Players to Buy for Your Playoff Run
It’s a critical time for general managers of dynasty teams headed for the playoffs. With one week left in the fantasy regular season and one week left to add players via trade for leagues with late deadlines, it’s critical to make the right decision. Are you willing to risk some or all of your team’s future for the chance to bring home a championship? It’s now or never for aging teams with their window closing. Let’s take a look at some potential trade targets for competing teams that could lead you to a title without completely sacrificing your future.
Benny Snell, RB PIT
It’s not always the long-in-the-tooth veterans we should be looking to buy on competing teams. Sometimes the stars align and it’s possible to add a player on the cheap who will not only help you this season but could also be a future contributor. Snell fits the bill as a rookie running back who will have the opportunity down the stretch. James Conner has played with nagging injuries all season and seems unlikely to be 100% healthy for the stretch run. Despite the opportunity to seize control of the backfield, Jaylen Samuels has been a disappointment for fantasy as a direct replacement for Conner.
The final piece of the puzzle for Snell is his schedule during weeks 14-16. For the weeks that make up the fantasy playoffs for most leagues, Pittsburgh will play three bottom half of the league defenses. Arizona, Buffalo, and the New York Jets are all great matchups for the Pittsburgh offense.
His 21-carry, 98-yard performance in week 12 no doubt increased his price but some owners may choose to use this production to flip Snell for a coveted 2020 pick. Using the DLF trade finder tool, we can see he has mostly been a throw-in type of player this month. He did get moved for a 2021 third, which to me is an easy deal to accept given his upside this season and the possibility to be a future contributor. I’d be willing to send a 2020 second for Snell and a 2020 third as well.
Jarvis Landry, WR CLE
We all remember the good old days when Landry was catching 100+ footballs in Miami. Those days aren’t likely to come back anytime soon with former LSU teammate Odell Beckham also competing for targets, but Landry is still a valuable fantasy asset that can have big fantasy days as he proved in week 12. Like Snell, Landry’s week 12 fantasy output has likely caused a value spike, but he is still a worthy buy. Landry’s November ADP of 86.75 is a new low point.
He is coming in at WR43 behind players like Emmanuel Sanders (42) and Julian Edelman (39) who will turn 33 and 34 respectively next season. Landry will play the 2020 season at 27, right smack in the middle of the prime production age for the wide receiver position. He also has a completely reasonable contract situation that should keep him in Cleveland through the 2022 season.
This is all well and good, but what about the matchups in the fantasy playoffs? He checks that all-important box too. Cleveland gets Cincinnati in week 14 and and and the Cardinals in week 15.
So what will Landry cost you? To answer that question, we again head over to the DLF trade finder where we discover he has been moved straight up for Mason Rudolph, straight up for Sony Michel, and for a single 2020 second-round pick. I’d love to add Landry for these kinds of prices; not just for the playoff run, but for the future as well. I’d also move my first for Landry and a second, or if I had to, a third.
Carson Wentz, QB PHI
Wentz is just two years removed from an MVP caliber season in which he threw 33 touchdowns against just four interceptions, but his value as a fantasy commodity has certainly declined. The Eagles have attempted to surround him by bringing in players like Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson, but mostly due to injuries it just hasn’t worked out. In week 12 he was throwing to the likes of Greg Ward and the reincarnation of Jordan Matthews.
With Jeffery due back soon and an upcoming schedule of Miami, the New York Giants, and Washington, its easy to see Wentz having a bounceback end of season run and restoring his fantasy value to that of a top 5-7 dynasty quarterback. I am mostly interested in him in superflex leagues, but there are also some nice values found on the DLF trade finder in one QB leagues. A 2020 second for Wentz and a third, Wentz for a single 2020 third, and Wentz for Damien Williams and Kyle Allen are all deals I’d be interested in making to acquire Wentz for my playoff run and my future QB1.
Marlon Mack, RB IND
This one is a week 16 fantasy championship special. The Colts get Carolina and their 32nd ranked run defense DVOA. Mack is currently sidelined with a broken hand and will likely miss another game or two. This is actually a good thing for buyers. Combined with the back to back 100-yard games by Jonathan Williams, this injury presents a buy-low opportunity as GMs are likely thinking more about what Williams is doing and aren’t looking ahead to week 16 just yet. Indianapolis has a tough schedule for the first two weeks of the fantasy playoffs against Tampa Bay and New Orleans so for our purposes we don’t even really care if Mack misses the next three weeks. When he comes back week 16 with rested legs and gets the softest run defense in the league you’ll be happy you spent a late first-round rookie pick to acquire Mack
Let’s check out some recent trades involving Marlon Mack using the DLF trade finder. One I found that I love is a 2020 1st for both Mack and Devante Parker. I am also seeing Terry McLaurin straight up as well as Darren Waller straight up. I love getting a fringe RB1 by capitalizing on a rookie wide receiver’s success in a bad situation or an older than you think, out-of-nowhere (not really, but kinda) tight end.
Mack’s future looks good, too, so this is another player that isn’t just going to be a rental for the title run. He’ll still be on his rookie contract in 2020 and with the depth the Indianapolis backfield has, I can’t see them spending early draft capital on one of the stud running backs coming out in 2020. Jonathan Williams will be a UDFA and likely gets a shot somewhere if he continues to put up numbers in Mack’s absence, so I don’t think he’ll be back with the Colts unless he wants to take a cheap deal.
David Njoku, TE, CLE
I think Njoku is one of the best buys in all of dynasty right now. We haven’t seen him play a full game since week one where he was the lone bright spot for the Browns, posting four catches on six targets for 37 yards and a touchdown. He suffered a wrist injury in week two and was placed on injured reserve. Njoku returned to practice last week but hasn’t been active for a game since coming off the IR.
According to November ADP he sits at TE13 and 112 overall which is six positional spots lower than he was in August at TE7 and nearly two full rounds lower in overall ADP where he was in August at 89 overall.
I’d love to send a late 2nd to acquire Njoku right now. In addition to getting a young and potentially overlooked asset, you’re getting the same incredible playoff schedule that I talked about for Jarvis Landry earlier. Some of my favorite deals found in the DLF trade finder include sending Zach Ertz for Njoku and a 2020 first-round pick, Njoku for Frank Gore and a third, Njoku for Jameis Winston in a one quarterback league, and Njoku for Sterling Shepard straight up.
Creator and Co-host of Dynasty Game night, the fantasy football game show.
Creator and host of the Zookeeper Stories podcast.
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