Braylon traded to Jets; Crabtree signs with Niners

Just a quick post on a couple of a breaking news items involving a pair of much-talked about receivers...

- Just days after he was allegedly involved in a fight/incident at a Cleveland night club, Braylon Edwards has been sent packing. The Cleveland Browns have traded their star receiver to the New York Jets for a package that includes WR Chansi Stuckey, Special Teams stud Jason Trusnik, and draft picks, which are being reported by ESPN as a 3rd and 5th.

The fantasy fallout is that in the long haul, this looks like a good move for the Jets and Edwards. No doubt the fifth-year receiver brings some ongoing baggage, but assuming no criminal charges are filed involving this latest snit, Edwards will get a clean slate in the Big Apple playing for an up and coming Jets squad that is need of a legit starting receiver opposite Jerricho Cotchery. Plus he is in the final year of his contract and will surely be on his best behavior as he tries to get a new deal, something the Jets seem willing to give him based on what they gave up to get him.

There is no immediate word on when Edwards will suit for the Jets, though he is not a worthy play this week against the Dolphins regardless because of the quick turnaround. Still, he should receive more consistent and quality looks from Mark Sanchez than he was with Derek Anderson/Brady Quinn throwing the pig skin. Considering he was getting dangerously close to becoming buried on all fantasy benches, this deal brings some pizzazz back to Edwards' fantasy value and he should produce like a WR2/3 once he gets up to speed. His presence does take away some value from Jerricho Cotchery, who has been receiving the bulk of the passing game targets and is off to a strong start accordingly, but having a bonafide receiver across from him will help keep the consistent double teams away as well.

As for the Browns, this is probably a deal they should have looked to make in the offseason when it first became apparent that Edwards and head coach Eric Mangini were not going to see eye to eye. They started the turnover at receiver in essence in the recent draft when they selected two receivers in the second round, Brian Robiskie and Mohammed Massaquoi, and the plan started to take shape when Massaquoi exploded for eight receptions and 148 yards in Week Four. The former Georgia Bulldog makes for a must add in all leagues as Massaquoi inherits the Browns #1 receiver tag, though Robiskie should remain a free agent, but worth monitoring. Stuckey should take over as the other starter once he gets up to speed with the Browns playbook and is worth hanging on to in fantasy leagues in that role, but he remains primarily a deep league option.

- The other headline of the day is the Niners coming to terms with holdout first round pick Michael Crabtree profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/10/07/niners-crabtree-finally-do-a-deal/on a reported six-year deal, though one year can be voided if the former Texas Tech stud rocks the Kasbah in two of his first four seasons.

What does this mean for fantasy owners? Probably not much this season, though it is worth taking a flyer on Crabtree especially if you have dead weight at the end of your roster or uninspiring receiver options like Antwaan Randle El, Kevin Curtis or really any receiver on the Rams or Raiders. Typically rookie receivers have a longer than normal transition period to the NFL and Crabtree will also need to make an adjustment to a pro-style attack, something he did not play in with the Red Raiders. Also, the Niners are not exactly a prolific passing team, though look for Crabtree to be at least their WR3 once he gets up to speed. He should make some big plays this year, but unlikely they will come consistently enough to warrant weekly fantasy consideration.

Dynasty and keeper league owner should be more aggressive about adding Crabtree as at least his rookie year will not be a total waste now that he has signed. Nobody doubted Crabtree's talent, just his head. Now that he is in the fold, look for Mike Singletary to give him a coaching lobotomy like he did with fellow knucklehead Vernon Davis, which should signal better days ahead, but starting with the 2010 season.