Some dynasty fantasy football players are in leagues with no trade deadlines, while others are preparing for upcoming gauntlet of weeks with limited transaction opportunities. For those of us already looking toward the future, who are some players to move off of while the vibes are good? Anyone can pitch buying an elite option for this playoff run, but who are the cheap(er) options?
Let’s check out a few names at each position, grab those 3rd and 4th round picks you dropped between your seat cushions, and kill our darlings – because the time before fantasy football is in its final phase is fast approaching.
Dynasty Fantasy Football – Black Friday Buys & Sells
Quarterback Buys
Geno Smith, Josh Dobbs, Russell Wilson
These three buys all seem to be at different points of the same production timeline. Josh Dobbs is the most mobile of the bunch. Geno Smith has incredible upside when he minimizes turnovers. Russell Wilson has the schedule and pedigree of a reliable fantasy asset this upcoming playoff stretch.
Dobbs might cost more than some dynasty fantasy football managers would like to pay (the price of being late instead of early). Meanwhile, Geno’s playoff schedule might not appeal to you with the interception count. Russell might seem “washed,” but each option provides week-winning and league-winning potential for a fraction of the elite brand names you currently can’t afford. Black Friday is soon, get your QB at a discount.
Quarterback Sells
Sam Howell, Will Levis, Trevor Lawrence
These are young quarterbacks, all at different stages off development. Is Mike Vrabel going to keep the leash on Will Levis tight as the season finishes, or is Ryan Tannehill a mistake away from retaking the job?
While Sam Howell has surpassed pre-season expectations, especially when it comes to volume passing, he faces the gauntlet of a Rams/Jets/49ers playoff schedule where even with a potentially juicy Rams opponent, it might be time to upgrade or swap for someone not constantly under pressure against lesser pass rushes.
With Trevor Lawrence, you’re coming off a 4 score game where you might be able to get away with selling a QB who hasn’t thrown more than two touchdowns in a game all season. There are arguments for regression, and there are arguments for accepting what is in front of you. Make sure you’ve got alternative options to these three come playoff time.
Running Back Buys
Gus Edwards, Chuba Hubbard, Devin Singletary
We aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel. We want RBs we can afford with opportunity that matters, and people have to be willing to part with those players! Gus Edwards might not have a stranglehold on the committee work in Baltimore with Keaton Mitchell’s emergence, but he gets the goal line touches in a high scoring offense.
Chuba Hubbard has seemingly usurped Miles Sanders in Carolina. While the offense isn’t potent, ugly volume is ugly volume, and a Falcons-Packers-Jaguars playoff schedule is enough upside to make an investment.
With Devin Singletary, Dameon Pierce has failed to lock up a three-down role, and CJ Stroud has continued his breakout rookie campaign with no signs of slowing down. Getting your hands on the pass-catching back in his offense isn’t impossible in dynasty fantasy football leagues…yet.
Running Back Sells
Zach Charbonnet, Derrick Henry, Tony Pollard
Three very different roles in three varied offenses, with one common denominator–you wouldn’t pass a lie detector test if you said you trusted them in the clutch this year. We are in prime “trust the process” season, which includes believing what once happened will continue to happen. For Tony Pollard, it’s believing a role from years prior still exists, let alone a more promising one. Rico Dowdle continues to eat into his touches the same way Ezekiel Elliott once did, and the Cowboy offense doesn’t seem to suffer from that game plan.
Derrick Henry only continues to show signs of decline on a team that has no shot at the playoffs or staying competitive for all four quarters; and that playoff schedule is no longer quite as enticing as history would suggest.
For Zach Charbonnet, the combination of the upcoming schedule of difficult games making it difficult for him to establish a standalone role, on top of waiting for Ken Walker to return to the fray, make this a perfect time to sell high to the manager in need of the next new thing. These players are riskier than their names would indicate going into the most important weeks.
Wide Receiver Buys
Jake Bobo, Rashid Shaheed, Josh Downs
Value at the WR position is a lot like that $20 you found in that old jacket you never wear anymore, but decided to try it on again. It’s a nice surprise, but inflation is killing you. None of us can afford the increasing price tag of even average pass-catchers, so it’s time to start treating these dudes like RB handcuffs. Jake Bobo has proven himself in an offense that can both produce and suffers from oft-injured studs.
Rashid Shaheed continues to make noise in a crowded offense featuring Chris Olave, Alvin Kamara, and Taysom Hill already having established roles, with Michael Thomas now headed to IR until the playoff stretch at the soonest.
Josh Downs is coming off a Bye. While he only splashed potential a few weeks this rookie season, his Atlanta/Las Vegas matchups in Weeks 16/17 are too juicy to ignore. Twenty bucks can still metaphorically get you far if you find the right bargains.
Wide Receiver Sells
Odell Beckham Jr, Curtis Samuel, Jameson Williams
While it’s difficult to let go of our prior beliefs on prospects, veterans in decline or surprising breakouts we faded, it’s important to recognize in all cases when you’re better off getting out of the game entirely on a player. Not every risky asset offers the same upside with a hit, and Jameson Williams is increasingly looking like a player with a lot of potential rather than a lot of points. With very little room in a Lions offense that is rolling without him, it’s time to accept Williams won’t be helping anyone win a league this season without a major change in his role (boom/bust TD streamer); and it’s difficult to see that coming to fruition in the fantasy playoffs.
It’s the opposite case with OBJ. The former dynasty fantasy football star seems to have re-emerged as of late in Baltimore. With Mark Andrews gone, someone should be getting more work. It’s just hard to know for sure it will be the biggest brand name of the bunch; and he might never have more value for the rest of his career.
Curtis Samuel has been productive all season, but a nagging toe injury and difficult playoff matchups make him a better asset to move than hold. While volume is what has made him viable this season, that well might be dried up by the time the fantasy playoffs arrive with the matchups and injury.
Tight End Buys
Conner Heyward, Dalton Schultz, Taysom Hill
CJ Stroud is going to win awards this season and beyond. Houston pass-catchers are buy candidates because of the potential they offer with their stud QB, but also with the varied prices and upside they each provide. Dalton Schultz has finally grown into the role he had just a short Texas drive away a season ago, and it’s time to accept a new era in Texans football.
Pat Freiermuth has a clearly established role when healthy, but with how hamstring injuries have the potential to linger. Right now is the time to acquire the backup pass-catching tight end for next to nothing, and Conner Heyward is that tight end.
While it’s the least interesting take of all-time, rostering Taysom Hill due to tight end eligibility is once again looking like a major advantage going into the home stretch of the fantasy season. Derek Carr continues to deal with injuries and Hill’s redzone role provides more opportunities for touchdowns than most streaming alternatives. Whether it’s a full on starter, streamer or backup, consider these three when holiday shopping.
Tight End Sells
Hunter Henry, David Njoku, Tyler Higbee
It was fun while it lasted. It’s time for your friend who has been recommending Tyler Higbee for the past three years to call it a day. The Hunter Henry dream is as dead as is the Mac Jones nightmare, and David Njoku is at his absolute peak (that fall is pretty far).
The Rams are offensively incapable of keeping pace with their early season production, let alone feed the additional mouth at the table in Puka Nacua. While Cooper Kupp is hurt, his low ankle sprain isn’t as serious as the initial injury he suffered to start the season. This “buy window” is yet another Tyler Higbee trap.
The Patriots are the least explosive offense in the league in terms of eye test, and the Browns just lost Deshaun Watson for the remainder of the season. Dorian Thompson-Robinson did not replicate Justin Herbert’s first ever start when he received last minute notice he’d be the man under center–even with a gritty victory over Pittsburgh. It has been (predictably) a disaster. David Njoku and Hunter Henry both have the talent, but the risk is much more about the lack of effective QB play moving forward. We avoid red flags in our approach to the playoffs, we don’t welcome them into our lineup with open arms.
