ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: What NFL trade would you like to see happen?
TONY HOLM
I can’t help but think how either Jonathan Taylor or Saquon Barkley would look as a Minnesota Viking and how great a fit that would potentially be. Pairing a dominant runner with that stifling defense while taking pressure off of the passing game at the same time, seems like a match made for championships to me.
Holm works for Fantasy Sharks, whose rankings and content can be found at fantasysharks.com.
HOWARD BENDER
If crab cakes and football are what Maryland does, then have the Giants send Mr. Crab Legs himself, Jameis Winston to the Ravens. John Harbaugh doesn't like the huck-it, chuck-it style of football that Winston plays, so let him air it out in Baltimore and let the Ravens go back to some semblance of a competitive level without Lamar Jackson. Personally, I don't care what happens to their team in reality, but from a fantasy perspective it will save the value of guys like Zay Flowers and Ja'Kobi Lane while also helping out Derrick Henry's rushing attack since defenses won't be able to just stack the box. With the investments I made in Flowers this season, I need the Ravens to at least temporarily address their current quarterback crisis.
(Ed. note: Baltimore traded for Jacoby Brissett late Wednesday.)
Bender is a highly respected veteran of the fantasy sports and sports betting industry, serving as the Head of Content for Fantasy Alarm. Bender writes a weekly sports column for the New York Post and hosts The Fantasy Alarm Show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (airing Monday–Friday 6:00–8:00 PM ET and Sundays 10:00–11:00 AM ET). You can connect with him on X, Instagram, and Facebook @rotobuzzguy, and on TikTok @therealrotobuzzguy.
IAN ALLAN
Brian Thomas hasn't been much of a factor in Jacksonville. They've got other pass catchers they like more, and Thomas doesn't seem to fit into Liam Coen's system. But he's a good player; he caught 10 touchdowns as a rookie. Kansas City, meanwhile, could use a bigger receiver who can get downfield. Tyquan Thornton was giving them some of that, but he's out for the year, and they don't have another receiver like him. So there's a fit. But I wonder if Jacksonville will be willing to run the risk of Thomas coming back to haunt them in the postseason. Jacksonville definitely is winning the AFC South and Kansas City is definitely going to be in the postseason, so there's a decent chance of these teams meeting in the playoffs.
Allan co-founded Fantasy Football Index in 1987. He is a member of the FSGA Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.
TOM KESSENICH
I had been saying Brian Thomas to Washington because I thought long-term he was an ideal fit for the Commanders who need young talent to build with and he has the familiarity with Jayden Daniels. But I now believe Treylon Burks can bring everything BTJ provides so I no longer believe moving assets for Thomas is in Washington's best interest. I still think Jacksonville should trade Thomas since he clearly doesn't fit their team and they need to get value for him while they can. Moving him to another AFC Super Bowl contender makes zero sense. The Rams could offer their 2027 4th and 2028 3rd for Thomas and in my opinion the Jags would be foolish to turn that down. That's the best type of offer they could hope to get at this point given his diminishing value, and the Rams get the big-play WR they badly need opposite Puka Nacua.
Kessenich is the Director of High Stakes Contests for SportsHub Games. He runs the NFFC, NFBC and NFBKC and is a fantasy sports Hall of Fame inductee.
JASON WOOD
There's a ton of excitement about Jonathan Taylor heading to the Broncos, which would be a theoretically great landing spot. But I don't want to see it for two reasons. One, it would neuter Jonah Coleman. Two, Payton seems to be in love with committees at every position and we don't need a world where Taylor gets 12 carries per game. I'll tell you one that would really excite me, though. Let's get Josh Downs off the Colts and onto New England. I know the Patriots already invested massively this offseason on Romeo Doubs and A.J. Brown, but injuries have derailed those plans. Downs would fit perfectly within Josh McDaniels' system.
Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
SAM HENDRICKS
Jonathan Taylor to the Vikings. Please! As a Vikes fan I beg of you. Neither Jordan Mason (recovering from injury) or Aaron Jones inspire much confidence in the MIN running game. Ugh! JT's skill sets could unlock the Minnesota offense and unleash Justin Jefferson finally. Bottom line: JT wants to be competitive and the Vikings can give him that and perhaps spark them for the second half of the season.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 30-year fantasy football veteran who participated in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
I'd love to see Jonathan Taylor on the Bengals. Chris Brown looks like more of a JAG than a star, and the Bengals have to think about going for it in a wide-open AFC. San Francisco and Kansas City could desperately use a receiver; they should be moving hard after players like Brian Thomas Jr. and Josh Downs. Even an athletic tight end could be useful for the Niners, given Kyle Shanahan's creativity; why not kick the tires on someone like Dallas Goedert? I'd love to see the Vikings upgrade at QB, but a trade is unlikely in that case. If they merely shift to backup QB Carson Wentz, I'll be satiated.
Pianowski has been with Yahoo Sports since 2008, covering a variety of sports. On the rare occasions when the computer is turned off, he enjoys word games, poker, music, film, game theory, and a variety of condiments. He lives in suburban Detroit. Pianowski was inducted into the FSWA Hall of Fame in 2021.
SCOTT SACHS
If the Colts continue their fire sale, I could certainly see disgruntled receiver Josh Downs getting moved to KC. Rashee Rice is great, but isn't able to stay healthy. Kelce is OK, but has turned into a bit of a plodder. Obviously Downs needs a change of scenery, so a contender like KC makes a lot of sense. Downs should be on the phone with his agent 24/7 to make this happen, as there's just no comparison between the Indy QBs and Patrick Mahomes.
With 2 perfect seasons and multiple league championships to his credit, Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text Advice. He is a 3-time winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Auction League, as well as a previous winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll. Follow on X: https://x.com/ffbcoach
ANDY RICHARDSON
Believe it or not, my queued up answer was that I'd like to see the Ravens (and Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers') season saved by getting them a better quarterback, specifically Jacoby Brissett. "Let's get Brissett to a spot where he can do some good the rest of the way." Since that's already happened, I think it would be nice to see the Rams getting another wide receiver, because who knows when Davante Adams will actually return. Brian Thomas is certainly a guy who needs a change of scenery, but Garrett Wilson is going to have his prime wasted in New York, would be nice to see him go to a competitive team.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. He is responsible for various site features, writes a weekly gambling newsletter, Index Bets, during the NFL season and also previews all the games on Saturdays.
