Fantasy Football Impact: Percy Harvin Traded To the New York Jets

By Brad Berreman @bradberreman24 on October 17, 2014

In what qualifies as a surprising move, at least on the surface, the Seattle Seahawks traded wide receiver Percy Harvin to the New York Jets for a conditional mid-round draft pick on Friday afternoon. Leaving aside any issues he may have had with teammates, Harvin just hasn’t been very productive this season (22 receptions for 133 yards, 11 carries for 92 yards and one touchdown) and things reached a low in Week 6 when he had negative yardage on six touches against the Dallas Cowboys. Add in a lingering thigh issue that had him listed as questionable prior to being dealt on Friday, and the Seahawks chose to cut bait before things got worse.

Leaving aside my personal dislike for Harvin’s professionalism, I’ll try and determine the fantasy impact of the trade from both sides. Starting with Harvin in his new home, of course.

The talent around Harvin will not be as good in New York, but the likelihood of an increased role helps reduces whatever risk that may be attached to that. The Jets do deploy the Wildcat once in awhile, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Harvin used frequently as a runner. Overall, assuming he stays healthy, Harvin is still a boom-or-bust WR2 for fantasy owners over the rest of this season.

The two Jets who are likely to be impacted positively by Harvin’s presence are quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver Eric Decker. Smith will have another weapon at his disposal, while Decker should benefit from defensive attention having to be focused elsewhere. Smith could emerge as a viable QB2 and bye week fill-in going forward, while Decker is looking like a solid WR2 with nice upside in favorable matchups.

Running back Chris Johnson may lose some snaps and touches to Harvin in some very specific situations, but otherwise no other Jets’ player should be impacted greatly by the team’s new acquisition.

On the Seattle side, Doug Baldwin will now become the team’s No. 1 wide receiver with Jermaine Kearse also moving into a more prominent role. Baldwin is worth adding in 12 and 14-team leagues, and I like his potential in PPR leagues over the rest of the season. Kearse is averaging 15.3 yards per catch this season, but he is only worth adding in very deep leagues.

Ricardo Lockette and rookie Paul Richardson may now see more opportunities after being bumped up a notch on Seattle’s wide receiver depth chart. Lockette has two touchdowns among his four catches this season, but Richardson is the more intriguing player from a fantasy perspective and belongs on waiver wire watch lists now.

Seahawks’ offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has acknowledged he has to do a better job getting running back Marshawn Lynch, who has just 27 carries over the last two games, more involved. With Harvin gone Lynch should now become the clear centerpiece of Seattle’s offense, and his role as a pass receiver could grow (14 receptions for 127 yards and three touchdowns this season).

Harvin’s absence should not have a substantial affect on quarterback Russell Wilson, since his fantasy value is driven by efficiency as a passer and a runner with or without great talent around him. If you’ve been using Wilson as a low-end QB1 thus far, continuing to do so will not hamper your championship hopes. On the flip side, if the owner that has Wilson in your league is now looking to deal him for some reason there may be an opportunity to buy low.

Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Connect with him on Google +.