Keep Trade Cut Dynasty Fantasy Football Week 12

Welcome to the Week 12 edition of the Keep Trade Cut series here at Faceoff Sports Networks. Weekly during the season, we’ve taken a look at three similarly valued players for dynasty fantasy football purposes. This week, we take a look at three signal callers who all look likely to lead an NFL team come next Fall, and therefore become options for our dynasty football teams.

In dynasty fantasy football, a player’s week-to-week viability factors into their value across the season. That can lead to volatile valuations from managers and trades involving the assets trending up and down. Each week we’ll use a different source. From those rankings, we’ll discuss three similar players that should be considered worth keeping, trading, or “cutting”. No, you won’t be actually cutting these players in most dynasty leagues at this time. However, that’s not the point of this scenario. Let’s break it down real quick.

Keep Trade Cut

For this exercise, the keeper is a player who can sustain their current value during this season and beyond. In other words, the player who should be valued most by managers or potential managers. The player worth trading is a player whose value may be buoyed by unsustainable volume. That, or they are holding a level of value who may be more useful to move along in your team’s makeup. Finally, the “cut” in this scenario is a player who is trending down or has a rapidly changing outlook, therefore being seen as the least valuable asset in this trio.

For Week 12, we’ll be looking at dynastyprocess.com and discussing their current QB25, QB26, and QB27 according to their rankings.

Keep: QB25 Joshua Dobbs

We start with the keeper and 2023 breakout quarterback Joshua Dobbs. After beginning the Regular Season as the Cardinal’s starter, Dobbs has boosted and solidified his stock in the NFL even further following a trade to the Minnesota Vikings. Of this trio, Dobbs has an advantage for fantasy due to his rushing upside, but his comfort and overall production in 2023 should give his managers confidence going forward. Dobbs has 70 carries and 389 yards while supplying six rushing touchdowns, those touchdowns playing a huge role in his top 12 output at the position this season. For reference, our fellow quarterbacks in this trio, Baker Mayfield and Derek Carr, have a combined 60 carries and 172 yards on the year.

That clear upside from Dobbs rushing ability is the reason he is the keep of this list. Although the rushing touchdown numbers may slightly regress in future years, he’s played himself into a multi-year NFL contract at the game’s most important position. Even if those rushing numbers slightly decrease, he’s shown he can run a competent NFL offense and should be a high-end QB2 on dynasty rosters for the near future. Dobbs made the most of his opportunity in Arizona, and dynasty managers should be happy to hold or expect to pay a reasonable price for this player from this point into the offseason.

Trade: QB27 Baker Mayfield

Our player to trade this week is Baker Mayfield, a player who has found a new situation and may also be playing himself into another starting job long-term, whether that’s with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or elsewhere. Mayfield and Carr have performed similarly in the red zone this season, with both throwing under 50% but neither committing a litany of turnovers. Both players have played 10 games for their teams, with Mayfield providing 15 passing touchdowns, nine of which came within the red zone. Mayfield only has six turnovers on the season, and he can continue to extend his positive numbers in this offense as this team fights for the playoffs.

Mayfield has shown enough this season to start in the NFL next year and maybe multiple years. His age is a huge factor in the reasoning for him to be above Carr here, both players have played similar levels of football, but Mayfield is doing more with a slightly less talented offense. Mayfield may only ever be a middle-of-the-pack QB2 for fantasy purposes, but his affinity for big plays and the receiving talent around Mayfield make him intriguing long-term, and it’s important to see where he lands. That’s why it may be sensible to see his market value at this time or heading into next season to avoid the worry of his situation diminishing.

Cut: QB26 Derek Carr

Our oldest player of the trio is New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr, and he will be our cut here in Week 12. With Carr currently in concussion protocol and having a so-so season production-wise, it’s understandable that managers either have been wavering on Carr long-term or may begin to. He’s thrown eight red zone touchdowns to zero interceptions this season, which is impressive. However, Carr only has 10 passing touchdowns overall on the season, a number that isn’t likely to get the job done, even in a disappointing NFC South.

The reason to dislike Carr a bit more for dynasty is his slightly advanced age and this poor division rearing its ugly head. Mayfield and Carr could easily be flipped by season’s end based on team performance, you do not want to be the quarterback of a team that loses this division. We’ve seen the Falcons make a quarterback change and return to their initial evaluation. With Carr in concussion protocol, his status for Week 12 is in question, and that allows Jameis Winston an opportunity in the offense.

Once Carr comes back, he will likely re-take that starting role, but the Saints may realize neither player is the answer sooner than later. Carr has some experience behind his name, but his age and performance are starting to cause doubts about his longevity for fantasy. Maybe this team finds a way to build a healthy offense around Carr, but he’s always been a boom or bust QB2, making him difficult to invest in or sell off for a high price.

Keep Trade Cut: The Verdict

The three quarterbacks discussed on this page are likely to be leading NFL offenses in 2024. They offer familiarity and some professional consistency at a position that needs it right now. As I said, the trade and cut from this list could easily be flipped based on the final standings. Meanwhile, Dobbs may not win his division but looks like a savvy investment for many NFL clubs in need of a quarterback this offseason.

Team situations are the most important aspect of fantasy production for quarterbacks, and sometimes for different reasons. Dobbs is playing free and producing. Even through mistakes, fantasy numbers are being put up. The other quarterbacks on this trio are certainly encountering the same resistance from teams, but aren’t putting up top-12 numbers like Dobbs has. He’s been consistent and that will eventually elevate him from this QB25 position he is currently valued at in these rankings, making Dobbs the clear player to keep in this Week 12 Keep Trade Cut trio.

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