As the offseason approaches and fantasy managers realize the fate of their teams for the 2020 season, the question we’re all left with is, how can I make my team better. Well, I am happy to report that the answer isn’t always a blockbuster trade.
More often than not, the answer for a middle of the road team is minor tweaks or buying shares of a player before they hit their peak value. That might seem obvious, but it is not always as easy as it sounds. So even if you haven’t conceded your season yet, that seems to be going around, here is an offseason shopping list just for you.
Quarterback
Sam Darnold (NYJ)
Now before the boo’s echo in, let me say a few things. Sam Darnold has not been special so far in his young career. Heck, he has barely sniffed decent. But what I see in Darnold when I watch him play is someone who we might be looking back on as another player who performs well once they get free of the football curse that is Adam Gase.His biggest obstacle will be the turnover bug, but he appears to be heading to a new team in 2021, as the lowly Jets are barrelling towards a top 3 pick in the 2021 draft. A new team and the hopes of a coaching staff that can develop Darnold make him an interesting buy. The best part is that in most leagues, he is either available on waivers or someone you can trade for with a mid-round draft pick or less. Get Darnold as a bench stash, and you could find yourself with a solid dynasty QB in the future.
Jameis Winston (NOS)
This one is quick. He and NOT Taysom Hill is the heir apparent to Drew Brees. This one might have some more urgency than the rest on this list. Don’t forget for as many interceptions as he threw Jameis was a fantasy stud, and now it looks like he will be throwing passes to Michael Thomas.
Running Back
Cam Akers (LAR)
You could be running out of time when it comes to Cam Akers. He seems to be taking more and more work each week. But he hasn’t done enough to demand massive trade value. Cam Akers honestly reminds me of Ronald Jones for a few reasons. He was the youngest of the top-tier running backs when he was drafted, he hasn’t gotten a lot of work, and there is an enormous gap in how fantasy managers value him.
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The exciting part about Akers is he is playing for an offensive guru in Sean McVay and has the pass-catching chops that Ronald Jones only dreams about. He also is sharing his backfield with Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson. The former is headed to free agency and, the latter, although he has shown flashes, has not been able to fend off either of his backfield mates. Akers seems to be the future here, and you may be able to buy him for pennies on the dollar if you act now. 
Jonathan Taylor (IND)
Sweet, Sweet, Jonathan Taylor. Before rookie drafts last year, he was the talk of the town. Getting compared to players like Adrian Peterson. Well, that hasn’t quite been the case. Taylor has shown a lack of vision and few if any explosive plays. Right now, he is being outplayed by Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins, if you can believe it. That’s bad. The good is that Taylor is a better player than Jordan Wilkins. His offensive grades in all but 2 weeks have exceeded Wilkins even though for many Taylor owners it has not felt that way.
Nyheim Hines isn’t going to go away but most who believed in Jonathan Taylor didn’t expect him to, but his production on the ground has not been great in its own right. He is currently averaging less than 4.0 yards per carry. Finally, the Frank Reich offense has a history of runningbacks taking time to learn the system. Case in point Melvin Gordon‘s rookie season, not, to mention Nyheim Hines’ abysmal start to his career. This year I fully expect the rough season to continue but in year 2 of the Frank Reich offense, I expect Taylor to thrive. Go get him now, and don’t be too afraid of what you are buying.
Others to Target:
Zack Moss (BUF), AJ Dillon (GB)
Wide Receiver
D.J. Moore (CAR)
DJ Moore has ripped out my heart this year, so I get it if you don’t want me to be telling you to hold or buy him heading into 2021. BUT YOU SHOULD. Even with this “upsetting” season that Moore is having, he is WR 20 on the year, and he is only 439 yards away from his 2019 total and has already matched last year’s touchdown production, AND that is with 6 games left this season. The guy is an elite talent, and he is only 23 years old. The Robby Anderson experiment, as fun as it was, seems to be nearing its end, and Curtis Samuel is a free agent after this year. DJ Moore’s time is coming, and you will not want to be one of the dynasty managers who miss it.
Quintez Cephus (DET)
I’ll admit this one is a deep dive, but hey, if it wasn’t, how helpful would this article really be? The Detroit Lions currently have no WR’s that will be under contract heading into 2021, except Quintez Cephus. Now I am sure that that will not be the case when the 2021 season actually begins, but Cephus has shown flashes when Golladay has missed time. What I expect from Cephus, potentially as soon as 2021, is that he solidifies himself as the number two WR on this team and gives dynasty managers a flex level player with upside. Oh yeah, and did I mention there’s a chance he is on your waivers.
Others to Target:
Michael Pittman Jr. (IND), Deebo Samuel (SF)
Tight End
Irv Smith Jr. (MIN):
We have seen glimpses of an Irv Smith breakout this season. His utilization in the passing game has increased each week and he has the athletic ability to be a major contributor to this offense. With Adam Thielen and now Justin Jefferson garnering most of the attention from DB’s Irv Smith should find himself in a position to succeed more often than not. A relatively cheap buy in dynasty leagues, at a frequently sparse position, go shopping for Irv this offseason and thank me later.
Mike Gesicki (MIA)
This is more of a don’t cut bait than anything. Don’t give up yet on the Mike Gesicki break out. As Tua gets comfortable in this offense, Gesicki will start to thrive. Tua and Brian Flores are winners. They both know that not forcing Tua to throw the ball at the rate Burrow and Herbert are, is the key to them winning football games in Tua’s rookie season and in his first handful of starts as a pro. The looks will come for Gesicki, even if the addition of a rookie quarterback delays the break out by a year.
2021 Draft Picks
Now for the slightly more expensive, if not overpriced assets you can try to acquire, draft picks. This one is more for teams that are far removed from contention or back end playoff teams. This is a great time of the season to sell off your older vets or mid-aged players to acquire draft picks that can gain you rookie studs. As painful as it might be a struggling team can sell off big names like Ezekiel Elliot for a haul that could include early picks in the 2021 draft that have the potential to return immense value.
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