5 Players to Buy in Dynasty Leagues
The other day I wrote about players I would consider as Sell High candidates. Today I want to write about 5 guys that I am actively trying to trade for in dynasty formats. They are a mix of young, breakout potential players, as well as veterans. I think all of the names listed below will have good 2020 seasons and help win team championships in 2020 at relatively low draft capital.
BUY LOW
WR Anthony Miller, Bears
Let’s start off with someone I was very high on coming out of the 2018 NFL draft where he was drafted in the second round. Miller has had his share of ups and downs in his first two seasons in the NFL. I expect him, like a lot of other year-three receivers to take a big leap in 2020. His target share went from 11% in 2018 to 15% in 2019. The Bears parted ways with Taylor Gabriel this offseason who had a 15% target share last season. I see no reason that Miller won’t take some of the targets left behind. Yes, Jimmy Graham was added to the team as their primary tight end, but Graham is on the tail-end of his career and shouldn’t cut into Millers targets too much. Another thing to note is the signing of Nick Foles. Trubisky is still the starter for now, but if his play doesn’t drastically improve from last year, Foles will be behind center in no time and this can only help Miller.
I think Miller has a real chance to be the 2020 version of what Chris Godwin did last season. In Godwin’s first two seasons in the league here are his numbers. 55 targets, 34 receptions, 525 yards in 2017. 95 targets, 59 receptions, and 842 yards in 2018, both seasons playing all 16 games. Now let us look at Miller’s first two seasons. 2018 he had 54 targets, 33 receptions for 423 yards. In 2019 Miller had 85 targets, 52 receptions, and 656 yards. These are pretty similar, right? Miller is locked in as the #2 target in Chicago and I see absolutely no reason why he can’t come close to what Godwin did in 2019. Go put some offers out there and see if you can grab him before its too late!
RB Leveon Bell, Jets
I want to first say that I am a running backs don’t matter guy. I think that an average running back with a locked-in role is enough to produce good to very good fantasy numbers for your team. Here’s the thing with Bell….he’s a GOOD running back with a locked-in role. No, he is not what he use to be as he approaches his age 28 season but if you are looking to make a run at a championship this season, Bell can be a high-end rb2 and flirt with mid/late rb1 numbers at a discounted price.
Barring injury, Bell will once again top 300 touches in 2020 as he has no competition in the backfield. Last season he was the #15 RB while playing 15 games. Through the first 8 games, Bell was on pace to see 102 targets! He had an 87% snap share which was good for #4 among running backs. His yards per carry were 3.2 which is over a full yard less than his career average. This is mainly on the offensive line which averaged 0.7 rushing yards before contact which was good for dead last in the NFL. The jets have already signed 4 new offensive linemen and resigned one. They are also projected to add one early in the draft. If the jets can just become a middle of the pack o-line, we could see Bell jump back into being a backend rb1 at a deep discount.
WR Brandin Cooks, Rams
Cooks may be my biggest regret of the 2019 fantasy season. I had more shares than I care to remember and I paid the price for it. Before last season, Cooks finished inside the top 15 at WR in ppr leagues in each of his first four full NFL seasons. He averaged 119 targets (over 7 per game average), 77 receptions, and 1149 yards per season in those four seasons. In 2019 Cooks’ numbers fell to 72 targets, down two full targets per game, 42 receptions, and only 583 yards. So what happened to Cooks last season? Well, a number of things happened. Let’s start with the Rams offense taking a nosedive, going from 32.9 points per game in 2018 to 24.6 in 2019, over a full touchdown difference. The Rams offensive line went from one of the best in 2018 to bottom 3 in 2019. This had a direct effect on Cook’s targets as Goff simply did not have the time to wait for Cooks’ deep targets to open up and relied mostly on the short to intermediate targets of Kupp, Woods, and their tight-end core. The Rams re-signed two of their offensive linemen already in Blythe and Whitworth. The Rams do not have a first-round pick in this upcoming draft but look for them to take 2-3 offensive linemen in the draft, perhaps even with their first two picks. I still believe that Sean McVay is one of the best and brightest coaches in the NFL and I believe he can turn this team around. He is an offensive genius and will look to get his most dangerous weapons involved in 2020.
The second and more concerning issue that came up last year was Cooks sustaining two concussions which knocked him out of two games and made him miss two more. If Cooks can avoid injury and the Rams improve their offensive line, look for Cooks to jump back into the top 20 at wide receiver. Let’s not forget that Cooks is only 26 years old and his value has never been lower. I was able to get Cooks earlier this year in a high stakes league for a 2020 4th and a 2021 5th round rookie pick. This is just insane to me and I see no reason to think Cooks won’t be back in 2020.
WR Jamison Crowder, Jets
Trust me, I hate having two Jets on this list but we take the values that are presented. Crowder is not a sexy name but he is a great WR3 or Flex option to use on a weekly basis. With Robby Anderson signing earlier this month with Carolina, and the jets filling the void with Breshad Perriman, Crowder should once again be Sam Darnold‘s favorite target. Crowder had an 84% snap share and had 122 targets on the season. In 13 games with Sam Darnold, Crowder was targeted 106 times which is good for just over 8 targets per game, which would put him inside the top 15 in targets per game in the NFL.
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Crowder should be able to be acquired for a mid to late second-round rookie pick. This is well worth it if you’re going for a title this year!
WR Diontae Johnson, Steelers
A few weeks ago Johnson wasn’t getting any hype whatsoever. Recently his price has risen from around 125 in dynasty ranks to inside the top 100. I still think there is profit in buying Johnson now but the hype may be too real in a few months. Johnson quietly had himself a nice rookie season raking up 59 receptions on 92 targets for 680 yards and 5 touchdowns. All of this came without Big Ben who missed almost all of 2019 with an elbow injury. Johnson was catching passes from one of the worst QB duo’s in the league, Mason Rudolph and Devlin “duck” Hodges. With Ben back in 2020, expect the Steelers to once again be near the top of the league in pass attempts. The Steelers did add a very big red zone target in Eric Ebron but this shouldn’t affect Johnson much since he doesn’t profile as a red zone threat anyway measuring 5’10 and weighing 183lbs.
I think the bigger reason to go out and buy Johnson now is the prevailing thought around the league that the Steelers will not give Juju Smith-Schuster a contract extension next season. If the Steelers do in fact let Juju walk as they seem to do with their receivers (Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders in recent years) Johnson would step into the #1 role in the Steelers offense in 2021. Go out and get Diontae Johnson now before the rest of your league wises up!
Below are a few more names that I have made some offers for that I think are good buys.
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