The Cleveland Browns' trade of Trent Richardson on Wednesday to the Indianapolis Colts came as a surprise - especially to fantasy football owners. In light of Richardson moving from a team's top option to an option behind a top quarterback, is his fantasy value helped or hurt?
It's not only helped, it's saved.
Richardson battled injuries during his rookie campaign, but still managed to rush for 950 yards and 11 touchdowns. He finished the season ranked as the No. 11 running back in ESPN's fantasy football (standard scoring) with 188 points.
In the two regular season games this year, Richardson has rushed only 31 times for 105 yards and zero touchdowns. The chances of having a great season didn't look promising behind the Brown's ineffective offensive line, either.
Indianapolis desperately needed a running game. With quarterback Andrew Luck under center, it's doubtful the Colts will become a running team. Still, Richardson's numbers should benefit from the move. While his number of touches is likely to decrease, his gains should increase.
First, Indianapolis has a better offensive line than Cleveland.
Second, the Colts' passing attack is a threat with Luck under center - defenses will get burned if they load the box to stifle the run game. Defenses will have to play the run game honestly, something they didn't have to do against Richardson in Cleveland, and it should open up bigger holes for him to gain more yards.
Third, Luck can effectively move the offense down the field and into scoring position, where Richardson's physicality makes him a goal-line option for scoring.
Finally, having a passing game that decreases Richardson's number of carries should give the running back a better chance of staying healthy through the season.
The trade is a boon for Richardson fantasy owners.
My projection: 1100 rushing yards, 250 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
