Terms of the Deal
The Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns have inked a deal to send Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a conditional 5th-Round draft pick. The pick is dependent on Mayfield’s playing time in 2022. The two sides were able to agree to the deal because the teams will split the money owed to Mayfield in 2022.
The icing on the cake? The Browns take on the Panthers in Week 1 in Carolina.
Rumors
Mayfield had been rumored to be on the trading block for months after leading the Browns to only a single winning season after being drafted as the first overall pick back in 2018. Despite an inability to propel the lowly Browns to wins, Mayfield had three seasons of statistical success throwing for over 3,500+ yards and 22 touchdowns in each of the 2018-2020 seasons. His 2021 season was riddled with injuries however he still amassed over 3,000 yards along with 17 touchdowns.
Fantasy Impact: Carolina Panthers
The Panthers now have the first and second-drafted quarterbacks from the 2018 draft class and what could be a quarterback competition between Mayfield and Sam Darnold. Darnold has been less than impressive in his tenure as a New York Jet and even less so as the starter for the Panthers in 2021. Despite starting off hot last year, Darnold fell off quickly and it’s been rough ever since.
Mayfield could provide a boost to a pedestrian Panthers passing game with his gunslinger mentality. DJ Moore stands to most to gain from this as the Panthers’ top receiver but a resurgence for veteran wideout Robbie Anderson or the emergence of second-year receiver Terrace Marshall could also be possible with Mayfield under center.
Christian McCaffrey isn’t phased by the addition of Mayfield who was able to support two top-12 finishes for his pass-catching back Kareem Hunt while in Cleveland.
Fantasy Impact: Cleveland Browns
The Browns are placing all of their chips in with Deshaun Watson along with his legal battles. A Watson suspension (the NFL is pushing for a minimum of one year) could end up leaving the Browns with Jacoby Brissett or Joshua Dobbs as the starting quarterback. This makes all of the Browns’ skilled players fantasy risks.
Atop of the list is veteran wideout Amari Cooper, recently acquired from the Dallas Cowboys, who has never finished worse than WR34 in his seven years in the NFL. This will be the year he finishes worse than a WR3 if Watson doesn’t play. Watson not playing also spells trouble for people expecting Donovan Peoples-Jones to take the next step in his third year as well as for rookie David Bell who was viewed by many as a steal in the second round of dynasty rookies drafts early in the drafting season.
Nick Chubb’s fantasy value is the most insulated as he will be leaned upon more without Watson. This will increase his volume at the expense of efficiency but should keep him in the RB1/RB2 conversation.
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