A flurry of trades swirled around the league on Tuesday ahead of the NFL trade deadline. Among the more fascinating deals of the day is a trade involving the Pittsburgh Steelers sending wide receiver Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick. Rumors had been circulating around the possibility of the third-year wideout being moved, and now Claypool finds himself in a new city. The fantasy football ramifications of this trade are pretty ambiguous, but there is one clear winner from this deal.

Rookie second-round pick George Pickens now stands alone as the definitive WR2 in the Steelers' offense opposite Diontae Johnson and is the primary beneficiary of this move. He had already been slowly heating up before this trade, too. Since quarterback Kenny Pickett became the Steelers' starter midway through Week 4, Pickens ranks 30th in receiving yards (273) and 36th in total point-per-reception (PPR) points (54.40) among all receivers in that span, per Stathead.

With Claypool gone, fantasy managers' hesitation about “which guy not named Diontae will get the ball this week?” is much less intense. Tight end Pat Freiemuth will also benefit from this, as he may receive a bump in targets, but Pickens is the biggest winner. Fantasy managers who roster George Pickens should feel comfortable having him as a fixture in their starting lineups as a low-end WR2 with the potential for some massive games, and maybe even more highlight catches.

As for Claypool, he has also been productive this year, tallying 32 receptions on 50 targets (with a career-high 64% catch rate) with 311 yards and one touchdown, per Pro Football Reference. Now with the Bears, he likely walks in as either the WR1 or 1A option to wide receiver Darnell Mooney's 1B; regardless, this is an upgrade in a team's pecking order for Claypool. That said, the Bears throw the ball less often than the Steelers in 2022. Per ESPN, the Steelers have attempted the eighth-most passes (295) in the NFL this year, a stark contrast to the Bears, who are tied for the fewest (160).

The change in offense somewhat offsets Claypool's bump in opportunity. As such, he remains a WR3/flex consideration for fantasy managers weekly, perhaps with more confidence akin to how Pickens managers should feel. Mooney, quarterback Justin Fields, and any other piece of the Bears' offense are not affected much by this acquisition. If nothing else, the Steelers wide receivers logjam is no more, and both Claypool and Pickens will have their opportunities to shine.