This month’s dynasty trade value chart article has been split into two parts. Part one focused on the values of the incoming rookies. Part two, here, will focus on the veterans.
With rookie drafts still ongoing and the major focus in May, I want to look at veteran player values and tiers in comparison to the incoming rookies. Below we will look at questions like:
- Who is in the elite quarterback tier and more valuable than Caleb Williams?
- Which veterans were most negatively impacted by the NFL Draft?
- Which veteran running backs are in the same tier as Jonathon Brooks and Trey Benson?
- What rookie pick would it make sense to trade for Rashee Rice?
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Dynasty Tools
Check back here later in the month for links to the latest versions of MFL and Sleeper league evaluators. I am still working on ironing out a few bugs related to importing rookie picks. In the meantime, I am happy to highlight that the main Dynasty Trade Value Chart tool has received a major upgrade.
Before diving into positional tiers for all veterans post-draft, I want to highlight some features of the updated tool.
Player Values Constantly Update
The same values you see in this article can be found in the dynasty trade value tool on the day this article posts. Both come from the exact same source. However, I am updating my values on a near-daily basis based upon new information. Those values automatically update in the tool (but not in this article). For the most up-to-date player values anywhere, please use the tool. The main player value chart in the tool also received an update (see screenshot below):
Updated Value Adjustment Method
One of the areas I strive to consistently improve is my method of adjusting values to fit the specifics of your league. The dynasty trade value tool allows you to make a huge number of adjustments to customize the values to your specific league. Superflex format, league size, TE Premium, Tiered PPR, Standard Scoring, Half PPR, a variety of Flex setups, and different passing TD formats are all supported. The new update also gives you the ability to adjust values to account for Point per first down and Point per carry. Just use the sliders in the “Customize League Scoring, Size, and Lineup” tab, and all player values will automatically adjust based on my positional value model.
Dynasty Trade Calculator
You can now enter players, 2024 picks, and future picks into a trade calculator to evaluate trades. The trade values automatically adjust if you customize league scoring. See the screenshot below for an example of what the new Trade Calculator looks like:
2024 Rookie Pick Values
The tool automatically adjusts the rookie values if you customize settings and re-ranks the rookies according to the custom values. See screenshot below:
Classic View
For those who liked their Dynasty Trade Value Chart the way it used to be, don’t worry. The “Classic View” remains. It is filterable and sortable. It also has buttons to download all custom values for your league as a .csv or Excel file. See screenshot below:
Finding the Dynasty Trade Value Chart Tool
This tool is linked above, but you do not have to return to this article to find it. It is always available on the main menu of the site. Click on Tools in the top menu bar and then on "Dynasty Trade Value Chart." See screenshot below:
Quarterback
The angle this month is looking at veteran values and tiers through the lens of the top incoming rookies. At quarterback, we start by comparing the top veterans to Caleb Williams.
Josh Allen The Bills decided to swap out Stefon Diggs for Keon Coleman. From a talent perspective, this is a clear downgrade for Allen. However, when you take into account age, maybe we view the tradeoff in a different light by midseason. Plus, there should be an enormous improvement in locker room vibes with Coleman in and Diggs out. Allen's overall value is not impacted.
Patrick Mahomes II Rashee Rice may be facing a long suspension, but adding Xavier Worthy could be just the ticket to get this Chiefs offense back on track. Mahomes finished as the QB12 last season (in PPG amongst all QBs with 8+ starts) largely due to a lack of trustworthy weapons and no true vertical threat. Worthy and Marquise Brown should lead to Mahomes posting elite fantasy numbers in 2024 and beyond. His value rises slightly.
C.J. Stroud The Texans made their big move prior to the draft, adding Stefon Diggs. We saw Stroud temporarily rise to QB1 in Sleeper dynasty ADP in the wake of the move. While this was premature, there is no denying Stroud looks poised for an incredibly long run of fantasy success. He is 22.6 years old and his pass-first game is built to last.
Jalen Hurts The Eagles draft mostly focused on defense but the Eagles have plenty of weapons.
Joe Burrow The return from a season-ending wrist injury is on track. Burrow was a full participant on the first day of minicamp. The draft additions of Amarius Mims and Jermaine Burton have the potential to provide a substantial boost to Burrow’s long-term fantasy value if both pan out. Right tackle has been a revolving door of substandard play for Burrow’s entire career. Mims could change that in a big way. The Bengals offense also needed an injection of speed and explosiveness. If Burton can manage things off the field, his talent is a dream fit to elevate the Bengals offense. As with Mahomes, Burrow needs to rediscover the big plays that made him the fantasy QB4 in 2022.
Lamar Jackson Jackson reportedly wanted a big-bodied wide receiver in the first round of the draft. The Ravens went in a different direction. With Baltimore lacking an impactful receiver behind Zay Flowers and in the midst of a rebuild on the offensive line, Jackson’s dynasty value takes a minor hit.
Anthony Richardson The fantasy upside for Richardson is absurd. He just needs to stay healthy. Indianapolis added a high-ceiling outside wide receiver in Adonai Mitchell. As with Burton and the Bengals, if Mitchell is locked in, he raises the potency of the entire offense. Richardson has realistic QB1 overall fantasy upside but is at the bottom of this tier due to a growing list of injuries and the fact that we haven’t seen him prove it over a long stretch of games at the NFL level.
This is the QB1/QB2 tier. You should feel good if one of the six players above is your dynasty QB1. You should be ecstatic if one of these quarterbacks is your dynasty QB2. The top four quarterbacks in this tier each have a case to be in the elite tier.
Justin Herbert is one of the top young talents in the game, but it is impossible for me to place him in the elite tier when he is going off the board as the QB17 in 2024 redraft leagues.
Kyler Murray has immense fantasy upside, especially with the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Cardinals offense. He also needs to prove he can stay healthy and put to rest any questions about his off-field dedication before valuing him alongside the quarterbacks in the elite tier.
Jordan Love looked like an elite quarterback down the stretch of the 2023 season. He needs to repeat that success to move further up the rankings.
Trevor Lawrence has shown flashes but is going into his fourth NFL season with much to prove. Brian Thomas Jr. is a fantastic fit alongside Christian Kirk.
Brock Purdy gets yet another weapon with the addition of first-round wide receiver Ricky Pearsall. The 49ers dominant 2023 offense struggled at times against man coverage. Pearsall could solve that issue.
Dak Prescott is the oldest quarterback in this tier. His value takes a slight hit because the Cowboys did very little to bolster the offense this offseason.
In any format, you want to have at least two quarterbacks from the top three tiers (include the top six rookies in this). Ideally, you have three of the Top 27.
Within this tier, the draft did little to impact values. The Panthers added a pair of offensive weapons early in the draft with Xavier Legette and Jonathon Brooks. We knew this was the plan going in, however. The one major loser in this tier is Kirk Cousins, who now has to look over his shoulder at top rookie Michael Penix Jr. The positive for Cousins is that he should be considered the favorite to start for the Falcons in 2024 and 2025. Beyond that, he may not be in Atlanta but will have a chance to prove he deserves to remain an NFL starter somewhere.
For the rest of the QB rankings and values, please check the dynasty trade value chart tool linked above.
Running Back
The draft capital for the rookie running back class was even worse than expected, which is a boon for the veteran running backs in the NFL. The top rookie, Jonathon Brooks, slots in as the dynasty RB11. For the purposes of this exercise, the top tier of dynasty backs includes the 10 valued higher than Brooks. Interestingly, none of the Top 10 dynasty backs will face competition from a running back drafted in the Top 80 overall. However, a few did receive competition in the form of either a very late Day 2 pick or a Day 3 pick. More on that below.
The draft changed very little for the Top 5 dynasty backs. The value of a couple of the guys in the Top 10 did take a slight hit due to the NFL draft, however.
De'Von Achane We should not overreact to the addition of a Day 3 running back. In fact, most of the teams with Top 10 backs added depth at some point on Day 3. The addition of Jaylen Wright in the mid-fourth round is at least worth noting and does ding Achane’s value slightly. Wright’s draft capital (Pick 120 overall) is unimpressive. However, the Dolphins did give a future Round 3 pick to move into position to select him. He was a player the team coveted enough to give up a valuable 2025 pick for. He also is an ideal scheme fit for the Dolphins. My view is that Achane should emerge as the lead back in 2024, with Raheem Mostert playing a supporting role. I view Wright as the eventual Mostert replacement. But none of that is set in stone. Achane has far more risk than anyone else in this tier. His upside in both the short and long-term is near the top of the list also. He is the definition of a highly volatile dynasty asset.
Kyren Williams The player whose dynasty stock arguably took the biggest hit after the NFL Draft was Williams. Blake Corum is a solid prospect with a virtually identical skill set to Williams. Williams has proven to be an impact player at the NFL level. Thus, we should not panic that he has competition. On the other hand, we should be realistic about the likelihood Williams will be less of a workhorse than in 2023. This backfield could be a 65/35 split in favor of Williams.
This tier of veteran running backs includes the top two rookies, Jonathon Brooks and Trey Benson. The main question facing backs in this tier is how secure they are in their roles over the medium term. For some (Derrick Henry), it is a question of age or wear and tear (Josh Jacobs and Joe Mixon). For others, it is more a question of whether their talent level is sufficient to maintain a lead role beyond this season. For example, the Steelers did not pick up the fifth-year option for Najee Harris. Rachaad White will remain the lead back for the Buccaneers in 2024, but he may not see the same usage as in 2023.
Overall, you should feel great having one of these backs as your RB2 or RB3 in 2024. They may or may not still be in your starting fantasy lineup a couple of years down the road.
Within this tier, we have some older backs who have injury questions and/or have shown some signs of decline. We also have some younger backs in committee situations on the cusp of RB2/RB3 status for 2024 redraft leagues. These types of players are crucial depth pieces for contenders. In terms of a comparison to the rookies, these veteran backs are in the same tier as Blake Corum, Jaylen Wright, and MarShawn Lloyd.
For a look at the remaining dynasty backs, please check the dynasty trade value chart tool linked above.
Wide Receiver
With a fantastic group of rookie wide receivers set to enter the league, there are many strong new options for dynasty WR1 or WR2 status. Let’s start with the very top tier, the wide receivers who still rank higher than any incoming rookie.
Marvin Harrison Jr. enters the NFL as the dynasty WR5. Only the elite of the elite rank above him.
As we touched on last month, we could see Jefferson fall to WR3 due to the change at quarterback. For now, it is a virtual tie between the top three at the position.
I see a line of demarcation between the four wide receivers in the elite tier, the five young wide receivers listed above, the top three rookies, and then everyone else. The combination of short-term expectations and youth separates these players from the pack. Each wide receiver listed above is going off the board Top 20 overall in 2024 redraft leagues. Only Brown is over the age of 24. The combination of immediate fantasy production and long-term value is exactly what you want to have as the building blocks of an elite dynasty team.
Compared to the rookies, this 10-man tier includes all the wide receivers valued between Rome Odunze (WR12 overall) and Xavier Worthy (WR24 overall). Each ranks Top 20 among the veteran wide receivers. With the exception of Tyreek Hill, each is 27 or younger. Each has a 2024 redraft ADP of WR27 or higher. These are wide receivers you should be able to bank on having in your starting dynasty lineup for the long term.
This is a tier that includes mostly younger wide receivers who have long-term upside but are unproven to some extent (plus Deebo Samuel). There is a large tier of rookie wide receivers that includes Xavier Worthy, Brian Thomas Jr., Ladd McConkey, Keon Coleman, Ricky Pearsall, and Xavier Legette. I value these players similarly, which makes them worth a late-1st or early-2nd round rookie pick.
This tier is a mixed bag of productive 30+ year-old players (Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs, Mike Evans, etc.), mid-career WR3 types (Terry McLaurin, Chris Godwin, Diontae Johnson, etc.) and younger wide receivers with varying degrees of upside(Christian Watson, Jahan Dotson, Josh Downs, etc.).
Rashee Rice is worth discussing in more detail. His legal troubles continue to pile up with a second incident under investigation. We know he has fantasy upside in the Chiefs offense, though his ceiling is unknown given the increased competition for targets. The uncertainty regarding his target share, combined with the possibility he will miss at least half of the 2024 season, means his dynasty trade value has taken a major hit. A late-2nd-round rookie pick (Superflex) is where his value is at right now.
For the rest of the wide receivers, please check the dynasty trade value chart tool linked above.
Tight End
While Sam LaPorta has separated from the pack slightly, I am not ready to put him alone in his own tier. The rookie impact of LaPorta and Dalton Kincaid, the late-season emergence of Trey McBride, and the quarterback upgrade for Kyle Pitts has led to a potential renaissance at the position. In redraft leagues, tight ends are going off the board much quicker in 2024 than they did in 2023.
The early reports on T.J. Hockenson’s recovery are very encouraging. If J.J. McCarthy can come anywhere close to supporting the same fantasy output as Kirk Cousins did, Hockenson is undervalued and a fantastic trade target right now.
The six in the top tier (plus Bowers) and the five in the second tier round out the TE1 dynasty ranks.
Travis Kelce remains among the top tight ends in the game, but his short-term value is not in the same stratosphere as it was entering last season. In 2023, he was a mid-first-round redraft pick. In 2024, he is a fourth-round redraft pick. The initial reporting on his contract extension was misleading. Originally reported as a two-year extension, it was actually a reworking of his 2024 deal with a single team option year in 2025. Kelce received more guaranteed money and a slight salary boost. The deal slightly increases the chances he plays in 2025. Anyone drastically changing their view on his overall longevity due to the contract is misguided.
Jake Ferguson was a quiet winner of the offseason. Expect his sleeper appeal to pick up steam throughout the summer. The last time we saw Ferguson was in the playoff matchup against the Packers. He caught 10 passes for 93 yards and was the clear #2 option in the Cowboys passing offense. Dallas added zero target competition this offseason. There is a buy-low window on Ferguson right now. Expect his trade value to rise once the 2024 projections are fully factored in.
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Rachel Tootsiepop
