With the trade deadline ending today (Tuesday), we really didn't hear a lot of noise coming from the NFL. Usually teams stay pretty quiet, despite all the rumors and hearsay from the major sports outlets.
The one trade that did happen wasn't groundbreaking, but it didn't make some noise in the fantasy world. The Broncos traded Brandon Lloyd to the Rams for a conditional pick in the 2012 draft. Like I said, it wasn't Earth shattering, but it will still put a mark on fantasy football. Below are some of the players affected by the move.
Brandon Lloyd - Obviously, the first player who is affected is Lloyd himself. In 2010, Lloyd WAS the Broncos' passing game, racking up 77 catches for 1448 yards and 11 touchdowns. McDaniels was able to get the most out of Lloyd, who had a pretty dismal career playing in San Francisco, Washington and Chicago. Now that Lloyd is reunited with McDaniels in St. Louis, expect Lloyd to be the go-to guy for Sam Bradford. The move will only increase Lloyd's fantasy value going forward.
Mike Sims-Walker - The Lloyd trade allowed the team to release Sims-Walker only a few hours later. Many had Sims-Walker as a bounce-back candidate coming from Jacksonville. But outside of his 6 catch/92 yard performance against the Giants in Week 2, MSW was a dud. He should get a look somewhere else, but his fantasy value is all but shot at this point.
Eric Decker - With Lloyd gone, Decker should see an increase in targets with Tim Tebow at the helm. He may not have done much after Tebow spelled Kyle Orton. But with a bye week to become familiar with each other and gain chemistry, Decker should be a strong WR3/Flex option for the rest of the year.
Demaryius Thomas - Thomas will get first crack at Lloyd's old starting job. Coming off an Achilles and finger injury, Thomas is expected to play Week 7. He has shown ability in the past as a strong receiving option, but injuries will always be cause for concern. However, the talent is worth the risk if you need receiver help.
Danario Alexander/Brandon Gibson - With Lloyd solidified at one spot, I don't know what the team plans to do on the other side. Alexander showed promise, once again, in Week 6. But I'm not sure if the team thinks they can count on him as a full-time option given his prior knee injuries. We may see a time share with Alexander and Gibson getting a snap count. Greg Salas will be the team's slot guy after seeing 10 targets against the Packers.