My Dynasty Off-Season: Dynasty Players to Trade
Well, that was fun. Free agency was an absolute whirlwind, so hopefully you’re all caught up with the latest news. This is actually my favorite time of year. Yes, I actually enjoy the off-season more than actual fantasy football. I love breaking down the NFL Draft, evaluating rookies, re-establishing the veteran dynasty fantasy landscape and giving you all as much information as I can in order to be prepared for the beginning of the upcoming year.
This year, I’m posting a regular series – My Dynasty Off-Season.. This series is intended for me to pull back the curtain a bit and share what I’m doing in terms of team building, roster evaluation, player assessments, trade possibilities, value changes or anything else I’m thinking of. My hope is this series helps guide you through your off-season and helps you be in position to win again next year.
In this installment, I’m going to share some players I’m looking to trade away in my dynasty leagues. It’s no secret the key to winning consistently in dynasty leagues is to maximize the value of your roster. This means you need to “sell high” and “buy low” whenever you can. It also means you can’t be in a position to have a player retire off your roster without getting any value out of them. Most importantly to me, it also means you need to evaluate the happenings in the NFL and the timing of the calendar to move players at the exact right time. With that in mind, here are some players I’m looking to move prior to the NFL Draft.
Gus Edwards, RB LAC
Make no mistake, like many players on this list, I respect Edwards as a player. However, there’s a lot of talk about him being the bell cow running back for the Chargers this year after they lost Austin Ekeler to free agency and didn’t sign anyone else of note this month. If that’s the case, he could be in store for a pretty solid season. I just have my doubts that’s going to actually happen and even if it does, Edwards turns 29 years old next month. Despite him having short bursts of great production and conceivably still having a lot of tread on his tires, his value is inflated right now. The Chargers offense is not what it was and they could still add another running back in the NFL Draft or through free agency. If there’s a manager willing to overpay to get him off my roster and on to theirs, I’m all ears.
Saquon Barkley, RB PHI
There’s a lot of excitement swirling around Barkley at the moment and honestly, there should be. After all, he’s going from one of the worst offensive lines in football to one of the best. He’s also on an offense that features DeVonta Smith, AJ Brown and Dallas Goedert, not to mention Jalen Hurts. In other words, the stacked boxes he’s been accustomed to seeing in New York are going to go away here soon. Barkley is poised for a bounce back season and should be one of the top options in fantasy football next year.
So, why is he on the list?
It’s pretty simple for me. Barkley is going to have a lot of goal line opportunities taken away by Hurts, who is one of the best red zone rushers in football. Combine that with the fact he’s already 27 years old and the fact he’s dealt with some significant injuries over the years and my worry meter goes up. The anticipation is high for what he could do and this could open a “sell high” window we may never see again with Saquon. It’s a tough one with him because any contender is going to want the production but the risk with him is also really high. Anyone with Barkley needs to really evaluate their roster and determine if they have a chance to win this season.
Tony Pollard, RB TEN
Color me skeptical. Pollard had his chance to shine last year on a good team and failed to produce as a bona fide starter. When you consider the fact he rushed for two fewer yards on 59 more carries in 2023, you should find yourself very concerned about his real potential moving forward. Throw in the fact he’s now on a team seemingly worse offensively and anyone believing Pollard is going to emerge this season is hoping more than analyzing. I like him as a player but only one who is splitting time with Tyjae Spears, as I expect he will. If he’s being valued as a workhorse running back by someone in your league, I’d be fielding offers that match and accepting one here before the NFL Draft.
Zack Moss, RB CIN
I get it. I really do. Moss was great during the stretch where he covered for Jonathan Taylor last year with the Colts. However, most may not realize he’s going to be 27 this season. He’s also never been “the guy” in an offense. While he could surely become a star this season, it’s also quite possible the Bengals add a running back in the NFL Draft. If they do that (and they didn’t overpay Moss, making it possible), his ranking and ADP is going to look like a roller coaster. Again, it depends on how your league mates see his value. If you find someone who sees him as the second coming in Cincinnati and focus on that stretch last year where he was a RB1 with the thought that was a given again, I’d at least be listening.
Marquise Brown, WR KC
Landing Brown could be big for Patrick Mahomes. Still, I’ve seen too much, “he’s the next Tyreek Hill,” for my liking. Brown has struggled for long stretches during his career and only has one 1,000-yard season to his name in his five years in the league. Could he blow up this year and reach his potential? Sure. However, Rashee Rice isn’t going anywhere and the Chiefs have a great defense, making their offense much more conservative over the past couple of seasons. I like Brown to produce low-end WR2 numbers this year. If you can get someone to give you something equal to value higher than that, I’d suggest considering that offer.
Cole Kmet, TE CHI
Kmet was great last season with a 73/719/6 line. However, the Bears are going to now roll out a rookie quarterback and just picked up a chain mover in Keenan Allen. Someone like Caleb Williams is likely going to be able to maintain value for DJ Moore and Allen but I have my doubts Kmet can post a season better than he did last year. I see him as a player who is more of a high-end TE2 than a low-end TE1 moving forward. Respond accordingly.
Justin Herbert, QB LAC
I love him as a player and think he has some really elite traits. I just don’t care who you are, though. If you lose Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams all in the same off-season, you’re going to be up against it. Herbert is going to struggle to put up the same numbers he has in the past and it may take a few years for this team to rebuild. I expect some growing pains so I’d move him if I have someone in my league who believes he’s locked in as a top four or five dynasty quarterback.
I hope you enjoy my ramblings. Again, this is going to be my off-season space to share what my plans entail all off-season long. Hope it helps!
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