Dynasty Fantasy Football Buys, Trade Targets for Deeper Dynasty Leagues

When I say "deep dynasty leagues," I mean deep leagues, the kind where virtually every relevant player is already on a roster. Deep dynasty leagues are less about league size and more about bench size. Be it a 10, 12, or 14-team league, what matters is that the free agent pool is almost completely bereft of talent.

That makes hitting on low-risk, decent-reward trades this offseason key. To improve your roster, you have to find the diamonds in the rough.

Below are five players who you should be buying in deep dynasty leagues ahead of the 2025 season.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings (redraft)
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings
• 2025 NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
• Best ball fantasy football rankings
• Quarterback fantasy football rankings
• Running back fantasy football rankings
• Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
• Tight end fantasy football rankings

Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers

RotoBaller Dynasty Rank: QB26

When the Panthers benched Bryce Young for Andy Dalton early in the 2024 season, it felt like we'd already reached the end of the road for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick. Young had an atrocious rookie campaign and didn't look like he had improved at all.

But then Dalton was in a car accident and the Panthers were forced to go back to Young. Maybe the benching motivated him. Maybe some time off the field did him some good. Whatever it was, Young looked like a different player when he re-took the reins.

It's not that Young played elite football when he returned, but he made big strides. Over the first 18 starts of his career, Young completed just 59.35 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and 13 picks.

But in the final 10 games of 2024, Young was a different guy, completing 61.76 percent of his passes with 15 touchdowns and, most importantly, just six interceptions.

Bryce Young today:

275 total yards

5 TOUCHDOWNS

0 turnovers

HE IS HIM pic.twitter.com/6b8NzAvoTJ

— The Cat Shack (@NCCatShack) January 5, 2025

Are those elite numbers? No. But if Young can just be an average passer, his rushing ability will make him a solid fantasy quarterback. Again, not elite, but better than the high-end QB3 that his current dynasty ranking suggests.

Sean Tucker, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

RotoBaller Dynasty Rank: RB79

It's hard to find any real value at running back because of the nature of the position, with players who aren't elite possessing a fairly short shelf life. More than likely, the best cheap running backs you can acquire this offseason are whoever you get in the third and fourth rounds of your rookie drafts.

However, one low-cost name you could take a swing on is Sean Tucker, the former Syracuse star who flashed a little potential in Tampa this season. Notably, he had 136 yards and a touchdown on the ground and 56 yards and a touchdown in the receiving game in a win over the Saints.

His production outside of that game was nothing to write home about, but Tucker is a talented back who can make things happen if he's pressed into a larger role. He's a Rachaad White or Bucky Irving injury away from having a fantasy-relevant amount of touches.

Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens

RotoBaller Dynasty Rank: WR71

There's nothing really exciting about Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman. He's a low-volume receiver whose value depends greatly on scoring touchdowns.

Rashod Bateman in his breakout season..

- 756 receiving yards (career high)
- 8th in receiving TDS
- 5th in yards per rec (16.8)
- 3rd in passer rating when targeted (132.2)
- In 2 playoff games this year bateman has 1 TD each game
- He caught 6 passes for 97 yards

STAR⭐️ pic.twitter.com/hYIMexbbtj

— kari (@iaint8yet) February 15, 2025

But here's the thing: in this offense, touchdowns are available, which is why Bateman caught a career-high nine of them in 2024. He also finished with 756 receiving yards, the most of his NFL career.

While it's always possible that the Ravens make a move to bring in an additional receiver, Bateman's 2024 performance could be enough to fend that possibility off. He became a major scoring threat for quarterback Lamar Jackson and ended the regular season with six touchdowns in the final six games.

If you're looking for a low-cost source of touchdowns this offseason, trading for Bateman could be the way to conclude that search.

Jalen Coker, WR, Carolina Panthers

RotoBaller Dynasty Rank: WR79

When I started this article, I didn't expect to land on two different Carolina Panthers players for it. Maybe that's a sign of something, that the fantasy world might collectively be too low on this team.

Last year, the Panthers drafted Xavier Legette in the first round, but the 2024 rookie wide receiver that feels like the better dynasty value is UDFA Jalen Coker, who caught 32 passes for 478 yards and two touchdowns in his first NFL season.

The Holy Cross product is a very good route runner who can play both inside and outside and can finish in traffic. He's also not as slow as his 4.57 40-yard dash time suggests — if you watch Coker play, you can see that he has solid in-game speed.

While he wasn't targeted a ton last year, he ranked 28th among wide receivers in fantasy points per target. If he can continue that efficiency while scaling up his usage, Coker can be a solid WR3 or WR4 in fantasy.

Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars

RotoBaller Dynasty Rank: TE36

Brenton Strange will benefit greatly from the Jaguars' new head coach in 2025.

Jacksonville hired Liam Coen, who was the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers last season. Coen helped Cade Otton have a breakout season as he set new career highs in targets, receptions, and receiving yards.

Now, he turns to a Jaguars offense that disappointed in 2024. The team had the eighth-fewest yards in the NFL and scored the seventh-fewest points.

Brenton Strange, who the Jaguars selected in the second round in 2023, saw a major uptick in everything in 2024. As a rookie, he had just five receptions for 35 yards, but in 2024, he caught 40 passes for 411 yards and two touchdowns.

Brenton Strange is a sneaky TE breakout candidate for the Jacksonville Jaguars! pic.twitter.com/XG39d89d56

— Dynasty Nerds (@DynastyNerds) January 23, 2025

Strange benefit greatly from Evan Engram missing eight games. Engram is back in 2025, but it's the last year of his deal with the team. It's also very possible that Engram is a cap casualty, as he has a cap hit of $19.5 million. The team could save $15.5 million on its 2025 cap by releasing or trading Engram after June 1.

Either way, Strange should see an expanded role. He might be the lead tight end in 2025, or that might be delayed until 2026, but he should have a number of opportunities and can be had in dynasty for cheap.

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