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We are just one week away from the fantasy playoffs in the majority of leagues, and at this point in the season, most redraft fantasy gamers can only upgrade their roster by way of the waiver wire. In many dynasty formats, however, there are no trade deadlines, meaning you can look to add contending pieces or draft picks through Week 17.
With several teams on bye in Week 14, there is a great opportunity to negotiate some dynasty deals, whether you're buying or selling. The players you target in trades can differ greatly in age and even position depending on your strategy and roster construction. This is important to remember when reading columns such as this one and is why I will acknowledge when certain trades make more sense for a specific type of team.
All that being said, let's dive into some players I believe are undervalued and overvalued in dynasty, starting with two that are worth pursuing.
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Players to Target in Trades for Dynasty Fantasy Football
Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders
Brock Bowers is arguably the best tight end in the NFL already and is on pace to shatter Mike Ditka's record for receiving yards by a rookie at the position. He's a generational talent and his play deserves all the praise it has been getting.
But no one is talking about his teammate, who is also having a stellar season. Jakobi Meyers is on pace to set a career-high in receiving yardage even though he missed two games earlier in the year.
If you exclude the games in which Meyers shared the field with Davante Adams, his numbers are even more impressive.
Since Davante Adams stopped playing in Las Vegas (week 4 on), Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers have been one of the most consolidated receiving duos in the league:
The two have combined for a 51.1% target share, with Bowers at 26% and Meyers at 25.1%. They've also accounted for…
— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) December 3, 2024
He has surpassed 95 receiving yards while earning double-digit targets in three of his last four contests. Two of these showings were with Gardner Minshew II starting at quarterback for Las Vegas, while one, last week's narrow loss to the division-rival Chiefs, came with Aidan O'Connell at the helm. O'Connell looked the part against a tough Kansas City defense and displayed chemistry with Meyers.
Meyers was inactive for O'Connell's only other start this season, but the duo had some success together in 2023. This was a very different Raiders team that not only had Adams, but a competent rushing attack led by Josh Jacobs. Meyers still managed to score as a top-24 fantasy receiver four times over the last nine weeks of the campaign with O'Connell as QB1.
At 28 years old, Meyers shouldn't be close to retirement, but he also isn't young enough to generate any meaningful dynasty hype despite how solid he has been for fantasy. This makes him an especially appealing trade target for playoff-bound teams, as does his upcoming schedule.
Over the next two weeks, Meyers will face the Buccaneers and Falcons, who are coincidentally tied for allowing the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts. To close out the fantasy playoffs, he'll get the Jaguars and Saints, who have both been routinely beaten up by receivers through 13 weeks.
Meyers' future is a little unclear as he is signed to Las Vegas through 2025 but has no remaining guaranteed money on his contract. If the team decides to hit the reset button and move on from him, Meyers will almost certainly find a home in an upgraded offense.
If he remains in black and silver, the Raiders will likely be investing in a new quarterback via the NFL Draft or free agency. Either way, he should be fantasy-relevant for at least the next few seasons.
Although Meyers should be a more intriguing name to contenders, there is no real harm in adding him to rebuilding rosters as well. A second-round rookie pick should get the deal done, and, in my opinion, that is well worth it for a player scoring almost 13 fantasy points per game.
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
Some players just never get the respect they deserve in fantasy football, and this is particularly true in dynasty. Meyers is one of them, and so is "Knuckles," otherwise known as David Montgomery.
Jahmyr Gibbs, A.K.A. "Sonic," is a consensus top-3 dynasty running back, and for good reason. He is only 22 years old, in his second season, and averaging 17 fantasy points per game on statistically the best offense in football. In single-quarterback dynasty leagues, acquiring Gibbs will cost you at least two firsts, but probably more if we're being realistic.
On the other hand, Montgomery can be had for a single first or maybe even two second-round rookie picks if you find a manager desperate enough to get points off their roster. He's 27 and in his sixth professional campaign, but the difference in cost between him and Gibbs doesn't align with the difference in their production.
Montgomery is scoring over 15 points per contest. That is more than Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker III, and Jonathan Taylor, who are all valued over Montgomery in dynasty. Yes, age is definitely a factor, and I'm not saying I would necessarily trade any of those players straight up for Montgomery, but they shouldn't be as far apart in value as online trade calculators would lead you to believe.
For starters, Montgomery is in the best situation imaginable. Not only is he an integral piece of the league's most potent offense, but he is kept fresh and healthy, splitting touches with the explosive Gibbs. Detroit loves him and will not let him go anywhere anytime soon.
Lions RB David Montgomery reached agreement on a two-year, $18.25 million extension that contractually ties him to Detroit through the 2027 season, per source. The deal includes $10.5 million in new guaranteed money.
Montgomery had two years left on his current deal. Detroit… pic.twitter.com/lixf2HbZdS
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 12, 2024
27 is on the older side for NFL running backs, but the running back position as a whole is volatile. We've seen Travis Etienne Jr.'s dynasty value fall off a cliff this year, and D'Andre Swift become a legitimate asset after all hope was lost by Week 4. Derrick Henry is nearly 31 and has more value now than he did at any point over the previous two seasons.
The point here is that there is always risk in investing in a dynasty running back, so if you have a contending roster, why not bet on the top 10 guy who isn't valued as such and has never suffered a significant injury? The icing on the cake is that Montgomery has a soft schedule for the fantasy playoffs, with matchups against the Bills, Bears, and 49ers.
Players to Trade Away for Dynasty Fantasy Football
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
When Puka Nacua went down in Week 1, Cooper Kupp looked like a bona-fide league-winner. His numbers were reminiscent of his 2021 self, with 21 targets, 14 receptions, 110 yards, and a touchdown.
Unfortunately, Kupp got injured in Week 2 and did not play again until Week 8. He's been quite good for fantasy as the WR7 since his return, but it is clear that Kupp is no longer the focal point of the Rams' offense.
Puka Nacua's receiving lines in games with >50% of snaps:
* 7-106-0 (9 tgts, 26% share)
* 9-98-0 (14, 31%)
* 7-123-1 (9, 33%)
* 9-117-0 (13, 36%)
* 5-56-1 (8, 33%)— Mark Dankenbring (@MarkDank) December 3, 2024
Nacua has been dominant when healthy this season. On the surface, it may seem that Kupp has been better for fantasy over the past six weeks, but Nacua was ejected at the end of the first half in Week 9.
Nacua's greatness doesn't render Kupp a depreciating dynasty asset on its own. Matthew Stafford has proven that he can support multiple weapons, and Kupp will still have some big performances in this offense. But trading him now while he is healthy and producing might be the right move, especially if your team has slim chances of making the playoffs.
Kupp will turn 32 years old before next season begins and has an extensive injury history. At one point this season, it seemed that there was a possibility he would be traded.
While he is signed with the Rams through 2026, it is difficult to predict what the future of this team is going to look like. Stafford is 36 years old, and Los Angeles' defense is a far cry from what it was when the team won the Super Bowl just three seasons ago.
If your dynasty team is in a playoff spot, the desire to keep Kupp is understandable.
It is worth noting, however, that Kupp has a more challenging remaining schedule than just about any receiver in the NFL. The Bills, 49ers, Jets, and Cardinals all rank in the top half of most difficult matchups for fantasy wideouts, with New York surrendering the fewest and Buffalo giving up the third-fewest fantasy points to the position.
Even on a contending team, exploring possible deals to trade Kupp for a younger player with upside is wise. On a rebuilding roster, it's a no-brainer. If Kupp were to get injured again, his value would take a detrimental hit that it would likely never recover from.
Joe Mixon, Houston Texans
This past offseason, Joe Mixon was not a coveted dynasty running back. He wasn't even selected in the first three rounds in most redraft leagues. What Mixon has accomplished in his first season as a Texan is incredible.
Joe Mixon this year:
🔴 908 rushing yards
🔴 11 rushing touchdowns
🔴 26 explosive runsFull grade release of Texans-Jaguars⤵️https://t.co/cOumv68WuX pic.twitter.com/GPkHY5xYX5
— PFF NFL Podcast (@PFFNFLPod) December 3, 2024
Mixon is the RB6 through 13 weeks despite missing three games with an ankle sprain. If you have a playoff spot locked up with your sights on a fantasy title, I wouldn't recommend trading Mixon for anything less than top dollar, and even then, you should be sure that what you're getting in return can still help you win now.
If you have Mixon on a team that is not in a playoff spot, it is time to start thinking about 2025. Mixon will be 29 years old, and although he has been fairly healthy throughout his career, he would need to be an anomaly like Derrick Henry to sustain this level of effectiveness into his 30s.
The running back class of the 2017 NFL Draft is already considered to be one of the best of all time. A few members of this class are still thriving, including Mixon, James Conner, and Alvin Kamara, but many others are unfortunately either out of the league, struggling to stay healthy, or relegated to backup duties.
Of course, Mixon still looks great, and I'm not saying that he is destined to suffer the same career decline as Dalvin Cook. 29 has long been considered the biggest age cliff for running backs, though, and it is very rare for an aging dynasty running back to hold value over the offseason.
Kamara is a great example of this. He was the RB5 in fantasy points per game in 2023. According to KeepTradeCut.com, dynasty gamers valued Kamara as the RB21 at the end of the season. Nothing about his role was slated to change in 2024, but he dropped to RB30 in early May.
Given how well Kamara has played this season, his value has risen again, but the takeaway is that Mixon is not going to yield the same return in the offseason as he will right now.
Capitalize on Mixon's dynasty value at its peak with the playoffs set to begin. If he underwhelms in difficult matchups against the Chiefs and Ravens in Weeks 16 and 17, it is unlikely he will be worth as much as he is right now in a constantly changing dynasty market.
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