Carson Wentz is back in the NFC East. This time, he’s suiting up for the Washington Commanders. Washington sent a few picks to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the veteran quarterback in the latest major news surrounding a signal caller. Our analysts take a look at how the deal impacts everyone involved.
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And don’t miss the rest of our takeaways from all of the recent news:
- Russell Wilson Trade
- Calvin Ridley Suspension
- Aaron Rodgers Contract Extension
- Mike Williams Contract Extension
- NFL Franchise Tag Reactions
The Fantasy Football Impact on the Commanders
Trading for Carson Wentz wasn’t Washington’s top option, but they had to make a move in a veteran quarterback market that is quickly drying up. And although it’s hard to admit after Wentz’s poor showing down the stretch, he is a massive upgrade for all the WFT skill players.
He has shown a track record of sustaining fantasy viable weapons – most notably Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. from a season ago. His 27 passing touchdowns, 7 interceptions, and 67.9 PFF passing grade are miles better than Washington’s 20 passing touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and 58.3 PFF passing grade in 2021.
Wentz’s six top-10 weekly fantasy finishes last season were equal or better to that of Derek Carr and Ryan Tannehill.
Simply put: Wentz landing in the nation’s capital won’t raise headlines like Russell Wilson landing in Denver, but him being their quarterback is going to boost the fantasy value of Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson, and Logan Thomas. But because the entire world believes Wentz is hot garbage, their ADPs will likely still remain too low. Take the value to the bank.
– Andrew Erickson
The Fantasy Football Impact on the Colts
Indianapolis needs to find a new quarterback, most likely through the veteran trade/FA market. Whoever ends up there doesn’t have a massive performance bar to pass based on Wentz’s overall lackluster 2021 campaign, but they need to be competent for drafters looking to invest high-draft capital into Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. Landing Jameis Winston would be a fantasy upgrade, whereas Jimmy Garoppolo, Teddy Bridgewater, Marcus Mariota, or Mitchell Trubisky would be lateral moves at best.
Winston finished 2021 with the league’s sixth-highest passer rating (102.8) and the lowest turnover-worthy play rate (3%) of his career.
Would love to see him dropping bombs down to Pittman.
– Andrew Erickson
Redraft Outlook for Carson Wentz
In 2019, Carson Wentz was the only QB1 to throw a passing TD in every single game. He’s gone from a pillar of stability to his third team in three years. There was once optimism that a reunion with Frank Reich would bring Wentz back into fantasy relevance, and after a slow start to the season, Wentz appeared poised for a return to form. After Week 12’s 300-yard game versus the Bucs, Wetz would top 200 yards just once and throw for just 6 TDs over his final 5 games.
The Colts were a run-heavy offense with good reason and lacked depth at the WR position. With Washington, he has arguably the best WR he’s played with in Terry McLaurin since a healthy Alshon Jeffrey back in the day (which was a rarity). The Commanders also have a potential star in Antonio Gibson and a TE in Logan Thomas that’s shown fantasy flashes. The bottom line is, this move to Washington feels like another summer of cautious optimism. He’s a theoretical improvement over Taylor Heinicke, but not a substantial one. Wentz remains a back-end QB2 for superflex, but is best suited as a bench QB in that format.
– Joe Pisapia
Wentz’s Dynasty Outlook
This move for Carson Wentz is a push for his dynasty and redraft value. Wentz is currently my QB24 in dynasty without factoring rookies into the equation. Last season Washington deployed a run-balanced offense with a 45% neutral rushing rate (15th). As the Colts discovered last season and the Commanders will soon learn, Wentz should only be asked to manage games at this point. If you can put Wentz on the trade block and move him for a second-round rookie pick (in Superflex) or part of a larger trade, I would be doing so immediately. There’s usually one Wentz truther per league. Go seek them out, now.
– Derek Brown
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