Analyzing Real Dynasty Trades – Fantasy Football (2023)

Welcome to the latest edition of recent dynasty football trades! In this series, we break down real dynasty trades that our experts at Faceoff Sports Network have seen in their dynasty fantasy football leagues.

We all know, the dynasty season never stops. Whether you’re already looking into the 2024 rookie class or trying to win now, it truly is 365 days per year. Any good manager knows how fluid the dynasty market can be and never stops looking for opportunities to take advantage.

There are always moves to make and value to be had.

Let’s examine another round of dynasty trades to help you get a sense of the deals that are going down in the streets.

Dynasty Trade 1 – 12 Team Superflex, .5 Point Tight End-Premium

Let’s kick things off with everyone’s new favorite dynasty wide receiver Puka Nacua.

I know the dynasty “trade for value” crowd has been hammering doing so with Nacua for a few weeks now. It’s certainly a proven and viable dynasty strategy.Integral to being a discerning dynasty manager, though, is being able to spot outliers and take advantage accordingly.

Nacua followed up his big debut with an even more impressive performance in Week 2 against a Super Bowl-caliber defense. Finally, he followed these two games up with a solid 5-72 on seven targets in Week 3. What more do we need the guy to do? Nacua sure looks like the real deal three games into his career.

I know. His numbers will drop off once Cooper Kupp returns. From a dynasty perspective though, this is no reason to panic. Personally, I’ve made this exact trade in a few leagues.

Nacua does lack elite draft capital and athleticism. Despite this, he has drawn targets at a high rate. Nacua has a Targets per Route Run (TPRR) of 33%!  For perspective, this is higher than Chris Olave, A.J. Brown, and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

If Nacua is the real deal, a second-round pick is cheap for a budding fantasy star. However, if he flames out? Oh well. You can easily replace a second-round pick at some point during the remainder of the season or next offseason.

At this price, the risk is worth the reward.

Verdict – Team A Wins

Trade 2 – 12 Team Superflex, 1 Point Tight End-Premium

My first takeaway on this trade: a singular first-round pick is relatively cheap for a  young, starting running back.

Javonte Williams has been very mediocre thus far. He is only a year removed from a major knee injury. We must continue to expect more of the same for the first half of the season. Ultimately, his play should improve as gets further removed from the injury.

I’m not sure if Team B is rebuilding, or if they just wanted to get rid of Williams altogether. The Broncos do not appear to be much better than their 2022 version, but the offense does enter Week 4 ranked 14th in overall offensive DVOA.

I feel as long as this 2024 first does not wind up being a top-six pick, then Team A got the better end of the deal. All in all, it’s tough to acquire young starting running backs much cheaper than this.

Verdict – Team A Wins

Trade 3 – 12 Team Superflex, .5 Tight End-Premium

Personally, I was never a fan of tiering down from Jalen Hurts to Justin Fields when it was all the rage this off-season. Needless to say, I’m certainly not a fan after watching three weeks of Fields and the Bears’ offense.

I highlighted several concerns I had about Fields in my Dynasty Sells before the start of the season. Three games in, he has done nothing to change my stance. If Fields continues to struggle, it’s going to throw his dynasty future into complete limbo.

Furthermore, that makes me hesitant to acquire him. It’s borderline foolish to tier down from Hurts to Fields after what we’ve seen so far this year.

However, picking up Breece Hall is a nice get in this deal. He’s off to a slow start, but this is to be expected in year one after his knee surgery. Hall’s workload should continue to rise with each passing week. I can’t say for certain the production will be there as we are forced to watch another painful season of Zach Wilson leading the charge.

Needless to say, I love the idea of getting Hall. He’s a great dynasty buy but not in a Hurts/Fields tier-down trade. The bottom line? I just don’t want to take on the risk with Fields. Hurts’ future is secure. I have no idea what the Bears’ plans are for Fields past this season.

Fields is now 5-23 as a starter. If the Bears keep going down their current trajectory, they’ll be picking in the top five again. Drafting a different quarterback could be in play or maybe even tanking for Caleb Williams if things continue the way they have been. Overall, Team B is simply taking on too much risk. Especially in a Superflex format.

Verdict – Team A Wins

Trade 4 – 12 Team Superflex, .5 Tight End-Premium

I love breaking down Superflex trades with a stud quarterback. Here, we’ve got Team B giving a first, a young quarterback, a 2nd, and a Day 3 wide receiver off to a hot start in exchange for Lamar Jackson.

Overall, a few things stand out here:

C.J. Stroud has looked extremely promising three games into his career. He’s certainly looked the best of all the rookie quarterbacks so far. Personally, I wish I had more shares. However, where I’m getting hung up, is including Nacua in this deal. If he is legitimate, then Team B has given away a WR1 in this deal to go along with the other assets. Overall, I don’t love that idea.

Jackson is currently the QB8 overall while Stroud is QB13. Being a former MVP, we have already seen the type of ceiling that Jackson can give dynasty managers. Needless to say, Team B is without a doubt acquiring the best player in the deal.

Furthermore, I would expect Jackson to finish higher than where he is and Stroud to fall a bit. That would mean the upgrade Team B gets from Stroud to Jackson is significant. Additionally, I was informed by the manager who submitted this trade that the picks are more likely to be back-end 2024 rookie draft picks. Overall, this does drop their value a bit.

This is a good “win-now” move to acquire a more established quarterback. What Stroud has shown three games into his career with few weapons and a patchwork offensive line is impressive.

I think it’s very possible we look back on this trade in two years and see this was too much to give away. Even for Jackson. Overall, it’s a very close call here, but I’m going to take Team A’s side.

Full disclosure: a buddy of mine made this trade and asked for my thoughts on it.

It took me over a week to reach a verdict. It’s a close trade. Normally, I would side with a proven, stud quarterback. However, watching Stroud, I think he might be on his way to becoming a difference-maker at the quarterback position.

Picking up a young quarterback who has already flashed, a young wide receiver who legitimately looks good, as well as a first and a second is a nice haul for Jackson.

My take on this trade boils down to the fact that I believe Nacua and Stroud are the real deal. They are young, ascending players that I want on my dynasty rosters. They may even help Team A stay competitive for this season.

Verdict – Team A Wins

If you want to see your dynasty trades highlighted, send them our way on Twitter (X) @ff_stallion or @FFFaceoff.

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