The NFL has two big offseason events that can drastically alter the fantasy values of players. With the 2022 NFL Draft still a month away and free agency (mostly) in the rearview, it’s time to assess what transpired and figure out how this affects us as fantasy managers. In the wake of free agency, let’s take a look at three solid sell-high trade targets for dynasty fantasy football managers.
Dynasty fantasy football sell-high players
Similar to the term “buy low,” the term “sell high” is often misinterpreted as well in the fantasy football world. While the idea is to trade away a player at the peak of his value, selling high can merely be selling a player whose current value is higher than you think it will be in the near future.
James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Last season, James Conner averaged 17.2 PPR points per game. Not only was he an RB1, he was actually even better than his final numbers indicate. Conner was nothing more than a short-yardage and goal-line back for the early part of the season. It wasn’t until Chase Edmonds got hurt that Conner became an all-purpose back. Without Edmonds in the lineup, Conner averaged a whopping 23 ppg.
The Cardinals gave Conner a three-year extension, locking him up for essentially the remainder of his career. At 27 years old, Conner will almost certainly be done for fantasy purposes by the time his contract expires. I’m worried he will be done long before then.
In 2022, the Cardinals’ backfield appears to belong to Conner. They may draft a running back on Day 2, and that concern only amplifies Conner’s sell-high status. This is a player that has put together exactly two productive fantasy seasons in his five-year career. And he’s never been healthy.
2021 was the healthiest year of Conner’s career, but he still missed a couple of games due to an ankle issue. In his amazing 2018 season where he filled in for Le’Veon Bell, Conner only played in 13 games. Are we really banking on him staying healthy in a season where he will average 15-20 opportunities per game? I see Conner’s value as never being higher than it is right now, making these next few weeks the perfect time for fantasy managers to sell high and trade him away.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Much like fantasy football leagues, sell-high options come in all shapes and sizes. Not every sell-high candidate needs to be an upper-echelon fantasy asset. Sometimes, it’s as simple as trading away a lesser player that happens to be perceived as better than he is. That’s what I think we may have in Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Following the Chiefs’ stunning trade of Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, they left themselves perilously thin at wide receiver. JuJu Smith-Schuster needs to be playing the WR2 role and primarily from the slot. The Chiefs know this, but I think they kind of panic-signed MVS to have a veteran outside receiver just in case whoever they draft isn’t ready to step into that role immediately.
If the season started right now, MVS would be playing the X receiver role for the Chiefs. Some fantasy managers may be excited at the prospect of Valdes-Scantling playing with the best quarterback in the NFL in a WR room with not much competition. My question to those fantasy managers would be: Why?
MVS with Aaron Rodgers
MVS just spent four years playing with a Hall of Fame quarterback who won back-to-back MVP awards. He never managed more than 38 receptions or 690 yards in a season. As long as MVS is with the Chiefs, I’m expecting the same type of production he gave us while in Green Bay.
Last season, MVS averaged 7.9 PPR ppg. At best, maybe he gets that up to 9 or 10. He’s a fantasy WR4/5 that will pop off a couple of times a season for a 15+ point week. If you’re in a best ball league, there’s value in that. In a traditional league where you manage your lineup weekly, good luck guessing when those spike games will be.
If someone out there values MVS as a top-36 or even top-48 wide receiver, sell him — that is too high.
Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills
Let me start by saying I like Devin Singletary. He proved capable of being a three-down back last season. The Bills never should’ve burned a third-round pick on Zack Moss in 2020.
Singletary had a scorching close to the 2021 regular season. He was a top running back over the final two months of the regular season. The Bills appear completely done with Moss. In the Bills’ final playoff game, Singletary played 100% of the snaps. He’s the guy…until he isn’t.
The Bills tried to sign J.D. McKissic and had him until he spurned them for Washington. We have to read the tea leaves here. Despite how much confidence they showed in Singletary last season, they clearly want another guy. I fear they are going to draft another running back on Day 2.
Even if Singletary is the primary back this season, any competition that comes either via the draft or free agency is a hit to his value. None of this is to say Singletary can’t still be productive. It’s purely about value. Right now, Singletary is a dynasty RB2 with RB1 upside. If the Bills sign Melvin Gordon or Sony Michel — or draft Isaiah Spiller or Kenneth Walker III — Singletary’s value will undoubtedly be lower than it is right now. Unfortunately, that’s what makes Singletary a sell-high target in dynasty fantasy football leagues.