Dynasty Fantasy Football Trading Post: Christian McCaffrey
Spiraling thoughts are very dangerous. You think one negative thing and then all of a sudden everything is terrible. Seeing as this is a fantasy football article, we are going to stick with a light-hearted version of this concept. In last week’s article, we talked about running backs whose fantasy value far outweighs their dynasty value. This means that they are worth more on your team – scoring points – than they would be on the trade market.
Researching that article got me thinking about cheaper running backs, which led me to think about very cheap running backs, which got me thinking about very expensive running backs, which got me thinking about which expensive running back would have the most production at the cheapest cost. Thinking about running backs for that long of a time in June is very strange for me. Thinking about running backs with actual value and thinking about trading for them in June is very strange for me. There is really only one running back who comes to mind when you think about players who can finish at the top of their position but won’t cost a top five price at the position and that running back is…
Christian McCaffrey, RB SF
McCaffrey finished as the top-scoring running back and the third overall scoring player last season. My heavy analysis on McCaffrey is that he is really, really good. He is a player I never usually rostered in dynasty because of the price of acquisition. The great thing about our dynasty community is that they are staunch in their biases. Last year McCaffrey changed teams and turned 27, which are two very detrimental situations for a running back. I was able to start taking advantage of the “get out a year early instead of a year late” style players and got a few shares and I was rewarded heavily for the effort.
There is a saying, “elite players play to an elite age”, and I think that definitely applies here. I will never care about this 49er running back’s age. If he is lacing up his cleats I will treat him like he can finish the season as the running back one until he shows me that talent has disappeared. In June ADP he is the RB2 and the ninth player overall. He won’t be “cheap” to trade for but let’s go to the DLF Trade Finder and see if he is at a place where his price is digestible for the production we know of which he is capable.
14 team superflex 0.05PPR start 10 (with IDP).
A few things about this trade before we get into it. This is an auction league so these picks are auction dollar values which makes the lesser picks more valuable since you stack them all together for a larger total and don’t have to wait 50 picks to use it. Also, there just aren’t sixth-round picks in the Trade Analyzer. Knowing that this is an auction league should boost the value of the later picks a decent amount but I would still very easily send my entire future draft class, whether picks or auction dollars, for a player who has a chance to be far and away the top at his position. I didn’t mention it above but CMC scored 122.6 more PPR points last year than the RB2.
10 team superflex PPR start 10.
In most cases, if you were to tell me there was a trade where someone sent a running back and received a top 20 wide receiver and future first, I would very quickly take the wide receiver side. I am a big fan of DJ Moore but what are the chances he has another top-ten production season? He now has a rookie quarterback, a more talented receiving running back on the team, and Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze have been added to the receiver group. There feels to be a stronger chance that Moore finds himself back into the “depth wide receiver” ranks than he does staying where he finished last season. Taking that level of player and adding a first-round pick that is two years out feels like a slam dunk move to get a player who can finish not top ten at their position, but top ten overall.
12 team 1QB PPR start 9.
The “additional unknown asset” was the Buffalo Bills DST. I looked into that league and saw that they scored the same amount of points as Gabe Davis and a few other players around that value so I figured putting Davis in there was better than leaving it blank. The truth is, I am a really big fan of the three players on the package side of this deal.
I really like D’Andre Swift as a player and love his Chicago landing spot. Diontae Johnson now finds himself as the top option for a very recent number one overall drafted quarterback in Carolina. Terry McLaurin is just a very good wide receiver and even though his new QB is a rookie, that rookie QB is better than the past few passers who have been behind center for the Commanders. All of that being said, especially in a start nine league, I would very easily send all of this replaceable depth for the studliest of studs, Christian McCaffrey. The larger the number of starters would get the more I could start leaning towards the package side but the lower you get the less depth matters and the more star power matters. I would easily send a third of a mediocre starting lineup to get a player of that caliber.
There are some players throughout fantasy football history who transcend positional bias, age or workload limits, or any other negative spin you want to try and put on a player; LaDanian Tomlinson, Calvin Johnson, the tight end duo of Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski (when healthy), and now I submit we add Christian McCaffrey to this list. If he is on the field he should be treated like he can finish that game as the top scorer and that means you want him on your roster, especially when you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to get him there.
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Trading Post: Christian McCaffrey - June 27, 2024
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Trading Post: Veteran Running Backs on New Teams - June 20, 2024
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Trading Post: Dak Prescott - June 13, 2024
