The trade everyone has been waiting for has finally happened. The Cleveland Browns are trading QB Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional 2024 fifth-round draft pick. After trading for Sam Darnold last spring and drafting Matt Corral in the third round this spring, the Panthers trade for a former No. 1 overall in Mayfield.
Our analysts are here to break down the fantasy football implications of the news.
Baker Mayfield traded to Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are acquiring former QB Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns for a 2024 conditional fifth-round draft pick, according to multiple reports. (Ian Rapoport on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact:
Mayfield has been the subject of trade rumors for several months, and the Panthers were always one of the landing spots that made the most sense. Matt Rhule is coaching for his job in Carolina, and a quarterback room that consisted of Sam Darnold, rookie third-round pick Matt Corral, and P.J. Walker does not inspire confidence. Mayfield is coming off a disappointing 2021 season himself, but he was also playing through a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder for much of the year. He’ll step in as the immediate starter for the Panthers, while Jacoby Brissett is the presumed starter for the Browns if Deshaun Watson is suspended before the beginning of the season. Oh, and the Browns play the Panthers in Carolina in Week 1 to kick off the 2022 season.
– Mike Maher
Last season before Baker Mayfield reinjured the partially torn labrum in his left shoulder (Weeks 1-5), he was on his way to a solid if not underrated season in Cleveland. While he was on QB23 in fantasy points per game, his efficiency metrics painted a rosier picture. He was 14th in big-time throw rate, seventh in yards per attempt, and held the eighth-lowest turnover-worthy play rate (minimum 20 dropbacks, per PFF).
While Carolina looks like a lousy landing spot, Mayfield will be flanked by Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore, which isn’t a bad start for any quarterback. If Ben McAdoo can recreate his former magic as an offensive coordinator, Mayfield could be an easy QB2 target with some upside. Before taking the head coaching reins in New York, he led an offense that was top 13 in yards and total points in back-to-back seasons.
– Derek Brown
The Panthers have been heavily connected to Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield throughout the 2022 offseason including a trade earlier that fell through during the 2022 NFL Draft. But they finally were able to land a trade for the polarizing passer in exchange for a conditional 2024 5th-round draft pick along with both teams paying a portion of his salary.
With Mayfield in Carolina, it’s an upgrade for all parties involved. The Panthers literally had the worst QB play last year across several metrics including EPA per dropback and success rate.
It’s also not being discussed enough that before Mayfield separated his shoulder in Week 6 he ranked sixth in yards per attempt (8.5) and 7th in aDOT (9.6).
The Browns quarterback has shown the ability to support multiple fantasy weapons (not-named Odell Beckham Jr. when healthy) so D.J. Moore should be firmly at the top of the fantasy WR2 conversation during the fantasy football draft season. Jarvis Landry – as the Browns No. 1 – finished as WR19 and WR13 in half-point scoring in 2018/2019 with Mayfield at quarterback.
Moore’s ADP is WR18 on Underdog Best Ball and should increase after the newsMayfield’s addition also provides hope that Robbie Anderson can bounce back after a horrible 2021 campaign. Anderson finished ninth in route participation (91%), 28th in targets (105) and 46th in expected fantasy points per game (10.6).
With his role likely unchanged from a season ago, Anderson should be auto pick as your last pick in formats that require a plethora of starting WRs. He’s one year removed from a top-20 finish and is still just 29 years old.
He’s also currently the most egregiously priced WR in all of fantasy football being drafted outside the top-100 WRs on MFL10s.
– Andrew Erickson
2022 Fantasy Football Staff Consensus Rankings
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