The Dynasty Trading Post: Timing the Market

Photo: Ken Blaze, USA Today Sports

Welcome to the dynasty trading post, where optimizing strategy, roster construction, format, and player value oscillations are examined weekly in example and completed dynasty trades.

This week, we will analyze Deshaun Watson and Saquon Barkley as dynasty assets in the trade market.

*All trades are Superflex unless stated otherwise*

QB Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

Theme of the Week: Embrace the Variance

Watson has been a rollercoaster ride as a dynasty asset over multiple years now. Once viewed as the budding next great young quarterback in his early years with Houston to being out of football, traded, and now a question mark weekly of 'will he play?' and 'will he play well?' on a playoff-quality Cleveland Browns team. Watson was a buy recommendation when out of commission and initially traded to Cleveland, down to the mid-teens of the position by the market. Watson then bumped up easily into the top 10 once on the verge of playing in 2023. However, the market has sharply reacted again with Watson reaching new lows in market appeal, even down to the QB18-20 range.

Now is the time to strike as a dynasty buyer. Watson's best game in Cleveland came in Week 3, his last game of a meaningful sample size, and the optics of Week 7 plus the uncertainty surrounding his shoulder injury and overall arc of the past few years. Watson is the perfect exploratory buy, whether viewing him as a long-term hold or an asset to use as a trading commodity when/if he is back to QB8-10-12 prices in the future.

Here are a few key Watson trades this week with him as a buy recommendation:

• Watson, Jaylen Waddle for Jordan Addison, 24 1st
• Watson for Mac Jones, Darren Waller
• Watson for Matthew Stafford, Tyjae Spears
• Watson, Brandon Aiyuk, for C.J. Stroud

Addison is leveraged well in the first deal as a sell-high asset to acquire Waddle in addition to Watson. Mac Jones, coming off a quality game, plus Waller, is the epitome of timing the market. Stafford+ is an ideal trade construction to aid another dynasty team and Watson's uncertainty for lineups plus leveraging Stafford's health (for now) to shift to a longer-term asset.