Jonathan Taylor is on a heck of a run of late, and it’s harder to argue he isn’t the best running back for Fantasy football right now. And if he isn’t, he’s probably not lower than No. 2. He has scored a touchdown in seven straight games, averaging 25.6 PPR points per game in that stretch. That he’s done that with just one 20-carry game — the same number as, among others, Carlos Hyde, Myles Gaskin, and Darrel Williams — makes it all the more impressive.
And you just don’t trade running backs who are playing like that, right? They are too valuable, and in Taylor’s case, we’re talking about a supremely talented back in his second season who showed elite upside as a rookie, too. Lest you think this is just a hot streak, Taylor has 1,666 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns plus 41 catches for 381 yards and two more touchdowns over his past 16 games, good for 22.1 PPR points per game. He’s a superstar.
But, let’s just say you did want to trade Taylor: What should you ask for in return? That’s the question Fantasy Football Today Newsletter subscriber Tom posed Tuesday:
“While Jonathan Taylor may be the best RB currently, because of Taylor’s Week 14 bye week, I am thinking of trading him for a couple guys who already have had theirs. Any suggestions?”
This is something that you should keep in mind when you’re looking to make trades, obviously. While most teams have eight games left in their season (and four in most Fantasy regular seasons), Taylor has one fewer remaining thanks to his late bye. That’s been a great boon for you so far, but if you hit Week 14 with a win-or-go-home game in the balance, not having Taylor available could be what wrecks your season.
On the other hand, not having Taylor for Weeks 11-13 could wreck your season before you even get to Week 14. Which is all to state the obvious: If you’re going to move Taylor, you need to be absolutely blown away. You still need to try to make your team better, or at least not appreciably worse leading up to Taylor’s bye.
Tom suggested Ezekiel Elliott and Mike Evans as a potential offer, and I think that’s the right idea. A No. 1 RB and a must-start WR is the starting point for any conversation around Taylor. You’ve gotta be making a big upgrade at another spot in your lineup — something like George Kittle and Joe Mixon or D’Andre Swift would also be interesting. But that’s the general framework you should be looking for; Dave Richard’s trade values chart suggests something like David Montgomery and DK Metcalf might work, too, which I think is OK.
And I will say, I actually do think this is a good time to try to sell Taylor. He’s an exceptional player, but he’s also obviously playing over his head right now, with nearly seven yards per carry and a touchdown every 12.6 carries over the past five games. I think he’s more likely to be RB6 in points per game moving forward than RB1, and with the bye week to account for, that just makes it a better idea. You’ve already banked a great 10-game stretch from Taylor while most players have just gotten nine games from their early-round picks, and you can pick up an extra game from another player instead of having to weather Taylor’s bye.
It’s a tightrope you have to walk, and it’ll feel risky to trade a player like Taylor right now. But it could be the right move if you play it right.
Here are some other trade questions from our listeners/readers/Twitter followers. If you want to get your questions answered, send them to Chris.Towers@ViacomCBS.com or use #AskFFT on Twitter to get some help:
Jason: I am in need of a quality consistent WR. Who could I target if I were to offer James Conner?
Consulting Dave trade chart, he has Conner valued at 15, with guys like DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown, Michael Pittman, Terry McLaurin, Tyler Lockett all within a point of him in either direction. That feels like a good range, with Brown probably the one I would prioritize. I wrote about him as a buy-low candidate in Wednesday’s FFT newsletter, and I think much better days are ahead for him. I do think Conner is going to be a very good starting Fantasy RB as long as Chase Edmonds is out and I think there might be more excitement around him than Brown, so see if you could get another piece thrown in. You could also try for Hopkins, who obviously has top-five WR upside, but his hamstring injury and the fact that the Cardinals have really spread the ball around has limited his value so far.
Austin: What should Travis Kelce managers in keeper leagues be looking for if they’re already out of playoff contention?
Kelce is a fascinating player for keeper/Dynasty leagues, given that he’s still the clear top option at the tight end position but is at an age (32) where the bottom could fall out at any time. He figures to age pretty gracefully in the Chiefs offense, but at some point, he’s going to take a step back to the crowd at the position, so moving him if you aren’t contending right now is the right call.
As for what you should expect in return for him? Well, Heath Cummings’ latest Dynasty trade chart from last week has Kelce as the No. 50 player overall, right around the same value as a 2022 first-round pick in the middle of the round. You could also aim for someone like Antonio Gibson or Clyde Edwards-Helaire with the hope of a year-three breakout, or a QB like Kyler Murray. One interesting one to consider: J.K. Dobbins, who should be fully healthy for the start of the 2022 season and has seen absolutely nobody step up in the Ravens running game this season.
Steven: I was offered Ezekiel Elliott and Darnell Mooney for my Hollywood Brown and CEH. I’m definitely getting the best player in Zeke, but I would be giving up two starters for one, as I’m not sure Mooney would make it in my starting lineup unless he truly breaks out over the rest of the season.
I mostly agree with your assessment of the trade offer, so I think it depends on your situation. If you’ve pretty much locked up a playoff spot, I think consolidating your roster to upgrade your lineup is the right play. If Mooney won’t be starting for you, that implies that you’ve probably got a surplus of startable players, so it’s probably worth doing the trade. Depth matters less and less as the season goes on, and you want the strongest possible lineup you can have for the playoffs.
However, I would probably pass on the deal if I’m still fighting for a playoff spot or if my starting lineup would be left with a hole. It’s possible Mooney could step up and fill that hole — his 26% target share for the season suggests he could have a huge second half if Justin Fields can make a leap after the bye. I like the potential there, but I definitely wouldn’t want to have to rely on him at this point. He’s strictly a bench stash until we see more from him.
The problem here is, I’m not 100% sure Cook is a significant upgrade on Mixon or Swift, let alone enough of one to throw in Hopkins. I’m sure having Hopkins on your roster has been frustrating, but you’re trading him while he’s injured, which is just bad asset management; his value likely isn’t going to be much lower than this at any other point.
Cook is, to be clear, still an elite Fantasy option, and his relative struggles this season are mostly tied to bad touchdown luck; he has been tackled at the 1-yard line on five separate occasions this season without then going on to score a touchdown. Take out the game he left early with an injury, and he’s averaging 102 rushing yards and 16.5 receiving yards per game, not far off where he was last season, so expect better days ahead with better touchdown luck. He’s an upgrade on Mixon and Swift, but I’m not sure it’s a big enough one to justify throwing in another guy who is likely must-start when healthy.
