Tom Brady Deflategate Appeal Win: Fantasy Football Draft Stock Skyrockets [VIDEO]

Psst, fantasy football owners. If you haven’t heard, Patriots QB Tom Brady isn’t suspended anymore.

Judge Richard Berman has finally ruled on the Deflategate scandal, and the four-game suspension the NFL doled out to Brady, and Berman chose to vacate the ban effective immediately. The basis for Berman’s decision was a lack of notice that Brady could be suspended for deflating footballs, and a lack of due process on the part of the NFL.

Here's the line from Berman vacating the Tom Brady's #DeflateGate suspension. pic.twitter.com/EZpyPMEyRx

— Stephen Brown (@PPVSRB) September 3, 2015

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So for now, he’s back. What will that do to his fantasy stock?

Right now, Brady is the 10th quarterback off the board, and going No. 71 overall. That can be expected to rise dramatically. The three names currently ahead of him are Matt Ryan, Tony Romo, and Matthew Stafford, all players who fluctuate from week to week and turn the ball over more than Brady. He will rocket past them in upcoming drafts.

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The next group features Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. Big Ben was a fantasy stud in 2014, but some have made the case that he wasn’t as spectacular on a weekly basis, and that his gaudy totals are boosted by a two-week stretch that featured 12 touchdowns. Fair enough.

Brees is typically a better fantasy option, but the Saints’ major offensive investments this offseason were in a center, Max Unger, and a running back, C.J. Spiller. They also traded his top receiving target, tight end Jimmy Graham, and a deep threat, WR Kenny Stills. That offense is changing, and Brees is 36 with a penchant for throwing double the picks Brady does.

Wilson is a stud, but if your league has six-point passing touchdowns, it’s no contest. That deflates (wink, wink) the value of Wilson’s rushing scores and lowers him. Brady ain’t cracking the top-3 of Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning, but top-5 seems about right for arguably the best quarterback in NFL history. If your draft happened already, whoever grabbed Brady at a discount is a happy fantasy owner. If your draft is upcoming, re-adjust your plans to disregard a possible Brady discount.

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