Three Wide Receivers to Trade Away in Dynasty Leagues
As we enjoy Dynasty Trade Month here at DLF, I recently looked at three wide receivers to trade for, but now I’m going to go the opposite direction. It’s time to look at three wide receivers to trade away. I had a few options in mind, but these were three players I thought would be great options to move as we head towards the NFL Draft.
Michael Pittman, WR IND
Heading into his third season in the NFL, Pittman’s ADP has risen steadily. As seen below, courtesy of DLF’s ADP over time tool, dynasty owners are buying into the Pittman hype, as he is now being taken 43rd overall. Of course, when someone’s ADP is driving upwards, it’s always a good time to kick the tires on trade offers to see what you could get in return.
Despite Pittman leading the Colts in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, there are plenty of red flags on the horizon if you can get out from under him now.
Last season, the Colts ranked 28th out of 32 teams in passing play percentage, only throwing the ball on 52.57% of the time. The emergence of Jonathan Taylor looks to be turning the Colts into one of the more run-heavy teams in the league, and nobody would argue with that decision. Additionally, the team has a massive hole at quarterback after Carson Wentz was shipped to Washington.
As if there wasn’t enough going on, every publication and website on the planet has wide receiver as a position of need for this team. Whether the Colts address it via free agency or the draft, Pittman will have more competition than he has been accustomed to from the likes of Zach Pascal and 32-year old TY Hilton.
Using the DLF trade finder, you can find some of the most recent trades for Pittman. There were multiple good deals that I would’ve happily accepted, but the two below were among my favorites. I would gladly jump all over either one of these deals if I was looking to move Pittman while the market is hot.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR DET
St. Brown was the darling of many during the pre-draft process a year ago. However, once the draft began, and St. Brown fell into the fourth round, he lost a little steam as a day-three selection. As a result, he saw his ADP as a rookie come in at 132nd overall a year ago, basically pick 11.12 in startups.
Now, a year later, he’s climbed all the way up to 49th overall, pick 5.01. That’s essentially a seven-round jump in one off-season. It smells like selling time to me.
Much like Pittman above, St. Brown led his team in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He especially exploded down the stretch to close out the 2021 campaign as the WR3 overall between weeks 12 through 17. Let the hype train and easily influenced managers in your leagues take the bait because I’m not biting. The what-have-you-done-for-me-lately crowd will focus on that strong finish to the season, while I look at someone who was WR72 weeks 1-11.
There is a perfect explanation for St. Brown’s late-season explosion; he was the only game in town. Over his huge six-game stretch, the Lions were missing TJ Hockenson for five of those games. They were also missing D’Andre Swift for four games, and Jamaal Williams missed two of those games as well. With all of Detroit’s playmakers out of action, someone had to step up and be the guy. St. Brown only had to be better than Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds to get the bulk of the targets down the stretch.
Looking at the DLF trade finder to see what kind of returns you might be able to get for St. Brown, there were very few one-for-one trades. One that caught my eye was straight up for Darren Waller, which I like, depending on your league scoring. Waller will be 30 when the season starts, but age is slightly less concerning for tight ends than, say, running back.
In many deals, St. Brown was included in a package of players and picks for notably better receivers, including Stefon Diggs, Justin Jefferson, and multiple deals for Deebo Samuel. St. Brown plus a pick looks to be the key to landing a big-time receiver right now. I wouldn’t drag my feet on making offers either, as Detroit absolutely must upgrade their receiving corps, either in the draft or via free agency, or possibly both. On paper, this team has arguably the worst wide receiver group in the league; if they bring in one, or two, better options, St. Brown’s value will plummet.
DJ Moore, WR CAR
I’m starting to get Allen Robinson vibes from Moore, and not in a good way. Moore might end up as one of those good receivers who is always held back by his team’s poor quarterback play. As of this writing, it doesn’t look like the Panthers have much in the works to improve at QB in 2022 either. Looking at Moore’s career ADP, this might be your last chance to get out before he starts turning downward.
Comparing Moore’s ADP with Robinson’s ADP below, if you failed to sell Robinson on his upswing or after one of his little rebounds, you’re now left holding the bag on a soon-to-be 29-year old with little value remaining in the dynasty marketplace.
I love the talent and skills of Moore, but unless the Panthers can right the ship – with little indication that they can thus far – Moore is sinking along with it. His contract is over after the 2022 season; however, as we saw with Robinson signing with Chicago, a change of scenery doesn’t always help.
If you are hoping to move on from Moore, he is still retaining quite a bit of value-based off of deals in the trade finder. He’s been pulling multiple firsts as well as firsts and seconds. If you trust your process and sources when it comes to drafting rookies, and you believe you can nab one or two of the top receivers in this class with the picks you get in exchange for Moore, this might be the best time to ever move on from him.
It’s always hard moving on from proven assets and potential up-and-comers for the mystery and uncertainty of NFL rookies. However, the only way to get high-value pieces in return is to move a high-value piece yourself. You need to look at a player’s entire situation and gauge if you want to be part of that going forward or if it’s time to shake your rosters up and bring in some new blood. Good luck trading!
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