I really appreciate the discussion on David Johnson, especially the thoughtful back and forth on his remaining value and his situation. I have him in one league and share the same concerns as FreeBaGeL and FF Ninja so I would move him if I could find the right deal. I also agree with Bia that a primary consideration in his value is his special receiving ability (I like the characterization of Christian McCaffery at 230 lbs).
To me the decision on trading him comes down to timing. A
local AZ reporter and
Rapoport are suggesting Shurmur is the clear front runner for HC. I think that's a very positive replacement for Arians, and checks off a big box on DJ's value if it happens. If AZ gets a decent QB in via FA, and people are feeling good about Shurmur's recent work with developing Keenum, then some of the concerns depressing DJ's value now could lift a bit. I worry about their ability to get a QB in the draft given their position but that could also bring some hope. We also don't know about Fitzgerald retiring, which would be a ding.
I'm also intrigued by the part of the discussion here related to DJ's value relative to Barkley. I agree with Bia that it is basically a push, and I see the proposition as having 3 years of high floor production from DJ versus buying in at the front end of Barkley's career but taking on the additional risk since he's never played a down in the NFL.
A major factor to me is whether Barkley gets drafted by the Browns. I want to wait to see if that happens because if it does I think it would represent a chance to buy him at a slight reduction compared to where he is valued now. I agree with FF Ninja that the Browns offense could become a positive in a short period of time. Their sucking seems metaphysically guaranteed, but it isn't. They've drafted a lot of early round talent on that side of the ball, and as Ninja mentioned the line is good. A standard argument around the Browns is that had they drafted Wentz or Watson they would never have broken out. Would that same argument be applied to Barkley by owners of the 1.1? They're not going to give the pick away, and they may see the same young pieces coming into shape, but they also may come off their demands for your first born.