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!
Detroit Lions players WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, RB David Montgomery, and QB Jared Goff are all very different dynasty assets. How should fantasy managers treat these players going forward?
Should You Trade Amon-Ra St. Brown in Dynasty?
After the scorching close to his rookie season with TE T.J. Hockenson and RB D’Andre Swift both out, there was definitely reason to be skeptical that St. Brown was, in fact, this good. After his sophomore season, there should’ve been no doubt.
St. Brown averaged 16.7 fantasy points per game in 2022. Heading into 2023, St. Brown was someone I viewed as the next version of Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp. He probably needs volume to maintain his status as an elite WR1, but there’s no reason to think he won’t get it.
MORE: Dynasty Wide Receiver Trade Advice
St. Brown justifiably saw a 30.2% target share in 2023. He caught 119 passes for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns. His 20.7 points per put him at overall WR4 on the season.
If you look at his athletic measurables, they don’t make much sense. He’s slower by NFL WR standards with a speed score ranking in the 15th percentile, but he has elite burst and above-average agility. His ability to find space in zone coverage and create separation has made him a reliable option in the receiving game throughout his career.
There’s a reason St. Brown commands the volume he does. He’s always open. And for a guy who isn’t very fast, he sure does well for himself after the catch, finishing second in total yards after the catch with 668.
St. Brown will be just 25 years old this season. There’s no reason to care at all about his age, but it’s worth mentioning that he has the type of skill set that should age very well. I’m sure I won’t remember this a decade from now, but let’s put it out there: St. Brown could remain effective into his Age 33/34 seasons.
The Lions are a young, ascending team. They have a progressive, forward-thinking head coach who doesn’t mess around and knows getting the ball to his best players is the way to win.
St. Brown is entering the final year of his rookie contract, but I fully expect the Lions to prioritize extending him, probably before the season. While he’s not quite on the level of Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson and Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase, he is just a hair below them and worthy of being the cornerstone of any dynasty receiving corps.
Final Verdict: Buy
Should You Trade David Montgomery in Dynasty?
After the first year and a half of Montgomery’s career, he looked like a guy trending toward being out of the league before his rookie deal was up. He was one of the least efficient runners in the NFL.
David Montgomery blasts his way into the endzone❕ pic.twitter.com/cbEve35Gka
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 23, 2023
Credit to Montgomery for figuring something out. He’s since turned into one of the most reliable players in the league.
Montgomery is a coach’s favorite type of player. He doesn’t try to bust everything outside. He’s not chasing the splash play. He just runs where he’s supposed to and picks up one more yard than is expected through pure determination and grit.
One of Montgomery’s best skills is breaking tackles. He’s always been able to do it, dating back to college. The disconnect in evaluating his ability was that the broken tackles never really helped him as a player because he lacks the burst to really do anything once he makes a defender miss.
Montgomery is one of the slower running backs in the league, with 4.63 speed. Even in the most efficient year of his career, where he averaged 4.6 yards per carry, Montgomery amassed 15+ yards on his carries just 3.7% of the time, 36th in the league. He averaged 14.8 fantasy points per game because he scored 13 touchdowns.
Now 27 years old, Montgomery should still have 3-4 years left. The Lions could cut him this offseason with minimal dead cap, but they’re in a really good spot offensively.
RB Jahmyr Gibbs will undoubtedly take on a larger role next season, but Montgomery will be that perfect complement alongside Gibbs’ slashing running style. With two years left on his deal, the Lions should have no reason to get rid of him as long as he remains effective.
Fantasy managers need to understand that Montgomery will remain touchdown-dependent. While he’s a capable receiver, it’s very clear that role belongs to Gibbs. Montgomery’s 5.3% target share resulted in a career-low 16 receptions.
MORE: Dynasty Running Back Trade Advice
If you remove Montgomery’s touchdowns, he would’ve hit double-digit fantasy points in just four games this season. Since he scored in all but three of his games played, he got there in 13 of them.
Montgomery is the type of guy you only really want to sell if someone is overpaying, though. If I had to hazard a guess, Montgomery is probably not going to be as good in 2024 as he was in 2023, b. But that doesn’t make him an auto-sell option. Absent a clearly great offer, hang onto him and take the touchdowns when they come.
Final Verdict: Hold
Should You Trade Jared Goff in Dynasty?
No one is going to mistake Goff for an elite NFL quarterback. However, after the Los Angeles Rams traded him away for Matthew Stafford, it was very strange to me that Goff wasn’t viewed as a long-term answer at quarterback for the Lions. He is quickly going down the Tony Romo/Kirk Cousins path of “this guy is actually a lot better than you think.”
Since joining the Lions, Goff has seen improvements in completion percentage and turnover rate. He’s thrown for about 4,500 yards each of the past two seasons and 29 and 30 touchdowns, respectively.
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Goff will never be an elite QB1, but he’s an extremely safe option, especially at home. Goff has averaged 17.1 and 17.8 points per game in his last two seasons.
Saddled with two of the best players at their positions in St. Brown and TE Sam LaPorta, plus a talented young pass-catching running back in Gibbs, fantasy managers should expect more of the same from Goff moving forward.
Goff won’t turn 30 years old until the end of the 2024 season. Given that he just led the Lions to their first division title and home playoff win in over 30 years, it seems highly likely the team will extend him before he reaches free agency in March 2025. Fantasy managers want Goff to remain in Detroit and should operate under the presumption that he will.
If your dynasty team is devoid of a starting quarterback, Goff is the perfect type of guy to target. He provides a stable floor, affording you time to search for that elite option.
If you already have Goff, of course, there’s room for improvement, but only trade him away if you’re getting back someone better in return.
Final Verdict: Hold