“Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road,
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go,
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why,
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time.
It's something unpredictable,
But in the end, it's right
I hope you had the time of your life.”
-Green Day (Good Riddance)
Too cliché? Possibly. But just remember I could’ve always gone with “what a long, strange trip it’s been.”
In fairness, that’s about the sum of it. I’m sure every league is going to have their story about “that guy in their league” this year, but I’ll briefly share mine. It’s not earth-shattering, but yet another reminder that apart from Biff Tannen we all struggle to predict the future.
In my longest-running (superflex) dynasty league, the team that finished last year with the most points scored and took down the championship is one more loss away from acquiring next year’s pick 1.01, by virtue of paying the iron price. Nothing changed demonstrably about the team, they simply didn’t play nearly as well. Aging veterans like Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper didn’t provide significant returns, and Patrick Mahomes performed like a mere mortal. Tua Tagovailoa again missed significant injury time, and Rachaad White’s unsustainable fantasy efficiency cratered. Maybe this was predictable, maybe it wasn’t – but it once again goes to show that the variance is very real.
In any event, playoffs are starting in the majority of leagues this coming week, and they may be associated with trade and/or waiver moratoriums. As such, given the lessened potential actionability moving forward, this will be the last iteration of Tactical Transactions for the current NFL season (though noting there may be some future off-season spinoffs in the works).
Commensurately, since the postseason has now descended upon us, this week’s column will group players into two buckets – this first is players who can help contenders in the playoffs but for whom you shouldn’t have to break the bank. Obviously we’d all like to add Saquon Barkley to our squads, but he’s going to cost an arm and a leg and is most likely rostered by contenders anyhow. As such, the focus should be on players who can provide a large fraction of their production for a disproportionately lesser price.
The second bucket consists of players who should hopefully increase their dynasty value in the off-season. When I’ve discussed priority waiver adds and drops over the course of the season, the goal has always been to maximize potential at the end of your bench. These may not be players who are going to provide much fantasy value to conclude the current season, but rather those who should see increased dynasty value moving into 2024, when the “sexiness” of your roster matters most.
With that preamble in hand, and for the final time this season, here are the tactical transactions you should consider before week 15:
Value Buys for Contenders
