Dynasty Fantasy Football: Targets Acquired
Standing still is the fastest way of moving backward in a rapidly changing dynasty landscape. The best dynasty teams are the most active in looking for ways to add value to their dynasty rosters, as part of a continuous process.
The Dynasty Targets Acquired series focuses on making dynasty buys to improve your roster, heading towards one of two key destinations – contending to win a dynasty title in 2024 or rebuilding for a dynasty title challenge in 2025. Each article in the series will highlight a dynasty buy for both contenders and rebuilders – with three trade ideas based on the DLF Trade Analyzer: Pivot Up, Same Tier or Pivot Down.
Buying as a contender is all about winning the title now, while leaving the window open to compete again year after year. Buying as a rebuilder is all about making the right trades to maximize roster value next season and become a contender for a dynasty championship.
Time Context and Strategy
We are nearing the playoffs in most dynasty leagues. If your league trade deadline has not passed, now is the perfect time to improve your team. If you are a contender, then you are buying to make that playoff run. On the other hand, if you are rebuilding now is time to get the maximum value for veterans that won’t help you in the next couple of years. Let’s look at targets for both rebuilding and contending teams.
Rebuilder Buy – Bryce Young, QB CAR
Just a few weeks ago I thought Young’s time in Carolina was over and they made a mistake in drafting him. They may have lucked out with Andy Dalton getting injured so that Young could play as a starter again. There is no question that Young looked broken in Carolina and was missing reads and open players. I still thought you had to ride it out to see if Dave Canales could get it fixed.
Dalton got the offense moving right away, throwing for over 500 yards and five touchdowns in his first two starts. Now he’s back in though, Young has looked more poised and is showing signs of what he looked like in college at Alabama. He has been a top 14 QB in the last two games and has thrown for 260 yards in each of those games. A bonus is that he has 67 rushing yards in his last three games, adding to his fantasy floor. He still has to continue to play well but now is the time to buy cheap and hope this is the turning point of him living up to being the first-round pick.
* All values represent those in Superflex (2QB leagues)
Pivot Up
Pivot Up – acquiring a higher-valued asset in exchange for multiple lower-valued assets
Keenan Allen and Jonnu Smith = Bryce Young
This is easy for me if I am a rebuilding team. Allen and Smith are not going to help me in the next few years. Young may not turn into a top-ten quarterback but in SF even as a top-20 quarterback it is worth it. There is a chance that Smith could have a couple of years of productivity, but I am willing to take that for a chance at a quarterback for the future of my team.
Same Tier
Same Tier – acquiring an asset in the same tier of valuation, in a straight-up swap deal
Tyjae Spears = Bryce Young
Many people were excited for Spears to be featured in Tennessee this year with Derrick Henry gone. It has not gone as expected. I thought it was weird that the team brought in Tony Pollard because they seemed like similar backs. Spears has dealt with injuries and played in eight games so far this season. When they have both played in a game, Pollard has 104 carries to Spears’s 44. Even in the receiving game Spears has been lacking. He only has one game over 11 receiving yards.
Pivot Down
Pivot Down – acquiring multiple lower-valued assets in exchange for a higher-valued asset
Geno Smith = Bryce Young, MarShawn Lloyd, and Marvin Mims
Smith is QB12 for the year, but he has finished outside the top 18 QBs in five out of the last seven games. His consistency is up and down. The Seahawks may look for a replacement soon. Mims does not have a huge year but he does have over 40 yards in his last three games and has two touchdowns in that period as well. Lloyd cannot get on the field because of injuries in his rookie year. The Packers desperately need a second option to spell Jacobs. The Packers love to throw to running backs, but Jacobs only has 27 catches and the second closest is with nine catches. One of Lloyd’s best attributes is his receiving skills. So, this is a downgrade in quarterback right now but you get two young players who can be flex plays at the very least.
Contender Buy – Courtland Sutton, WR DEN
Sutton has had an up-and-down career so far in the NFL. He had a nice rookie season and then in his second season came into his own with 72 catches for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns. He was becoming a number-one receiver for the Broncos but had a season-ending knee injury in 2020. In two years after that, he struggled to return to form. In 2023, he had a resurgence, scoring ten touchdowns, but still came nowhere near 1,000 receiving yards.
Before the 2024 NFL Draft, rumors were that the Broncos could be trading Sutton for more draft capital. The draft finished with no trade and a new rookie quarterback for Sutton to get chemistry with. Through the first seven weeks of the season, Sutton was not very productive, including a zero-target game against the Saints. After that game, he has finished in the top 26 in PPR formats every game and was a top-six WR in three of the six games. Bo Nix is looking for him as a main option. He has eight or more targets in the last six games and has 70 or more yards in each game in that period.
Sutton is the 24th WR in points per game in PPR but in weeks 8-13, he is up to WR5. The Broncos have a bye this coming week so you would have to wait for him in the playoffs. In the playoffs he has a nice schedule with three games against the bottom 16 teams in fantasy points per game for receivers. Sutton could be a piece that could help carry a contender to a championship. A bonus is he should have a couple more years of being a top-20 WR if Nix continues to play well.
* All values represent those in Superflex (2QB leagues)
Pivot Up
Pivot Up – acquiring a higher-valued asset in exchange for multiple lower-valued assets
Chuba Hubbard and Elijah Moore = Courtland Sutton
This trade is taking advantage of recency bias for Moore and the Browns passing game. They just had a huge game against a good Denver Broncos defense. Moore has had three games of six or more receptions in his last five games. The offense is much more receiver-friendly but what will happen next year at quarterback? Hubbard just got a new contract, but Jonathon Brooks was taken in the second round this past draft. He is still being eased in back from injury and there will be more of a shared backfield in the future.
Same Tier
Same Tier – acquiring an asset in the same tier of valuation, in a straight-up swap deal
Evan Engram = Courtland Sutton
This one is easy for me, and I would trade Engram away quickly. I always thought his numbers were inflated last year when Christian Kirk was hurt. Engram only has 338 yards and one touchdown this year but is TE10 if you go by points per game. Brian Thomas Jr is going to get better, and I am not sure the touches will be there for Engram moving forward.
Pivot Down
Pivot Down – acquiring multiple lower-valued assets in exchange for a higher-valued asset
DJ Moore = Courtland Sutton, Tyrone Tracy Jr and Tank Bigsby
I love DJ Moore but moving forward I think Rome Odunze will only get better, so I am not sure the target share will be there to be a top ten receiver. Also, I do not trust the Bears to get the right offensive system to maximize their talent. Tracy looks to be a star in the making and should be in the Giants’ plans in the future, once they get a new quarterback. This year Bigsby has looked like the better running back in Jacksonville and I am not sure that with a new regime, Travis Etienne will not be traded somewhere else.
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- Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings: Cornerstone Report, Week 17 - January 3, 2025
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings: Cornerstone Report, Week 16 - December 27, 2024
