Houshmandzadeh to Seahawks, Fantasy Football Implications

The Seattle Seahawks got some much-needed help at their wide receiver position when they agreed with T.J. Houshmandzadeh on a five year deal earlier this week. They also left the Bengals short on proven talent among their pass-catchers, prompting the team to quickly lure the next best free agent receiver, Laveranues Coles, away from the Jets. After such a flurry of activity, it's always a good idea for all fantasy footballers who are paying attention to take a quick pause and quickly form some judgements about the values of the players involved. With the rookie draft coming up, these moves will be put on the back burner for a while, but for now at least it's worth discussing.

First, I'd like to discuss the impact that this move will have on Houshmandzadeh's production next year. Housh has his share of fans in any given fantasy league, so there will probably be plenty of leagues where he will be snatched up in the first few rounds, but my feeling so far is that most of the fantasy gurus will be kicking his value down a notch after this trade. There are plenty of reasons to doubt a 31 year old receiver coming off one of his worst seasons, moving across the country, and catching passes from a recently banged-up quarterback who's even older than he is. Watch his value closely as your draft approaches, and if it looks like he's slipping in some people's minds, take advantage. Last year was a horrible year for everyone on the Bengal's offense, and the fact that Housh was still able to average 60 yards a game and catch over 90 passes speaks volumes about his resiliency. He is one of the most consistent receivers in the NFL right now, and it's because he always works hard and rarely makes mistakes. Those are aspects of his character that won't change with his uniform, and I just can't see him having any problems focusing on mastering a new playbook and putting up a great effort every week. Also, his supporting cast in Seattle isn't going to be as bad as some people think. Matt Hasselbeck is reportedly healthy now, and he has done a fine job in the past with much worse receivers than Houshmandzadeh. He should be able to do a decent Carson Palmer impression, especially with a rejuvinated Deion Branch on the other side of the field and tight end John Carlson grabbing everything in sight over the middle. Seattle's offensive line and running game have seen better days, but they are certainly no worse than the Bengals in recent years. Even the Seahawks backup quarterback, Seneca Wallace, is a much better option than the quarterbacks Housh was working with last year in Cincinnati. I see Houshmandzadeh as a very good second wide receiver for your fantasy team. His upside is limited, so don't go and rank him any higher than before, but I think a lot of teams will benefit from spending a fourth round pick on him if he falls a little bit. I also like Hasselbeck's chances of rebounding this year with new and healthier talent around him, and I think he will be a steal as a mid-to-late round quarterback. I'd pencil him in as a starter on any team after loading up on some running backs and receivers in the early rounds.

In Cincinnati, I still like Carson Palmer's chances of a full recovery to his old self. Last year was a lost cause when he couldn't get his elbow healthy, but he is still only 29 years old and has been a top-5 fantasy quarterback before. It won't be necessary to draft him that high this year, but he's still starter quality, so keep that in mind when he's still available halfway through your draft. With a healthy Palmer and Chad Ocho Cinco, the Bengals offense should make at least a modest comeback next year and Palmer will be at the head of it all. Laveranues Coles will be filling in for Houshmandzadeh, and his abilities as a dependable target across from the flashier Ocho Cinco will be similar to his predecessor. Coles no longer has much big-play ability, so I wouldn't want to start him all year, but he's such a reliable third or fourth wideout that you may not even need to bother with any other backups. Number 85 needs to start looking more like Chad Johnson and less like Ocho Stinko if he is ever going to be a fantasy force again. He is officially a thirty-something now, so there's no guarantee that he will make a return to his glory days, but last year's drop off was due to injuries and probably not as severe as it appeared. Although he was never really as consistent as some other stud WRs, he is still regarded as the Bengal's biggest offensive threat, and he will be given every opportunity to prove that he still has some gas in the tank. If your league is crowded with the inevitable doubters who let him slip past the first couple rounds, don't leave him hanging, go ahead and hope Chad returns to oh, ocho cinco percent of what he once was. Even that will be good enough to justify starting him while he racks up some serious yardage every other week and explodes for three touchdowns someday in November.