The NFL never stops and that means fantasy football doesn’t, either.
On Wednesday, the Houston Texans made a blockbuster trade to acquire wide receiver Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills for a second-round pick in 2025. Diggs might have tried to warn us all this was coming, too. We’ve got a full breakdown of what the deal means for each team here, but let’s shift focus a bit to the fantasy side of things.
For those in dynasty and keeper leagues, the Diggs trade just shook up your offseason. These are the biggest winners and losers amid the immediate fallout.
Winner: Texans QB C.J. Stroud
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Let’s start with the most obvious option. The Texans made this trade because they believe their window to contend is opening thanks to a weak AFC South and a stellar franchise quarterback in Stroud.
After passing for more than 4,000 yards with 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions last year, the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year now gets to throw passes to a receiving corps as talented as any in league. Get your MVP debates ready.
Loser: Bills QB Josh Allen
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) comes off the field after a three and out in a 24-22 loss to Denver.
Allen is most certainly a loser in this deal — at least for today.
What the Bills are able to do with the 2025 second-round pick they received in the deal will matter a ton in how we look back at this trade. Losing Diggs is not the end of the world for the Bills’ offense, but it hurts. Replacing 1,110 receiving yards and eight touchdowns from last year will not be easy.
That said, Buffalo moved on from Diggs after what was statistically his worst season as a Bill.
In the meantime, Allen will have to find a way to make the passing game work with a lineup of Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins, Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox and KJ Hamler. It’s safe to assume there will be some additions to the wideout room before Week 1 kicks off. Which brings us to our next winner…
Winner: The 2024 Rookie Wideout Class
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Between Brian Thomas Jr., Adonai Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, Ladd McConkey, Troy Franklin and Roman Wilson, there won’t be any shortage of rookies wideouts the Bills could grab in the draft — and that’s before considering any players who could fall to Buffalo towards the end of the first round.
Any and all of these talented receivers will look good catching passes from Allen and you can expect they’ll be among the most sought-after players when fantasy draft season rolls around.
Loser: Nico Collins Dynasty Stock
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Purely from a fantasy perspective, it seems like the Texans can’t help but continue to cut down the amount of opportunities Collins will have to put up points.
After what was by far his best season in 2023 — 15 games, 80 catches, 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns — the third-round pick in 2021 will have to fight for his share of targets with Diggs, Tank Dell, Joe Mixon and Dalton Schultz.
Just when it looked like Collins was starting to carve out a role for himself, he’s back to square one again.
Winner: Bills Defense
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The Bills’ D/ST has been a reliable option for fantasy managers over the past few years and they’re going to feel the pressure even more in 2024 while the offense tries to get back in gear.
Is this a good thing for Buffalo overall? Probably not! But for fantasy managers who want to grab as many points from a stout defensive unit as possible, this should force the team to become even more prepared to play low-scoring games in the interim.
Getting off the field quickly and getting the ball back to Allen has never been more valuable.
