Welcome to the dynasty trading post, where optimizing strategy, roster construction, format, and player value oscillations are examined weekly with examples and completed dynasty trades.
This week, we'll focus on the trade market for Christian McCaffrey and Trevor Lawrence.
All trades are Superflex unless stated otherwise
RB Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco
With a single injury and another IR stint, Christian McCaffrey has pivoted from a contending team buy to a non-contending team buy. McCaffrey had been tepid in his return. A shoestring tackle shifted a promising game start for McCaffrey and a potential touchdown on the play to his season being over before the fantasy playoffs started. McCaffrey's value is all over the board, but plenty of contending teams are bailing on McCaffrey for win-now options for the playoff push. This whiplash offers an opportunity for non-contenders to bank McCaffrey for 2025. His current market valuation is in the RB15-20 range.
- McCaffrey for Tony Pollard, Jakobi Meyers
- McCaffrey for Derek Carr
- McCaffrey, 3rd for Najee Harris, 2nd
- McCaffrey for Chuba Hubbard
- McCaffrey for Nick Chubb, Jerome Ford
- McCaffrey for Davante Adams, Jerry Jeudy
- McCaffrey for Rhamondre Stevenson
The theme of the trades as a non-contender is offering lineup options to fill the McCaffrey void. The straight-up deals for Stevenson and Hubbard (and the Browns' running backs) point to McCaffrey drifting low among the position's hierarchy. Even if on the playoff fringe (must win Week 14 for example), executing these deals to acquire McCaffrey boosts 2025 and beyond more than it decreases the probability of making the playoffs in 2024.
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QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville
The latest notable quarterback to sustain an injury is Trevor Lawrence. The Jacksonville starter was having a poor season, and the injury caps off the year with Lawrence closer to QB20 by the market than QB10. Lawrence's 1.00 Big-Time Throw to Turnover-Worthy Play ratio this season hovers around the NFL average and was his worst since 2021.
Buying Opportunities
- Lawrence for Aaron Rodgers, Derrick Henry
- Lawrence, 1st for Tua Tagovailoa, Jonnu Smith, 3rd
- Lawrence, 2nd for Brian Robinson Jr, Mike Evans
- Lawrence for Jameis Winston, 3rd
Three of the deals offer quarterback solutions to the team losing Lawrence. The other includes two lineup additions in Robinson and Evans. The key is helping the other team in their time of need. In this case, it is solving lineup issues due to injury late in the season. This is a great example of having premium position depth to deal away like Rodgers or Winsto,n whether contending or not in-season to acquire profile upgrades.
Selling Opportunities
- Lawrence, 1st for Jordan Love
- Lawrence for Anthony Richardson
- Lawrence, Rashid Shaheed for Brock Purdy
- Lawrence, Cade Otton, 1st for Patrick Mahomes II, Isaiah Likely (2PPR TE)
The market is sagging on Anthony Richardson of late despite playing considerably better from the pocket in recent weeks. Brock Purdy is languishing on a struggling 49ers team but is still in line for a massive contract in the offseason and has produced better than Lawrence throughout his career. Adding to Lawrence to get to Mahomes is a dream scenario in any team direction. Underrated is the Lawrence to Jordan Love upgrade. Even if a higher 1st, the quarterback position looks to be lacking in worthiness for a higher 1st in 2025, and Love is on a high (and higher than Lawrence) trajectory for fantasy.
Check out all of Chad Parsons' content at Footballguys.
