What players should you be targeting in Dynasty Trades? These six players could reshape your roster and not only help you win in 2023, but for years to come.
Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones is primed to take the next step into the elite category of quarterback. Think about what the Giants did this offseason. They added Darren Waller and Parris Campbell. The Giants still have Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins, and Wan’Dale Robinson in the receiver room.
Additionally, Saquon Barkley is going to play in 2023. This offense could take another step in 2023. All of a sudden the Giants offensive line looks, dare I say, good, especially at the tackle position. The Giants just paid Andrew Thomas, so he’s a big part of the future. Don’t forget they drafted Evan Neal as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 Draft. The Giants are investing in pieces around their young quarterback.
Impressive 2022
In 2022, Jones finished as the QB 10 in fantasy points per game. He ranked No. 8 in Accuracy Rating, No. 1 in True Completion Percentage, and No. 3 in Red Zone Completion Percentage. Additionally, Jones ranked No. 8 in True Passer Rating and No. 7 in QBR in 2022. Jones does need to let it rip down the field. He ranked No. 24 in Yards per Attempt, No. 20 in Air Yards, and No. 30 in Deep Ball Attempts. He has some work to do in this area of his game, but to be fair he didn’t have the receivers or pass catchers that worked deep down the field last season. This season he has some more weapons on offense that can work deeper down the field.
Don’t forget that Daniel Jones is a mobile quarterback as well. Jones ranked No. 4 in the NFL in carries amongst quarterbacks. Additionally, he ranked No. 5 in rushing yards and No. 3 in rushing touchdowns. Make no mistake, Daniel Jones is the cheapest Konami Code QB in Dynasty, and any other format, who is still just 26 years old in an offense that is clearly building around him. Additionally, he’s paired with a good coach in Brian Daboll who brought Josh Allen along in Buffalo.
Daniel Jones is going to be the Giants starting quarterback for a while as well. Jones signed a 4-year extension before the 2022 NFL season. This contract makes it hard for the Giants to move off of Jones until he is an Unrestricted Free Agent in 2027. They could get out of it as soon as 2025 if they want to eat 18 million in dead cap. The Giants could get out of it in 2026 if they eat 9 million in dead cap. Jones is going to take another step in the right direction this year. He’s going to prove he belongs as a top 10 QB in fantasy football.
Antonio Gibson
If you’re a fan of Antonio Gibson, like I am, you know about the profile. However, I am going to tell you about it anyone. Gibson is one of the most athletic running backs in the NFL as he has elite speed once he gets out in the open field. Gibson has been good for fantasy football in the past. Twice he’s finished as an RB 2 (top 24) in fantasy points per game.
In 2020, he finished as the RB 16 in fantasy points per game and in 2021 he finished as the RB 17 in fantasy points per game. In 2022, we really wanted to see Gibson take that next step and launch himself into the elite category of running backs in the NFL. Instead, we got Ron Rivera trying to convince us that Brian Robinson was a better running back than Gibson and that Gibson had fumbling issues.
Efficiency
And yes, his efficiency metrics were down last season as well, but I’m always one to make a bet on talent, and Gibson still has the talent. The key in Antonio Gibson seizing more opportunities in this offense is the fact that he can command targets out of the backfield. Despite having a disappointing year last season, Gibson still ranked No. 12 amongst running backs in targets with 58. He also ranked No. 9 in Yards per route Run amongst running backs.
This tells me that Gibson isn’t just running into the flat. Sometimes, he’s running down the field. Take into account that it looks like rookie QB Sam Howell is slated to start some games, and my guess is that Gibson is going to get peppered with targets this season as this is typically what rookie quarterbacks do. Even if Brissett is the starter for the majority of the season, I still think Gibson sees quite a bit of targets out of the backfield, which means you are going to want to scoop him up now before his value goes up during the course of the season.
Isiah Pacheco
Look, I get it. Pacheco makes you nervous, but he really shouldn’t. The seventh-round pick made the most of his opportunities in his rookie season with the Kansas City Chiefs. He finished as the RB 44 in fantasy points per game, but that stat is deceiving given the fact he didn’t really start to factor into the offense until Week 10 against the Jaguars. The Chiefs offense is also very complex, and it takes time for a rookie to learn it.
Still, Pacheco finished the season with multiple (7) RB 2 weeks for a player that was likely drafted in the later rounds of your fantasy league. The ceiling is even higher for Pacheco in Year 2. We know that Pacheco has the profile we look for in elite running backs. His Speed Score is ranked in the 99th percentile according to PlayerProfiler. The criticism for Pacheco, outside of his late draft capital, has been his lack of pass catching ability.
Isiah Pacheco Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
Luckily for us Pacheco truthers, there is some evidence that Pacheco is going to be just fine as a pass catcher in 2023. Firstly, Pacheco was used as a pass catcher in college. While the college stats may not look impressive, fantasy gamers must consider the offense Pacheco was playing in. Rutgers was a terrible offense and therefore his opportunities within the offense were limited more so than if he had played with a better team. The fact that Pacheco caught 19 passes in his junior season on 26 targets isn’t nothing.
Role in the Passing Game
Secondly, Pacheco’s role in the passing game picked up late in the season. As I mentioned before, it takes time to learn Andy Reid’s system and to gain the full trust of the coaching staff. From Week 13 until the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pacheco accounted for 17 total targets in the offense. That’s an average of just over two targets a game. This also included six targets in the AFC Championship Game! So, when it was all on the line, the Chiefs decided to go to Pacheco in the passing game. That is a great sign for his future use in that role.
The fact that fantasy gamers can go get the starting running back on an offense with the best quarterback in football at a discount is crazy to me. If Pacheco’s role increases, which it will, and his pass catching volume goes up, which it will, then it is hard to find a scenario where Pacheco’s value goes down this time next year. Take the calculated risk that the Chiefs decide this season that Pacheco is their guy. He’s also cheap at the RB 29 overall according to Keep Trade Cut.
Elijah Moore
I’m not going to lie to you. Elijah Moore is an interesting case study. In his rookie season, he finished as the WR 28 in fantasy points per game. In that 2021 season, Moore averaged seven targets per game. For a rookie receiver, Moore was a very impressive route runner and ranked No. 9 amongst wide receivers in Route Win Rate. I thought Elijah Moore was well on his way to becoming a really good NFL receiver and by extension a really good Dynasty asset. 2022 was a season to forget for Elijah Moore that ultimately landed him in Cleveland by way of a trade.
New York?
I’m not sure what happened in New York. On paper it didn’t make much sense for the Jets not to involve Moore in their offense, and it made even less sense to trade him for the return they ultimately got. In 2022, Moore still proved he can get separation as a receiver. Moore ranked No. 12 in Target Separation and No. 25 in Route Win Rate amongst wide receivers. Now, to be fair Moore’s Route Participation Rate ranked No. 62 amongst wide receivers. He wasn’t out there as much as some other receivers, but he was out there enough during the course of 16 games in which he played for us to get an idea of what kind of player he is. The truth is Moore is very talented.
Now, he winds up in Cleveland with Deshaun Watson and company. It will be interesting to see if Cleveland cranks up their passing volume in 2023. Cleveland ranked No. 25 in pass play percentage in 2022, but they may change that with the pass catchers they have with Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, David Njoku, and even Donovan Peoples-Jones and Cedric Tillman. The Browns also said goodbye to Kareem Hunt which should signal to fantasy gamers they plan on passing more.
I like Moore’s chances to bounce back in 2023. Additionally, Moore is just 23 years old. He’s younger than Christian Watson who was a rookie last season.
John Metchie
Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away (just one year ago) Metchie was drafted in the second round by the Houston Texans. He’s now fully recovered from acute promyelocytic leukemia and is set to return to the NFL this season. The Texans pass catchers are nothing special, and my belief is Metchie is the most talented receiver in this group that features Nico Collins, Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson, Tank Dell, Noah Brown, and tight end Dalton Schultz.
Metchie proved to be extremely productive in an Alabama offense and displayed some of the dynamic route running skills that the Texans no doubt saw when they drafted him. Needless to say this is a low risk, high reward bet. Currently, Metchie is the WR 52 according to Keep Trade Cut and the player No. 152 overall. At that price, he is worth the risk.
Greg Dulcich
The Broncos offense is due for a bounce back season after a dismal 2022. One of the key contributors is going to be Dulcich who Sean Payton shouted out in a recent interview. Payton said he had visions of Dulcich playing the “joker” role for him. Past “jokers” have been Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, Jared Leto, whoops, hold on, no. The past “jokers” in a Sean Payton offense have been Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles, and Alvin Kamara.
Payton went on to say that he sees traits of Jeremy Shockey and Jimmy Graham in Greg Dulcich. Needless to say, Dulcich should have a nice role on an offense that is going to try to keep up with the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and yes, the Las Vegas Raiders.
Athletic Profile
Also, Dulcich has a good profile and he was able to get separation in year one as a TE ranking No. 7 amongst tight ends in that category. He also ranked as the No. 5 TE in route participation. I expect that volume to increase this season. Dulcich also finished as a top 12 tight end five times last season, including a Week 13 finish as the TE 2 overall on the week.
So, not only does Dulcich have the profile we are looking for, not only does he have the opportunity we are looking for, but he has proven that he can make the most of that opportunity as well. Currently, he is the TE 14 according to Keep Trade Cut. He won’t be that cheap for long. Go get him now!
