4 EYED DYNASTY TARGET: Mitchell Trubisky
Yes, folks, Mitchell Trubisky should be a dynasty target. Hang on, hang on! Let us take a look at the rationale before you riot!
DRAFT CAPITAL
We don’t have to spend much time on Trubisky’s draft capital seeing as it was a good few years ago now since he was drafted. We all know the Bears messed up tremendously by trading up one spot with San Francisco to the #2 overall spot in the 2017 NFL Draft passing on Patrick Mahomes to select the North Carolina quarterback. Moving on.
WHAT TO BEAR IN MIND
Trubisky had an underwhelming rookie year in Chicago, starting 12 games as a rookie but only managing to muster a 4-8 record as a starter (and no, I’m not a “wins is a QB stat” kinda guy, but apparently that’s the be-all and end-all for young QB’s these days). Not long after taking the reigns in Chicago, head coach Matt Nagy was taking shots at his starting QB by telling the media that he’ll have to scale back the playbook for him if the offense was going to improve. In hindsight, maybe this Nagy offense isn’t as brilliant as he thought it was, and maybe designing something a little kinder to Trubisky’s natural skillset and ability with his legs would’ve been better for both parties.
Interestingly, Trubisky hasn’t had a losing season as a starting QB since his rookie year. After that 4-8 rookie year Mitch went 11-3 in 2018 and 8-7 in 2019 before going 6-3 as the Bears starter in 2020. In fact, Trubisky’s underlined stats since 2018 have been encouraging:
| YEAR | GAMES STARTED | COMPLETION % | TD | INT |
| 2018 | 14 | 66.6 | 24 | 12 |
| 2019 | 15 | 63.2 | 17 | 10 |
| 2020 | 9 | 67.0 | 16 | 8 |
As the above table points out, Trubisky is an accurate passer who in his two best seasons posted a 2:1 TD to INT ratio. Add this to his proven ability to win games and you can see why NFL teams would be eager to give him a second, third and maybe even a fourth shot at being a starting NFL Quarterback.
FRESH START
Unsurprisingly, Chicago let Trubisky walk at the end of the 2020 season with his last game being a playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints with an offensive display that could only be described as conservative. I think it’s safe to say that Trubisky will hardly go down as a Bears great.
As a free agent, Trubisky wasn’t what you’d call highly coveted. The Denver Broncos were rumored to be interested in bringing him in to compete with incumbent starter Drew Lock, instead, Trubisky opted to head to Buffalo and backup Josh Allen.
So that’s where we are now. Trubisky turned down the opportunity to battle for a starting job to instead backup a QB he has zero chance of usurping on a team in their Super Bowl window.
I’m assuming you’re still a little perplexed as to why I’m recommending a backup QB as a Dynasty trade target aren’t you? Well, let’s think about this from a different angle.
OPPORTUNITY
As we just touched on, Trubisky has zero chance to become a starter in the 2021 season short of Josh Allen getting hurt, which although unlikely, is certainly possible with his physical style of play. If that unlikely and unfortunate situation were to happen then Trubisky would be your cheap entry into one of the very best offenses in the NFL. At the very least, Trubisky should be being targeted by Josh Allen managers as an upper-echelon handcuff.
FUTURE
Whilst Trubisky did turn down a reported multi-year deal with Denver to fight it out with Drew Lock, he did only sign a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills and that’s telling. He clearly knows that Allen’s job is unattainable, but Trubisky is doing what all good Dynasty players should do and that’s to think further ahead than right now. If Josh Allen does get hurt even for a game or two and Trubisky plays well his stock will automatically rise. If he comes in during garbage time in a few Bills blowout wins in 2021 and plays well his stock will rise. Hell, even if he doesn’t see the field at all you’ll wonder if his stock with some teams will still rise because of his proximity to Josh Allen and a talented Bills team!
There’s also the fact that THIS offseason was dominated by talk of THE FIVE! The five first-round QB’s to be exact, all of which went inside the top 15 selections of the 2021 draft. Not since 1999 have five QB’s gone before we’ve gotten halfway through the first round! Now the real question should be is the market for a FA starting QB in 2022 likely to be improved or depressed by the five QB’s taken early in the 2021 NFL Draft? That remains to be seen. However, in my opinion, Trubisky’s decision to basically take a year out, surround himself with not only a winning roster but a QB who in one season drastically changed the narrative surrounding himself can only do someone like Trubisky some good. Not having to worry about an elite 2022 QB draft class taking free-agent opportunities away from Trubisky is also a plus in his favor.
COST
This might be the single biggest factor in my obsession with buying Mitch Trubisky stock. He’s basically being given away for free.
Of course, the fact that we’re even talking about a QB being a trade target means we’re of course talking about Super Flex leagues (the best way to play fantasy football in this writer’s humble opinion) and in these leagues where QB value is always inflated he’s being handed away for next to nothing! In one of my home leagues in which of course everyone knows I’m a Bills fan and a Josh Allen manager, I was able to acquire Mitch Trubisky in a straight swap for John Brown. In another Super Flex league, I picked Trubisky up in another straight swap, this time for Washington Football Team WR, Steven Sims, who posted a meager 3.6 FPTS/G in 2020.
In your Super Flex leagues right now would you trade John Brown or Steven Sims for guys like Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater, and Ryan Fitzpatrick?
Damn right you would but you can’t! All three of those guys have a path to being a starting QB in 2021. Trubisky on the other hand does not.
Don’t be a prisoner to the moment. Dynasty fantasy football is about more than THIS season. Good dynasty players know that but great dynasty players act on that and are the Kings… and Queens of buying low to sell high, and that’s the opportunity taking a swing at Mitch Trubisky right now gives you.