Who says there's no trades during the regular season in the National Football League?
Just one day after the Seahawks acquired Marshawn Lynch in a trade with the Bills, the Vikings acquired Randy Moss from the Patriots in an absolute blockbuster.
The move has many implications from a fantasy perspective.
I think Moss' value will remain mostly intact now that he's back with the Vikings. In fact, he should be even more motivated to produce playing alongside Brett Favre. The old gunslinger has always wanted to play with Moss -- even back to his days with the Packers -- and Moss is now clearly the top option in the passing game.
What's more, fantasy leaguers will get an extra game from the veteran wideout this season. The Vikings had their bye last week, so Moss will be suiting up 17 times.
As for Favre, this is great news for his fantasy value for the remainder of the season. His lack of production in the first three weeks had some owners ready to cut ties with him, but he should now re-gain his status as a No. 1 quarterback.
Not only does he have Moss, but Favre also has an arsenal of weapons that includes Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin and Visanthe Shiancoe. And when Sidney Rice comes back from an injured hip, well, the Vikings might cause scoreboards to explode across the league.
Of course, Rice and Bernard Berrian do lose a lot of their fantasy luster with Moss in the mix. Berrian is no longer even worth a roster spot in most leagues, and owners who have been holding onto Rice in smaller formats should feel free to release him.
In New England, the fantasy fallout is much different.
As good as Tom Brady is, losing Moss will hurt. Instead of taking multiple chances downfield to Moss per week, he's now going to be throwing a lot more short and intermediate passes. I'm not saying his days as an elite option are over, but Brady does lose some of his previous appeal.
Moss' absence is also going to mean more defensive attention on Wes Welker. While I think he'll still see his share of targets, life without Moss is going to be tougher on the Texas Tech product.
On the flip side, this is great news for the value of Brandon Tate and Aaron Hernandez.
Tate, a preseason super sleeper on NFL.com, has a ton of talent and major potential as a starter in the Patriots offense. He now needs to be owned in all fantasy leagues. The same holds true of Hernandez, who had seen just two fewer targets than Moss through four weeks.
The rookie is going to see an increased role in the offense going forward and should become a viable No. 1 fantasy tight end.
The Patriots should also lean on the run a bit more, so BenJarvus Green-Ellis could turn into quite the steal off the waiver wire. If you're in a deeper league, Julian Edelman and Danny Woodhead are also worth a look.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com. Have a burning question for Michael on anything fantasy football related? Leave it in our comments section or send it to **AskFabiano@nfl.com**!
