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.
Week 18 is generally the calm before the storm. Dynasty managers have fought hard for 17 weeks, plus a full off-season, to try to claim their titles. Hopefully, you were able to win your ‘ships, but now is not the time to be idle. It’s time to win 2025 championships!
Because our mindsets are different during this point of the non-points-scoring season, this version of the Dynasty Trades Acquired series will be a little different as well. Now is not the time to be acquiring older assets, because of all of the changes that can occur during an NFL off-season. This also happens to be one of the deepest running back draft classes we’ve seen in a while, so trading for RBs doesn’t really seem like a good bet, either. This time of year, it’s better to focus on players who had a down year because of things out of their control, or because of injury. The out-of-sight, out-of-mind players are usually the only ones who are readily available immediately after the season.
Contender Buy – Brandon Aiyuk, WR SF
The trade analyzer has obviously not caught up to Jalen McMillan’s new value, after essentially being a league winner for some players in the fantasy playoffs, but I believe this is a trade you could get done. If the Aiyuk manager doesn’t think it’s enough, it should at least be a good starting point, to get the conversation going. Dynasty managers always want the hot new thing, and McMillan fits that bill, but I don’t believe he will ever be more than a solid flex player for fantasy teams.
I honestly don’t have a great feel for Kenneth Walker’s dynasty value at the moment, but if you’re able to get this deal done, I would in a heartbeat! I like Walker as a talent, but he has struggled to stay healthy in multiple seasons, and has competition that seems to be earning a role of his own, in Zach Charbonnet. This one isn’t about liking or disliking players; it’s just about which side can set you up in the long term.
Nico Collins had a little run where it looked like he had truly taken a giant leap but came crashing back down to earth in the second half of 2024. Add in the fact that he has never played a full season in the NFL, and this seems like a great way to pivot out. There will be some nice late-first-round picks this year, so you could end up doubling up for another championship run next year.
Rebuilder Buy – Chris Olave, WR NO
Olave is a little riskier buy, which is why I’m recommending it for a rebuilder, but I’m not too concerned with his future outlook. Concussions are nothing to mess around with, but we’ve seen Brandin Cooks deal with a similar situation in the past and continue on for years, and even more recently, have seen Tua Tagovailoa return to football after an extremely scary set of concussions knocked him out. Olave is only 24 years old and has never truly been set up for success. All might not be fixed in 2025, but he will be up for a new contract following this season. This will likely be the cheapest you can get Olave from a team and I believe now is the time to strike.
Pivot Up Trade:
This trade involves another player in a bad situation, Michael Pittman, and a player who had a solid season, but who will likely never be a league winner for your teams. I like the idea of using two players like this to get one who could be a game-changer in the future. Yes, there may be a little risk involved, but I don’t think losing Pittman or Khalil Shakir will be the reason you lose the league moving forward.
Like I said earlier, now is not the time to be investing in RBs, with such a large influx of talent heading to the NFL via the draft. Kyren Williams is still young, so this isn’t a must-sell situation, but there’s a possibility you could get even more on top, with this deal. The Rams haven’t invested much into their RB room in recent seasons, so it could end up even more crowded, come April.
This is the riskiest trade of them all, but the return could be huge! Olave was once valued exactly like or even higher than Brian Thomas Jr, so we know that nothing is set in stone. Taking a player who you likely got in the late first/early second last year and turning him into another first and an undervalued player is a great way to turn your rebuild into a contender in just one off-season. The way dynasty managers feel about BTJ right now, I think you can get this one done without a counter.
The dynasty season never ends, so take this time to get some deals done early, setting yourself up to win it all in 2025!
- Dynasty Fantasy Football: Targets Acquired - January 3, 2025
- 2025 NFL Draft: Dynasty Superflex Rookie Mock - January 2, 2025
- Dynasty Fantasy Football: Targets Acquired - November 29, 2024
