by Lou Brunson
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Buy-low, sell-high, you’ve heard it time and again. It could be talking stocks, fantasy football assets, or even your cuts of blue jeans! No matter the context, we need to ensure we’re buying the right assets, and that’s what we’re here to help you do. Now that the dust has had a little time to settle after the NFL free agency frenzy, we’ve read the tea leaves, scattered the bones, and studied the stars to bring you six dynasty buy-low targets you should be trying to buy for their current prices in your dynasty fantasy football leagues.
Dynasty Buy-Low Targets — Post-Free Agency Edition
Dynasty Buy-Low Targets | QB
Check out Richard Sickels’ Complete Guide to Fantasy Football Terms
Baker Mayfield (QB – TB) | FantasyPros QB15, Tier 4
“He’s just a product of his WRs.” I can understand why you would say that. After all, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans are really good. Consider just for a moment that both Evans and Godwin missed time in 2024 thanks to injuries, with Godwin missing the rest of the season from Week 8 onwards and Evans missing Weeks 8 – 10. Over that period, Mayfield was QB12 and completed 70.9% of his passes. What other QBs in the NFL will finish as top 12 QBs when you take away their Top 2 WRs? Not more than a handful.
Once Evans returned in Week 10 through the end of the fantasy season in Week 17, Mayfield was QB8. Yes, Evans’ last year is probably any year now, but Godwin just re-signed for three years, and Jalen McMillan showed repeatedly throughout his rookie season that he belongs. To add to this, Tampa Bay has an eye on the future and has been very active in looking at receivers in the NFL draft.
Baker Mayfield is 30 years old, and we have every reason to believe he’ll play at least five more years. His last two offensive coordinators have gone on to become head coaches. It’s time for us to start considering that Baker is just as much the reason they got those jobs as they are the reason Baker has been so productive.
Anthony Richardson (QB – IND) | FantasyPros QB26, Tier 5
Much of the talk about Anthony Richardson has focused on his lack of accuracy (fair) and his immaturity (fair, if overblown). What the fantasy community hasn’t been talking about nearly enough is just how horrid his pass catchers were in 2024. As a matter of fact, Indianapolis’ pass catchers were dead last in terms of catch rate over expectation (CROE). In simple terms, “Do they catch the balls we expect them to catch?”
A positive CROE means they caught more than they should have, a CROE of zero means they caught exactly as many as they should have, and a negative CROE means they caught fewer than they should have. Only three Colts had a positive CROE in 2025 — Trey Sermon on 19 targets, Alec Pierce on 69 targets, and Anthony Gould on one target.
Any sort of addition to the pass-catchers’ room can only help Richardson. With the Colts looking to add to the TEs in a class full of excellent options, help should be on the way. A return to health for Michael Pittman and Josh Downs should have their arrows pointing up as well.
Don’t sell the farm to get Richardson. But if you have a second-round pick that you don’t know what to do with? It’s worth checking in on the Richardson owner.
I know, I know, I get it. Please bear in mind that “underrated” doesn’t mean “good,” just like “overrated” doesn’t mean “bad.” Dynasty is all about taking low-cost risks, and this is absolutely one that could pay off. Just how low? KeepTradeCut has Richardson more or less equivalent in value to a mid-2025 second-round rookie pick.
For a QB who came into the NFL needing time and showing immense upside and promise, that’s a pittance to pay.
Dynasty Buy-Low Targets | RB
Josh Jacobs (RB – GB) | FantasyPros RB11, Tier 3
I’ve been trying to figure out how Jacobs is RB11, and the only thing I can think of is that he’s 27, compared to most RBs above him who are younger.
301 carries in 2024, good for sixth in the NFL, as well as 217 rushing yards over expectation (RYOE), which is also good for sixth in the NFL. I have shown before that Matt LaFleur has a history of splitting work between RBs, and the fact that he didn’t even try to with Jacobs is very telling. It’s possible LaFleur meant MarShawn Lloyd to be the RB to share time with Jacobs, but then Lloyd suffered repeated injuries last year and was largely unable to play.
It’s important to remember that rookies who forfeit their whole year due to nagging injuries don’t have a great track record of sticking in the NFL, though.
It’s always dangerous to buy an RB right before the NFL draft. Even the RBs you think are safe can end up suddenly sharing a backfield, and there are a lot of potential landmines in the 2025 NFL Draft to dodge.
Even with that in mind, Jacobs is in as solid a situation as you could want and simply doesn’t belong in the same range as RBs like Chase Brown and Christian McCaffrey.
Dynasty Buy-Low Targets | WR
Jakobi Meyers (WR – LV) | FantasyPros WR49, Tier 6
I will admit — I’m at a loss with this ranking. Over the last four years and two teams, Meyers has averaged 77 receptions, 876 yards, and five touchdowns, along with three total rushing touchdowns in that span as well. On top of those averages, he never had fewer than 67 receptions or 804 yards in that span. Just on that four-year average, Meyers would have been the WR27 in points per reception (PPR), less than a point behind Nico Collins.
While the Raiders may add a WR in the NFL draft, Meyers does his work in the intermediate with a 10.4 average depth of target (aDOT). Meanwhile, target hog Brock Bowers came in with a 6.0 aDOT. If the Raiders are going to add a WR via the draft, a WR with speed who will take the top off the defense makes the most sense to provide space for Bowers and Meyers to work underneath and the intermediate. Those types of WRs don’t command 100+ targets unless their names are CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, or Ja’Marr Chase.
On top of all this, the QB situation has gone from Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew to Geno Smith. Now, Smith may not be a Top 10 QB in the NFL, but he’s light years beyond where O’Connell or Minshew have ever aspired to.
So a situation where Jakobi Meyers will see 120ish targets from a better QB than he’s ever had, all at a WR49 price tag? These are the types of dynasty acquisitions you make in the spring. Then, during the year, your league mates wonder how they didn’t see this coming.
Rome Odunze (WR – CHI) | Fantasy Pros WR22, Tier 4
This is as much about what went wrong for the Bears in 2024 as it is looking ahead to 2025.
To recap: OC Shane Waldron didn’t do any film study with Caleb Williams, Waldron also didn’t have the routes run by the WRs married to the drop by the QB, the OL pass-blocking drops didn’t match up with each other, and starting RB D’Andre Swift rushed for 60+ yards in only six of 16 games. Each problem only feeding into the next, and all in all, a disaster.
While we haven’t seen the results on the field yet, the Bears have made massive additions this offseason, headlined by new HC Ben Johnson, the architect of the Detroit Lions’ juggernaut offense. His first actions once he got in the door were to immediately upgrade the middle of Chicago’s offensive line (OL) by trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, and then signing center Drew Dahlman in free agency. You cannot ask for a team to address its deficiencies any better than that.
Grading prospects varies, and there’s obviously no perfect way to do it. Still, it’s important to note that Odunze rated alongside Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison as a WR prospect. Going into their second seasons, Nabers is just about un-get-able, and Harrison isn’t far behind him. That Odunze is available at all is a huge deal, and that window won’t stay open forever.
Dynasty Buy-Low Targets | TE
Cole Kmet (TE – CHI) | FantasyPros TE20, Tier 4
Is it bad form to just say “ditto” in a post about fantasy football? What about copy/pasting? Judges, can we get a ruling here?
The reason for those somewhat tongue-in-cheek questions is that everything I said about Odunze can also be said about Cole Kmet. However, in addition to everything I said about Odunze, the offense just…didn’t use Kmet in 2024. Oh, he ran routes, but for whatever reason, he just wasn’t a part of the offense. After 90 targets on 367 routes in 2023 (24.5% targets per route run), Kmet saw his routes run increase to 467 — good for third on the team — but only saw 55 total targets (11.8% targets per route run).
Even with that huge reduction, Kmet finished as TE16 in PPR leagues in 2024, thanks to converting over 85% of his targets into catches.
Even a moderate step towards his 2023 targets per routes run (TPRR) would mean an improvement on his TE16 finish in 2024 and would blow his TE20 price tag out of the water.
Lou Brunson is a Senior Analyst and THE social media guru for Optimus Fantasy. Find his dynasty stylings on right here and at draftbuddy.com.
by Lou Brunson
Share
Buy-low, sell-high, you’ve heard it time and again. It could be talking stocks, fantasy football assets, or even your cuts of blue jeans! No matter the context, we need to ensure we’re buying the right assets, and that’s what we’re here to help you do. Now that the dust has had a little time to settle after the NFL free agency frenzy, we’ve read the tea leaves, scattered the bones, and studied the stars to bring you six dynasty buy-low targets you should be trying to buy for their current prices in your dynasty fantasy football leagues.
Dynasty Buy-Low Targets — Post-Free Agency Edition
Dynasty Buy-Low Targets | QB
Check out Richard Sickels’ Complete Guide to Fantasy Football Terms
Baker Mayfield (QB – TB) | FantasyPros QB15, Tier 4
“He’s just a product of his WRs.” I can understand why you would say that. After all, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans are really good. Consider just for a moment that both Evans and Godwin missed time in 2024 thanks to injuries, with Godwin missing the rest of the season from Week 8 onwards and Evans missing Weeks 8 – 10. Over that period, Mayfield was QB12 and completed 70.9% of his passes. What other QBs in the NFL will finish as top 12 QBs when you take away their Top 2 WRs? Not more than a handful.
Once Evans returned in Week 10 through the end of the fantasy season in Week 17, Mayfield was QB8. Yes, Evans’ last year is probably any year now, but Godwin just re-signed for three years, and Jalen McMillan showed repeatedly throughout his rookie season that he belongs. To add to this, Tampa Bay has an eye on the future and has been very active in looking at receivers in the NFL draft.
Baker Mayfield is 30 years old, and we have every reason to believe he’ll play at least five more years. His last two offensive coordinators have gone on to become head coaches. It’s time for us to start considering that Baker is just as much the reason they got those jobs as they are the reason Baker has been so productive.
Anthony Richardson (QB – IND) | FantasyPros QB26, Tier 5
Much of the talk about Anthony Richardson has focused on his lack of accuracy (fair) and his immaturity (fair, if overblown). What the fantasy community hasn’t been talking about nearly enough is just how horrid his pass catchers were in 2024. As a matter of fact, Indianapolis’ pass catchers were dead last in terms of catch rate over expectation (CROE). In simple terms, “Do they catch the balls we expect them to catch?”
A positive CROE means they caught more than they should have, a CROE of zero means they caught exactly as many as they should have, and a negative CROE means they caught fewer than they should have. Only three Colts had a positive CROE in 2025 — Trey Sermon on 19 targets, Alec Pierce on 69 targets, and Anthony Gould on one target.
Any sort of addition to the pass-catchers’ room can only help Richardson. With the Colts looking to add to the TEs in a class full of excellent options, help should be on the way. A return to health for Michael Pittman and Josh Downs should have their arrows pointing up as well.
Don’t sell the farm to get Richardson. But if you have a second-round pick that you don’t know what to do with? It’s worth checking in on the Richardson owner.
I know, I know, I get it. Please bear in mind that “underrated” doesn’t mean “good,” just like “overrated” doesn’t mean “bad.” Dynasty is all about taking low-cost risks, and this is absolutely one that could pay off. Just how low? KeepTradeCut has Richardson more or less equivalent in value to a mid-2025 second-round rookie pick.
For a QB who came into the NFL needing time and showing immense upside and promise, that’s a pittance to pay.
Dynasty Buy-Low Targets | RB
Josh Jacobs (RB – GB) | FantasyPros RB11, Tier 3
I’ve been trying to figure out how Jacobs is RB11, and the only thing I can think of is that he’s 27, compared to most RBs above him who are younger.
301 carries in 2024, good for sixth in the NFL, as well as 217 rushing yards over expectation (RYOE), which is also good for sixth in the NFL. I have shown before that Matt LaFleur has a history of splitting work between RBs, and the fact that he didn’t even try to with Jacobs is very telling. It’s possible LaFleur meant MarShawn Lloyd to be the RB to share time with Jacobs, but then Lloyd suffered repeated injuries last year and was largely unable to play.
It’s important to remember that rookies who forfeit their whole year due to nagging injuries don’t have a great track record of sticking in the NFL, though.
It’s always dangerous to buy an RB right before the NFL draft. Even the RBs you think are safe can end up suddenly sharing a backfield, and there are a lot of potential landmines in the 2025 NFL Draft to dodge.
Even with that in mind, Jacobs is in as solid a situation as you could want and simply doesn’t belong in the same range as RBs like Chase Brown and Christian McCaffrey.
Dynasty Buy-Low Targets | WR
Jakobi Meyers (WR – LV) | FantasyPros WR49, Tier 6
I will admit — I’m at a loss with this ranking. Over the last four years and two teams, Meyers has averaged 77 receptions, 876 yards, and five touchdowns, along with three total rushing touchdowns in that span as well. On top of those averages, he never had fewer than 67 receptions or 804 yards in that span. Just on that four-year average, Meyers would have been the WR27 in points per reception (PPR), less than a point behind Nico Collins.
While the Raiders may add a WR in the NFL draft, Meyers does his work in the intermediate with a 10.4 average depth of target (aDOT). Meanwhile, target hog Brock Bowers came in with a 6.0 aDOT. If the Raiders are going to add a WR via the draft, a WR with speed who will take the top off the defense makes the most sense to provide space for Bowers and Meyers to work underneath and the intermediate. Those types of WRs don’t command 100+ targets unless their names are CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, or Ja’Marr Chase.
On top of all this, the QB situation has gone from Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew to Geno Smith. Now, Smith may not be a Top 10 QB in the NFL, but he’s light years beyond where O’Connell or Minshew have ever aspired to.
So a situation where Jakobi Meyers will see 120ish targets from a better QB than he’s ever had, all at a WR49 price tag? These are the types of dynasty acquisitions you make in the spring. Then, during the year, your league mates wonder how they didn’t see this coming.
Rome Odunze (WR – CHI) | Fantasy Pros WR22, Tier 4
This is as much about what went wrong for the Bears in 2024 as it is looking ahead to 2025.
To recap: OC Shane Waldron didn’t do any film study with Caleb Williams, Waldron also didn’t have the routes run by the WRs married to the drop by the QB, the OL pass-blocking drops didn’t match up with each other, and starting RB D’Andre Swift rushed for 60+ yards in only six of 16 games. Each problem only feeding into the next, and all in all, a disaster.
While we haven’t seen the results on the field yet, the Bears have made massive additions this offseason, headlined by new HC Ben Johnson, the architect of the Detroit Lions’ juggernaut offense. His first actions once he got in the door were to immediately upgrade the middle of Chicago’s offensive line (OL) by trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, and then signing center Drew Dahlman in free agency. You cannot ask for a team to address its deficiencies any better than that.
Grading prospects varies, and there’s obviously no perfect way to do it. Still, it’s important to note that Odunze rated alongside Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison as a WR prospect. Going into their second seasons, Nabers is just about un-get-able, and Harrison isn’t far behind him. That Odunze is available at all is a huge deal, and that window won’t stay open forever.
Dynasty Buy-Low Targets | TE
Cole Kmet (TE – CHI) | FantasyPros TE20, Tier 4
Is it bad form to just say “ditto” in a post about fantasy football? What about copy/pasting? Judges, can we get a ruling here?
The reason for those somewhat tongue-in-cheek questions is that everything I said about Odunze can also be said about Cole Kmet. However, in addition to everything I said about Odunze, the offense just…didn’t use Kmet in 2024. Oh, he ran routes, but for whatever reason, he just wasn’t a part of the offense. After 90 targets on 367 routes in 2023 (24.5% targets per route run), Kmet saw his routes run increase to 467 — good for third on the team — but only saw 55 total targets (11.8% targets per route run).
Even with that huge reduction, Kmet finished as TE16 in PPR leagues in 2024, thanks to converting over 85% of his targets into catches.
Even a moderate step towards his 2023 targets per routes run (TPRR) would mean an improvement on his TE16 finish in 2024 and would blow his TE20 price tag out of the water.
Lou Brunson is a Senior Analyst and THE social media guru for Optimus Fantasy. Find his dynasty stylings on right here and at draftbuddy.com.
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