Dynasty Fantasy Football Strategy Mailbag: Time To Trade For Luther Burden?

What, you thought just because we’ve finally seen some sweet preseason action that I’d forget about my dynasty pals? NEVER!

We’re back with another set of questions pulled straight from the always-rocking Fantasy Life Community Discord.

Let’s crack this mailbag open and see what spills out …

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Mailbag Covering Dynasty Fantasy Football Strategy

If your team is currently looking middling, how long do you wait during the season to determine if you should sell or buy (tank or compete)?

I personally like to get ahead of it before the season even starts. Waiting too long to pick a lane can ultimately cost you (either in player values or competitive advantage). And I’ll always err on the side of competing if I find myself in the middle.

As I said in my article about rebuilding:

“All other things equal, in a 12-team league where six teams advance, you have a 50% chance of making the playoffs. And once you’ve made the dance, sometimes all it takes to win the whole thing is a pinch of hope, a dash of luck and a healthy group of hamstrings in your lineup.”

But if you don’t want to take that leap yet, I wouldn’t wait more than a few weeks to start making those moves.

Matthew Berry's 100 Facts

Should I trade for Luther Burden now or wait to see how this groin injury plays out?

I wasn’t in a major rush to get Luther Burden on my dynasty rosters even before the injury. I felt his price was overinflated given how shaky his floor is in that offense. I also expect some regression from Caleb Williams and the offense overall.

If you’re competing, Burden isn’t the asset I’d be going after right now. I’d much rather trade for someone like DeVonta Smith or Garrett Wilson, whose price tags are shockingly similar.

Who are your favorite dynasty buys and sells at this point in the preseason?

Longtime readers know I’m always buying Garrett Wilson and Emeka Egbuka (despite the injury) and I’m throwing out offers left and right for Woody Marks, an underrated pass catcher with plenty of flex utility in PPR formats.

This is also the ideal time to add Chris Bell to your rosters. The rookie receiver was just elevated off the NFI list and can start practicing with the Dolphins. Get ready to see some highlight-reel plays and watch his value skyrocket.

I’m trading away most Giants (except Isaiah Likely) and TreVeyon Henderson is looking more and more like a ticking time bomb. I’m getting out before I get MacGruber’d.

Can you trust Rashee Rice as a WR1?

Absolutely not. I respect what Rashee Rice has done on the field to this point, but there are simply too many red flags to ignore.

Everyone has to determine their own tolerance level for off-field issues, but mine is low. I don’t want to constantly worry that my WR1 is going to have another “incident” that affects his availability.

Can you trust Bucky Irving as a starting RB or flex with Kenneth Gainwell and Sean Tucker in the mix?

I’ve slowly come back around on Bucky Irving, though he occupies a similar space to Bhayshul Tuten in my dynasty values. There’s plenty of upside, but a more reserved workload wouldn’t shock me.

I don’t want Irving to anchor any of my teams, but he should certainly be useful based on his efficiency alone. I prefer Kenneth Gainwell at cost and would want to pair Irving with a more reliable RB.

Matthew Berry's Fantasy Football Rankings

What are we doing with Travis Etienne, A.J. Brown, and Jaylen Waddle on middle-of-the-pack teams?

I’d hold onto A.J. Brown and Jaylen Waddle until we see them in action. I think both (but especially Waddle) will see a bump in value and should then look more appealing to contenders … if you decide you’re not one yourself.

But I’d trade away Travis Etienne now. I wasn’t a fan of him landing in New Orleans in the first place, and don’t expect him to perform as well as he did last year.

In Dynasty Superflex, what do you do when the NFL schedules your top 2 QBs to have the same bye week? (I have only 3 QBs and the waiver is currently empty)

Don’t sweat it. It’s just one week! As long as you have one startable QB that week, you can fill your Superflex spot with a high-ceiling skill position player. Or, depending on when that bye week is, you can trade for a gap-filler like Kirk Cousins, Jacoby Brissett or Geno Smith.

Name a player whom everyone seems to be sold on this offseason but you are convinced will be a career bust.

I don’t know about “career bust,” but I’m not buying into the vibes around Travis Hunter.

The whole “he’s going to be used on both sides of the ball” as a positive argument downright befuddles me. Could that happen? Sure! Would that be a good thing for fantasy? Not really! I struggle to see how Hunter’s offensive usage would be consistent enough for the average fantasy manager to know which weeks to start him. He’s a guy who’s best rostered in best ball.

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