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. Breece Hall, D’Andre Swift, and Khalil Herbert are all very different dynasty assets right now. How should fantasy managers treat these players going forward?
Should You Trade Breece Hall in Dynasty?
It goes without saying that literally every single player is tradeable at the right price. If someone wants to give you Bijan Robinson and Marvin Harrison Jr. for Breece Hall, you’re not going to say no. Of course, no one is going to do that.
Hall’s 2023 season was mired by several things. First, he was returning from a torn ACL. It would’ve been wholly ridiculous to expect Hall to be able to hit the ground running from the jump.
Second, the New York Jets were supposed to be a good offense with Aaron Rodgers under center. He was lost four plays into the season. Hall quickly found himself on an unexpectedly terrible offense trying to produce with a knee that wasn’t 100% yet.
Through 13 weeks, Hall averaged 13.5 fantasy points per game. Given where he was drafted, this wasn’t horrible. But it was clear Hall’s 2023 was likely going to be a lost season…until it wasn’t.
Despite averaging 13.5 points per game through 13 weeks, Hall somehow finished the season averaging 17.1 points per game. He finished as the overall RB6. Hall did this by reaching his true form over the final five weeks of the season.
Including Week 18, Hall averaged 25.8 points per game to close out the season. He was the overall RB1. Hall looked fully healthy, and he proved it by handling 37 carries in the final game of the season. Suffice it to say, Hall is back.
The Jets likely only have one or two more years of Rodgers. But I don’t think that matters. Hall has proven he can be an elite RB1, regardless of circumstance.
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At 23 years old, Hall safely has a good six years of elite-level production ahead of him. We know for sure he’s really good at football, as evidenced by his 3.9 yards created per touch and 25.8% evaded-tackles-per-touch rate in his first year back from a torn ACL. Those metrics ranked 10th and fifth, respectively.
Hall is also a true three-down back. He led all running backs in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. I remind you, this man destroyed his knee the year prior. He is my overall RB1.
Final Verdict: Buy
Should You Trade D’Andre Swift in Dynasty?
D’Andre Swift was one of the best value picks of 2023 redraft leagues. Clearly talented, Swift was treated as if he wasn’t much better than Kenneth Gainwell or Rashaad Penny. All Swift did was run for over 1,000 yards and post a top-24 finish at the running back position.
With that said, while Swift exceeded expectations during his first season in Philadelphia, I suspect he will be overvalued going forward.
Swift still only averaged 12.5 fantasy points per game. This was once a player considered a clear top-five asset in all of dynasty. After Swift’s 16.1 fantasy-points-per-game 2021 season, he looked to be headed for superstardom.
Swift spent one more season in Detroit before the Lions shipped him off to Philly and drafted a new model, Jahmyr Gibbs.
Sadly, I think we just saw the best we’re going to get from Swift. Do I think he still has the talent to be an RB1? Yes. But what’s the worst type of running back to roster? The answer is a two-down back who doesn’t catch passes and doesn’t get goal-line carries.
Despite Swift’s receiving profile, that’s who he is. Swift was consistently pulled on third downs for Gainwell. He commanded just a 10% target share. But most concerningly, as the season progressed, the Eagles made it a point to stop throwing to Swift.
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From Weeks 4-11, Swift caught at least three passes in every game. From Weeks 12-17, Swift caught a total of six passes. And at the goal line, there is quite literally a 0% chance Swift will ever get a carry. It’s a minor miracle he even got to six touchdowns.
Final Verdict: Sell
Should You Trade Khalil Herbert in Dynasty?
It’s tricky to evaluate a player like Khalil Herbert. He’s clearly talented enough to be a starting running back in the NFL. However, he has absolutely no job security, and his team has zero allegiance to him.
Look at how quickly they were willing to move to a D’Onta Foreman/Roschon Johnson backfield. Had Foreman not gotten hurt, Herbert would’ve never gotten his job back and would have never been able to close the season on a tear.
Herbert had a fascinating season. He averaged 9.4 fantasy points per game. But how he got there was with three games between 19 and 22.2 fantasy points and eight games in single digits.
Herbert will be 26 years old this season. He’s a former sixth-round pick, which really shouldn’t matter anymore but probably still does. The Bears don’t seem particularly enamored with Johnson, but that doesn’t mean Herbert is going to be the answer.
We’ve likely already seen the best from Herbert. I’m not sure what he can fetch in a trade, but if anyone in your dynasty league is interested in him, feel free to send him away.
Final Verdict: Sell