Week 9 Keep Trade Cut – Dynasty League Football (2024)
Navigating the midseason in dynasty fantasy football requires making tough decisions to keep, trade, or cut players who can shape the future of your roster. As Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season approaches, player values are shifting, and managers need to stay ahead of these trends to gain an edge. Our Week 9 Keep Trade Cut analysis dives into the latest player performances, trade targets, and potential cuts to help dynasty managers make informed roster moves.
Whether you’re pushing for a playoff spot or rebuilding for the future, these recommendations will provide the insights you need to maximize your dynasty fantasy football team’s potential.
Keep Trade Cut – Dynasty League Football (Week 9)
In our Week 9 edition of Keep Trade Cut, we’ll look at rankings from The Athletic and assess Brian Robinson Jr. (RB12), Josh Jacobs (RB13), and D’Andre Swift (RB14). All of these are running backs who have shown RB1 upside here in 2024. We’ll talk about this group and decide who can continue their productive starts to the season while examining their roles. Fair warning, there are plenty of red zone touches amongst these three assets. Let’s look into these top 12 hopeful fantasy running backs.
To kick off the madness that is Week 9 Keep Trade Cut, we’re going to lay out some of those red zone numbers. Currently, Robinson leads this group in red zone carries (25) and yards (70), while scoring all six of his rushing touchdowns in the opponent’s red zone. Meanwhile, Jacobs and Swift have just two red zone touchdowns each. Running with Robinson has been a proven part of the winning formula for the Commanders. In fact, each of these running backs can boast credit for their team’s winning records this season.
However, while these running backs all appear to be valued as top-15 running backs, we’ve been tempted by these high upside values in the past. Namely D’Andre Swift. He is currently the RB14 in these rankings. Currently, Swift sits as the RB15 in 1/2 PPR formats. Additionally, he boasts the highest output amongst this trio, when it comes to points per game. Swift has an average PPG of 14.31, compared to Jacobs 13.59 and Robinsons 13.50 in half PPR formats.
Keep in mind, that none of these averages are poor. All three of these running backs have performed above their expectations heading into the year. Let’s gear up for this production-heavy Keep Trade Cut, and decide who amongst these three is worth keeping for the long haul.
Keep Trade Cut: Josh Jacobs RB Green Bay Packers (RB13)
There was unsure optimism in Green Bay and fantasy circles when the Packers moved on from Aaron Jones in the 2024 offseason. They replaced him with another productive rusher in Josh Jacobs. Jacobs was dominant during his time as a Las Vegas Raider. Now, he looks to be cementing him as a likely Packers starter for the duration of his contract.
MarShawn Lloyd, the Packers’ 2024 3rd-round pick, hasn’t stayed healthy to start the year. Emmanuel Wilson, who is the backup now and perhaps for the near future, is a solid handcuff. However, he doesn’t come close to the upside Jacobs can provide.
Impressively, Jacobs has provided double-digit carries for managers all but one week when he had 9 for 51 yards. He finished that game with 9.8 fantasy points in half PPR. While Jacobs only went over 20 points for the first time in Week 8, he has provided weekly output to get himself to RB10 on the season so far. More importantly, he’s the highest of this trio.
Rightfully, Jacobs finds himself as the keep of the week here in Week 9. He’s been the most important offensive player on the Packers not named Jordan Love. That should be the case as Jacobs is in his prime and should have several more good years ahead of him.
The optimism for Jacobs to continue producing at his previous high marks is appearing more realistic week by week for his dynasty managers. We could be in for a Joe Mixon-like late-career resurgence from Jacobs in Green Bay.
Verdict: Keep
Keep Trade Cut: Brian Robinson RB Washington Commanders (RB12)
Next, we talk about the aforementioned red zone savant and Commanders starter Brian Robinson. A player who is just as important to this offense as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has been. Robinson has been a great fantasy football running back for each of his games this season. So far, he’s only missed the Week 6 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. Robinson’s hamstring injury will keep him out this week. Meanwhile, Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols as the healthy backs on the team as we head into Week 9.
Fortunately, his injury is not the most significant factor in making Robinson our trade of the week. Instead, the newfound health in the surrounding backfield, paired with the difficulty Robinson finds providing ceiling outputs are the main factors for being a sell-high candidate during this 2024 season.
Recently, Robinson has only reached double-digit outputs in two of the last three games he’s played. Additionally, he found his snap share diminished in those games compared to the beginning of the season.
Ultimately, the Commanders are a team on the upswing in the division, and in the NFC as a whole. As a result, the exposure Robinson is getting this year has opened a sell-high window. He can provide in the red zone but that’s a tough role to hold over years, while his snap share fading to below 50% from Week 5-8 are reasons for worry. He gets used a lot in this offense, he gets banged up a lot as well.
Robinson is an ideal RB2 and volume-based fantasy asset at this time. However, this team could add some speed in this backfield at any moment with only the aging Ekeler and McNichols around. This RB12 price is a great selling price for a volume-hefty asset like Robinson on your dynasty league football rosters.
Verdict: Trade
Keep Trade Cut: D’Andre Swift RB Chicago Bears (RB14)
It feels almost incorrect to have a player scoring 14.31 points per game in half PPR, as our Cut of the week. Chicago Bears RB D’Andre Swift has produced near 20-point outings in three of the last four weeks in half PPR formats. Impressively, going over the 25-point mark in a Week 4 game against the Rams. Without a doubt, that ceiling is impressive. However, we’ve grown quite comfortable seeing these stretches from Swift in fantasy football.
As we’ve seen there are games where Swift gets bottled up and the running production struggles. That perfectly is encapsulated by Swift’s season to this point. In Swift’s first three games for the Bears, he totaled 68 yards on 37 carries. Swift was headed in the wrong direction of these rankings early in the season due to that performance. Even his strong play in the last four games still hasn’t propelled him too highly. Despite his age and catching prowess.
With Swift, we’ve seen the upside on a game-to-game basis with his big play ability. Swift is a fine best ball asset. However, he hasn’t locked down any particular role for the three teams he’s been on, for a prolonged period. This four-week stretch is arguably Swift’s strongest and most consistent of his career. However, we’ve seen nagging injuries derail this player’s fantasy football seasons before.
Ultimately, the risk of that happening again and tanking his value, doesn’t seem to outweigh the potential price you could get for this player as the current RB14. Swift is the ultimate boom-or-bust swing. Personally, I’d be open to moving him if someone else wants to take that swing.
Verdict: Cut
Week 9 Keep Trade Cut – Final Dynasty Thoughts
Heading to the final few weeks of the fantasy regular season, these high-ranking running backs (and other high-end assets) can be the key to making your season a success or a failure. Whether that’s by acquiring them or selling them high in a rebuild. Hopefully, if you are in a rebuild, you can get those near Rb1 prices for Robinson and Swift or already have. On the other side of that coin, a player like Jacobs is a savvy addition for managers looking to compete, now and in the future.
Jacobs is outperforming his RB13 ranking here. Honestly, it doesn’t appear that anyone in the Packers backfield can take his starting spot any time soon. As a result, it’s worth trading a first or maybe even a first plus more to acquire him. The Packers have so much committed to Jacobs in this offense right now and fantasy managers will continue to reap the benefits that role provides.
Thanks for checking out this Week 9 edition of Keep Trade Cut. Continue following along all season long and we’ll help you set your dynasty league football rosters up for future success. In the meantime, check out this early 2025 dynasty rookie mock draft.
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