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By: Jay Pounds (@jaypoundsnfl)
Dynasty Owners, welcome back to another week of rebuilding with Jay! In last week’s article, I touched on some of the players I thought rebuilding users should pick up off the Free Agent Auction and this week I will switch tunes and discuss players who I feel should be traded away in a rebuild. I know I said I would be getting back to helping users with their rebuilding rosters this week but there will be plenty of time for that in the upcoming slow period for the NFL. The worst part of every off-season is the last two months as the NFL season is so close, yet so far away at the same time. With that being said if any of you reading this have a team that you are rebuilding and would like me to cover that team in an article, please feel free to contact me via Twitter. Enough of me boring you as much as the NFL dead zone, let’s get into today’s article. The players listed below had one requirement to make the cut and that is that they must be a player who I don’t think rebuilding users should roster.
- Stefon Diggs (WR – BUF) – 2 years/$14,400,000
I am sure many of you will question this decision but after digging into it, it is time to move on from Stefon Diggs. While doing research, I have found that around age 27-28 is when most players hit their peak, and while there are more than a couple outliers in the situation the majority tend to fall off at the age. Diggs is 28 heading into the season and while I am holding onto him in leagues that I’m a contender in, I am trying to move him before his contract extension kicks in next season. I know it is always tough trading a player away from one of the top offenses in the league, but in fantasy football you must strike when the iron is hot no matter who the player is, or what team they play on. Diggs will no doubt be a great player for the next year or two but when you are rebuilding, he will be fading when it comes time for your team to win.
- James Conner (RB – ARI) – 3 years/$7,000,000
If you have listened to any of the recent Dynasty Owner podcasts that Steve and I have done, you will know I just told him to move on from James Conner, even in a league he is contending in. Conner had a great season last year and I am using his fantastic season to move on from the Cardinals running back. Conner should no doubt have a decent market as he finished as RB6 in Dynasty Owner last season. The main reasons I feel most Conner owners should attempt to trade him is because he has been injury prone throughout most of his career and that he has hit that magic age of 27 where running backs start to fall off. As much as I love James Conner, I just can’t see him being a top tier running back anywhere past 2022.
- Deebo Samuel (WR – SF) – 1 year/$1,811,869
I absolutely hate putting a player like Deebo Samuel on this list but there are two major reasons I am moving on from Deebo. The first and most important reason I would move on from Deebo is because of the massive contract extension he is about to receive. I am ok paying certain players, but the amount of work Deebo saw last season worries me moving forward. I want players who are going to be coming into their prime after my rebuild, not beat down players making $30 million a season. The second set of reasons, which I somewhat already listed, is the fact Deebo plays like a running back a ton, has a spotty injury history, and is nearing the age 27 we talked about earlier.
- Antonio Gibson (RB – WAS) – 2 years/$1,233,159
While I do remain a big Antonio Gibson guy, I do feel it is time for rebuilding users to cut ties. The talent of Gibson is there; there is no doubt about that, but it doesn’t mean he comes without significant question marks. Gibson had major ball security issues last season with six fumbles and seemed to struggle near the red zone, though I will admit I did not watch many of the Football Team’s games last season as they were not shown on the RedZone Channel all that much. Another major concern I have with Gibson is the signs the Commanders are putting out. Anytime a team has a talent like Gibson and is still re-signing and drafting players at the position he plays; it comes off as worrisome. I hope Gibson proves the doubters wrong, but I am not banking on that in the middle of a rebuild. Be safe and take the draft capital.
- David Montgomery (RB – CHI) – 1 year/$1,003,845
David Montgomery is a player I like a ton heading into the 2022 season, but not so much after that. While Monty could resign with the Bears, I just do not see it happening with the emergence of Khalil Herbert ($902,677) last season and even if Monty does re-sign, I have made it perfectly clear that I try to stay away from most running backs going into their second contract if I am rebuilding. I also worry about the fact Montgomery now has a quarterback in Justin Fields ($4,717,989) who loves to use his legs which will cut into Montgomery’s workload if he does choose to stay in Chicago. Overall, the risk of Montgomery leaving Chicago, the uncertainty that comes with it, and the fact he will become much more expensive next season is enough for me to move on from the former Iowa State product.
- Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA) – 2 years/$7,568,859
I know Tua gets a lot of hate and in most fantasy football platforms I am hanging on to him, but as you all already know Dynasty Owner is not most platforms. Here on Dynasty Owner, Tua will no longer be a value in two short seasons as a contract extension nears. I look at Tua and see two outcomes I am not all that fond of. The first situation is probably the most obvious, which is Tua continues to play like an average quarterback at best and becomes a backup, or journeyman, for years to come. The other scenario is Tua coming out and playing well, getting a contract extension, and then you are stuck with an expensive average quarterback. Regardless of how Tua plays this season I feel trading him now will likely bring back the most value.
- T.J. Hockenson (TE – DET) – 1 year/$4,955,306
Finally, we have Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson. Hockenson has been a solid tight end since joining the NFL, but I feel he has probably hit his ceiling in Detroit. The Iowa product will likely be a perennial Top 10 tight end, but he will be much more expensive come this time next season as he has gotten his fifth year option picked up for $9,392,000. After that option year, if Hockenson leaves Detroit and ends up in the perfect situation, sure he will be worth his new contract, but I see many scenarios where he ends up in what I like to call the Dallas Goedert tier of tight ends. The Dallas Goedert tier has tight ends who will put up decent numbers and should be rostered, but who I only want in certain situations. The last thing that worries me about Hockenson is the moves that the Lions have made this off-season bringing in Jameson Williams ($4,365,448) and D.J. Chark ($10,000,000), along with the question mark they still have at quarterback in Jared Goff ($33,500,000).
Thank you all for reading, be sure to check out the rest of the content here on Dynasty Owner by Steve, Matt, and Nate. Stay safe out there and good luck on your 2022 Chase for the Ring!