The work is never done for fantasy football owners who play in dynasty leagues, where rosters carry over from year to year.
Instead of being able to scrap most, if not all, of your roster and start from scratch the following season, these owners have to manage their rosters like real NFL general managers do.
So there are many fantasy owners out there who are wheeling and dealing this offseason because they are in dynasty leagues. This column is for those of you who believe the buy-low, sell-high philosophy that works well in the stock market also works in fantasy football when it comes to trading.
There are a few NFL players who are on top of the world, because at the moment they are at the top of their team’s depth chart. But their holds on those spots are tenuous, so maybe trading them in dynasty leagues now while their worth is at its highest point is something to strongly consider.
Here are three sell-high trade candidates in dynasty fantasy football leagues right now.
Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles (QB)
Not many players have the risk-reward variance Bradford has heading into the 2015 season.
If Bradford starts 13-16 games for Philadelphia, he could be a top-10 fantasy quarterback. Head coach Chip Kelly’s offense gives quarterbacks more plays to work with, and thus more chances to throw the ball, and thus more chances to toss touchdowns and reap fantasy rewards for those who own them.
And those passing opportunities usually come against tired, off-balance defenses sucking wind like they have just been locked in a cage with Jose Aldo for 25 minutes. So having the starting quarterback for the Eagles is a fantasy jackpot.
Now for the “risk” part of the equation. Bradford does not normally suit up for 13-16 games. He has only done it twice in five NFL seasons. In 2015, he did not play in one regular-season game thanks to a season-ending injury suffered during the preseason.
Besides Bradford’s checkered injury history, he has Mark Sanchez backing him up, a quarterback who was a starter for four years with the New York Jets and was a fantasy factor last season, when he threw for 2,418 yards and 14 touchdowns in nine games while filling in for an injured Nick Foles.
And now on top of all this, Philadelphia has brought in Tim Tebow for some reason. Tebow could actually dent Bradford’s fantasy value by getting on the field in certain packages and vulturing some touchdowns and two-point conversions when the Eagles get down by the goal line.
Bradford is currently the starting quarterback on a team whose offense turns its quarterbacks into fantasy treasure chests. But how long he remains the starter is seriously as question. Bradford could start 16 games; he could play in a half-dozen and get injured or benched; or he could be traded next week at the NFL draft.
Bradford is a sell-high fantasy candidate if there ever was one. If you hung onto him through the 2014 season, now is the time to trade him for some legitimate fantasy talent. Or you could hold onto him and pray every time he gets tackled that he does not break something. You decide.
C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos (RB)
Fantasy owners fell in love with Anderson last season faster than gamers fell in love with Call of Duty. After beginning the 2014 campaign as third on Denver’s depth chart at running back, Anderson moved up the chart like a Drake ballad and became the main man during the second half of the season.
All Anderson did was rush for 767 yards, add 323 receiving yards and score 10 total touchdowns over Denver’s last eight contests of the season. He was arguably the MVP of fantasy football during the final two months. And his scintillating second half secured him as the Broncos’ main man at tailback entering the 2015 season.
But not many starting running backs have the talented backups Anderson has behind him on the depth chart. He will be looking over his shoulder often. Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball have both been starters at times in recent years and had decent success stats-wise when given the chance.
Anderson heads into training camp as Peyton Manning’s top tailback, but one two-fumble game or one pulled hamstring and Hillman or Ball could steal his spot and never give it back. The reverse happened last season, when Hillman was running like Terrell Davis for a short stretch, only to lose his job to Anderson after getting injured.
And remember that Ball began as the starter in 2014 but injured his groin, which opened the door for Hillman. So the revolving door at running back could be Anderson’s undoing in 2015 if a slump or sprain hinders him early in the season.
Anderson’s fantasy value is off the charts, as most magazines and websites will probably project him to be a top-10 running back this season coming on the heels of how he ended last season. Trading him now for a top-flight quarterback or receiver could be a prudent move.
Josh McCown, Cleveland Browns (QB)
Cleveland overpaid for this journeyman veteran who, in his career, has had one amazing eight-game stretch and nine other years where he was as helpful to fantasy owners as a stat service whose site is down.
But a starting quarterback is still more valuable in fantasy leagues than a backup quarterback, and McCown is No. 1 on Cleveland’s depth chart at the present time. But will he still be in the catbird’s seat after the NFL draft?
Cleveland could trade up in the first round to grab Florida State’s Jameis Winston or Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, which could make McCown a high-priced clipboard holder. And while owning the quarterback of a mediocre-at-best offensive team that does not have wideout Josh Gordon or tight end Jordan Cameron on it in 2015 would not excite many fantasy owners anyway, having the backup QB on such a team will excite owners in dynasty leagues even less.
If you are in a 16- to 18-team fantasy dynasty league where starting quarterbacks are more important and more scarce, trading McCown for a running back or receiver before the NFL draft takes place is a solid strategy.