Dynasty leagues are always reacting to the volatility of player performance year after year, and knowing when to buy and sell players can open up huge returns for your rosters. This article will look at a few players on new teams and consider what it means for their fantasy values. Some of these players represent good buy-now options for win-now rosters, and others are screaming sell. We’ll aim to give you an idea of their dynasty value as we go.
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Dynasty: Players on New Teams (Fantasy Football 2023)
D’Andre Swift (RB – PHI) – RB19
The Lions had telegraphed how they felt about D’Andre Swift for a while before they eventually moved on from him during the draft. It said plenty about Swift that nobody in the league was willing to pay more than the 2025 fourth-round pick that the Eagles gave up. Swift might be part of a potent offense, but he’ll see fewer targets in an Eagles offense that was dead last in target share to running backs last year with 12.1%, and Swift will likely still be part of a committee.
Swift’s value is aligned with the 1.12 in a Superflex league, but if you can get a random 2024 first, there’s every chance you can luck into a higher pick than that.
Miles Sanders (RB – CAR) – RB21
After a successful season with the Eagles, where Miles Sanders finished with 1314 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns, the 11th most among running backs, Sanders moved on to Carolina in free agency. Sanders is now the Panthers’ RB1 behind a solid offensive line under new head coach Frank Reich who started his opening press conference by saying that he wanted to establish the run to open up the downfield passing game.
We’ve seen enough of Miles Sanders over the years to know he won’t be an RB1 in fantasy any time soon. Still, in an offense finding its feet, with a rookie quarterback, Sanders can be leaned upon heavily and see enough volume to be RB2 consistently. Sanders’s value is equivalent to Marquise Brown or Christian Kirk, and if you’re not a competitor, then it’s time to move to a wide receiver who might hold their value for a longer amount of time.
DJ Moore (WR – CHI) – WR18
It was good to see the Bears recognize that they needed to surround Justin Fields with more talent this offseason, but DJ Moore‘s arrival in Chicago might mean more for them in pure football terms than for fantasy. While Moore has often appeared on the fringes of a breakout, he’s never been prolific in the end zone, scoring only 21 touchdowns in the last five seasons combined.
If we’re hoping for an AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts-type connection, it involves a lot of projecting things we’ve never seen before. The Bears might pass more this year because it’s hard to complete less than the 12.8 completions per game they had last year, but it’s also fair to expect this offense to be a mess in 2023 too, and that if you’re able to move Moore on for a first-round pick, then it might be time to get out on him.
David Montgomery (RB – DET) – RB26
It’s been all change in the Lions backfield this offseason, with Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift replaced by David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. It was slightly surprising to see the Lions look to move on from Williams, in particular with him coming off over 1,000 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in 2022. Still, David Montgomery seems like the perfect replacement for a between-the-twenties runner who can pick up the yardage the Lions’ excellent offensive line allows.
Montgomery has the potential to be the back who takes the majority of inside the five looks that Williams got, which it’s worth pointing out was 34, 15 more than any other player. Montgomery is not a sexy player, but he could be primed for a great season and is available for the equivalent of the 2.04 in Superflex dynasty leagues.
Darren Waller (TE – NYG) – TE10
The relationship between the Raiders and Darren Waller seemed to be on the rocks for a while before the Giants eventually swooped in, giving up the 100th pick in this year’s draft for Waller. The Giants are trying hard to rebuild their decimated pass-catching core, but many of the signings have been shorter slot wide receivers, and Waller can play both inside and outside, which should help him see more targets in Brian Daboll’s offense.
No team targetted the tight end position less than the Giants in 2022, with only 65 total, but now with Waller, that can change substantially, with him having averaged 7.5 targets per game over his last four seasons and even in a down 2022, Waller averaged over five targets per game. With only second-year tight end Daniel Bellinger for competition, Waller should rarely come off the field.
Currently, Waller’s value is the equivalent of a mid-second-round pick, which seems fair for a player who has missed some time of late, but could see 100+ targets.
Mike Gesicki (TE – NE) – TE25
When Mike Gesicki was franchise tagged by the Dolphins in 2022, it looked like a strange decision, with Gesicki not fitting the mold of tight end that Mike McDaniel prefers. The season went on to play out like that, with Gesicki’s lack of run blocking leading to him leaving the field plenty and not living up to the $10.9 million the Dolphins paid him.
Gesicki is not an every-down player, but now that he’s in New England, he will likely be utilized more as a pass catcher, with Hunter Henry to do more of the inline blocking work. Gesicki has a very low floor, but he’s a very cheap option in dynasty leagues at the moment. For the cost of a mid-third round pick, Gesicki’s a worthwhile gamble for teams who might be looking to compete, simply in case Hunter Henry gets injured, then Gesicki would be very fantasy viable.
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