Fantasy football impact of Jay Ajayi trade

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The Eagles' acquisition of Jay Ajayi has pretty big fantasy implications in Philly, Miami and for anyone who has a running back from one of the two teams.

Let's dive in:

Jay Ajayi
For me, this move does not alter Ajayi's rest-of-season stock much. Yes, he's moving to a much better offense, but he'll also be giving up the volume he had in Miami.

In seven games this season, Ajayi has averaged 22 touches (20 carries, two catches). Aside from quarterback runs, 86 percent of Miami's carries this season came from Ajayi.

The Eagles have been much more balanced on the ground. They've had 202 carries from non-quarterbacks and LeGarrette Blount has led the way with 100.

Now, part of the reason the Eagles have handed the ball off to so many different backs is that they've lacked a true No. 1. Ajayi is closer to a No. 1 than anyone on the roster. He figures to get more than the 50 percent of carries that Blount has accrued. But Ajayi's number won't be anywhere close to the 86 percent of carries he was getting in Miami.

The assumption here is that Ajayi receives about 60 percent of the Eagles' running back touches from here on out. He'll need to pick up the offense and he'll need to impress in pass blocking. At the goal line or in short yardage, Blount will still get his carries; that's what he is here for.

So really, Ajayi's fantasy outlook is close to unchanged. He's in a better situation to put up points but won't have the bell cow status he had in Miami. Fewer touches but better touches.

The thing is, Ajayi's fantasy owners are so frustrated with him at this point (no touchdowns, 3.4 yards per carry) that they'll welcome any change.

LeGarrette Blount
This obviously downgrades Blount the rest of the season. He's still a touchdown-dependent RB2 or flex option, but now you won't be able to count on him reaching 15 carries or 50 yards on a weekly basis. 

For Blount, though, the downgrade is slight. His only path to fantasy points is with 1-yard TDs, which are unpredictable — you can't exactly forecast when a pass interference call is going to occur in the end zone.

Blount averaged 8.65 fantasy points per week the first eight games. I'd peg his weekly average moving forward at 5.5 to 6.5.

Kenyan Drake, Damien Williams
Folks will rush out this week to grab both of the Dolphins' remaining running backs. At this point in the season, free-agent auction bucks aren't as valuable, so if you're really hurting at RB, you might as well spend some dough on one of them.

Drake is listed as the No. 2 running back, but Williams has been Miami's preferred option in passing situations. Given how awful the Dolphins' offense is, neither figures to make much of a fantasy impact moving forward.

One final note
Jarvis Landry appears to be very available in a trade before today's 4 p.m. deadline. He's in the final year of his rookie deal and will command mega-bucks in free agency so the Dolphins would be wise to get something in return for him.

A trade to literally anywhere in the NFL except Cleveland (or maybe Baltimore) would put Landry in a better fantasy situation.

And even if Landry stays in Miami, his situation is a little better for the rest of the season. With a weaker running game, Miami will be forced to involve him even more with short passes.

Here's a fun tweet from injured Odell Beckham Jr., a former LSU teammate of Landry's.

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