Every year in fantasy football, it’s highly recommended to look for players that are considered “buy low” that can outproduce their current value. Here are some buy-low targets in dynasty leagues that you can get on your team for very little that could blow up this year.
Buy-Low Targets in Dynasty Fantasy Football Formats
A.J. Green – ADP: 56
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green has battled being called “injury-prone” for the past couple of years. He’s missed games for foot and toe injuries and then came out and started this year’s training camp by injuring his ankle, putting him on the sidelines for 4-6 weeks at least. If you paid attention to this injury you might have noticed something though: this new injury was a fluke. The field the Bengals were practicing on was not NFL quality and Green got landed on by his teammate while trying to bring down a catch. This wasn’t a dreaded “non-contact injury” and was truly just bad luck. Regardless, his value took a major hit.
This is exactly when you should pounce if you’re looking for a solid WR1/2 for your dynasty team. It’s very likely that a casual dynasty owner just sees him with yet another injury and is ready to part ways with him on the cheap, feeling fed up with the drama he’s providing. You should be the one to swoop in and pick him up at a discount, as this injury is unlikely to reoccur and should not hinder him at all, both for this season and down the road. See if you can get him while he’s out to add some value to your team for the long stretch.
Dante Pettis – ADP: 66
San Francisco 49ers WR Dante Pettis had a pretty good finish to his 2018 rookie season with Nick Mullens at the helm. He eclipsed 100 yards only once in a game against the Seattle Seahawks, but in terms of rookie WRs in the NFL, he clearly broke out. However, in the NFL Draft, the 49ers went out and got WR Deebo Samuel and WR Jalen Hurd to compete with him. They also signed pass-catching running back Tevin Coleman and are getting RB Jerick McKinnon and WR Marquise Goodwin back from IR (hopefully). Add to this the fact that QB Jimmy Garoppolo is back under center instead of Mullens and Pettis’ world is set to change drastically this year.
The recent blurbs have all been fairly down on Pettis too, meaning his value has taken a huge hit as we get closer to the start of the season. He should be their WR1 and second in line for targets behind stud tight end George Kittle, even if he’s challenged by the rookie WRs. On top of that, he’s still a young WR who has plenty of room to grow, and with his break out performances of last season, it’s clear that he’s got the talent to perform at a high level. Reach out to the Pettis owner to check their pulse and see if you can add him to your roster for pennies on the dollar.
Carlos Hyde – ADP: 145
Kansas City Chiefs RB Carlos Hyde is a great buy-low candidate even if he’s in a timeshare and is generally considered a “bad” running back by many in the fantasy football community. He’s no spring chicken and has seen a lot of teams decide he wasn’t the guy for them, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he gets the starting job in Kansas City if Damien Williams struggles or gets hurt. Even if he’s only the starter for a few games before they give the job to the rookie RB Darwin Thompson, his value should go up from where it is today.
Look for the Hyde owner in your league and see if he could use a bench WR instead. Try sending someone you’re down on as a starting offer and see what happens. You’d be shocked how easily some dynasty owners are getting him off their team. With the reports coming out this week of Damien getting first-team touches again it could be the last chance for you to get Hyde almost for free. Go give it a try.
Malcolm Brown – ADP: 213
Malcolm Brown is one of the most ignored players in the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams aren’t sure how much they’ll be able to lean on RB Todd Gurley this year, and while they drafted Darrel Henderson in the spring, Brown is still on the roster. He was injured last season, which paved the way for the resurgence of C.J. Anderson. Now that Anderson has left for the Detroit Lions, the backup job is likely Brown’s and Brown’s alone, despite what the Henderson owners may say.
Brown has been with the team much longer and was given a matched offer from the Rams when he first tried to leave. Clearly, they wanted to keep him. It’s also well known that the Rams offense isn’t the easiest to learn, so Brown must be doing something right to keep his position on the team. While Henderson might mix in as a third-down back, if Gurley goes down it’s Brown that’s stepping into that role, not Henderson. Brown can be had for a steal right now too. Seek out the Brown owner and see what you can offer from your bench scraps to make a trade happen.
Mike Gesicki – ADP: 161
Mike Gesicki was an NFL Combine stud who was definitely a fantasy football dud last season. A lot of that can be put on the offense being somewhat bad overall, along with the fact that tight ends just take longer to ramp up and acclimate. Gesicki will be in his second year now on a new offense with former New England Patriots coach Brian Flores at the helm. Perhaps he brings that Patriot TE love down to South Beach and Gesicki blows up this year. Even if he doesn’t, it won’t cost you much at all to convince the Gesicki owner to make a trade. Low risk, high reward, which is all you can hope for in some situations.
Jordan Reed – ADP: 177
Ah, Jordan Reed. We all know the history with this guy. He’s missed quite a few games in his time with the Washington Redskins, all due to injury, and all for a variety of injuries at that. He’s become a laughingstock in the fantasy football community and is going entirely undrafted in some redraft leagues. In dynasty, he should definitely be rostered though.
He is potentially the best talent on that offense and is coming into the season healthy (again). If an owner has held Reed for longer than a couple of months, they’re likely fed up with him missing time and will let him go for a backup RB or WR just to be done with it. Check to see if you can get him for cheap and be ready to enjoy the ride, potentially selling him yourself after he plays a few games.
Hit us up on Twitter @PFNFantasy with your own buy-low targets in dynasty this year. Also, continue to visit the Pro Football Network for NFL news and in-depth analysis while also visiting our new Fantasy Football section.
Andrew Hall is a writer for PFN covering Fantasy Football. You can follow him @AndrewHallFF on Twitter.