We’re now in a bit of a quiet period in dynasty football, that period between the NFL draft, fantasy rookie drafts and the opening of training camps. There’s a lot to process, and player values continue to move.
Having taken part in 12 rookie drafts, thus far, and with my continual tracking of rankings and social trends, I’ve identified many intriguing valuations that I believe provide noteworthy opportunities. Cost for acquisition is always the key component, and it’s safe to assume that when you show interest in an asset on another roster, that cost immediately rises. In my situation, it becomes even more difficult as my dynasty resume is already well known and finding willing trade partners can be difficult.
For this article, I’m going to be targeting those players outside of my top 75 (even lower in consensus ranking), thus increasing your chances of being able to pull off a trade due to lower valuation. When surveying my rankings, it’s a relatively easy exercise to see those players I’m higher versus other rankers.
By now, you already know you can find all my up-to-date rankings, including rookies, here at DynastyLeagueFootball.com, the internet’s oldest, largest and most trusted dynasty-focused resource.
Justin Fields, QB, PIT
- Age: 25 DLF Rank: QB33 (SuperFlex)
The dynasty community is a “what have you done for me lately” collective, and Fields has been left for dead. Ranked behind rookies Will Levis, Bo Nix and Michael Penix, and veterans Daniel Jones, Derek Carr and teammate Russell Wilson, the bloom is off the rose. I was never sold on Fields’ fit in Chicago, but now in Pittsburgh, and certainly possessing greater dynamic ability than expected starter Wilson (one-year contract), his runway and production potential are significantly discounted. My full expectation is that Fields will be starting games by midseason. In a SuperFlex format, a third-round rookie selection to acquire Fields is a steal, and a late-second — after JJ McCarthy — isn’t out of the question.
Romeo Doubs, WR, GB
Doubs scored a career-high eight touchdowns in 2023 on only 59 receptions. His 96 targets were also a career high. Now with Jordan Love fully entrenched as the starting quarterback, things are looking up in 2024. The Packers have a young receiving corps, but I see no threat to Doubs’ starter status. His consensus WR63 value is too low given his 2024 potential as he enters his third season. I believe he has 30% upside in receptions, targets and touchdowns and 50% upside in yardage, potentially eclipsing 1,000 yards for the first time in his young career. I’m looking to acquire Doubs for a third-round rookie asset, but I’m willing to pay a high second.
Joshua Palmer, WR, LAC
I continue to be much higher on Palmer than consensus, evidenced by my WR50 ranking. He’s not a “sexy” receiver, but he possesses the size and workmanlike skill set I’ve come to appreciate in developing assets. Palmer struggled with health in 2023, as did most of the Chargers’ receiving corps, but he’s fully healthy in 2024 and, entering his fourth NFL season, currently sits as the top receiver on the depth chart. I don’t value the 6-foot-1 target as a persistent scoring threat, but his “nearly free” acquisition cost means the price is right for dynasty managers playing in a PPR format.
Darnell Mooney, WR, ATL
A change of scenery and an upgrade in quarterback (Kirk Cousins) is just what was needed to put Mooney back on the dynasty radar. That said, it seems his lack of production over the past two seasons has been too much for dynasty managers to forgive. In his second NFL campaign in 2021, the speedster produced 1,055 yards on 81 receptions, and there’s every reason to believe he’s about to surge again in 2024. The Falcons offense has been retooled, Cousins is fully expected to be under center in Week 1, and Mooney should be a starting fixture on offense. While not a prolific touchdown scorer, there’s more than enough potential here to stash Mooney given his next-to-nothing acquisition cost.
Jerome Ford, RB, CLE
Jerome Ford has been a mainstay on my buy-low list over the past year, and he paid off in 2023 when Nick Chubb fell to injury. Displaying three-down ability, Ford produced 813 yards and four touchdowns as a rusher, and 44 receptions and five touchdowns as a receiver in 2023. Chubb is still working his way back from injury and is a free agent in 2025, when Ford will still have a year remaining on his original rookie contract. No premium exists in his current RB34 valuation, though his current trade calculator value remains unrealistic as a mid-third round rookie selection. I’m willing to pay an early-to-mid second round selection to acquire Ford ahead of the kickoff of the 2024 regular season.
Roschon Johnson, RB, CHI
Entering his second season, Johnson’s dynasty value continues to slide following the team’s acquisition of DeAndre Swift. I have Johnson ranked as my RB30 as a value-on acquisition for the future. Swift’s three-year, $24M contract isn’t trivial, but he has yet to show long term bell-cow ability, while Johnson appears to have the size and dynamic skill set that dynasty managers were so high on in 2023. This is just another case of a sophomore fade from the dynasty community based upon what was unrealistic early-career expectations. Currently listed as an early-third rounder in rookie draft compensation, I’m willing to invest a mid-to-late second-round rookie selection, or an equivalent player, toward his acquisition. I don’t possess the belief that Swift is the long-term answer, and Khalil Herbert appears to be on the outside looking in.
Israel Abanikanda, RB, NYJ
If you follow my work, you know it would be tough to be much lower on running backs in dynasty. Two years ago I adopted an aging-but-productive approach for my roster builds with respect to running backs. I bookend my search with a desire for current, unthreatened, production on one end with an eye toward devalued opportunity when looking to the future on the other. Abanikanda, just another pre-draft darling, fell in dynasty drafts due to the Jets’ 2023 draft selection surprise. Buried below Breece Hall and a host of other options over the past year, Abanikanda is available for next to nothing and may be seen on a waiver wire near you very soon. Still only 21 and with a three-down skillset, patient or rebuilding dynasty managers should be acquiring him over the next few months.
Jake Ferguson, TE, DAL
Ferguson has finally been seeing a rise in dynasty value, but he’s still a value given his current TE13 ranking. Scheme remains a top variable in my tight end valuation, and the Cowboys offense remains one of the better ones while Dak Prescott remains at the helm. Producing 761 yards and five touchdowns across 71 receptions in 2023 in his first year as a starter, things are looking up again in 2024. His role remains secure, as does his situation with CeeDee Lamb occupying double teams on the outside. I’m not one to acquire top tight ends on the open market, and Ferguson’s value window is closing. If you desire a dynasty bargain for a back-end TE1 with upside, acquire him now!
I hope you enjoyed this look at eight players I’m buying in dynasty. If you have any questions or comments, please consider leaving a comment below. I look forward to interacting with my readers. Please give me a follow on Twitter and Threads: @DLF_Jeff
As always, be happy, be well and, please, be good to each other!
(Top photo of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson: Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
