Dynasty Fantasy Football Trading Post: Veteran Running Backs on New Teams
I am very vocal about only worrying about the dynasty value of your roster during the non-point-scoring season. You don’t have to set a lineup until September-ish so you don’t need to worry about positions or points for another three months. The one problem I run into when sticking to this theory is that this time is when aging veteran players are at their cheapest. True, we aren’t scoring points for another three months but those older players who have so little dynasty value but have loads of fantasy value are ripe for the picking.
The moment the NFL season comes into view, all the other teams out there will know to start raising their prices for these elderly roster contributors. So even though my heart knows that points don’t matter in June, my head knows that June is the best time to go and get those players who hold lower dynasty value because of age but hold high fantasy value because they will score a lot of points once the NFL season comes around. That’s right, in this article we are going to talk about players who combine two things that I normally don’t like in June – running backs who score points.
All of the leagues I play in are very active dynasty leagues so I know I can grab the last few pieces of my starting lineup right before the season starts. Unfortunately, not every league is very active and sometimes you don’t have the luxury of waiting. There are also people who like being able to look at their rosters in June and plan on their starting lineup and compare it to the rest of their league to stack themselves up and see how they believe they will fare this season.
Whatever the reason may be, there are plenty of trades out there right now involving running backs who are classified as “not spring chickens” and we are going to look into the DLF Trade Finder to find some interesting trades and then plug them into the DLF Trade Analyzer and analyze how we feel about them!
12 team superflex PPR start 10.
This was the first trade in the Trade Finder and it is the perfect example of how I like to trade for running backs. I am actually a very big fan of Chris Godwin but unfortunately it is clear that he won’t be setting the fantasy world on fire with his production or value. These are the players we call “depth receivers”. Chances are you could start Godwin every week and feel good about it but chances are you will have a player on your bench who scores pretty similarly.
Chances are you will not have someone on your bench who scores like Derrick Henry. I know that he is 30, I know that he is on a new team, but I also know that Henry is very large, very strong, and a very talented running back. The Ravens felt like the best possible landing spot for him and I would give up a depth receiver for him on every competing roster I have. There are also a lot of trades of a 2025 second-round rookie pick for Henry in the Trade Finder – another trade I would easily do to get those points on my squad.
12 team superflex PPR start 9.
Speaking of sending a 2025 second-round rookie pick for a producing running back, here is another example. Full transparency: this is an IDP league so technically the 5.01 rookie pick is a little better than normal but let’s face it, it’s a fifth-round rookie pick. This is exactly what I use next year’s second-round rookie picks for on my competing teams. As I said in the opening, it is usually right at the start of the season, but for this situation why not just do it now?! The price is right and your team will score more points. This is another talented running back who landed in a new, great situation.
I went to pull up some trades for Alvin Kamara but the Trade Finder was filled with Kamara for a 25 second so it didn’t feel like it was worthwhile creating a new section. If you happen to like Kamara more than Joe Mixon or the Mixon manager doesn’t want to make the move, pivoting over to Kamara feels like a safe bet.
12 team 1QB PPR start 10.
Let’s continue the trend of talking about senior running backs in new situations. Austin Ekeler finds himself across the country and behind a young, mobile quarterback. Like the other two RBs we have talked about so far, clearly his best days are behind him, but that doesn’t mean all of his good days are behind him. I honestly really like Josh Downs as a player and thought he had a good rookie season. Then the Colts had to go and ruin everything by drafting Adonai Mitchell. I don’t think Mitchell will completely take Downs off of the field but he will definitely limit the upside we had hoped might be there. That being the case, I would absolutely be willing to send the young and hopeful wide receiver to get the long-in-the-tooth running back we know is capable of scoring a good amount of fantasy points for our squad.
Sometimes the best way to play is the way you don’t normally play. If you are like me and don’t normally trade for running backs in June, try and catch your leaguemates off guard and send out some offers like the above and set your dynasty teams up for a successful season. While it always feels nice building the sexiest roster possible, the goal in the end is to score fantasy points.
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