It’s roster cutdown season! Who better to get the axe than older players not carrying their weight? Here are some veteran players either on the roster bubble already or studs past their prime. In either case, move on from them if you can get a good enough return.

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Dynasty Veterans to Trade Away

Ryan Tannehill (QB – TEN)

The best time to trade Ryan Tannehill away was probably before last season, if we’re being honest. That being said, there was some news recently that new Steelers OC Arthur Smith was interested in adding Tannehill to his team in free agency. Highly doubtful it happens but I’m happily trading Tannehill away for whatever I can get on that news alone. I’d love to get a second-round pick for him in Superflex leagues but that ship has likely sailed. A third-round pick would be fine but he’s probably not even worth that in 1QB leagues.

Maybe you can target a team light at the QB position and trade him for a bench RB or WR instead. I’d much rather take the chance on a lower-value player like Zach Evans or Rico Dowdle if possible. Heck, even someone like Kadarius Toney or Michael Gallup might be more likely to see your lineup this year over an old and busted Tannehill.

Joe Mixon (RB – CIN)

This might not be the right time to move Joe Mixon, on the recent news he’s likely to be cut, but it’s fine moving him for the right return. Mixon had a solid 2023, finishing as the RB6 on the year. That being said, it’s highly unlikely he will do that again, even if he stays on the Bengals. Try to move off of him before the team makes the move official or adds another RB before camp starts.

Mixon isn’t as shiny of an object as he used to be, as he’ll be 28 by the time the season starts. Trading away RBs in the offseason is a solid strategy, even more so when they’re hitting that age-28 apex. We see it all too often where an RB goes from relevant to irrelevant almost immediately after they turn 28.

Maybe you can sell someone in your league on him and get a second round pick or two in return for him. Maybe even try targeting 2025 picks at this point if that’s the best option. Either way, the writing is on the wall. Get out before the ink dries.

Aaron Jones (RB – GB)

Similar to Mixon, Aaron Jones’ window of relevancy is closing quickly. That being said, Jones is in a very different position in terms of 2024 outlook. He’s scheduled to receive over $11 million in salary this year, so the team would love to move on from him. However, teammate AJ Dillon is a free agent, and with the cap hit being so high, I doubt the team will cut Jones. They’re pretty much pot committed to having him on the roster.

This means Jones is almost guaranteed at least one more year on the offense. He’s a year-and-a-half older than Mixon, turning 30 in December, and he didn’t have the best 2023 season. Jones finished as the RB37 overall in PPR scoring in 11 games. He had over 20 carries in four of them and only scored two touchdowns on the year. Maybe it was just an off year, or maybe his age is finally catching up to him. Either way, sell him to someone else on the upshot he is a fantasy starter again.

Stefon Diggs (WR – BUF)

In dynasty Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR), Stefon Diggs is WR24, as of the writing of this article. He’s ranked as high as WR11 and as low as WR45. That’s quite a range for someone who just a year ago was a definite top-12 WR in the format. A large part of this spread is the uncertainty surrounding him, both in terms of contract and in terms of talent.

Diggs finished the season as the WR9 in PPR scoring, but I bet the majority of his managers wouldn’t believe you. He was seventh in receptions and 13th in yards, without any games missed. But that was last year. Heading into this year, it sure seems like he wants to play somewhere else.

The Bills have a huge contract to figure out between him and another team, though, which won’t be easy. On top of that, it just felt like the 30-year-old receiver had lost a step as the season went on. If you can still get out for WR2 value, you should do so. While his stats were good this year, it’s pretty hard to imagine him doing the same, or better, in the coming years, especially if his heart isn’t in it.

Curtis Samuel (WR – WAS)

I’m not sure it’s fair to put someone like Curtis Samuel on this list but I’m doing it anyway. Samuel finished 2023 as the WR43 in PPR scoring, WR38 in receptions and WR52 in yards. If you rostered Samuel, he probably spent the majority of time on your bench. On those random weeks you were forced to start him, hopefully it was one of his seven weeks where he scored over 10 PPR points and not one of the eight where he scored under seven.

The 28-year-old Samuel was already the epitome of boom-or-bust for fantasy. He’s great in best ball leagues but when making lineup decisions I almost always avoid him. Now that the Commanders have made a coaching change — and a big one at that — it’s really hard to predict what to do with Samuel. For someone who was already unpredictable, this means trying to move on wherever possible.

Maybe you can sell him to someone for a second-round pick or a couple of thirds. You could also try to package him with a flashier asset to upgrade another position. Worst case scenario, he stays on your roster and clogs up a bench spot for another year.

Darren Waller (TE – NYG)

The narrative around Darren Waller a year ago was that the Giants didn’t have anyone but Saquon Barkley and Waller to pass to, so he should get a ton of volume. What a lot of people forgot was that Waller was 31 when the season started and came with a long injury history. If he can’t see the field, he won’t see your lineup. All the hope in the world couldn’t put Waller back to together again. He was a huge disappointment for fantasy managers in 2023.

Waller finished as the TE21 while only playing 12 games. Only one other tight end finished ahead of him while playing fewer than 14 games — Mark Andrews. This isn’t meant to say Waller wasn’t entirely worthless but only scoring above 10 PPR points in four of his 12 games meant he wasn’t winning you many weeks.

He might still have something left in the tank, but it’s fine to pivot off of him before we know for sure. There’s someone in your league who’s more TE-needy than you are who would be happy to send a younger RB or WR option for Waller to at least give them someone relevant to start. Keep in mind, though, it’s February. There’s plenty of time to figure out your lineups. Now is the time to move on before people remember how risky a guy like Waller can be.

Dynasty Trade Value Chart & Advice

Whether it’s a dynasty startup draft or your rookie draft, we have you covered. Our team of fantasy football analysts includes Derek Brown, Pat Fitzmaurice, and Andrew Erickson. And Fitz and Scott Bogman will have you covered every week through the offseason with our Dynasty Football Podcast. They’ve all collaborated to provide our dynasty trade value chart. This is a dynamic chart created using a consensus of the analysts’ dynasty rankings.

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Andrew Hall is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his profile and follow him @AndrewHallFF.