Dynasty Fantasy Football: Targets Acquired
Standing still is the fastest way of moving backward in a rapidly changing dynasty landscape. The best dynasty teams are the most active in looking for ways to add value to their dynasty rosters, as part of a continuous process.
The Dynasty Targets Acquired series focuses on making dynasty buys to improve your roster, heading towards one of two key destinations – contending to win a dynasty title in 2024 or rebuilding for a dynasty title challenge in 2025. Each article in the series will highlight a dynasty buy for both contenders and rebuilders – with three trade ideas based on the DLF Trade Analyzer: Pivot Up, Same Tier or Pivot Down.
Buying as a contender is all about winning the title now, whilst leaving the window open to compete again year after year. Buying as a rebuilder is all about making the right trades to maximize roster value next season and become a contender for a dynasty championship.
Time Context and Strategy
Week one is a great time to go out and make some trades in order to consolidate your position in dynasty leagues. The market will be slow to adapt to the evidence in front of them – we now have an actual real-life example of what the NFL is going to look like in 2024. But dynasty managers are slow to admit evidence that does not confirm their priors. This gives a real opportunity to trade early to add players to your portfolio who are going to either contribute immediately or provide a boom in value later down the line.
Rebuilder Buy – Caleb Williams, QB CHI
The best time to buy young assets in dynasty is in-season. The dynasty community was incredibly high on first-overall draft pick Williams in the off-season, but the moment he stepped onto an NFL field and did not look like the best quarterback in the league, people thought he might be a bust.
Now is not the time to worry about Williams. His 6.22 points in week one were not what you were hoping for if you started him. However, in 2023 CJ Stroud opened his NFL career with 9.68 fantasy points. It wasn’t until week nine that he finished inside the top ten at the position, and he was the breakout star of the 2023 season.
Don’t let a week one underperformance from a rookie make you panic about their long-term future in the league. Let your leaguemates panic and use this opportunity to buy them lower than you should be able to.
Pivot Up
Pivot Up – acquiring a higher-valued asset in exchange for multiple lower-valued assets
Caleb Williams = Tua Tagovailoa + Deebo Samuel
This trade is an example of how to use the leverage of different teams being in different situations. Samuel is one of my favorite contending buys, and Tagovailoa will never have the ceiling that Williams has. This trade should work for both sides.
Same Tier
Same Tier – acquiring an asset in the same tier of valuation, in a straight-up swap deal
Caleb Williams = Bijan Robinson
If you’re rebuilding, running back is not the position to be building around right now. Trading away Robinson never feels great, but doing it to acquire a cornerstone piece for your roster makes it a more palatable move.
Pivot Down
Pivot Down – acquiring multiple lower-valued assets in exchange for a higher-valued asset
Caleb Williams + Jayden Reed = CJ Stroud
It’s hard to pivot down to a player currently valued as the QB8. However, tiering off Stroud to gain two young talents who are great rebuilding buys is a surefire way to buy low on current value.
Contender Buy – Rashee Rice, WR KC
Rice was one of the most controversial figures of the 2024 off-season. He was in legal trouble everyone assumed would lead to a suspension, causing his value to plummet despite elite production down the stretch in 2023.
However, it seems unlikely that a suspension is now coming in 2024. The dynasty community has not seemed to realize this, with Rice still appearing to be significantly undervalued, especially considering his production in week one. With a suspension still on the horizon in 2025, now is a great time to buy a player who is locked in to produce for the Chiefs in 2024 and propel your team to success.
Pivot Up
Pivot Up – acquiring a higher-valued asset in exchange for multiple lower-valued assets
Rashee Rice = Terry McLaurin + 2025 third
Terry McLaurin struggled in week one but has been incredibly hyped up in fantasy circles due to the lack of target competition around him. However, this makes it easier for opposing defenses to double him and he is going to see elite cornerback coverage all season long. Combine that with the fact that Jayden Daniels is going to use his legs and Rice feels a much safer piece to win a title in 2024.
Same Tier
Same Tier – acquiring an asset in the same tier of valuation, in a straight-up swap deal
Rashee Rice = Jayden Reed
This is a trade that should help both sides. Jayden Reed was the WR1 in week one but Jordan Love has just been injured. If a team is looking to rebuild from this information, buying Reed for a perceived value is a great way to do it. If you’re a contender, Rice is far more likely to support you this season with Love out.
Pivot Down
Pivot Down – acquiring multiple lower-valued assets in exchange for a higher-valued asset
Rashee Rice + 2025 second = Rome Odunze
This is a great opportunity to use a young stud WR to buy a piece who is more likely to produce for you in 2024 and get additional draft capital on top. Rome Odunze is still holding onto his value from the 2024 draft, even though he’s the third target on the Chicago Bears and unlikely to be a huge contributor to your teams in 2024. Rice is far more likely to produce this year and the 2025 2nd is the cherry on top.
Summary
It’s important to be able to correctly identify the stage that your dynasty roster is in, even in this early stage of the season. If you can accurately do this, you can build one way or the other to lock in your window and be more likely to compete for a title in the time frame of your choosing.
You can hear more from Lewis on his YouTube channel 'Fantasy Pancake' https://youtube.com/@fantasypancake?si=U7BLlUCqY38dTsEv
- 2025 NFL Draft: What We Expect from Day Three - April 26, 2025
- 2025 NFL Draft: What We Expect from Day Two - April 25, 2025
- 2025 NFL Draft: What We Expect from Day One - April 24, 2025
