Dynasty Fantasy Football Moves to Make Heading Into Week 4

Every week, from now till the end of the season, I will break down a few moves to make to help you build the ultimate dynasty fantasy football roster and rule your leagues.

With Week 3 behind us, the key to finding long-term success is not to overreact. As dynasty managers, this is key, too many of us sell the farm after a disappointing first couple of weeks on bandage moves. As a result, we fall behind in years that follow, however, some players are worth making a move to acquire, no matter the state of your roster.

Rebuilding Moves 

Even amid a rebuild, there are in-season moves that can help you set yourself up for success. They don’t necessarily have to be massive trades; the key to rebuilding is obtaining assets. Little has changed in the landscape when it comes to dynasty this week, so remember it’s never a bad idea to target young wide receivers. 

Sell Derrick Henry Before It’s Too Late 

Entering 2022, Henry was already on the wrong side of 28 and coming off a foot injury that has historically been tough for running backs to return from. All of this meant he was a huge sell candidate on any rebuilding roster. But if you were unable to make a move this offseason, you have another chance to do so now. After two tough matchups to start the year and poor performances where Henry failed to produce double-digit PPR points, he exploded in Week 2. Facing a softer Raiders defense, he rushed for a season-high 85 yards and a score on 20 attempts. He also had one of his best career games as a receiver, catching 5 of his 6 targets for 58 yards. Combined, that was 25.3 PPR points and an RB2 finish for the week. Of course, the question is whether he can keep that up.

It’s unlikely he sees 6 targets in a game again this season — he has only eclipsed 5 targets three times over the past three years. Add in the fact that the Titans’ offense has taken a huge step back this year, and things start to look questionable moving forward. In other words, this seems like the perfect time to test the trade market and see if you can acquire a younger running back or a few 2023 picks in return. These picks could pay off big time, as this year’s incoming class is set to have a plethora of quality running backs in it, so you could quickly replace Henry this way. 

Cut Ties with Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Despite a first-round draft cost from a few years ago, Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been a big disappointment so far in his career. He has flashed at times over his three years, but it hasn’t clicked for any long stretches in this Chiefs offense. Early this season, he’s put up fantasy points thanks in large part to his receiving work — he’s the PPR RB3 with 53.1 points with 12 receptions and 3 touchdowns on 12 targets for 115 yards—but he’s been mediocre in the run game, with only 22 carries (for 116 yards) and a touchdown through three games, including Sunday’s 0 yards on 7 carries (albeit with that aforementioned touchdown).

Instead of celebrating the fantasy points, pay attention to the mediocre rushing production and cut ties with him via the trade market. The fantasy point total has opened a window to deal him for trade picks, or possibly a young but unproductive-so-far back like Cam Akers or J.K. Dobbins. Either a pick or a better back would be a better investment.

Contending Rosters

As a contender, we know by now that the name of the game is – What can you do for me now? This is the mindset you should have as we head into Week 4 no matter your record. The waiver wire can be your best friend, but a rebuilding roster could be your soul mate.

Go Get One of the Top-Tier Tight Ends 

The tight end saga continues in 2022 — outside the top tier, the position continues to be a dumpster fire. So far this year, only Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce have over 50 PPR points, and they are both at least 16 points ahead of surprise TE3 Tyler Conklin. After the Big Two, the league’s TE1s are averaging only 10.7 PPR points per game. The managers who roster Andrews (21.6 PPG) and Kelce (18.0) know what they have, so it might be hard to acquire either one, but if it’s possible it’s worth the effort.

Failing either of those, you could try to get the second tier of tight ends — guys who should see their fantasy production spike soon — like Dallas Goedert, George Kittle and Darren Waller.

Cash In on the Poor Running Back Performances 

Through the first few weeks of the season, the running back position has been extremely unpredictable — we have seen many big-name running backs underperform thus far. As a result, panic may be settling in for some of these players’ managers, as these performances likely have led to losses. Especially when we look at the list of names that are underperforming: 

• Christian McCaffrey, RB10, 46 PPR points
• Austin Ekeler, RB14, 42.9 PPR points
• Joe Mixon, RB16, 39.6 PPR points 
• Najee Harris, RB19, 37.6 PPR points 
• Leonard Fournette, RB20, 37.1 PPR Points 
• Dalvin Cook, RB24, 35.0 PPR points 
• Alvin Kamara, RB53, 14.9 PPR points

All of these backs have been staples of the top 12, which leads me to believe at least some, if not all, of them will bounce back in a huge way. These backs play the majority of their teams’ snaps and should see very healthy opportunity shares, usage that tends to be hard to find these days. Test the trade market for a few of these players and see if you can find a manager who has gotten scared of their rest-of-season potential.