The King's Keeper Corner: Offseason Trade Strategies, Reader Mailbag

June 19, 2020

In the King’s Keeper Korner, Scott Engel will prepare you for dynasty and keeper fantasy football league roster decisions. We will examine offseason trading decisions and take your reader questions.

With not much activity going on in dynasty and keeper leagues right now, some fantasy players are getting antsy. Others are always trying to make trades to the point where they overdo it and never settle on an ideal roster.

Yes, you should always look to improve your team in any format.  But there are some trade offers that are flying back and forth right now that seem pointless. These types of proposals will come to you more frequently as the season approaches.

In dynasty leagues you are very limited in roster flexibility after the NFL Draft. In keeper leagues, the superstars and best players are heavily off the board by draft time. In dynasty leagues, there is always an eye on the years ahead, so some players construct offers that ask you to focus on the future while you sacrifice the present.

Being Rigid on Dynasty Trade Offers

You may receive offers for your top players in exchange for future draft choices, and that seems very attractive on the surface. When other participants throw proposals at you that include a first-round pick or two higher draft choices, you may initially get excited. But you must always keep in mind that you want to win this year, and we’re not even getting close to getting started there. Draft choice offers are essentially useless right now. Even if you think your team looks terrible on paper right now, it’s not time to focus on a season that is 15 months away.

In seasonal leagues, three for one offers truly help only one side. One player offers quantity for quality, and the one who is giving up quality always loses the deal if he accepts it. The post NFL-draft dynasty offer that includes future draft choices is the equivalent, as it only helps one side. The other player is asking you to give up something that helps him now, and does not help you at all until well over a year from now. You also give up someone established for a total unknown. I simply reject those types of offers outright.

If you are going to make a trade in a dynasty league right now, it should only be for established players that fill perceived holes in your starting lineups and for players who may be undervalued by some other owners. Also, do not hesitate to take on older players that can help you win this season. I could make an all-target team of players I like in those regards at each position. Some of them will not require giving up one of your top players, either.

Running Back: Kenyan Drake is going to build on a big second half last year and emerge as a back-end RB1. Joshua Kelly is undervalued and will be ticketed to take over the old Melvin Gordon role for the Chargers.

Wide Receiver: There is lingering skepticism about DeVante Parker. I am a believer, as the culture in Miami changed last season and he now watches his conditioning more carefully. Brandin Cooks may be the new WR1 in Houston and is capable of 80 catches and 1,000-plus yards.

Quarterback: Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger are set for impressive rebound years.

Tight End: It is now the third year for Mike Gesicki and this can be the breakout campaign

In keeper leagues, I tend to be even more resistant to offers prior to the league draft. But in some keeper formats, you have to listen to proposals that contain very high draft choices if they come your way. There will often be some outstanding players that simply cannot be kept and will be highly coveted at the top of the first round. If you can get in position to pick early in the first round you may have to consider the offer.

Keeper Corner - Reader Q&A Mailbag

You can have your keeper and dynasty questions answered here by contacting me on social media, preferably @scottetheking on Twitter. Here are this week's reader questions, thank you to everyone who wrote in!

Mike Lanzalotti, Williamstown, N.J.

Question: Would you throw Odell Beckham Jr. back in the player pool in favor of a third-round pick? It is a 20 team league, we can keep up to three, I’m keeping Deshaun Watson and Miles Sanders for sure, I’m really feeling I can get similar production from a highly-touted rookie or a vet that someone throws back, I’d have no problem keeping OBJ but considering all my options.

Engel: Considering the size of your league, 40-plus players may be off the board by the time it gets to your pick in the third round. So we have to determine whether Beckham is a Top 40 player overall. I have him ranked 39^th so he just nestles into that area. He has the talent and abilities to re-emerge as a fantasy WR1 at any time and can be a luxury as a WR2 if he bounces back this season. Much can obviously depend on Baker Mayfield finally improving significantly.

If you take another WR with one of your first two picks I would be very comfortable with Beckham as a WR2. If you throw him back, you could also end up with Parker or Tyler Lockett, for example. You will likely have the opportunities to nab some other WR2 targets who you may view as safer than Beckham.

As much as Beckham is worthy of a third-round choice, you expand your options by not retaining him. He may have more upside than some of the other WR2 types you could be exposed to, but I’d rather have the flexibility of comparing Beckham to others available rather than simply becoming stuck with him.

My No. 32 through 59 overall players this season, to give you a range of the types of WRs you may be exposed to when tossing Odell Beckham Jr. back into the player pool. I would still take Beckham over many of these WRs, but you can see how the options get expanded. 

Greg Dunlop, Scotland

Question: Would you rather keep Devin Singletary or Kareem Hunt?

Engel: On the surface, this may seem to be an easier call than it is. Singletary may be the lead RB for Buffalo even though he will likely cede some work to Zack Moss, especially near the goal line. Hunt is the No. 2 RB on the depth chart behind Kareem Hunt, but he is on a one-year deal and a quality 2020 campaign could conceivably translate into a potential starting job for him elsewhere next season.

I would expect Singletary to get more touches this year, but Hunt may turn out to have more appeal in the longer term. Both are versatile players, but I would be more comfortable with Singletary for this season. If you need a more immediate flex option for 2020, I would stick with Singletary. But if your depth can afford you the chance to gamble on the future with Hunt, I would pick him.

Brandon Renner, Toronto

Question: In a dynasty league, would you rather have DK Metcalf or Terry McLaurin?

Engel: I believe Metcalf’s record-setting outing in the NFC Wild Card Game last year was a true breakout performance. He improved as a route runner during the season and in the playoff game, he showed he could consistently win on contested catches, which had been an issue for him during the regular season. He is a very promising size/speed combination with a better QB than McLaurin, and he has eventual fantasy WR1 potential down the line.

McLaurin admirably overcame spotty QB play last year and may turn out to be a more consistent pass-catcher. I see Metcalf as a possible high-end WR2 in fantasy as soon as this year while viewing McLaurin as more of a WR3 type with some promise as well, but I believe Metcalf can ultimately be more statistically explosive. Both are highly attractive keepers but I would go with Metcalf.

@Kiz817 on Twitter

Question: Would you trade Jalen Reagor and Rashaad Penny for a 2022 first-rounder, a 2023 first-rounder, a 2022 third-rounder and a 2023 third?

Engel: Here is a prime example of the types of trade offers that prompted the early section of this article. It is quantity for quality and does nothing to help you now, it simply boosts the immediate outlook of the other player floating the proposal.

There is absolutely no reason to deal away the rookie wideout who may make the quickest impact in the class for draft choices two and three seasons away. Those are “nothing” draft choices. There are many of them being offered, but it’s not the time to focus on winning in 2022 and 2023.

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