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By: Jay Pounds (@jaypoundsnfl)
Dynasty Owners, did you miss me last week? I’m sure you didn’t but if you did, I’m back! In just a few days, the NFL will hold its annual draft and the dynasty nerds like us will be all ears. When it comes to Dynasty Owner, the draft is much more significant because you will have to pay each player you decide is good enough for your roster. Could you imagine having to fit someone like Sam Bradford under the cap years ago when the top rookie could be paid in the $50,000,000 range?
The draft has always been one of my favorite events of the year and it is even more significant to me because of Dynasty Owner. Before we jump into what we are all here for I would like to remind everyone of the Dynasty Owner Draft Pick Challenge. The Draft Pick Challenge is a contest offered by Dynasty Owner and the grand prize will go to any user who can guess the entire first round correctly. What is the grand prize you ask? $1,000,000!
In today’s article, I decided to do something a little more fun and will include just about all our rebuilding users. Today’s article will be about 5 players who I feel rebuilding owners should trade before the player’s value plummets. Every player you find on this list is a competent Dynasty Owner Starter but for one reason or another, it is time to move on. Below I will list each player along with the reasons I feel it’s time to move on from their services if you are rebuilding.
- Kyler Murray ($8,914,504)
While I am sure this may shock more than a few people, I do think it is time to move on from Kyler Murray as a rebuilding owner. Kyler has been less than happy with Arizona lately and while a change of scenery could benefit him, I don’t think it will help a ton, if it does at all. While a trade is far down the list of my worries with Murray, what I am most concerned about is his injury history. In 2023 (possibly 2022), Murray will receive a huge new contract and will be paid as a Top 5 quarterback.
If we are being honest, contenders can still justify rostering Kyler no problem because of his rushing ability. The grey area comes when you do not have a competitive roster. If Kyler was a bigger kid and ran a little less, he would have never found this list. The fact that he is small by NFL standards and has been banged up quite a bit with a massive new contract looming it makes him a sell for any rebuilding teams.
- David Montgomery ($1,003,845)
I honestly feel bad for putting Montgomery on this list as he has shown what he is capable of the past two seasons when healthy. The key word in the last sentence is healthy and David Montgomery’s health came under fire in 2021. While the injuries are never a complete deterrent when you pair that with the fact Montgomery will be getting a new deal soon and now has an elite running quarterback to compete with, it makes Montgomery a massive sell for rebuilding owners. The last thing that worries me some with Montgomery is the emergence of Khalil Herbert when Montgomery was out due to injury last season. Even with all the concerns above, I do feel you can get a good value out of Montgomery, but I would try to move him in the short term.
- DK Metcalf ($1,146,513)
If I am being honest, I had to be talked into this player being on this list and I will now do the same for you. Metcalf is an absolute physical specimen and that can’t be taken away from him, but he is very streaky and just got a massive downgrade at the quarterback position, on top of a new deal waiting soon. If you go back and look at Metcalf’s scoring throughout his career you will notice a player who always starts out hot and fades towards the end of the season, aside from one game where he explodes.
The one big question I ask myself with Metcalf is, are you ok paying him $25,000,000 or more with a huge question mark at the quarterback position? When talking to a friend about Metcalf he brought up an interesting point, he feels Metcalf has hit his ceiling early and while he will never be a scrub, he likely won’t ever be Top 5 either. As a rebuilding owner you need to be selective to whom you hand out massive contracts.
- Dionte Johnson ($1,070,241)
As a Steelers fan who loves Dionte Johnson, putting him on this list makes me feel like the time I broke my 3-year-old daughter’s heart because her Spaghetti O’s had no meatballs. It’s a true story and she will never let me forget it! All jokes aside, Johnson is a perfect candidate for this list. The reasons for this are because Johnson is about to get paid in the $22,000,000 range per season and without Big Ben, I don’t see him as a Top 12 receiver.
While Johnson will still hold value, as a rebuilding owner, you should only be paying elite players big money and figure out your role players down the road. Over the past two seasons Johnson has put up fantastic numbers, but I believe the limitations of his quarterback played a huge role in that success oddly enough. I see Johnson as a Top 16-18 receiver moving forward which means he belongs with a contender when he gets paid. Trade him now as his value will tank the second he signs a new deal.
- Noah Fant ($3,147,680)
In the final spot we have a player I have never been all that high on, Noah Fant. If I am being honest the judgement I have placed on Fant is probably a little unfair as he has never played with more than a backup level quarterback, but if we have never seen him play at an elite level, how do we know he can? The answer to that question should be that we just don’t care because he is about to get a new deal that will be north of $10,000,000 per year.
As I have mentioned with the players above when you are in a rebuild, it’s time to be selective about to whom you hand contracts out. The only way to look smart while paying Fant during a rebuild is if he ends up leaving Seattle and getting paired with a high-level signal-caller. A gamble I am just not willing to take as Fant will become extremely hard to trade after signing a new contract.
Summary
I know for a fact you will not feel great right after trading any of these players but that is kind of the point when rebuilding, you want to be miserable now and happy later. The best piece of advice I can give you when trying to trade any of these players (aside from Kyler) is that it’s ok to take a little less to get a deal done. Remember, the worst scenario here is holding onto one of these players to0 long and losing a ton of value because they got paid. I know free agency is over but rebuilding never sleeps!
Thank you all for reading and be sure to check out content from the other Dynasty Owner analysts, Steve, Matt, and Nate. Stay safe out there and good luck on your 2022 Chase for the Ring!