Moss, Jackson trades shake up wide receiver rankings

By Bryan Douglass, Special to SI.com, FantasyFootballChamps.com

New England acquires WR Randy Moss from Oakland

Trade Details: The Patriots acquire WR Randy Moss from Oakland in exchange for pick No. 110 in 2007 draft (fourth round, selecting CB John Bowie, Cincinnati).

Oakland Raiders: Early reports this off-season indicated Oakland was shopping Moss, but seeking a late first- or early second-round draft pick in return for the disgruntled wideout. No team was desperate enough to make that leap and the Raiders entered the draft without a deal. However, talks kept going for months and the Boston Herald reported Sunday that the Patriots and Raiders had agreed to a trade but was canceled at the last minute. However, Oakland changed its mind again and consummated the deal. The Raiders now will move forward with two new QBs (No. 1 overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell and Josh McCown, acquired from the Lions over the weekend) but no viable No. 1 wide receiver.

Of course, it is possible that Moss' presence may not have ensured a better situation for McCown or Russell. Since leaving Minnesota in 2005 as one of the most feared deep threats in the league, Moss has been nothing more than ordinary and has been, more often than not, pedestrian. In 2005, his first season in the black and silver, Moss caught 60 passes for 1,005 yards but posted just eight TDs, his lowest total since 2002. Things got worse in 2006 as Moss battled injury issues and had just 553 yards on 42 receptions (13.2 yards per catch, the second lowest single-season average of his career) with just three TDs. Those numbers don't suggest Moss is headed in the right direction, at least not with the Raiders.

New England Patriots: The Patriots have long survived without a top offensive playmaker in the WR ranks. Deion Branch was their main man during the glory days of Super Bowl rings, but Branch has never posted a 1,000-yard season or scored more than five TDs in a single season. On his worst day early in his career in Minnesota, Moss was capable of posting five TDs in a single game. Now he will don a Patriots jersey, Moss' third jersey in four seasons, and those explosive days are becoming a memory. Who are the Patriots getting in this deal?

This offseason has been one of change for the Patriots, as they committed big dollars to top free agents on the market. They signed LB Adalius Thomas from Baltimore after he recorded an impressive 83 tackles and 11 sacks in 2006 despite working on the same field as LBs Ray Lewis (103 tackles) and Bart Scott (103 tackles), not to mention DEs Terrell Suggs (9.5 sacks) and Trevor Pryce (13 sacks). The Pats also opened the checkbook to sign several WRs with hopes of finding the best partner for Tom Brady. Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker and Kelley Washington were all added to the roster, but each carries his own baggage. Now the Pats have added Moss, who has suitcases full of concern. The truth is this: New England has brought out the best in more than a few players, and there is every reason to believe they can do the same with Randy Moss. But at the end of the day, they will not need him to be the Randy Moss of 2000 to be successful.