Unfortunately for Decker, his move to the AFC East comes one year after the Miami Dolphins added Brent Grimes and months after the New England Patriots grabbed ex-Jet Darrelle Revis, two of the league’s five best corners. Meanwhile, third-year Buffalo Bills first-rounder Stephon Gilmore has flashed potential to eventually join that group.
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Barring injury or other unpredictable circumstance, Decker should face each of these squads twice with the trip to Miami in Week 17 when sensible fantasy leagues have wrapped up. This also doesn’t mean Grimes or Gilmore will necessarily follow Decker every play — both Revis and Bill Belichick’s track record suggest this could potentially occur — but these matchups are certainly worth being wary.
Currently Decker’s average draft position puts him around WR3 or flex depending on league size and scoring system. For 12-team standard snake drafts, Decker’s going around WR37 (ADP 8.08/92nd overall) and his 12-team, $200-budget auction value sits at about $11.
Decker not only gets arguably the greatest corner all-time in Darrelle Revis along with Grimes, a two-time top-3 finisher in Pro Football Focus positional grading, but interdivision matchups include potential bouts with Aqib Talib and the Bears’ Cover-2 duo of Tim Jenning and Charles Tillman, a secondary unit that could feasibly return to 2012 form with the aid of promising rookie Kyle Fuller.
Fantasy owners who end up tabbing Decker as their WR2, WR3 or flex late in drafts probably aren’t feeling fantastic about it in most league sizes, even if Decker connects with Smith this preseason starting with the opener against the Indianapolis Colts.
A bulk of these tough matchups don’t take place until the 2014 NFL schedule pushes into October, so those who are drafting Decker could benefit from keeping his trade value in mind for a few weeks in.
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