Anyone who has succeeded in dynasty leagues for a number of years will tell you that the key is to ensure you don’t end up with too many players toward the end of their careers. Ahead of the season, now is the time to decide if you’re a contender, with contenders able to take on the risk of an older player while teams a year or two away might wish to move the players in this article whenever a sell window opens.
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Dynasty Trade Advice: Veterans to Buy or Sell
Dalvin Cook (MIN) – RB25 – 27yrs old
Dalvin Cook has been an excellent running back throughout his career, finishing as a top eight half PPR RB in three of the last four seasons. Cook has rushed for over 1000 yards in each of his previous four seasons and has averaged 55 targets per year over that time. The big question, however, is whether Cook can find any team willing to give him the amount of touches per game he needs to exceed his perceived value at this point in his career. With teams hardly queuing up to sign Cook, it feels likely he’ll be consigned to a committee role this year, and his value is only going one way.
James Conner (ARI) – RB37 – 28yrs old
The Cardinals look like they could struggle this year, but at running back, the only real option is James Conner, who missed three games last year with an injury midway through the season but from Week 9 onwards, was a top-five running back on four occasions, and only finished outside the top 15 on one occasion. Conner is available for a late second-round pick, which feels like a great price to pay for a new every-down running back if you’re a contender, and regardless of who is the quarterback, Conner can be a good fantasy asset this year, but at age 28 we should be aware the cliff-edge could be approaching fast.
Keenan Allen (LAC) – WR42 – 31yrs old
The Chargers weren’t too fun in 2022, mainly because of injuries to Justin Herbert, Mike Williams, and Keenan Allen. With a new offensive coordinator and a healthy group of players, there’s a good chance they can bounce back this year. Allen scored 15 or more PPR points in five of his nine appearances last year, and while Mike Williams may have to contend with Quentin Johnston for downfield targets, Allen’s role in the slot should be secure. If you’re not ready to contend, selling a 31-year-old wide receiver for a mid-second seems sensible.
Tyreek Hill (MIA) – WR8 – 29yrs old
There were reasons to be skeptical that Tyreek Hill could continue to be an elite fantasy asset in Miami, but last year’s performance should put those to bed. Hill was far less reliant on downfield shots and instead thrived creating yards after the catch in a potent offense. Hill has talked about not wanting to play for more than a few more years, but he’s a good enough talent that you should either be happy to roll the dice for several more years of top production or, instead, you can find a way to package him into a deal for other players, with KeepTradeCut valuing Hill at the same cost as the 2023 1.03. Sometimes a stealthy approach can help when trying to move veterans, so be considerate of that when opening trade conversations.
Tyler Lockett (SEA) – WR45 – 30yrs old
Dynasty managers seem to be down on Tyler Lockett, who enters his age 31 season, on the back of nine weekly performances of 15 or more PPR points in 2022. Jaxon Smith-Njigba does feel like a more natural replacement for Lockett than DK Metcalf, but Smith-Njigba is largely perceived as a pure slot player, and Lockett averaged only 43 percent of his snaps from the slot in 2022. There’s a real possibility that Lockett could be on the team for several years, and DK Metcalf has zero guaranteed money after this year. Lockett has always been undervalued in fantasy football, and for the cost of a late second-round pick, he’s someone contenders should be looking to acquire.
Mike Evans (TB) – WR41 – 29yrs old
After nine straight seasons of 1000 receiving yards or more, Mike Evans might face his biggest uphill struggle to accumulate yardage with either of Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask at quarterback. Mayfield struggled to keep Odell Beckham fantasy relevant in Cleveland, and Kyle Trask is a completely unknown quantity at this point. The market is depressed on Mike Evans at the moment, with his value dropping to almost a mid-second-round pick. If you have him on your roster, it’ll be best to wait and hope for some of his trademark blow-up games before looking to move on.
Derrick Henry (TEN) – RB17 – 29yrs old
The Titans look a mess on offense right now, but we continuously see Mike Vrabel find ways to get more out of the roster than we expect, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if he has the Titans competitive for 2023. Henry is coming off a career-best 4.5 forced missed tackles per game in 2022, as well as seeing his average time to line of scrimmage hit 2.70, which was the fastest of his seven-year career. Year after year, people are wary of Derrick Henry, but with the Titans having very little else on offense, perhaps it’s time for one last legendary season from him, and if that happens, the cost of a late-first-round pick to acquire him might look wise a few months from now.
DeAndre Hopkins (ARI) – WR39 – 31yrs old
With his release from the Cardinals, DeAndre Hopkins found himself a free agent for the first time in his career, and it’s fair to say the market has yet to meet his valuation of himself. In dynasty leagues, Hopkins’ value is anywhere between the 2.03-2.06, depending on your format and the thirst for receivers in your league. It won’t be easy to move Hopkins at the moment, but if he signs with the likes of Kansas City or Buffalo, it’s time to cash in straight away unless you’re a contender.
Brandin Cooks (DAL) – WR55 – 29yrs old
Much like Tyler Lockett, Brandin Cooks has long been a player who fantasy managers struggle to value effectively, and Cooks has rewarded those who did have faith with six top-24 yearly finishes in his nine career seasons. Cooks now finds himself in Dallas with Dak Prescott, the best quarterback he’s had since Deshaun Watson, and this has brought about a slight climb in his fantasy value with some fantasy managers sure that Cooks will be the WR2 behind CeeDee Lamb and not Michael Gallup. If you can find a manager that values him like that, it might be worth trying to sell high, with Gallup a year further removed from an ACL injury and likely ready to command more high-value touches than he was able to in 2022.
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