Dynasty Football Sells: Running Backs

When doing this whole idea of who you should buy or who you should sell, it is really very determined on your roster makeup. Whether you are in win-now, rebuild, or somewhere in the middle mode, some trades will make more sense to you than others. You should also fully consider the status of the team you are trying to trade to. Some of my sell options I wholeheartedly believe in, but others would be fully team determinate. At such an important position like running back, you need to make sure the trade makes the most amount of sense for your team and compensation fits. If all else fails, hit me up on Twitter @OBryanBren and I’ll give you my 2 cents. Here are a few running backs I’m looking at in Dynasty Football Sells: Running Backs.

James Robinson – Jacksonville Jaguars

If you won your championship last season, there is a very good chance you had James Robinson on your squad. As a waiver wire gem, Robinson was a huge surprise and a very nice addition to your fantasy football teams if you were lucky enough to grab him. He also was more than just volume-dependent, he led all rookies and was inside the top-five in multiple advanced efficiency metrics according to FantasyData. He had 79 evaded tackles which was good for 5th in the NFL for running backs and led all rookies. His 30.2 yards created per game was 4th in the NFL for running backs and led all rookies. His 446 yards created was 6th in the NFL for running backs and also led all rookies.

All that being said and as good as he was, with the Jaguars drafting Travis Etienne has quickly put a damper on Robinson and his fantasy value. Robinson’s touches and type of usage will be in question as Etienne will probably steal a big chunk of the receptions and there’s a good chance he could take over the lead-back role sooner rather than later. The only way this doesn’t happen is if Etienne is horrible or gets hurt. I would take that deal every day if I could deal with Robinson for an RB2 or high-end Flex return.

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Melvin Gordon – Denver Broncos

Melvin Gordon hasn’t produced big numbers in a few years, averaging below four YPC over the last four seasons. He is 28 years old and has never finished a season playing a full 16 games in his career. Not to mention the Broncos just drafted their future running back with Javonte Williams. There are probably two avenues for you to take to rid your team of Gordon. You can post him directly to the trade block and just wait for the best/first trade offer. Or you can put a few offers out there for young late-round running back or wide receiver that you believe might have a ton of upside. There are probably still a few owners out there who believe Gordon is going to be a solid RB2 for the next few years, but I’m not convinced that happens.

Derrick Henry – Tennessee Titans

Ok, hear me out with this one. Derrick Henry is a sell high for specific teams, not for everyone. Henry would not even sniff this list if we were talking redraft leagues here, but we’re talking dynasty. Henry has been a fantasy stud for several years now and should continue to be a stud for the next year or two. That being said, Henry has had 718 touches over the last two seasons and a whopping 230 touches the year before, despite not getting much in the passing game. In 2020, Henry had over 400 touches and there is a long history of running backs having a hard time following up a 400-touch season.

Henry is turned 27 years old this past January and in the last three seasons, we have only seen one running back over 26 years old finish as a top-10 fantasy running back. In other words, ‘King Henry’ is getting a little long in the tooth and it might be time to find out what kind of trade return he might fetch. If you decided to bite the bullet on trading Henry the compensation should be significant. Multiple high draft picks, other superstars plus draft picks, it’s all on the table. If you’re winning now and have a loaded roster, your best bet might be to ride it out and get the production while you can. At this point, however, I’m considering putting him on the block regardless of what my roster looks like and selling high only if the return is great.

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