Dynasty Trade Advice: Puka Nacua, Roschon Johnson, Kenneth Walker III (Fantasy Football)

If you were able to grab Puka Nacua off of your waiver wire, congratulations. Even in dynasty leagues, Nacua was going undrafted in many rookie drafts. As we all predicted, he’s currently leading the NFL in targets with 35 after a whopping 20-target game against the 49ers. Now, we look forward to Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season. In dynasty fantasy football leagues, making trades is one of the most fun parts of the whole experience, outside of rookie drafts. I’ll be breaking down a handful of players every week who you should be considering buying, selling, or holding onto in your dynasty leagues.

Dynasty Players to Buy, Sell & Hold: Week 3

Puka Nacua (WR- LAR)

With Cooper Kupp remaining on the sideline until at least Week 5, Nacua has stepped into his role and then some. The 5th-round pick out of BYU was taken 177th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. As mentioned above, he currently leads the NFL in targets and had 20 targets against the 49ers in Week 2. In dynasty rookie drafts, Nacua was either going undrafted or taken toward the back end of the fourth round. Needless to say, he’s gone above and beyond all reasonable projections.

However, if you’re lucky enough to roster Nacua in your dynasty leagues, this is a fantastic opportunity to sell high. Anytime a player with this type of draft capital has a spike in value such as this, you have to consider at least shopping him around. Even if you believe in the talent and swear you called your shot on Nacua months ago, put him on the block. Recently, he was traded for Kupp and a 2025 1st-round pick. Seriously, if you want to see the trade, feel free to reach out on Twitter.

No, this isn’t a trade you should expect to see. However, the simple massive spike in value alone is enough reason to put him on the trade block. Don’t just sell for the sake of it, but it’s certainly worth putting some feelers out, just in case a fantastic offer falls in your lap.

Verdict: Sell High or Hold

Roschon Johnson (RB – CHI)

Next up is another 2023 rookie, this time a running back. Despite being recruited at Texas initially as a quarterback, Johnson was given the opportunity to produce as a running back early on. While he did put up respectable numbers, unfortunately, Bijan Robinson was also on this team. Obviously, Johnson took a backseat to Robinson, who is on a whole other level than him. However, he did finish his career with a solid 5.6 YPC and 26 total touchdowns.

Now, Johnson finds himself splitting the backfield for one of the most disappointing teams so far in 2023, the Chicago Bears. Khalil Herbert is a solid starter but not an overly talented player by any means. Through two games, we obviously lack a large sample size, but it’s been a pretty even split so far. However, Johnson did get the goal line carries last week against Tampa Bay, and he found the end zone. This was fairly promising, considering the Buccaneers still have a tough run defense.

Overall, this isn’t the most appealing team for a fantasy running back. However, Johnson is getting a good amount of work early on and is already challenging Herbert for snaps and red zone work. Not to mention, both appear to be involved in the dump-off game from Justin Fields. Personally, I’m buying into the talent and expect Johnson to take over the backfield sooner rather than later.

Verdict: Buy or Hold

Kenneth Walker (RB – SEA)

The last name for this week is the second-year running back in Seattle. Walker is coming off a 2022 rookie campaign where he finished as the RB18 in PPR leagues. Despite not getting more than 60% of the offensive snaps last year until Week 6, Walker had a fantastic stretch of production, including five straight weeks with a touchdown.

Rookie Zach Charbonnet had many dynasty managers worried this past off-season, after the Seahawks drafted him 52nd overall, boosting his dynasty stock instantly. Yes, it’s early, and we’ve hardly seen much of Charbonnet. However, Walker looks as explosive as ever and just ran for two touchdowns in Week 2 in an overtime win over Detroit. All of this despite him dealing with a groin injury that was lingering throughout the preseason.

Meanwhile, Charbonnet has just seven carries in the first two weeks. Again, it is certainly early, and if you have Charbonnet in dynasty leagues, just have patience. I fully expect him to get more involved, but Walker should easily end up getting a 60/40 split in his favor, worst-case scenario. All things considered, I’m happy to buy into Walker, even if it means buying high.