When was the last time you heard of a three team trade in the NFL?  I've never heard of one.  And this one has some major Fantasy implications as well.  I'll break each part down and give you my thoughts on how this will affect your Fantasy team.

Duckett to Washington

The Atlanta Falcons have been looking to trade Duckett for some time now and finally put together a deal to get it done.  Duckett lands in Washington where Clinton Portis owners should definitely take notice...maybe that shoulder is worse than most, including myself, originally thought.  Duckett's acquisition allows the Redskins to give Portis a little more time to fully recover from his injury.  While that will mean a healthier Portis for the long haul of the season, it doesn't help you out for the first few weeks...and Duckett will still be there to poach goal line attempts all season long like he has in Atlanta for many years.  For those of you who picked up Ladell Betts hoping that he'd see some meaningful playing time, time to switch gears and snap up Duckett if he's still available.  Once a top 5 running back, I see Clinton Portis now as a top 8-12 type back.  If you have a pick in the last part of the first round, take him because you can get another great back with your wrap-around pick in round 2.  If you're in a TD only league, drop him further.

In Atlanta, it's a different story for Warrick Dunn.  He's now the clear #1 guy...behind Mike Vick that is.  While Vick will still see a lot of rushing yards and touchdowns, Dunn's stock should be at an all-time high.  Jim Mora Jr. is still going to run the ball just as much as he did before (tops in the NFL) so Dunn should easily see a rise in his yardage and without the goal line sniper in the house anymore, his TD numbers should rise also.  Rookie Jerious Norwood who has had a great camp, is now the #2 guy but shouldn't impinge on Dunn's value too much this year.  Move Dunn up your charts to a solid #2 to weak #1 running back.  He'll probably go late 2nd to early 3rd round.  Keeper league owners should keep an eye on Jerious Norwood as he looks like he'll be a good one.

Lelie to Atlanta

Ashley Lelie has a ton of talent, but his fantasy stock took a nose-dive with this trade.  The Atlanta Falcons are just about the worst place to go to find a wide receiver for your fantasy team.  The Falcons have two good starters in Roddy White and Michael Jenkins and Lelie should slot into the 3rd receiver position here.  While that position can be golden in places like Indianapolis and Cincinnati, not in Atlanta.  Lelie wasn't being taken in most drafts anyhow, but if you were one of those who did, drop him now.  The two Falcon starters are probably still available in most leagues and do warrant some attention.  Roddy White could have a decent season, but as long as Mike Vick is the QB, it'll be run first in Atlanta.  Take Lelie off your draft boards unless you are in a very deep league.

In Denver, this won't mean a whole lot as Lelie had been in Mike Shanahan's doghouse for a while now.  What I do take from this is that Javon Walker is probably progressing as the team had hoped and should be fine for the season, allowing the Broncos to ship Lelie off for a third round pick.  Move Javon up on your draft boards.  If he's back to 100% health, he could be a dominant receiver once again.  He's being drafted as the 3rd receiver for most teams and should be an excellent value there, consider him a great sleeper this year.  Another name you should remember is Darius Watts.  This guys has been a favorite of coach Shanahan's for a while now and with Lelie out of the picture, he moves up to the 3rd spot and should see some meaningful action this year.  Keeper league guys should really think about Watts as Rod Smith is just about done and Watts figures to be the guy who moves up into a starting role once Smith calls it a career.

Final Analysis:

Clinton Portis: Downgrade to late 1st round selection.

Warrick Dunn: Upgrade to late 2nd, early 3rd round selection.

T.J. Duckett: Same value.

Ladell Betts: Drop him from your team and draft boards.

Jerious Norwood: Keeper league value increases.

Ashley Lelie: Drop him from your team and draft boards.

Javon Walker: Slight increase.

Darius Watts: Slight increase with keeper league value.

(ESPN) Lelie to Atlanta/Duckett to Washington in 3-Team Deal

FanIQ Says... (162)

Fantasy Implications of 3-Team Deal How will the Atlanta/Washington/Denver deal affect the stats of the players involved?
News: (ESPN.com) Lelie to Atlanta/Duckett to Washington in 3-Team Deal (Q1 of 6) Who is the Opening Week starting running back for the Washington Redskins? Correct-> 70% Clinton Portis 30% T.J. Duckett 0% Ladell Betts 0% Other	Asked by: IowaTBone
Closed 9/3/06