Crafting a Contender How to Strategically Shape Your Dynasty Roster

Are your Dynasty Fantasy Football trades feeling like a coin toss? Let me, Jay, guide you through the maze of offseason moves with razor-sharp analysis that could shape your roster into a championship contender. This episode tackles the seismic shift in Pittsburgh as Justin Fields dons the black and gold, potentially sparking a career renaissance with the Steelers. We'll dissect the implications of Fields learning under the wing of Russell Wilson, and how Mike Tomlin's playbook could be his ticket to fantasy stardom. Don't miss my truth bombs on the Brandon Aiyuk buzz and how the 49ers' wallet woes might play out on the field. And for those scratching their heads over Christian Watson's injury whirlwind, get ready for revelations that will have you rethinking your draft strategy, all while we cast a critical eye on the NFL's latest tackling rules and the Dallas Cowboys' strategic standstill.

Feel that bittersweet pang as I propose why trading the explosive Deebo Samuel could be a stealthy masterstroke for snagging a bright-eyed rookie and a coveted draft pick. We're also unpacking why Zay Flowers' fantasy forecast could be cloudy with a chance of Mark Andrews thunderstorms, and why Calvin Ridley might just be a perfect trade-away target despite the talent he brings to the gridiron. This episode is not just about the names; it's about making the moves that count when the draft looms large. Tune in as I break down the delicate balance of dynasty league player values, ensuring your team is primed for both the immediate skirmish and the long-term war for the fantasy football throne.

Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!
Start for FREE

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:05

all right, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the vegas guys locker room. I'm your host, jay. We are the show that helps you with all things sports, fantasy sports, sports betting and sports news how we doing today. Guys, thanks for joining me for another episode.

Speaker 1: 0:19

And today we're talking dynasty fantasy football. Today we're looking Dynasty Fantasy Football. Today we're looking at possible trade moves, looking at guys you want to get rid of and guys you probably want to try to go out there and get and see what the cost is going to be. We're going to break down our top three trade for picks and our top three trying to trade away from. But we want to talk a little bit of news so far. So listen, ed, the Justin Fields trades. You know my position on that.

Speaker 1: 0:50

I've been an adamant guy for keeping Justin Fields in Chicago. Of course they objected and went the other way, trading him to Pittsburgh, which had signed Russell Wilson earlier on. Not a bad move for Pittsburgh. I kind of like it. They didn't give a whole lot up, one little draft pick, not even anything of concern. I like the move. You get a lot of upside. I've talked about it before. The huge upside on Justin Fields is his work ethic. I think working with somebody maybe like Mr Unlimited, can maybe help him out, see if he can get his career back on track. Maybe plug in with the Pittsburgh Sears who loved to get his career back on track. Maybe plug in with the Pittsburgh Sears who love to run the ball. I mean, mike Tomlin is an old school coach and I think that's a pretty good setup for him there in Pittsburgh. These two guys Russell Wilson, not so much anymore, he's later in his career can move around and buy some time with that kind of suspect offensive line that Pittsburgh has. So maybe this is a good move. Maybe sit behind somebody for a little while, see how that goes. I don't think you have much to lose when you're trying to get a young quarterback in Justin Fields and maybe you end up with a franchise quarterback. Maybe you just needed that change of scenery.

Speaker 1: 1:56

So I thought the Chicago Bears could have done a lot more with the number one overall pick and going to get more assets, because that team does need some offensive line help. They need to replenish on defense. They did make some big splashes. They went and picked up Keenan Allen. They still have tons of studs. We got DeAndre Swift in the offseason so they added some offensive weapons. You really got to work on that offensive line. That's been the biggest Achilles heel, kind of the same with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The offensive line is a problem, but hey, I do like the landing spot for Justin Fields. If he was going to get moved, I thought this was a great landing spot for him. I wish him all the best, because I hear nothing but good things about the kid and his work ethic, so hopefully he can find a place there with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Speaker 1: 2:46

Brandon Ayuk the trade rumor has been flourishing. Everybody out there knows I'm a big Niners fan. It looks like those rumors are just rumors John Lynch coming out saying that they have no intention of trading Brandon Ayuk Kind of an interesting move, especially with the Niners when there are salary cap situations. They've got some contracts that are coming up. They're spending a lot of money. The Super Bowl window, I believe, is closing for the 49ers where they're going to have to kind of be rebuilt and kind of move on for some guys. I thought Brandon Ayuk was a guy they might move from and try to trade, trying to look for assets, especially with a deep wide receiver class you have this year you have, of course, an aging Debo, samuel, turning 28 years old. We'll talk more about him later, but the Brandon Iyuk turns out it's probably just trade rumors, unless maybe the Niners are playing a little cat and mouse game and seeing if they can get bigger offers for Brandon Iyuk. So remains to be seen.

Speaker 1: 3:37

I'm kind of curious. I think the weirdest news I heard this week was the Christian Watson news. Green Bay has a better understanding of why he's so injured because of the body scan. He got Kind of curious to see what that one was all about. I read about that. I want to dive deeper into that one and kind of get more clarity on this body scan and why he's so susceptible to injury. Read more about that one. I'll probably break that down again in next week's show. Those were kind of the biggest news of the week I mean that I really want to talk about.

Speaker 1: 4:10

It's kind of been an interesting offseason the Cowboys still making no moves. You know you had a couple of the big splashes happen early and they would happen early and often this offseason. Now everybody's just kind of sitting back waiting for this draft to play out, seeing where these QBs land the bigger name QBs, Of course everybody wants quarterback. The rule change is coming in with the hip tackle. I'm just curious on that one, because you're not allowed to hit them high, you're not allowed to hit them low, yeah, so how are you supposed to tackle in this league again? I'm a little confused on this. Now it's getting murky with the tackling rules. It's almost you know it's getting to be where you got to lay them down on the ground very gently. I'm not understanding.

Speaker 1: 4:55

I thought this was a contact sport and the reason these guys made such big money was because of the risk involved in playing this full contact sport. But hey, then again. I mean, I think if you're if the only people really fighting and having full contact and everything like that, these offensive linemen and D linemen they get paid more. There are guys out there just hammering away at each other. Everybody else gets to play. You know flag football.

Speaker 1: 5:18

I'm kind of kind of curious to see where the league's going with this. They did come out with the new rules trying to get the kickoff to be more of part of the game rather than just something. Everybody goes to the fridge and grabs another snack or uses it for a restroom break because you're going to get two tv timeouts in between this. So I'm kind of curious. I want to see what that's, how this goes this football season. It's going to be an interesting move, but we will get on. We will get on to our trade targets in Dynasty football this season. And those of you who are in their first year, like listen, my group and I we've all kind of played this out. This was our first year. If you listen to the podcast, it was our first year playing Dynasty. So we're all trying to get a grip on this and figure out where we want to land. But I've kind of dissected and kind of looked at some information and I have three guys that I probably want to try to move for, one of which is being Kyler Murray. I think Kyler Murray is going to be the biggest get, especially if you play in a super flex league.

Speaker 1: 6:16

A quarterback, a second quarterback like that. Listen, he was a top 10 QB in fantasy points per game when he returned from injury. The Cardinals come out there and they commit to him as their franchise QB. He looks great, he has a high floor. I believe he's 20 points a game when he's playing. So there's points to be had and if they add another offensive weapon, which it looks like they possibly will. He's got some good young targets there. I mean, he has a good young weapon, a number one receiver. He's still got a very good tight end I believe.

Speaker 1: 6:49

I believe in his third year they got some of the things to show up. Of course, defensive wise it's not there. There's not a whole lot there anymore. The running game with john you know connor is still there, so hopefully that this goes out. But I really do, like kyler murray. I think the team is going to be battling it out week in and week out, especially with teams like with the Niners and the Rams there, who are going to put up points. Seattle, of course, is going to be one of those guys you want to get a lead on and force them to throw the football. So I can see Kyler Murray having a huge year, a huge fantasy year. So if you can and try to pick him up on the cheap, just because he hasn't really done much the last couple years maybe somebody's just holding on to him Maybe if you could throw in a second-round pick, maybe that middle-tier second-round pick, maybe you can get him in this dynasty before the dynasty draft and upgrade at QB. If you're in a super flex, you've had that second option at quarterback, probably a good move.

Speaker 1: 7:43

Next one I like, I like Drake London. I like everything Atlanta right now. I really do. I think the Atlanta guys are going to be back. You've got Kirk Cousins. You got rid of Arthur Smith. You're going to get something of an offense there in Atlanta and that was re-edified by the signing of Kirk Cousins. Kurt Cousins is going to bring that element to the offense that they have been looking for a QB who can get the playmakers the ball. So you know how he is. He likes to throw it to his big-name guys, his playmakers. It's going to be Drake London.

Speaker 1: 8:17

Is this year Kyle Pitts finally shows up. It's been such a disappointment. I know everybody's been out. I know last year I didn't even want to touch him. I wouldn't touch him with anything. I didn't care if it was the last pick in the draft. I was going a different direction. Now, does Kyle Pitts get in there? That might be one guy too, also to go along with Drake London. Maybe you see and test the waters and see if anybody else is feeling that way. It's tough to get away from one of the most athletic tight ends you've ever seen come into the league and just nothing happened. So curious to see. If you want to test the waters and see what you have to give up to get a guy like maybe a Kyle Pitts if you're hurting that tight end, that could be an interesting move.

Speaker 1: 8:55

But I do love Drake London. I know the touchdowns haven't been there. I think that's going to change with Kirk Cousins there. I think he's going to get a ton more red zone targets. He's a big body receiver. He played well with some of the bad quarterbacks he had. Hasn't had a really good quarterback there in Atlanta in his time there. I think he's going to come off the scene. I really like him. I think he comes up with a big growth in his third year and I think the sky's the limit for him. I could see him as a top 15 wide receiver this year easily if things go right for him, barring any injuries or anything of that concern.

Speaker 1: 9:30

But really do like Drake London. Kendra Miller is the third guy I like. Listen, you got him down there in New Orleans. You got Kamara kind of declining in his metrics. Nothing is really happening for Alvin Kamara kind of declining in his metrics. Nothing is really happening for Alvin Kamara.

Speaker 1: 9:48

It's not going to cost you a whole lot to go get Kendra Miller. You know the draft hasn't happened yet. This can all change at the draft. If they do get somebody else in the running back room, this could all get murky. But right now what it's probably going to cost you is probably a late second round dynasty pick in the draft, which at that point the well is probably going to be a little dried up you're probably reaching. You're probably gambling on some guys.

Speaker 1: 10:14

Anyway, at least you know what kendra miller he's. I believe he's what 21 years old. He's a big boy, six feet, 220. If he finally gets over he you know he was dealing with that injury coming back I think this is a bigger year for him. He showed that. He showed that he can carry the load there. In that last week he had a very good game. I'm curious to see if that carries over into this season, especially with a declining Alvin Kamara. And it's not going to cost you a whole lot. Yes, like I said, it is a gamble.

Speaker 1: 10:42

At this point the draft has not happened. If they haven't seen anything that really says Kendrick Miller is going to be their guy. Maybe they move, but it doesn't cost you a whole lot. I don't think getting Kendrick Miller onto your Dynasty squad is going to hurt you in any way. So those are the three guys that I've looked at and I really really like coming into this Dynasty football season.

Speaker 1: 11:06

If you get a chance to try and get them on the cheap, somebody like a Kyler Murray might cost you a second half of the first round pick, depending on where you're at. Remember, it's going to depend on your situation. Superflex League you need that second QB. Kyler Murray is probably not a bad option, especially if somebody who has them has some depth at that QB spot and a super flex. Maybe they're willing to part ways with them. So go out and get these guys.

Speaker 1: 11:30

Remember Kyler Murray, drake London and Kendrick Miller. Those are my three guys that I'm targeting in this offseason. Now we're going to switch it up. We'll switch to the guys that listen. These guys are in your team. You might want to think about moving them.

Speaker 1: 11:44

First one and it breaks my heart to say it because of course you all know I'm a Niners fan but it's Deebo Samuels. His career high in targets was 121. The other four years he's been in the league. He's only averaged 62 targets a season. Remember he is 28 years old. This is kind of where you see the fallout from receivers on a typical receiver. Especially for a receiver like Debo Samuel, who his His whole game is yak he is the greatest in yak in the game right now. That's a lot of hits on the body and at 28 years old he's been doing it for a while now. Remember we talked about the Niners and their salary cap situation.

Speaker 1: 12:29

We don't know how this is going to all play out, but to get ahead of that downslope of his career at the 28 mark, he's still a big name that you probably can go out and get something good for. Especially this year with a new crop of receivers coming in, you might want to be able. If you've got a couple guys you have a whole lot of faith in, maybe you can trade Debo and get a high-end first and maybe a rookie or somebody else that's coming in that nobody believes in next year. Maybe you can go out and get something like a late first-rounder and a Kendra Miller for Debo Samuel and get one of these receivers coming into the league. That might not be a bad option right there because there is some big names and some big playmakers in this wide receiving core that I'm really excited to watch. So if you can kind of get that mid-round first round and maybe somebody like a Kendrick Miller, I think you win in that trade. So Deebo Samuel might be a guy you want to move on from, especially if you have some serious needs elsewhere. Next one listen, this breaks my heart and I'm probably going to get a ton of flack for saying this one, but I was big on him last year. I still think he has a ton of potential.

Speaker 1: 13:48

But the guy I'm looking at is a flowers and just for one reason in particular Mark Andrews. Zay Flowers was the man and he was getting targets galore. I believe it was 24% of the targets in the offense when there was no Mark Andrews. It does slide down to 18% and the red zone targets just vanish when Mark Andrews is there. Mark Andrews is coming back healthy this year with Mark Andrews in the lineup. Mark Andrews is coming back healthy.

Speaker 1: 14:20

This year With Mark Andrews in the lineup, zay Flowers only averaged eight points per game in fantasy. The red zone targets are just going to be too huge. He's not a big body receiver. He's that slot back that he's going to use down the field. So you'll get Chunkyard. He should have a great year. I believe he's slotted. If he goes, what the average was with Mark Andrews in the lineup, he'll just be shy of 1,000 yards receiving. So you're going to get plenty of volume as far as targets and yards. You're just not going to get the TDs. You're going to need to put your team over the top. You can possibly try to move him and get a haul for him here. This is somebody that listen people believe in. He's young. He was just a rookie. Maybe you go and get out and fill some gaps in your team with somebody like Isaiah Flowers Like I said again, especially with a huge wide receiver and core coming in that is very talented and, as if you watch the combine, they are very fast you can probably find somebody that can fill in that gap very nicely in the first round of your dynasty rookie draft.

Speaker 1: 15:26

Next guy I'm going to talk about is Calvin Ridley. Now it's going to be tricky to trade Calvin Ridley. You've got to find an owner that's in need of a receiver and only remembers the first six games. I believe remembers the only six games, six good games that Calvin really had because he only had six of them. He's 29. He's playing with an unproven QB in tennessee opposite hopkins. Like I said, he only had six good games and with his name being so high right now at 29 years old, that's usually the fall off of receivers kind of glory years and you know, unfortunately he's been out of the league for so long now he had a good year last year with the six games.

Speaker 1: 16:20

I think that's deceiving. Everything kind of tapered off. I think that's why they moved on from him in Jacksonville. I think it just wasn't a good fit. I don't see this really working out for what they paid Calvin Ridley to become and, like I said, another unproven quarterback and what you can get with him because of his name being so out there and people kind of wondering what he's going to do next. You could probably get a mid-first round pick, mid to late first round pick, which is going to put you in that nice tier of wide receivers coming out in this year's draft. Might be a time, might be a good move. If you had him, you picked him up last year. If you have him on your team, probably a good time. Maybe you move on from him get younger. Like I said, he's 29 years old. This is usually where the downfall of the wide receiver happens. But anyways, guys, those are my picks for you to target in your dynasty fantasy football leagues. Draft is coming up in April. We'll break down some more picks that we like coming up, some other shows, but listen, if you like this show, please.

Speaker 1: 17:22

We do go more in depth on this show, especially with the guests. We have more guests on this show than we usually do on the videos. Our video podcast right now is growing and it's getting there. We're getting more in tune to that. That's a new project we're working on. We have a few episodes.

Speaker 1: 17:38

Follow us on YouTube on VGLR 2022, and that will put you into our link Vegas Guys Lockroom. Watch our videos on the show Right now. Me and my father have been doing a couple episodes doing some hockey talk. I know we're going to do some fantasy football videos. I'm hoping to get those going soon and we're also going to talk some baseball in those videos as well. So we're going to get the whole niche going here with the video cast. But the in-depth stuff probably will remain on this podcast, just because we can use our time a little more wisely and get a bigger sample size out there for you, so to speak. So follow us there on YouTube, guys. Give us a subscribe, Rate us on all these podcasts, please, and hit the bells to get notified when new shows come out. And again, guys, please catch us up on YouTube, subscribe to those channels, hit the little bell to get notified when we put up new shows so you can enjoy those as well. And again, we'll see you all in the next episode. Have a good one, guys.