Wed, Sep 18, 2013 at 7:17pm

COLTS REEL IN STAR RUNNING BACK RICHARDSON

The Indianapolis Colts acquired running back Trent Richardson from the Cleveland Browns for a first-round draft pick in 2014.

What does it give the Indianapolis Colts
Richardson is an elite talent at tailback, so it's hard to dislike this move by the Colts. The season-ending ACL injury suffered recently by top ball-carrier {P Vick Ballard} left Indy with inconsistent and injury-prone vet {P Ahmad Bradshaw} as their top back, with equally-inconsistent (and-injury-prone) {P Donald Brown} the main backup. Richardson immediately becomes the featured guy for the Colts, an offensive centerpiece who can replace Ballard while also taking pressure off QB {P Andrew Luck} (who has been somewhat sack-prone so far this season).

What does it give the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland's new team brass clearly didn't think Richardson was a key player to build around, which is surprising since the previous braintrust used the No. 3 overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft to acquire him. That said, Richardson is off to a slow start this season (averaging just 3.4 yards per carry) and he was actually not as great last season as some believe (averaging just 3.6 yards per carry). Several reports say the Browns are set to sign veteran tailback {P=2788 Willis McGahee} (pending a physical), so Cleveland likely saves a lot of money here moving on from Richardson, while getting a first-round pick in the bargain.

Fantasy impact
Richardson now has much to prove, despite his excellent talent level. His career yards-per-game average of 3.5 leaves much to be desired, but he should get every chance to prove himself on the Colts. His arrival turns {P Ahmad Bradshaw} into a change-of-pace / goal-line back, and likely evaporates any fantasy value {P Donald Brown} had left. On the Cleveland side of the transaction, {P Willis McGahee} becomes a must-add in fantasy (since he will be the clear-cut featured guy in the Browns running game) but do also keep an eye on fullback {P Chris Ogbonnaya} and tailback {P Bobby Rainey} (at least one of whom should see a spike in touches).