Dynasty Trade Targets: WRs to target for the Fantasy Football Playoffs
We are past the midway point of the season and the fantasy football playoffs are just a few weeks away. For those who play in traditional formats, the playoffs are likely Weeks 15-17.
With that in mind, here are three players to consider trading for to help bolster your roster as we head down the stretch.
Adam Thielen, WR - Panthers
Veteran wideout Adam Thielen has seen a resurgence during his first season with the Carolina Panthers. At 33-years old.
He’s stringing together one of the more impressive post-age 30 seasons in recent memory.
In eight games played, he’s topped:
- 90% route participation eight times
- 26% target share six times
- 25% air yards seven times
- 8 targets six times
- 15 PPR six times
Currently the WR9 in PPR scoring, Thielen is soaking up volume from rookie QB Bryce Young at an elite clip. He’s the WR11 in targets and WR6 in receptions. Impressive marks for a veteran wideout who swapped teams and plays with a rookie QB.
Ian Hartitz just wrote an incredible piece talking about veteran wideouts who are breaking the mold. Can you guess who makes the list?
Here’s what he had this to say about Thielen:
Ultimately, the Panthers’ slot maven has the sort of low-aDOT role (8.1 yards, 58th among 69 qualified WR) and sure hands to believe this success can continue. Thielen finds himself atop the top of the leaderboard when it comes to most receptions without a drop this season.
The Panthers do boast a relatively balanced offense but their overall record (1-7) and bottom three defense (30th in points against) mean the volume should continue to be there for Thielen.
Thielen has more than double the targets of the next closest teammate (Jonathan Mingo) and shows no signs of slowing down. His aforementioned age is the big elephant in the room from a dynasty perspective but this is what makes him the ideal trade target for competing teams.
Currently, Thielen carries a dynasty ADP of WR48. There’s no reason for him to be on anything other than a competing fantasy roster at this stage. I would be comfortable sending a future 2nd round rookie pick to acquire Thielen and bolster my roster before the fantasy playoffs start.
Honestly, Thielen feels like the perfect win-win trade piece. Teams that are not competing this year should be doing everything in their power to move older assets off their roster, especially players like Thielen who are older and have questionable offensive situations.
Teams that are looking for another piece to fill out their starting lineup should be eager to send away some draft capital to land Thielen. If you are worried about guys like Cooper Kupp and/or Puka Nacua with the Matthew Stafford news, for example, Thielen is the ideal trade target.
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DeAndre Hopkins, WR - Titans
Another aging WR enters the chat.
31-year old DeAndre Hopkins had a quiet beginning to this season while Ryan Tannehill was still the starting QB. From Weeks 1-6, Hopkins averaged:
- 7.8 targets
- 4.5 receptions
- 62 receiving yards
- 10.8 PPG
He did all that without scoring a single TD. Tannehill actually only threw two TDs through Week 6, which was way worse than I initially thought. Then, it all changed following the Week 7 bye when rookie QB Will Levis took over.
In Week 8, Levis threw four TDs (three to Hopkins) and amassed 500 passing yards in his first two starts. He looks much better than Tannehill and the arm strength and ability to hang in the pocket are both certainly on display.
Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) celebrates his touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the third quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023.
As a quick side note, Jonathan Fuller wrote up an excellent dynasty rookie profile on Levis and had encouraging things to say:
He throws with good velocity and has the ability to fit the ball in tight windows when playing with confidence. He can make off-balance throws look effortless and complete difficult throws while on the move…his release is quick and efficient, which will serve him well at the next level. There are very few questions about his physical abilities, so it will be no surprise if a team falls in love with his raw traits with the belief that they can develop him into an elite QB.
It remains to be seen if Tannehill (ankle) will retake control of the offense once he’s healthy but, for the sake of Hopkins and overall fantasy output, my hope is that Vrabel sticks with Levis.
Heading into Week 9, Hopkins was the WR29 in PPR formats. However, it’s important to note the distinction between Tannehill and Levis throughout much of the season. We have a two-game sample size (now) of Levis so we’re having to make predictions with incomplete information.
Hopkins is by far and away the target leader for this team (29 more targets than No. 2 Chig Okonkwo) and is commanding an elite share of the team’s routes, targets, and air yards.
The Titans do still run their offense through Derrick Henry but outside of that, there are no other playmakers besides Hopkins. The transition to Levis, albeit on a small sample size, opens up this offense and should allow Hopkins to flourish in a downfield role.
Ian Hartitz did note that the Titans WRs have a top-5 schedule the rest of the way so that should help as well.
Throughout much of his early career, Hopkins was durable. However, he has appeared in just 19 games over the last two seasons so the longevity aspect is certainly something to consider when looking through a dynasty lens.
Hopkins’ dynasty ADP sits at WR50 so he’s in that same range as Thielen. Along the same lines, I would happily send a future 2nd round rookie pick to bolster my lineup. You may have to make it an early 2nd or craft a package of other pieces to make it work but there’s ample reason to be excited about Hopkins over the rest of this season and the fantasy playoffs.
Tyler Lockett, WR - Seahawks
I didn’t realize I would be so interested in acquiring this many veteran wideouts before the fantasy playoffs kick into gear.
Let’s chat about Tyler Lockett.
Perpetually undervalued, Locket has his hit the following benchmarks over the last five seasons:
- 100 targets (four times)
- 70 receptions (four times)
- 1,000 receiving yards (four times)
- 8 TDs (five times)
- WR17+ finish (five times)
Now the elder statesman of a receiving room that includes DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Lockett is still finding ways to contribute each week. Even after the first month of the season, Dwain noted the following about this passing attack:
Similar to Metcalf, Lockett was still popping in PFF receiving grades last season, ranking 13th at 82.1. His target profile isn’t as strong over the last few seasons, but the two are operating very closely to begin the season…Lockett is a mid-range WR2 the rest of the way in the new high-flying and free-spirited Seahawks passing attack.
While the production has fallen off (just three top-20 finishes this year), there’s still ample reason to look at acquiring him before the fantasy playoffs begin.
The reason is his utilization. He’s running almost 90% of the routes and is earning 23% of the targets and 35% of the air yards. Metcalf would certainly be the preferred addition in a dynasty format but Lockett is step-for-step with his teammate and is much cheaper.
Seattle is currently tied atop the NFC West with the 49ers at 5-3. San Francisco will undoubtedly be in the mix over the back half of the season but there’s reason to believe Seattle will remain competitive and keep putting points on the board. There’s growing incentive and excitement about the potential of a playoff run and that bodes well for fantasy production.
While the Seahawks have operated a relatively neutral, balanced offense this season, they’re still scoring north of 24 points per game which puts them in the top third of the league.
Like Thielen and Hopkins, Lockett will not play forever and eventually, the wheels will fall off, but I think there’s still value to be had this season. Normally, you don’t want to be the person left holding the bag when the inevitable decline comes but I don’t mind that with Lockett and the other wideouts mentioned.
Lockett’s dynasty ADP is WR51, right in the same range as the previous two. That being said, my trade suggestion would be the same. Don’t be afraid to spend up a touch more to land one (or two or three) of these wideouts. After all, the goal is winning championships, right?
