Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley broke the league last season, rushing his way to the RB1 crown, as well as leading the team to a dominant Super Bowl victory. Now, dynasty fantasy football managers must make a crucial decision.
Can Barkley give you an encore as you look to make a championship run of your own, or should you trade him for a high price of extra assets?
Fantasy Managers Are Making Several Trades Involving Saquon Barkley
Barkley has been the second-most traded player on the PFSN Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer since May 1 (51% acquired). It’s clear that plenty of users are either looking to move off of him or at least want to gauge his value.
At 28 years old, Barkley may have more left in the tank for the Eagles’ rushing attack, and thus your fantasy team. His 2024 campaign was one of the all-time greats: 2,005 rushing yards, 15 total touchdowns, with only two fumbles. That level of excellence gives you a substantially better shot at winning a fantasy championship.
However, Barkley’s workload and injured past may be leaving some managers weary as to his ability to stay healthy. Including the playoffs, Barkley touched the ball 482 times, an absurdly high usage that even cleared 2023 Christian McCaffrey by 65 touches.
The history of players coming off that type of workload is incredibly concerning, especially when you consider Barkley’s injury history. This was just the third season Barkley was able to play 16+ games, battling through ailments that forced him to miss several games in three other seasons, and missing most of 2020.
Forget first overall.
Saquon Barkley shouldn’t be a 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩-𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙠 in any fantasy football league next season, and it has nothing to do with the Madden Curse, writes @jimayello.
The numbers support it. pic.twitter.com/NCRzpdjwh7
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 3, 2025
The problem, like McCaffrey before him, is that Barkley’s upside is that of a league-winning player. But that doesn’t make moving off him particularly easy.
This is the second time in Barkley’s career he’s gone over 2,000 scrimmage yards and totaled 15 touchdowns. He’s such a talented player, on an excellent offense, that giving him to someone else means potentially giving them a title.
Should You Trade for Barkley?
This one is easy: No. In almost every case.
Is it possible that you have a Barkley manager who understands the risk of running it back with him, doesn’t seem like they’re in a position to compete, and is willing to take a fair deal? Sure. In which case, strike a deal if you believe Barkley can be the difference for your team.
But, this is fantasy football after all, and most leagues won’t have that perfect scenario. Barkley will simply be too expensive and too risky to be worth acquiring.
This is especially true in 1QB formats, where you’ll likely need to give up another strong running back just to get the other manager to listen. According to our trade analyzer, only Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson are valued above Barkley for dynasty, both of whom are much younger with significantly more tread.
Superflex leagues change the dynamic somewhat. Now, Barkley’s value is closer to that of Baker Mayfield or Kyler Murray.
MORE: PFSN Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator!
With more positions of value, it’s possible to move Barkley if you have a position of strength. For example, you could move Brock Purdy and Tee Higgins for him to get a similar value. If you’re strong at QB and WR, or have a spare RB you could upgrade from, then taking a shot on Barkley becomes more feasible.
However, unless there’s a desperate Barkley manager who needs to rebuild, there’s almost no reason to move off him. They’ll want an arm and a leg, and you’d be acquiring a hefty risk. This makes for a pretty clear situation that Barkley is a firm hold.
