As we approach the 2025 fantasy football season, dynasty managers are already deep into roster evaluation. Tough decisions are being made on whether to Keep Trade Cut. Whether you’re rebuilding, reloading, or making a championship push, this keep trade cut article will help you make strategic roster moves as you prepare for the upcoming season.
Trade Advice | Waiver Wire Moves
Cleveland Browns | Keep Trade Cut
KEEP | RB | DYLAN SAMPSON
Going into the NFL Draft, I had Dylan Sampson as my RB5 overall. While I was a little disappointed with Samspson falling to the 4th Round, Sampson has a fantastic opportunity to produce early with the recent news of Quinshon Judkins.
TRADE | RB | JEROME FORD
Jerome Ford missed practices on Wednesday and Thursday to open training camp because of an undisclosed injury. This is not a good start to the 2025 season for Ford as he is battling with Dylan Sampson for the lead back role while Quinshon Judkins deals with his legal issues.
CUT | QB | DESHAUN WATSON
There is not much left to be said about Deshaun Watson that has not already been said. His path to fantasy relevance will be a training camp injury to a starting quarterback on a different team. However, given the circumstances surrounding Watson, I would highly doubt that an NFL team would want to add Watson’s culture to their locker room.
Indianapolis Colts
KEEP | WR | JOSH DOWNS
Josh Downs had a solid 2024 season, achieving statistical highs in all major receiving categories. Downs should continue to thrive as a middle-of-the-field option, especially if Daniel Jones is the signal caller, as Jones helped Wan’Dale Robinson achieve a 93-reception season.
TRADE | WR | MICHAEL PITTMAN JR
Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones were also considered as players to trade away. However, Michael Pittman probably carries the most trade value. Michael Pittman has never had a WR1 finish, and I do not expect that to change this year with the uncertainty at the quarterback position.
CUT | TE | JELANI WOODS
Jelani Woods has missed back-to-back seasons due to injury. Tyler Warren is the main attraction in this tight end room. Mo Alie-Cox and Andrew Ogletree are the safest bets to keep their spots after being the top-producing tight ends for the Colts last season.
Jacksonville Jaguars | Keep Trade Cut
KEEP | TE | BRENTON STRANGE
While I do not expect Brenton Strange to produce like Evan Engram did offensively, Strange did show glimpses of production last year. Head Coach Liam Coen is known for utilizing the tight end in his offense, making Strange one of my favorite tight end sleepers.
TRADE | RB | TRAVIS ETIENNE JR.
I am avoiding the Jaguars’ backfield at all costs. Currently, Travis Etienne Jr. carries the most value of the group. Tank Bigsby, Bhayshul Tuten, and possibly LeQuint Allen are all in line to receive work in this rushing attack, making it difficult to project fantasy success.
CUT | RB | JA’QUINDEN JACKSON
As highlighted previously, this backfield is going to be sparse for any more touches. Ja’Quinden Jackson is an undrafted free agent and likely a training camp body. At 2% ownership, I would look elsewhere as a flier option.
Las Vegas Raiders
KEEP | WR | JACK BECH
I understand that there is a lot of hype currently around fellow rookie Dont’e Thornton Jr. However, Jack Bech is going to be a big part of this Raiders offense. Bech is a reliable receiver with excellent hands and is my WR4 from this draft class.
TRADE | QB | GENO SMITH
New Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll reunites with his former quarterback in Seattle. Geno Smith has quietly finished as the QB13, QB19, and QB5 over his past 3 seasons. Smith is coming off a career high in passing yards (4,320) and passing attempts (407). I expect Las Vegas to be a more run-focused team, which will limit Geno’s passing upside, putting him as a lower-end QB2.
CUT | RB | ZAMIR WHITE
Pete Carroll is known for establishing a strong run game. Carroll has revamped the running back group, which finished 32nd in rushing in 2024. Leading that attack was Zamir White, who was eventually replaced by Alexander Mattison. Now, White competes with Dylan Laube for the fourth running back spot, where Laube has the edge due to his ability on special teams.
Miami Dolphins | Keep Trade Cut
KEEP | WR | MALIK WASHINGTON
On a recent episode of the Dynasty Nerds podcast, Matt O’Hara hinted that Malik Washington was one of his deep sleepers. Washington is also one of my favorite deep sleepers, whom I have mentioned in a past article. It is with good reason, as Washington has the opportunity to make an impact for the Dolphins in 2025.
TRADE | WR | TYREEK HILL
Tyreek Hill is 31 years old, and eventually, Father Time comes for us all. Hill saw his lowest totals in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns since 2019. We also cannot forget that Hill has had a tumultuous offseason with the Dolphins. This may be the beginning of the end.
CUT | RB | ALEXANDER MATTISON
This was challenging for me to find a name, as the fantasy community has done a great job with roster ownership of the Dolphins. Alexander Mattison is the name that sticks out at 11%. There is pre-camp speculation that Mattison could be the odd man out of the Dolphins’ backfield.
New England Patriots
KEEP | TE | HUNTER HENRY
In 2024, Hunter Henry led the Patriots in targets (97) and receiving yards (674). According to FantasyPros, in Drake Maye’s full starts, Henry had a 19.2% target share. Fantasy managers are sleeping on Hunter Henry.
TRADE | WR | STEFON DIGGS
Early reports indicate that Stefon Diggs is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a torn ACL he suffered in October. Diggs will be turning 32 and is a perfect player to trade away for rebuilding teams.
CUT | WR | KENDRICK BOURNE
Kendrick Bourne has an uphill battle to make the Patriots roster. Bourne is competing with a completely revamped wide receiving core. Stefon Diggs, Kyle Williams, Demario Douglas, Javon Baker, and Ja’Lynn Polk all appear to be roster locks which puts Bourne in a battle with Kayshon Boutte. I suspect New England will lean towards the youth that Boutte offers.
New York Jets | Keep Trade Cut
KEEP | TE | MASON TAYLOR
Mason Taylor could quickly become the no. 2 receiving target for the Jets. The Jets drafted him in the 2nd Round, indicating they see him as a key part of their offense. I view Taylor as a TE2 option with upside.
TRADE | QB | JUSTIN FIELDS
Justin Fields is one of the more polarizing players on the Jets roster. He has BOOM or BUST potential as highlighted in a recent Dynasty Nerds episode. I tend to lean closer to Matt’s view on Fields and would love to trade him off while his value is high.
CUT | TE | STONE SMARTT
I was surprised to see Stone Smartt still rostered in about 4% of dynasty leagues. Some of that ownership may be due to his limited production with the Los Angeles Chargers. Smartt will have to compete with Jeremy Ruckert for a roster spot. Ruckert may have the edge after playing with quarterback Justin Fields as he was one of Fields’ top red zone targets while they were both Buckeyes.
Tennessee Titans
KEEP | RB | TYJAE SPEARS
Tyjae Spears ended his 2024 NFL season with strong fantasy performances. Spears finished as the RB5 and two RB13 finishes over his final 3 games. Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan has repeatedly stated that he wants to build toward a 60/40 split between Tony Pollard and Spears, rather than relying on Pollard for such a heavy workload.
TRADE | RB | TONY POLLARD
Tony Pollard had career highs in carries (260) and rushing yards (1,079).The potential for a more balanced backfield between Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears makes Pollard a potential regression candidate. This could mean fewer carries and targets for Pollard which will impact his production and reduce his dynasty value.
CUT | TE | JOSH WHYLE
One of my favorite tight ends coming into the NFL Draft was Gunnar Helm. Unfortunately, he fell in the draft due to an injury he sustained at the NFL Combine. Helm has the possibility to become the top receiving tight end in the Titans’ offense and should easily supplant Josh Whyle and his 6% roster ownership as the backup tight end.
Thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next article where I will move to the NFC Contending teams and discuss who to Keep Trade Cut.
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