Following the trends of players is one of the more important aspects of playing dynasty fantasy football. Being able to trade for players before they hit their peaks in value can lead to a drastic increase in weekly production for years to come for your fantasy team. On the flip side, trading away players before their value decreases for draft picks or younger prospects can improve your team in the long run.
Adding key pieces in the offseason before nailing your league’s rookie draft is the main recipe for success in dynasty, so making a few trades to strengthen your roster has the potential to push your team into contention. That being said, the following is a list of wide receivers you should either consider trading for or trading away this offseason in dynasty leagues.
Trade FOR
DeMario Douglas - NE
DeMario Douglas has shown flashes of brilliance this season, but has also struggled with inconsistency in fantasy football. He has quickly become one of rookie quarterback Drake Maye’s favorite targets and has displayed the ability to be the top threat in this passing game out of the slot.
The second-year wideout also has the potential to be the go-to option in the passing game, meaning he could see more targets coming his way if he can keep generating separation. We could see a breakout similar to that of Josh Downs next season.
Douglas has shined as a separator this year, routinely routing up defenders and creating easier plays for his quarterback. If Douglas can continue to improve, his statistics should see a boost as his quarterback gains more experience. The Patriots have a few pieces in place for their rebuild, and Douglas is definitely one of them.
Rashee Rice - KC
Unfortunately, Rashee Rice’s season ended prematurely after he suffered a knee injury in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Before that, however, Rice was just starting to explode in fantasy production, posting 24 receptions, 288 receiving yards, and two scores over the first three weeks of the 2024 NFL season. It seemed as though he would become the top target in this Mahomes-led offense in no time.
Sadly, this did not happen in 2024 for reasons outside of Rice’s control. However, the blueprint is set for a monster 2025 season if the wide receiver can return from his knee injury at a relatively similar level of play.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has cleaned things up after a statistically poor start to the season, which makes Rice’s fantasy outlook even better. Kansas City has also started to pass the ball more as of late, averaging 38.7 pass attempts per game, according to TeamRankings Offensive Stats.
FantasyPros has Rice ranked 21st on their Fantasy Football Dynasty WR Rankings. It’s not hard to imagine him vastly outperforming a ranking like that, especially taking into consideration how he started off the 2024 season.
Xavier Legette - CAR
Second-year quarterback Bryce Young has proved his doubters wrong over the last few weeks, stringing together a group of strong performances through the air over his last five games. This emergence could lead to better production from the weapons in Carolina’s offense.
Young has greatly improved his own dynasty stock this season, not to mention the stock of his receivers. One of these receivers is Xavier Legette, who was Carolina’s first-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Legette has seen an increase in his snap percentage and production ever since the Panthers traded wideouts Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo at the NFL trade deadline. Legette has received almost seven targets per game over his last five games and has seen a significant increase in yards per reception, allowing him to become more efficient in fantasy football. Legette also has displayed the ability to find the end zone, scoring four receiving touchdowns in 12 career games.
Here’s the bottom line. Legette’s quarterback play has improved drastically since the start of the 2024 NFL season. Bryce Young has found confidence moving outside the pocket and throwing down the field. This has led to more production for Legette, who may be flying under the radar a bit in dynasty leagues. He’s not as big of a name as some of the other rookies in this year’s class, so his price may be a bit cheaper. Pair that fact with an improving offense in Carolina and you may have some serious value in Legette in dynasty leagues.
Trade AWAY
Deebo Samuel - SF
This has certainly not been a great start to the season in San Francisco. Injuries and poor play have led to a 5-6 record through 11 games. This is obviously a major disappointment for a team that won the NFC in 2023, leading to a Super Bowl appearance.
San Francisco’s offense has also notably underperformed this year, especially in the passing game. Quarterback Brock Purdy has put together a solid year, but the receiving group outside of tight end George Kittle has struggled.
Wideout Brandon Aiyuk was lost to a knee injury halfway through the season, right after signing a new contract with the team. Running back Christian McCaffrey, who is a significant part of the team’s passing attack, missed the first nine weeks of the season with an achilles injury.
One might have expected wide receiver Deebo Samuel to step up in these absences, but his production showed the opposite. Samuel has barely topped 500 receiving yards in 12 games this season, also posting a career-low in yards per carry on the ground. Samuel was even listed outside the top 30 wideouts in Fantasy Trading Room's Week 13 WR Rankings.
His lack of touchdowns is also hurting his fantasy production, only scoring two so far this year. Deebo Samuel is a good candidate to trade before your league mates realize how much he’s struggled this year.
Adonai Mitchell - IND
Adonai Mitchell was labeled a steal when the Colts selected him in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He has not been terrible by any means, but it is worth noting that he has struggled to separate himself from Indy’s top three receivers in his rookie campaign.
This isn’t really fair to Mitchell, who is still adjusting to the NFL level, but the breakouts of fellow Colts wideouts Alec Pierce and Josh Downs, along with the continued production of Michael Pittman Jr., loom large when considering Mitchell’s dynasty outlook.
If the Colts decide to retain both Downs and Pierce when their respective rookie contracts expire, it may be difficult for Mitchell to garner enough targets to remain fantasy relevant.
Indianapolis has struggled to find an offensive identity in 2024, but their passing attack has come a long way over the past few weeks with quarterback Anthony Richardson back under center and playing well. This is a silver lining for Mitchell, who has caught multiple passes in only four out of his 13 career games.
It’s still too early to give up on the rookie, but the presence of multiple skilled veteran receivers on this roster pose a threat to Adonai Mitchell’s fantasy outlook.
DK Metcalf - SEA
Star wideout DK Metcalf has seen somewhat of a statistical regression this season; part of this is due to injury troubles. After a strong start to the 2024 season, Metcalf hasn’t registered a 100+ receiving yard performance since Week 4.
On the bright side, he has remained a consistent fantasy option; he’s just been missing those huge performances that we’ve gotten used to from past seasons. The breakout of second-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba has contributed to this. JSN is currently leading Seattle in targets and receptions while also outperforming Metcalf in many games this season.
The emergence of Smith-Njigba has definitely made it harder for Metcalf to be an elite fantasy option. He was ranked just inside the top 20 in Fantasy Trading Room's Week 13 WR Rankings. Going forward, Metcalf should remain a good but not great fantasy option if Smith-Njigba continues to put up impressive stats. Trading him away now for a variety of draft picks or younger assets could prove valuable.
