hall of Famer in Gronkowski, this trade would make even more sense for both teams. It would also increase Howard’s value from next to nothing to something at least roster worthy.
Lastly, this trade definitely helps the dynasty value of the ageless wonder: Tom Brady. Before he signed with the Bucs, his value was about as low as it could be. Once he switched teams, his stock showed signs of life again. Now, with his old partner Gronkowski by his side, it’s very likely that he becomes a top-12 fantasy option for 2020. In Superflex leagues, you were already going to have to overpay for him, but now Brady might cost you a first-round rookie pick. Probably not worth the price unless you’re desperate.
What is the fantasy effect in New England?
The Patriots weren’t expecting to have Gronkowski on the field this year, even though he’s flirted with it a few times, and once Brady left, it was definitely off the table. Therefore, this trade is also a huge positive for New England as well. They upgraded from a seventh-round pick to a fourth in the trade, allowing them to add a better player to their rebuilding roster, and it barely cost them anything since they weren’t expecting to have Gronkowski back anyway. In terms of fantasy, though, this trade doesn’t really have an impact at all, since Gronkowski was already expected to spend 2020 on the couch.
Stay tuned to PFN for any updates on how this Gronkowski trade affects fantasy values across the league, and let us know on Twitter if you are one of the ones who held on to him even though he was retired.
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Andrew Hall is a writer for PFN covering Fantasy Football. You can follow him on Twitter: @AndrewHallFF.