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Gage Bridgford highlights some buy-low candidates for dynasty leagues leading up to the NFL Draft. These players could see their fantasy football value increase in 2020.
We're in a time of flux for the entire country, but one thing that remains constant is the world of dynasty football. Unless your entire league goes dormant, it will keep going for the foreseeable future. Values of certain veteran players are also in a state of flux right now, as we are going to see players changing teams or roles on their own team.
As a result of those moving values, now is the time to strike a deal. Rookie draft picks are continuing to grow in value as the excitement grows for the incoming rookie class. If you can generate some hype for a specific player that you can get for a draft pick, you can turn that pick into a player that can immediately help you while that rookie develops.
In the world of fantasy football, we're always trying to gain an advantage. Shooting for players that have a high amount of upside is how you make sure that you win. It's a low-risk and high-reward type of maneuver. That's what we're looking at today.
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Todd Gurley (RB, LAR)
This is more of a move that you'll be making if you're in win-now mode because we still don't know the long-term outlook of Gurley's knee, but we know that he's still playing very well. He went over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and reached the end zone 14 times in 2019. He may have finished with even more touchdowns if not for Malcolm Brown falling into the end zone on five occasions. Gurley is in that area that his owner is likely afraid of him and wants to move off of him for some value. That's where you come in.
If you're competing for a title this year and need an RB2 that can push you over the top, Gurley can be that player. You likely will only need to give up a second-round pick to get him. Assuming you actually are competing for the title, that will be at the end of the second round. You're getting a legitimate contributor all for a cheap draft pick that you can get back at a later time.
Odell Beckham Jr. (WR, CLE)
This is the one that's probably going to cost you a little more to acquire, but I also think he has far-and-away the highest ceiling. Beckham dealt with an injury throughout all of last season, and he still managed to get over the 1,000-yard mark. The Browns won't be adding any wide receivers or other pass-catchers that could largely impact his stock which is why the time to strike on him is now because his price will only increase.
Beckham is older than you might think as he'll be 28 before next season is over, but he is still showing plenty of pop. His price has been driven down by the injuries, a coaching change towards a run-oriented guy and the rumor that he could be traded. It never hurts to put out a feeler towards the owner of a player; Beckham is the type of player that you could swing a trade for that could give your team a serious makeover at the wideout position.
Michael Gallup (WR, DAL)
Cowboys wideout Michael Gallup is in an interesting spot this spring. He could quickly become his team's top wide receiver, and his fantasy stock would shoot through the roof. This is a move that you're going to have to make really quickly if you think that wide receiver Amari Cooper is leaving. However, if you think he's staying, wait until he signs, and swarm like a shark with blood in the water.
Gallup came down with 66 catches for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns last season. His average catch went for 16.8 yards, and that makes a lot of sense when you see that 50 of his 66 catches were for first downs. He's great as a receiver in the intermediate range, and quarterback Dak Prescott, who definitely should be back with the Cowboys this year, sees him as a reliable target. If you're playing with a Gallup owner that's a little lower on him because of the coaching change, which he shouldn't be, take full advantage.
O.J. Howard (TE, TB)
Last season, the talk before and at the beginning of the year was that tight end O.J. Howard was going to be a huge piece of the offense, and the targets were going to come for him. Instead, the targets never really came, and the ones that did were just dump-offs over the middle. He played four more games than he did in the 2018-19 season, but he finished with just six more targets, 106 fewer yards and four fewer touchdowns.
The touches never really materialized for Howard, and his price has consistently gone down. While the Bucs may have a high price tag on him, your league mate that owns him likely doesn't. The tight end position is so shallow in terms of consistent producers which is why getting one at a discount makes so much sense. With the high-paced offense that the Bucs use combined with Howard playing a career-high 69 percent of the snaps, getting Howard as a throw-in is a real possibility that could have huge upside.
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