With the NFL Draft complete and the bulk of free agency over with, rosters around the National Football League are pretty much finished products, right? Not necessarily. Once the preseason begins and depth charts start to work themselves out, there will be opportunities for teams to offload their extra weight. In dynasty fantasy football, we try to stay ahead of the curve by looking for potential trade targets. Where’s the biggest opportunity for fantasy production and who’s likely to get moved?
Here are some players whose 2019 fantasy football stock could significantly improve with a change of address.
LeSean McCoy (RB – BUF)
The veteran running back has seen better days and is clearly on his last legs as a starting running back in this league. With that being said, LeSean McCoy could be a decent stop-gap option for a team in need of running help this season. Teams looking to trade for him will just have to lower their expectations, as he’s not the same runner he once was.
The Buffalo Bills have veterans Frank Gore and T.J. Yeldon on the roster along with third-round rookie Devin Singletary, so the 2020 free agent wouldn’t even be that significant of a loss. In my opinion, Singletary would be the running back to target in Buffalo if McCoy is indeed moved.
Giovani Bernard (RB – CIN)
The pass-catching specialist saw his snaps drop from 482 (50.1%) in 2017 to 329 (33%) in 2018 after the emergence of Joe Mixon. While Mixon has shown the ability to be an every-down back, the Cincinnati Bengals have increasingly demonstrated a willingness to move on from Giovani Bernard by reducing his snaps along with drafting two running backs in the 2019 NFL Draft.
In the sixth round, Cincinnati drafted Trayveon Williams, a pass-catching back with a very similar skill set to Bernard. Later in the sixth, Cincinnati drafted talented but often-injured Rodney Anderson out of Oklahoma. With these additions plus Bernard’s 2020 free agency looming, he seems like an ideal target for a team in need of a third-down back.
Duke Johnson (RB – CLE)
Since being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2015, Duke Johnson has seen his snap count percentage fluctuate between 40 and 50 percent. While there is room for improvement, Johnson has always been a steady low-upside fantasy piece worth a roster spot as the occasional desperation flex starter. In 2018, Johnson hit a career low in snaps due to progress-stopper Carlos Hyde and the emergence of Nick Chubb as an every-down back.
With Chubb guaranteed to receive more than the 36.21% of the snaps he received last season — not to mention the addition of Kareem Hunt — there just aren’t many remaining snaps for the versatile Johnson.
While Johnson has made it abundantly clear he wants a change of scenery as soon as possible, Cleveland seems intent on keeping the disgruntled veteran on the roster. With Hunt facing an eight-game suspension, this is a situation that might not be resolved until closer to the trade deadline.
Nelson Agholor (WR – PHI)
In 2018, the former first-round pick reached a career-high in starts, snaps, targets, and receptions. All of that led to Nelson Agholor finishing with another disappointing 700-yard season with only four touchdown catches.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles traded for speedster DeSean Jackson and also drafted touchdown machine JJ Arcega-Whiteside this offseason, displaying a clear focus on upgrading a lacking wide receiver corps.
With Agholor slated to become a free agent in 2020, now would be an ideal time for Philadelphia to move on from the limited receiver if they can create a market for him. As is the case with most players that reach free agency, Agholor is destined to be overpaid by someone next offseason.
Jordan Woodson is a writer for PFN covering fantasy football. You can follow him @Jordan_Woodson on Twitter.