Now that we’re finally into the off-season for dynasty fantasy football, it’s time to take a breath. Recollect yourself and your thoughts before quickly getting back into game mode. Since there aren’t going to be any points scored for almost 9 months, now is the time to look at your roster and start planning for next year.
Don’t just ship everyone off though. Some players have done a great job of insulating their value or could see a significant increase. Those are players you should definitely NOT trade, at least not yet.
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Quarterbacks
This one feels obvious, but Allen is either the QB1 in dynasty or at least in that top tier with Patrick Mahomes (QB-KC) after this year. He’s done a terrific job of solidifying his value and I can’t imagine anything happening to lower it during this offseason. Hold on to him if you have him unless you’re getting a massive haul in return.
Burrow is coming off of one of the hottest finishes to a fantasy season that we’ve seen in a while. If he’s on your roster he hopefully helped you bring home the title. There’s no reason at all to move him now though. His value is still ascending and anyone looking to trade for him wants to ride his rocket ship to the top. Don’t fall for it. Keep him on your team for as long as you can while he’s on the way up.
Running Backs
I wrote an article last offseason saying that Taylor might be a good trade candidate. Well, times have changed. He’s only worth trading if someone is willing to sell you the moon for him now. I’d be hard-pressed to get rid of any of my JT shares, even though I love trading away running backs in January. This one’s just at the top and unlikely to go down in value, making him an easy hold for most teams.
This one might seem surprising, but hear me out. Barkley underperformed this season, there’s no other way to put it. But if the team makes some big changes, which they need to do, or if they decide to trade Barkley to focus on a true rebuild, then Barkley could be a tremendous value for fantasy. Regardless, if you send him away now you’re likely losing value on the deal, so why not hold and at least see what free agency and the draft tell us before getting out? I’m holding just in case he sees a value spike in the coming months.
Williams is the heir apparent in Denver, and as soon as Melvin Gordon (RB – DEN) gets out of the way, Williams has top-tier fantasy RB potential written all over him. If he’s on my roster it’d take a mountain for me to send him away. No reason to do that now, unless you think he’s not the real deal. Either way, the market should value him high for the next few months in dynasty, so don’t panic and sell later if you sell at all.
Another potential surprise, but that’s what this list is all about. Trading Sanders right now might feel like the right move but it’s all about the return. I don’t see Sanders changing teams but I do see the team getting better. They have to. There’s talk that the Eagles will be going after another receiver, either in Free agency or the draft, which could boost their red zone opportunities for Sanders. Selling now is likely selling at his floor, so how out a little longer and see what new info we can get before letting him go.
I can already hear the groans now, but, if you’ve held onto Sermon this long you’re likely a fan. If you trade him now it’s not going to be for much at all, likely a late-round rookie pick. If you want until the draft maybe you can package him and a late pick of your own to move up a round. Or maybe he gets cut and picked up by a team more in need of running backs. Who knows, but selling now just feels like the easy way out. Might as well hold on a little longer if you’ve held on this long.
Wide Receivers
Read everything I said about Taylor but replace his name with Chase’s and you pretty much have it. Chase is a star on the rise. In some rankings, he’s already THE WR1 in dynasty. That’s obviously the peak, but I don’t think the consensus is there yet. There are people that trust Cooper Kupp (WR – LAR) and Davante Adams (WR – GB) more, but I believe Chase will be right there with them come August. Selling now might feel like a good move, but wait a little longer and you can get even more. Trust me.
Speaking of Adams, he’s another player I’m not trading away just yet. There’s a lot of talk about Aaron Rodgers (QB – GB) moving on and what that might do to Adams, but I think Adams is talented enough to weather whatever storm he’s about to face. If you can get another top-tier WR plus a piece for him then sure, but I’m not selling just to sell, not yet. If you roster Adams, hold for now and wait to see how the Packers do in the NFL playoffs. If they win it all it will likely be because of Adams, and his value will be higher then than it is now. If they lose then maybe you see what you can get at that time.
Ridley has been a strange one all year. He decided to step away from the game due to his own mental health and I commend him for that. That decision can’t have been an easy one. But rumors are that he still wants to play and perhaps just needs a fresh start somewhere else to do that. If you’re trading him now you’re missing all of that potential value increase. Instead, hold him and ride it out, as bumpy as these next few months can be. Worst case scenario he never plays again, but I truly doubt that’s the result here.
Here’s another mind-bending player for fantasy. Thomas missed all of 2021 due to an “ankle injury” which could very well be code for a lack of interest. Either way, if he’s on your roster it’s likely because you trust the talent. Whether he’s with New Orleans or finds a new home, I think we see that talent on full display somewhere in 2022, making him a prime hold candidate in January. Don’t sell low just yet.
JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR – PIT)
Last on my receiver list is the underwhelming Smith-Schuster. He played some of 2021 but didn’t do well when he did. Then he got hurt and went on IR, ending his scoring opportunities for the year. But would he have been great with Ben Roethlisberger (QB – PIT) anyway? Hard to say. I’m holding Smith-Schuster wherever I have him because it’s entirely possible that he catches passes from a new QB next year which could greatly increase his dynasty value. No reason to run yet, just keep holding.
Tight Ends
Tight end is a wasteland once you get past the top 6 players or so. After that, you are in a guessing game week in and week out. That being said, Schultz has done a surprisingly good job of being reliable during the latter half of 2022. I don’t think he jumps into that top tier at all, but you can definitely do worse. If he helped you win your title, or at least make the playoffs, hold on and see if he gets some positive news through the offseason. Maybe you can send him and another player off in the summer to a team looking for depth elsewhere and upgrade at the position. No reason to move him in January though.
This one’s gone under the radar, in my opinion. Smith could come back to a monster workload for the Vikings in 2022 and it feels like no one is talking about him. His value is likely lower than it was a year ago, but I think it’s all about to come back. No reason to trade someone away when they’re about to see a value bump. Hold now instead of trading for late picks or bench cloggers. He could easily be a starting TE for your team which is hard to find.
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