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The Top Trade Targets for All Teams

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By: Jay Poundsee (@jaypoundsnfl)

With the 2020 Dynasty Owner season coming to a close, now is the time to start looking for pieces that will put your team over the top, whether that be for this season, or future seasons. Trades can completely make or break any team involved, but there are some trades that can have minimal impact on either roster, basically becoming a wash. The art of trading is very risky business in the fantasy world, just imagine feeling great about your team making a trade, and the next week the player you just traded for gets hurt and is out for the season, leaving your team in shambles with you not only losing your new star, but what you traded to get him as well.

When trading for players of high value you will have to pay a premium to acquire that player, which often will create a hole on your team, but can improve it at the same time. Trading is by far the most important element of building your team, outside of the rookie drafts each season, and free agent targets. If you are a contender facing an injury at this point in the year trading is the only option to truly replace, or replicate the production you lost, while free agents can make up some of the missed production, 9 times out of 10 that player will only produce about half of what the original player would have leaving a huge hole to fill each week.

Another one of the beauties of trading is that no matter your teams record there is always a trade out there that will make sense. Teams that aren’t contending should be every bit as busy as the contending teams trying to unload expensive veteran contracts for young players, and draft capital.

This article will be breaking down what I feel are the top trade targets no matter your team’s record. Each category will be broken down by position and will contain anywhere from 2-5 players each position. I will break the trade targets up into 3 separate categories of teams, being teams competing in The Chase for the Ring, teams who are in the playoffs pushing for a championship, and teams that are looking at a rebuild.

  • The Chase for the Ring category will consist of players with a salary under $4,000,000, players with extremely high upside, and age will not matter if they are producing.
  • The playoff team targets will be players with a salary under $8,000,000, and players will have at least a few more years left in their prime for future potential.
  • The category for rebuilding teams will not be worrying about any players salary and will only be looking at players just coming into the league, as well as draft capital.

Always remember when trading, to factor in salary, as well as the other owner’s team needs before trying to execute a trade. My personal preference with trading is to message the owner you would like to trade with and start a conversation the more you talk the easier trading becomes with that owner. Owners often have extremely different opinions on certain players, so learn what the other owner prefers before sending a deal the other hates, and you lose a future trading partner.

Chase for the Ring Trade Targets

Quarterback
  1. L. Jackson- 236.7 pts, $10,003 (DD$/PT), 2 Years $2,367,912
    • Coming into this season Jackson was easily a top 4 pick fresh off his MVP campaign. Jackson has disappointed thus far, but with a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way he has a ton of upside. If Jackson finds his 2019 form, he could push your team over the top
  2. C. Newton- 193.3 pts, $9,053 (DD$/PT), 1 Year $1,750,00
    • Cam Newton has seemingly been a top 8 fantasy QB since entering the league as the number 1 overall pick for Carolina. While those days seem to be long gone Cam is still a viable fantasy starter for at least this season. Cam will more than likely be the easiest, and cheapest signal caller to target right now. I can’t imagine many owners you will face will have a better bench QB than Newton. If I were competing and had Burrow, Newton would be my top target!

(Note- these will be the same targets for playoff contenders)

Running Back
  1. J. Conner- 139 pts, $5,686 (DD$/PT), 1 Year $790,381
    • Conner has been a tough one to predict all season long with the amount the Steelers throw the ball. The lack of production in recent weeks should lower the asking price on Conner, so strike while the iron is hot. The running back landscape is such a wreck if you can secure someone with the guaranteed work of Conner you do it every time.
  2. Joe Mixon- 100.6 pts, $13,544 (DD$/PT), 1 Year $1,362,544
    • While Mixon not playing in recent weeks makes him a more than risky acquisition, he may also win you your league. Burrow went down with a season ending injury on Sunday, which should mean the Bengals will lean heavily on the run the rest of the way. If Mixon can get healthy he is a potential steal, but there is a chance we don’t see him at all the rest of the season.
  3. C. Carson- 104 pts, $5,926(DD$/PT), 1 Year $616,282
    • As each day passes Carson is looking more and more likely to get back on the field this week. Before the injury Carson was one of the most effective backs in football and was also one of the key components to making his offense go. I look for Carson to get back to himself as soon as he’s back on the field.
  4. R. Mostert- 77.6 pts, $37,371 (DD$/PT), 2 Years $2,900,000
    • Before going down with multiple injuries this season Mostert looked back to his 2019 form. It seems most of his production came on 2 massive runs early in the year, only to be hurt shortly after each. If Mostert can return healthy, and get the 49ers run game back on track he could be a league winner.
Wide Receiver
  1. W. Fuller- 189.2 pts, $13,430 (DD$/PT), 1 Year $2,541,078
    • With Watson at the helm for the Texans any wide receiver getting targets in the offense will have good fantasy value. Fuller has remained the top target throughout the season and finishing Sunday’s game with 6 catches on 8 targets for 80 yards, was another solid game under his belt. You should be able to buy Fuller cheap right now as he hasn’t produced crazy numbers this year, but he always has that potential.
  2. C. Kupp- 155.8 pts, $6,148 (DD$/PT), 1 Year $957,940
    • Has anyone in the NFL looked more like Wes Welker than Cooper Kupp? This kid has had a 20-target game this season, and while he doesn’t score many touchdowns, he more than makes up for it with receptions. With Kupp set to get a new deal you may be able to leverage that to get him rather cheap.
  3. D. Moore- 168.5 pts, $16,574 (DD$/PT), 3 Years $2,792,829
    • DJ Moore is probably one of the most undervalued receivers right now making him a somewhat cheap buy. He is coming off a good game which hurts a little, but with Bridgewater coming back you may be able to play that game off as a fluke. I see Moore as a great buy for any team right now, and he may finish this season as a WR1!
Tight End
  1. M. Andrews- 117.4 pts, $7,353 (DD$/PT), 2 Years $863,290
    • Andrews has been really disappointing for owners, especially where they drafted him at in the off season. If possible, try to use that frustration to buy Andrews low. The tight end market has been a wasteland this season outside of Kelce, and if you can even the playing field a little by grabbing Andrews then do it every time. He had a great game against the Titans, and that should continue into the coming weeks.
  2. J. Smith- 111.9 pts, $6,939 (DD$/PT), 1 Year $776,572
    • Smith is another tight end I would consider at least close to being on Andrew’s level. All off season Jonnu was touted as a potential breakout at the position, and he has done just that. Smith is the only other option at trying to cancel out Kelce. If the Titans get back to targeting Smith more, he becomes a great buy.

Playoffs A Lock and Pushing for A Championship

Quarterback – See Chase for the Ring targets.
Running Back
  1. J. Jacobs- 174.6 pts, $17,086 (DD$/PT), 3 Years $2,983,350
    • Jacobs has quietly put together one of the better seasons by a running back this year. I don’t see Jacobs having the upside to help chase contenders, but he certainly can help win playoff games any given week. Jacobs also has a great future ahead of him in a surging offense making him an easy buy.
  2. M. Sanders- 102.1 pts, $13,100 (DD$/PT), 3 Years $1,337,544
    • There may be no better time to buy Miles Sanders than right now. It is the perfect storm, a bad game coming off injury, and playing for a horrible team. Sanders has all the talent in the world and is more than capable of helping a team through the playoffs. Philly has also shown they believe he is a true 3-down workhorse. I would attempt to buy Sanders before he gets going.
  3. M. Gaskin- 97.5 pts, $6,684 (DD$/PT), 3 Years $651,694
    • With Gaskin on IR at the moment you may be able to get him cheaper than usual. I would look and see if his absence is hurting the owner, and if that’s the case strike while the iron is hot. Gaskin came out of nowhere this year, but the Dolphins have shown a lot of trust in him, which makes him an intriguing buy down the stretch for any contender.
Wide Receiver
  1. T. McLaurin- 183.3 pts, $5,247 (DD$/PT), 3 Years $961,918
    • McLaurin has been nothing short of phenomenal since entering the league last season, despite horrible quarterback play. If I am heading for the playoffs and have a player like Cede Lamb on my roster, I am offering him plus for McLaurin, and hoping he accepts. McLaurin could help push just about any team over the top.
  2.  R. Woods- 178.3 pts, $38,137 (DD$/PT), 2 Years $6,800,000
    • Up to this point in 2020 Woods has been slightly disappointing with some up and down games. With Goff finally starting to find a rhythm it should help Woods produce more moving forward. When trying to trade for Woods attempt to use his salary against the owner, which may only make him fractions cheaper. Woods offers a great stable floor for playoff teams.
  3. D. Slayton- 111.3 pts, $6,185 (DD$/PT), $688,497
    • Over the past few weeks, the Giants have looked like a completely different football team than we seen the first half of the season. With the offense starting to roll it should open the passing game up much more than it has been through 11 weeks. If things continue in this direction look for Slayton to have some huge boom weeks, which are always great in playoff matchups.
Tight End
  1. D. Goedert- 61.3 pts, $22,937 (DD$/PT), 2 Years $1,406,068
    • I think it’s possible that we have seen the last of the Ertz era in Philly. Ertz has been slowly being phased out of the offense over the last season and a half, with it being obvious early on this season. Goedert has looked awesome in his short career and seems to be the guy Philly wants moving forward. If you need to see it for yourself as I did just look at Eagles highlights while both Ertz, and Goedert play, when you do it becomes fairly obvious who the better player is. If Carson Wentz can start playing like the Wentz, we are used to seeing Goedert could be a candidate to absolutely explode during the playoffs. I would look to buy Goedert no matter the status of your team, as he seems poised to be a consistent fantasy tight end for many years to come.

Let’s Face It You Need to Rebuild

Quarterback
  1. B. Mayfield- 192 pts, $42,555 (DD$/PT), $8,170,745
    • I have yet to try and trade for a starting signal caller in Dynasty Owner, but I’m sure you will need to pay a premium for any starter. If you’re able to acquire Mayfield for cheap I would highly recommend it. At worst you listen to Steve Van Tassel and have 3 starting quarterbacks, but if he regains form you have yourself a lottery ticket. Mayfield is another realistic replacement for Burrow owners. DO NOT TRADE BURROW FOR MAYFIELD!!!!
  2. D. Jones- 171.5 pts, $37,411 (DD$/PT), 3 Years $6,416,014
    • Jones started the year off horribly to put it nicely. While this is true it was something, we should have seen coming with how tough the beginning half of his schedule was. Jones has been able to turn things around in recent weeks, and if he is able to continue, he may hold value after his initial contract. If you are a rebuilding team you should hoard any cheap players you can, and Jones fits that bill to a tee.
Running Back
  1. J. Taylor- 123.5 pts, $15,848 (DD$/PT), 4 Years $1,957,287
    • Coming into the 2020 draft most fantasy experts had one of two backs at the top of their list, Jonathon Taylor, or Deandre Swift. Taylor has been a major disappointment so far this season, which makes him a great buy right now. If you can pick up Taylor for an aging veteran, you should do it 10 times out of 10. Taylor has the potential to be a starter on your team for many years, just don’t let a few bad games distract you from that.
  2. J. Dobbins- 87.3 pts, $16,407 (DD$/PT), 4 Years $1,432,359
    • With Dobbins going on the Covid list there seems to be no better time to buy. If you can find an owner who was counting on him then try to get Dobbins before he returns, and it’s too late. The Ravens started the year with a committee approach, but in recent weeks we have seen Dobbins become the clear favorite. When it mattered Sunday against the Titans it was Dobbins carrying the ball.
  3. C. Akers- 46.2 pts, $33,403 (DD$/PT), 4 Years $1,543,258
    • Akers has been by far the most disappointing rookie this season. If you are attempting to buy Akers it is purely a move geared towards next season with hopes they at least give him a shot. Even with Akers healthy over the past few contests the Rams just haven’t given him the ball. The Rams did the same thing last year with Henderson, so let’s hope Akers finds himself in a similar situation. Akers has the talent to produce in this league, which is a great reason to grab some shares of him while he’s cheap.
Wide Receiver
  1. C. Lamb- 141.1 pts, $23,601 (DD$/PT), 4 Years $3,502,503
    • If you are a Lamb fan, I suggest you pay what is needed to get him now, because it’s the cheapest he will ever be. I see Lamb becoming the next Hopkins, and he should be viewed that way by any rebuilding team trying to obtain him. Whatever you would pay to have Hopkins on your roster as a rookie is about where you should set your limit when trying to trade for Lamb. It’s highly unlikely, but if you can use the uncertainty of Dak against the owner to get Lamb a little cheaper than I would no questions asked.
  2. P. Williams- 74.8 pts, $7,685 (DD$/PT), 2 Years $588,333
    • The injury mixed with low level production should make Williams a great buy heading into the end of the year. While it won’t be easy to get Williams due to his unbelievably cheap salary, and future potential it is a must try for any rebuilding team. Williams started to find a groove just before getting hurt this year and looked great last season before the injury. If Williams comes back healthy and performs well, he becomes a fantastic buy.
  3. J. Reagor- 44.9 pts, $73,890 (DD$/PT), 4 Years $3,317,669
    • The Philadelphia Eagles selected Jalen Reagor just a few slots ahead of Justin Jefferson in the 2020 draft. Up to this point it has looked like the Eagles made a huge mistake passing on Jefferson, but we haven’t had the chance to see Reagor healthy just yet. If Reagor can get his health figure out he should become a great fantasy asset to have, and with his health in question he should be easier to acquire.
Tight End
  1. M. Gesicki- 92.9 pts, $17,793 (DD$/PT), 2 Years $1,652,981
    • Gesicki is one of the best young, up and coming tight ends in the NFL. He is now at that magic age at the tight end position of 25 years old and has had a solid season through 11 weeks. While Gesicki has put up some complete duds this season he has also had a few boom games to keep things fun. The mix of Gesicki’s talent, and Tua’s potential makes Gesicki a very interesting buy for rebuilding teams. He is at the point in his career he may even be ready help teams make a playoff push.
  2. C. Kmet- 23.4 pts, $80,959 (DD$/PT), 4 Years $1,894,444
    • The Bears spent a high draft pick in the 2020 draft on Cole Kmet out of Notre Dame. Yet even after spending the pick they did, the Bears still went out and signed 47 other tight ends (47 is an exaggeration, but it is close), seemingly pushing Kmet down the depth chart before he even had a chance. While the Bears have yet to see it almost everyone else that watches football has, and that is Kmet looking like the best tight end for the Bears, as a rookie. The time to buy Kmet is right now, before the bears figure out what they have in their young tight end, and he starts putting up numbers. If Chicago ever finds a quarterback this kid has massive potential.

Conclusion

These targets should give you some ideas on what types of players you should be looking at to improve your team. If some of these players happen to be unavailable by trade, then you at least have a starting point on what type of player to look for. Let’s say you are a chase contender going after McLaurin, but the owner refuses to trade him then you pivot and look at players near his salary with similar production.

I hope to see the Dynasty Owner trade feed on Twitter blow up after this article, and before the transaction freeze in week 13. Always remember to try and make your trades appealing, and beneficial for both parties involved, if you do that you will always have other owners ready to trade with you. One other quick thing I want to cover for rebuilding teams, do not forget if you win the losers bracket tournament in your league you will get the 13th pick in your next rookie draft. Make the trades while you can, and as always good luck on your Chase for the Ring!

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