Tue Apr 4th 2023

Off-Season Dynasty Trades and Waivers

During this light news week, I decided to take a break from writing about the rookie class and free agents to write about some of the trades that have taken place in my leagues, most of which involve my teams. The best part about being a Dynasty Freek is staying active all year and making trades and waiver moves during the off-season as if there is an off-season for Dynasty Freeks. Here are my thoughts on moves other managers and I have made this off-season in my leagues.

My Trades

Evan Engram and 3.5 <-----> Keenan Allen

• I traded Keenan Allen, one of my favorite players, to acquire Evan Engram and the 3.5 on a team where I have been a contender every season but now need to begin to rebuild. It's also a team that was terrible at tight end, with Brevin Jordon and Logan Thomas at the top of the depth chart. Allen is on the wrong side of 30, and his dynasty value is declining. Engram's dynasty value is rising again, even though he's 28 years old. Engram scored more points than Allen last season, so they seemed like a fair swap on a team where I had terrible depth at tight end. I hope Engram can work out a long-term contract while he's signed under the franchise tag. If he does, I'd like this trade, but I'd be disappointed if he's on another team in a year. I like how the Jaguars used him and the chemistry he formed with Trevor Lawrence last season. As for Allen, the Chargers are very likely to draft another wide receiver early in this draft, and some mock drafts have them selecting a receiver in the first round. Allen's age and the likelihood of the Chargers drafting a receiver have made me willing to trade him. While the 3.5 is not much to help me start to rebuild, I already traded away my second-round pick in this league, so I was happy to get a pick back. I now have picks 3.4 and 3.5 in the third round, allowing me to hit on one or two players or package the picks to trade back up into the second round if needed.

Odell Beckham <-----> Tyquan Thorton

• I was offered Beckham for Thorton earlier in the offseason, but I declined the offer. At the time, it seemed like Thorton could have a starting role if Jakobi Meyers left in free agency. He did leave for Las Vegas, but then the Patriots signed Juju Smith-Schuster, arguably the best wide receiver available in free agency. Additionally, the Patriots have been to the pro days of many of the wide receivers in this class. Those facts caused me to return the same offer to the other manager, who promptly accepted. I have tremendous depth at wide receiver in this league, including a host of second and third-year players, so I was willing to give up a young prospect for an unsigned free agent who may have a year or two of fantasy production left. Beckham was my pick at the 1.1 in the start-up draft in this league seven years ago. He's back on my squad again, but this time as a flyer pick.

Jerome Ford <-----> JaMycal Hasty

• Jerome Ford is the player I've been trying to acquire the most this offseason, but this is the first time a trade offer was accepted. I've been trying to acquire Ford on the cheap because I loved his college film and production and feel like he can prove it on the field this year now that Kareem Hunt and D'Ernest Johnson are out of his way and the Browns have not brought anyone else in to be Nick Chubb's back up. I've been trying to pick Ford up in every league, and in this league, I have Chubb, too. I noticed the other manager had Travis Etienne on his squad, so I sent the offer with the comment, "handcuff for handcuff." Much to my surprise, he took it. Ford is a much better player than Hasty. Both could be valuable next season if the starter ahead of them gets injured, but Ford would do better. Hasty has looked good when he had chances the last few seasons with the 49ers and Jaguars, but we've seen his ceiling. We've yet to see Ford with that chance, but we will see this year, and his ceiling is much higher.

Mike White <-----> 5.4 and 6.4

• I made this trade for Mike White in a league transitioning to superflex this year. I have Tua Tagovailoa and Daniel Jones as my starting quarterbacks, so I wanted to get a little security at the position, given Tua's concussion history. White signed a two-year deal with the Dolphins, making him their clear backup. The team learned last season that the backup quarterback is very important after losing to the Bills in a competitive playoff game with Skylar Thompson starting at quarterback. White flashed at times with the Jets enough for the Dolphins to sign him as their backup. I did the same with this trade and decided that giving up a fifth and sixth-round pick was worth it.

1.6, 2.6, and 2.9 <-----> 1.4

• I was offered this package of picks in a league where the other manager must have a tier-break at 1.4 in his rookie rankings because I only had to move back two spots in the first round to 1.6 and collect two second-round picks. I was glad to accept this trade because I had already traded my second-round pick and was eager to get two second-round picks back. I have a tier break at 1.3 in my rankings, with Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba as my top three players. My second tier is much bigger. Plus, this is the same league transitioning to superflex this year, so quarterbacks will go in at the top of the first round, too, even though it's a ten-team league, making quarterbacks less critical. I'll take CJ Stroud or Bryce Young if they fall to me at 1.6. If they don't, then I am happy to take my top second-tier non-quarterback, which would be Jordan Addison.

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Others' Trades

Diontae Johnson <-----> Isiah Pacheco and David Bell

• This trade was made before free agency before David Bell got buried on the depth chart following the Elijah Moore trade. Still, it is a fair trade if the manager thinks Pacheco can build upon what he did at the end of the last season when he was Kansas City's starting running back. Clyde Edwards-Helaire will compete with Pacheco again next season, and the Chiefs could easily draft a running back in this year's deep class. Seventh-round picks like Pacheco often get buried quickly when another back with higher draft capital joins the team, but he held off Edwards-Helaire last year. We know what Diontae Johnson is at this point, and there's no way he's held without a touchdown like he was last season. We won't know what the ceiling of Pacheco and Bell is yet, but there's a possibility that we've already seen the best of them after the NFL draft.

Najee Harris and Marquise Brown <-----> Diontae Johnson and 1.5

• In this one-quarterback league, I like the Harris and Brown side of this trade simply because there will not be a running back better than Harris available at 1.5. The manager who traded away Harris has Travis Etienne and Rhomandre Stevenson as his starters but not much behind that, and he's loaded at wide receiver, the position he'll likely draft with the 1.5. The receivers in this trade are about a wash, but Harris is way better than the 1.5.

Michael Gallup and 1.7 <-----> Jameson Williams and 4.3

• This is a fair trade all around, but I favor the Gallup and 1.7 a bit more. Who knows what the 4.3 pick will be and Gallup's value dropped quite a bit when the Cowboys traded for Brandin Cooks, so I consider the Gallup and 4.3 a wash. This trade is really about Williams, who hardly played last season while recovering from an injury in college, and the 1.7. Williams was drafted in the middle of the second round of rookie drafts in most of my leagues last season, but that was in one-quarterback leagues. This league is transitioning to superflex this season, to the 1.7 will feel much more like a 1.5 if Stroud and Young are drafted at the top of the first round. I would rather have the 1.7 this year in a superflex league than Williams so that tips the scales for me. Though the unknown of Williams makes him a pretty exciting have on your roster.

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Players I've Added On Waivers

I've added a handful of players to my teams over the last few months of the offseason. I like to church the back of my roster this time of year, and these are the players I've added the most.

Tyler Badie

• I first added Badie after hearing reports about Javonte Williams's recovery taking longer than expected. The Broncos let Mike Boone and Chase Edmonds walk, so Badie was the next guy up at the time. Then the Broncos signed Samaje Perine, and things changed a bit since Perine is the guy the new coaching staff selected to pair with Williams. In most leagues, I still have Badie rostered because I want to wait to see how Williams progresses in his recovery, and I liked Badie's college tape and production. He still can carve out a role, especially in the passing game.

Quez Watkins

• Watkins remains the WR-3 for the Eagles behind their two studs, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but he's also had his share of big plays. I added Watkins in a few leagues in case Brown or Smith get injured. In deep leagues, Watkins could be a startable player if that happened.

Ashton Dulin

• Dulin has been on and off most of my rosters in deep leagues. I've added him back after the Colts let Parris Campbell and Zach Pascal walk and did not sign anyone else who could significantly cut into Dulin's playtime. The Colts added Isaiah McKenzie, but he and Dulin have very different skill sets. McKenzie will be their gadget guy, while Dulin starts in three-receiver sets. He's only had one year, but Alec Pierce didn't do anything to prove that he's the sure-fire WR-2 for the Colts. Dulin is definitely the last guy on my roster kind of player, but I added him in a few leagues.

O.J. Howard

• I was quick to add O.J. Howard to many of my rosters after the Raiders traded Darren Waller, learned about Foster Moreau's illness, and added Howard and Austin Hooper as their replacements. Howard has been a dynasty bust for sure, but he can blame at least some of his troubles on injuries. Two others from Howard's class, David Njoku and Evan Engram, have had their ups and downs but have things looking up now. The opportunity is wide open in Vegas. Howard could do the same.

Logan Thomas

• The Commanders are one of the teams most often linked to drafting a top tight end in this year's rookie class which is super deep, but until they do, Logan Thomas is still their starter with very little competition behind him. Thomas has had spurts of greatness mixed with injuries and vanishing acts, but the spurts of greatness make him a player I'm willing to roster in deep leagues until the Commanders draft a tight end early in this year's draft. 

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