Perhaps the most important part of dynasty fantasy football is trading. After all, once your startup draft is complete, trades are the only way to acquire veteran players. Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown, Kansas City Chiefs WR Rashee Rice, and New York Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson are all at very different points in their careers.
How should fantasy managers treat these players going forward?
Should You Trade A.J. Brown in Dynasty?
Novice dynasty managers have a tendency to overvalue youth. That’s not to say age isn’t important — it is. But that doesn’t mean jettisoning veterans from your fantasy team in favor of players still in their first three years in the league at all costs is paramount.
2024 will be Brown’s sixth NFL season. Outside of a down 2021, he’s pretty much been the same guy for the past four years. The Eagles WR has averaged between 17.0 and 18.0 fantasy points per game in 2020, 2022, and 2023.
Brown is a very interesting case for me, though, because I think there’s a chance he may be overvalued and, thus, worth trading. It all depends on how your fellow managers view him.
Brown is not an alpha WR1 in the same way as Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill, Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb, or Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson. He doesn’t get prioritized in his offense like those guys do. Yet, Brown is often viewed as close to these guys in value. He’s just not.
This one comes down to perception. Brown will be 27 years old next season. Fantasy managers should be confident in at least five more high-quality seasons. That is enough where a lesser — but still good — receiver would not be worth more purely because he is younger.
The reason to consider moving Brown in a trade is that I think we’ve already seen Brown’s ceiling. I don’t believe him to be capable of a 20+ point per game season. When I look at the top 8-10 WRs in my dynasty rankings, he’s the only one I feel that way about.
Therefore, if you can trade him for anyone else in the top 10 plus another piece, that’s worth considering.
Final Verdict: Sell
Should You Trade Rashee Rice in Dynasty?
Rice is a very tricky player to analyze. He was not a great prospect on paper. I didn’t completely write him off out of the gate like I did Los Angeles Chargers WR Quentin Johnston, but I did not expect him to ever amount to much more than a fantasy WR3, at best.
As a rookie, Rice exceeded all expectations. While he only averaged 13.3 fantasy points per game on the season, that doesn’t capture how well he truly played, as Rice didn’t really play a full-time role until Week 12. From that point forward, Rice averaged 18.5 fantasy points per game.
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Playing with QB Patrick Mahomes helps, but I see no reason not to factor that in for the long haul. Mahomes certainly isn’t going anywhere. Rice will be 24 years old next season and tethered to Mahomes for at least another three years.
Given Rice’s questionable prospect profile, it’s fine if you want to sell him. The issue is I don’t think you can get proper value. Based on how Rice closed the season, he should be treated similarly to Baltimore Ravens WR Zay Flowers, Vikings WR Jordan Addison, and Houston Texans WR Tank Dell. Will he? I just don’t see that happening. As a result, I would hang onto Rice.
Final Verdict: Hold
Should You Trade Wan’Dale Robinson in Dynasty?
This is a tough one because I actually like Robinson as a player. The reason that’s tough is macro analysis says we should close the door on him ever mattering in fantasy football.
Robinson amassed 227 receiving yards as a rookie. The list of wide receivers to be drafted in the first three rounds and fail to reach 500 receiving yards as a rookie is not filled with many relevant names. Yes, Robinson tore his ACL. That just doesn’t matter.
Since 2011, there have been 97 wide receivers drafted in the first three rounds who did not amass 500 receiving yards in their first NFL season. Six of them had a quality fantasy season in their first three years. That’s a 6.2% hit rate.
When you lower the threshold to 250 yards, Chargers WR Mike Williams and Washington Commanders WR Curtis Samuel are the only names that stand out.
Robinson is still young. He will be healthier in 2024, being another year removed from his ACL tear. While I expect him to improve, I don’t really see greatness in his future. If he puts together even a single WR3 season, that would be a win for him.
Final Verdict: Sell