With the final four teams moving onto the semi-final round of the fantasy playoffs and the trade deadline past in the vast majority of leagues, we’ll review the recommended dynasty buys and sells from 2020 and see whether they’re still good deals now or mistakes in retrospect.
We’ll revisit and evaluate the recommended dynasty buys and sells from the second half of the regular season in this article (you can find Part 1 here), continuing with the recommended dynasty buys and sells from Week 8 through Week 13. And best of luck to all those teams still in the hunt for the fantasy championship!
Say what?! Your dynasty football league isn’t hosted on Fantrax? Unthinkable! Check out all the features Fantrax has to offer, and we think you’ll be singing a different tune for next season.
Week 8 to Week 13 – Dynasty Buys
Week 8 ⇑
Kenyan Drake and Mike Evans were the recommended Week 8 dynasty buys. Drake was being left for dead with many expecting Chase Edmonds to take over as the starter, but Drake did reclaim his starting role as expected and is the no. 6 running back in PPR formats since his return in Week 10. His long-term value is still in flux given his free agent status after this year, but he was an excellent buy-low for contending teams this season.
As for Evans, he’s produced despite Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown stealing targets and has been the no. 18 fantasy wide receiver from Week 8 onward. He was acquirable in some leagues for a single first-round rookie pick, and Evans remains a buy low-candidate with most ranking him outside of the top-10 dynasty wide receivers. Godwin, Brown, and Rob Gronkowski are all pending free agents, and Evans could see a significant bump in targets if even one of them is gone in 2021. The Week 8 recommended dynasty buys were spot on.
Week 9 ⇔
JaMycal Hasty and D’Onta FOreman were the recommended Week 9 dynasty buys. Hasty didn’t pan out and has since been placed on injured reserve, but he remains a low-risk acquisition for those bullish on Kyle Shanahan’s run schemes. The only 49ers running back currently under contract for 2021 is Raheem Mostert. San Francisco could sign a free agent or add a rookie, but Hasty could be an injury away yet again next season from fantasy relevance in one of the best rushing offenses in the league.
Foreman too has been a non-factor with Derrick Henry healthy, but he remains one of the highest-upside handcuffs for Weeks 15 and 16. He’s a free agent after this year, so his landing spot will determine whether he remains an upside handcuff or gets a chance at significant touches in a backfield. Like Hasty, we’ll have to wait and see on Foreman, but both are still incredibly cheap dart throws, likely attainable for a fourth-round rookie pick, with high upside.
Week 10 ⇔
J.D. McKissic and Jakobi Meyers were the recommended Week 10 dynasty buys. Of course no one anticipated Antonio Gibson‘s toe injury, but McKissic was getting plenty of receiving usage even with Gibson on the field. From Week 10 onward, he’s been the no. 19 running back in PPR scoring and was likely able to be acquired for just a third-round rookie pick in many cases.
Meyers, however, hasn’t panned out quite as nicely. He had a nice stretch of games, but he hasn’t solidified a role as the no.1 receiver in New England with all their receivers splitting targets on a week to week basis. Even so, Meyers is worth holding as the de facto no. 1 receiver going into 2021, though we don’t yet know who the Patriots’ starting quarterback will be. The Week 10 dynasty buys are a wash with McKissic working out and Meyers underperforming expectations.
Week 11 ⇔
Cole Beasley and Josh Reynolds were the recommended Week 11 dynasty buys. Since John Brown‘s high ankle sprain, Beasley has been the no. 14 wide receiver in PPR formats over the last three weeks. If Brown remains out for the duration of the fantasy playoffs, Beasley could be a WR2 who helps some teams win a title.
Reynolds hasn’t been quite as successful. His targets and snap share were trending up midseason, including playing on a season-high 98 percent of the snaps in Week 12, but his usage has since fallen drastically with the Rams having used more two tight end sets down the stretch. Reynolds has played on barely more than 50 percent of the snaps over the last couple of weeks. We’ll split the difference here and call Week 11 a wash with Beasley a clear contributor and Reynolds’s usage unexpectedly having fallen.
Week 12 ⇔
Taysom Hill and James White were the recommended Week 12 dynasty buys. Since filling in for Drew Brees as the starter from Week 11 onward, Hill has been the no. 7 fantasy quarterback over the last four weeks. With Hill currently under contract with the Saints for $12 million in 2021, it’s more than likely that he’ll be the starter in New Orleans next year if Brees were to retire in the offseason. Hill remains a value if you can acquire him for less than a first-round rookie pick in superflex and 2QB leagues.
On the other hand, White has been a disaster. He came through with two touchdowns against Arizona in Week 12, but since then, he’s logged just nine touches total over the last two games with the entire New England offense in disarray. Hill was a clear win, but White was a very poor call, so we’ll consider Week 12 a wash.
Week 13 ⇑
Ezekiel Elliott and Myles Gaskin were the recommended Week 13 dynasty buys. Even with Dak Prescott out since Week 6, Elliott has been the no. 24 running back in PPR leagues from Week 6 onward, and he was no. 3 running back over the first five games when Prescott was healthy. It’s not hard to imagine Elliott bouncing back to elite production next year if Prescott stays and the offensive line gets healthier. He remains a relative buy-low candidate for the offseason.
Gaskin immediately resumed his workhorse role in Week 13 upon his return and was the no. 16 running back in PPR scoring for that week. While he certainly hasn’t helped any playoff teams after landing on the COVID list following that performance, that was impossible to foresee. And he could still help teams who make it to the fantasy championships if he returns in Week 16 for a dream matchup against the Raiders’ vulnerable run defense. The jury is still out on Elliott, but I’m taking Gaskin as a win despite mitigating circumstances.
Week 8 to Week 13 – Dynasty Sells
Week 8 ⇑
Baker Mayfield and Travis Fulgham were the recommended Week 8 dynasty sells. Outside of the consecutive games with poor weather limiting passing on both sides, Mayfield has been excellent. As mentioned back in Week 8, his schedule was among the easiest in the league over the second half of the season and was a fine hold for contending teams, but he remains an offseason sell.
Fulgham was hyped everywhere after dominating the targets in Philadelphia with Jalen Reagor, Alshon Jeffery, and both starting tight ends missing time. I advised selling for any second-round rookie pick and did so everywhere I’d added Fulgham off waivers. Since the return of the rest of the Eagles’ receiving corps, Fulgham’s production has cratered. He’s scored just 7.2 points total over the last five weeks with two straight zero-catch games over the last two weeks with his snap share waning. I’m going to pat myself on the back here.
Week 9 ⇑
Justin Jackson and Jordan Wilkins were the recommended Week 9 dynasty sells. As mentioned, Jackson lost the interim job to Kalen Ballage even before Austin Ekeler returned from his hamstring injury. It’s prudent to sell most replacement running backs who aren’t true talents with three-down potential.
The same goes for Wilkins, who was never going to usurp Jonathan Taylor as the starter in Indianapolis. Wilkins is a good all-around back who can fill in when called upon and contribute on occasion, but he remains third on the depth chart. Even if Taylor were to miss time, Wilkins would still split snaps with Nyheim Hines and isn’t a true handcuff. Hopefully some teams were able to move Wilkins while he had a modicum of value. I’ll take the Week 9 recommended sells as a win.
Week 10 ⇔
Curtis Samuel and Breshad Perriman were the recommended Week 10 dynasty sells. Samuel has since performed well, especially with D.J. Moore missing time on the COVID list, but he remains a risky flex when all three Carolina wide receivers are healthy. And long-term, Samuel’s landing spot in the offseason will determine much about his dynasty value going forward. He’s not a must-sell, but I would still do so at the former recommended price point of an early second-round rookie pick or more.
Perriman was a fairly easy call, and hopefully teams were able to capitalize on his big game against New England when Stephon Gilmore was out. He’s averaged just 8.5 PPR points per game since and remains a desperation WR4 at best. Samuel’s landing spot in the offseason will determine a lot, so the jury is still somewhat out on the Week 10 sell candidates, though Perriman was a good call.
Week 11 ⇑
Jameis Winston and Marquez Valdes-Scantling were the recommended Week 11 dynasty sells. As I warned, all the signs out of New Orleans pointed to Winston not being the long-term answer for the post-Drew Brees era, though it came as a surprise that he didn’t even start one game in Brees’s absence. Winston’s dynasty value is teetering on the brink of extinction. Even in superflex or 2QB formats, dynasty GMs should get out while they can for anything they can get.
Valdes-Scantling similarly has disappointed since the return of Allen Lazard from his core surgery. His snap share has steadily declined since Lazard’s Week 11 return, and though Valdes-Scantling scored a touchdown against Detroit this past week, he totaled zero receptions and negative four rushing yards the two weeks prior to that. Week 11’s recommended dynasty sells were clear hits.
Week 12 ⇓
Joe Burrow and Marvin Jones were the recommended Week 12 dynasty sells. Burrow was certainly not a must-sell, but it was noted that his knee injury puts the start of the 2021 season in jeopardy as well, potentially hindering his ability to help dynasty teams looking to contend next year.
Jones was a miss for sure. It sounded like Kenny Golladay was close to returning, but apparently that optimism was misplaced. Jones has continued to produce as he has all year with Golladay out and has been the no. 17 wide receiver in PPR scoring over the last three weeks. I’ll take the “L” on the Week 12’s recommended sell candidates.
Week 13 ⇔
Alvin Kamara and D.K. Metcalf were the recommended Week 13 dynasty sells. Again, Kamara was far from a must-sell, but his future remains murky without knowing what the Saints’ offense will look like if Brees were to retire this offseason. He remains a recommended sell, as it’s still possible to potentially get one of the top 2020 rookie running backs plus a first-round rookie pick for Kamara right now. I value him similarly to those rookies, and there’s a fair chance that a few of them could overtake Kamara in dynasty value in 2021.
The recommendation on Metcalf was by no means to sell just to sell. He remains in contention for the top dynasty wide receiver spot, but he faces a brutal Week 16 matchup against Jalen Ramsey and the Rams. I maintain my stance that a potential championship with Tyreek Hill against the Falcons and Davante Adams against the Titans in Week 16 are worth losing a few years of youth with Metcalf. It’s hard to measure the long-term ramifications of these sell candidates, so it’s hard to call Week 13 either a win or a loss.
Looking Back
With hindsight, some players massively exceeded expectations while others predictably disappointed. Dynasty trades are always a measure of risk vs. reward, as no one knows the future. However, I firmly believe that the dynasty community as a whole should be more willing to react and make quick calls on players in-season after big games or disappointing performances. The worst thing to do is to underreact and do nothing to attempt to improve a dynasty roster from week to week.
For more fantasy football content, follow me on Twitter @FFA_Meng. Also, check back for more, as we’ll be covering the dynasty football angle all year round.
Fantrax was one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites of 2019, and we’re not letting our foot off the pedal now! With multi-team trades, designated commissioner/league managers, and drag/drop easy click methods, Fantrax is sure to excite the serious fantasy sports fan – sign up now for a free year at Fantrax.com.