TrueNorth FantasyFootball
Jun 22
In his debut article for True North Fantasy Football (@truenorthffb), Julien Barnett from The Point After (@ThePointAfterFF), states his case for a few dynasty players that you should acquire to help you win a championship this upcoming season.
Your dynasty team has been on the cusp of winning a championship for a few years now, but you can't quite get over the hump. You’ve spent countless hours, weeks, months and maybe even years, trading, drafting and scouring the waiver wire to build a winning team, but that championship still eludes you. Clearly, you’re frustrated by getting so close every year. Don’t fret my fellow fantasy football player, I’ve got you covered! I am going to outline some dynasty 'buys' you can acquire cheaply in almost every dynasty league (unless you have some savvy owners who are reading this article). Read on and find out who you should target to help you dominate your fantasy football league and put you over the top this year!
Jamison Crowder
Age: 27
Team: New York Jets
Dynasty WR Rank: #61
Last year, Crowder quietly finished as the WR26 (PPR) while playing on an abysmal New York Jets offense. In their season opener, Crowder saw a line of 14/17 (you read that correctly - SEVENTEEN targets), for 99 yards and 7.1 YPR. Not bad for a player who’s currently the 61st ranked WR. He dropped out of the WR2 conversation for a few weeks, while Sam "the Mono Man" Darnold recovered from his illness. However, once Darnold returned, Crowder was the WR15 from weeks 6-17. As well, the Jets have over 160 vacated targets with the departure of Robby Anderson and Demaryius Thomas. Free agent signing Breshad Perriman and rookie Denzel Mims will gobble up the majority of those vacated targets but I still predict Crowder to have a bit over 20 percent of the target share in this offense. This just screams value to me, go buy him!!
Price Point: A mid 2nd (2.05-2.08)
Players of similar value to Crowder: Sony Michel, Robby Anderson, Matt Brieda, John Brown
Golden Tate
Age: 31
Team: NY Giants
Dynasty WR Rank: #72
While everyone is gawking over the potential breakout of WR Darius Slayton, I’m swooping in and scooping the value on this late round gem. Tate put up some very convincing numbers in the weeks he was on the field, with very minimal rapport with Daniel Jones. Tate was suspended weeks 1-4, yet despite that, he still managed to finish the year as the WR45 (and he missed a 5th game with an injury). From weeks 5-17 he was the WR26, and nobody seems to be talking about it! Another year playing with Jones, and a heavy pass attack surely coming from the new coaching additions of Mike McCarthy and Jason Garrett, I can't imagine Tate not repeating this output and exceeding his WR72 ranking. Due to his advanced age (32 in August), you can get Tate CHEAP and reap the benefits of having a WR2 in your 2nd or 3rd flex spot.
Price Point: Two 3rds, or a late 2nd
Players of similar value to Tate: James White, Boston Scott, Eric Ebron, and Sammy Watkins
Jordan Howard
Age: 25
Team: Miami Dolphins
Dynasty RB Rank: #48
Jordan Howard is one of the most intriguing players heading into 2020. At only 25 years of age, he has already played on three different teams in five years and has now ended up on the rebuilding Miami Dolphins. Averaging a career clip of 4.3 yards per carry, and having two seasons eclipsing 1000 yards rushing, it’s hard to believe he’s being left for dead. The Dolphins had absolutely no run game last year (37 year old QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was the team's leading rusher) and that entire potential rushing production is up for grabs. They didn't draft ANY RBs with their 16 draft picks which tells me they are happy with the talent they have gone out and acquired. Part of that talent is Howard's only real competition, former 49er RB Matt Brieda, who is capable of putting up decent numbers when given the opportunity, but one who is injury prone and can never seem to play more than half a season. I think Howard can see 250 touches this year and emerge as a reliable RB2 option for your fantasy team.
Price Point: Mid 2nd or a late 2nd + 3rd
Players of similar value to Howard: Christian Kirk, Kerryon Johnson, Marlon Mack, Tarik Cohen and Marvin Jones, Jr.
James White
Age: 28
Team: New England Patriots
Dynasty RB Rank: #51
I know what you’re thinking - a New England RB? Eww. But hear me out. White saw 139 touches last season, with a total of 95 targets through the air. He is under contract for one more year and Jarrett Stidham is going to need a safety valve and someone to dump the ball off to. New England lost a lot of offensive pieces this offseason, but if there’s one thing that we can rely on head coach Bill Belichek to do, it's to utilize the weapons he has and to put them in a position to succeed. White might not be the prettiest acquisition but I think he’ll have a safe floor in an offense that for once might not change radically from week to week. He’s a back-end RB2/Flex option who could be a sneaky stash for a contender. Keep in mind however, 2021 and White hitting free agency is just a year away and with it comes a TON of question marks. If you are buying White, you have to be contending this year!
Price Point: Late 2nd, or two 3rds
Players of similar value to White: Damien Williams, Phillip Lindsay, Emmanual Sanders, John Brown
Drew Brees and Jameis Winston
Age: 41 & 26
Team: New Orleans Saints
Dynasty QB Rank: (Brees) #24 (Winston) #31
I included both these QBs on this list because I truly think there's a future for Jamies in the NFL. Playing behind Brees and learning from Sean Peyton, there is no reason a QB who has thrown for over 5000 yards can’t learn how to make good decisions, reduce his interceptions and be successful in the NFL. His mistakes are coachable, and I believe Peyton will be the key in helping Winston figuring it out.
Current starting QB for the Saints, Drew Brees (one of the greatest to ever play the game) signed a two year contract extension this offseason. However, he also signed a deal with NBC Sports as an in game commentator for when his career is over. Clearly, Brees is a short term asset for your dynasty team. Fantasy owners are scared off of Brees for a variety of reasons, but the looming retirement is the glaring concern. In the 10 weeks that Brees played (excluding the game he got injured in) he was the QB3, averaging over 22 points a game. Even at 41, this guy can still sling it. It’s unlikely the Brees owner in your league owns Winston as well, and if you're able to acquire them both for a cheap price, then, I think you’ve got a locked and loaded QB1 for years to come.
Price Point: Late 2nd or two early to mid 3rds. I think they both have similar value on the trade market. Jameis doesn't offer much now, but he has a ton of future upside and Brees is a win now piece. They have different roles for your roster but I think this is a fair price. (In one of my leagues, Jameis was traded for a 5th round pick, which I think is an absolute steal.)
Players of similar value to Brees: Aaron Rodgers, Ronald Jones, Brandin Cooks, Matt Ryan
Jared Cook
Age: 33
Team: New Orleans Saints
Dynasty TE Rank: #26
In dynasty leagues, Jared Cook is being undervalued because he’s 33 years old, but TEs have elite seasons in their mid 30s all the time! Delanie Walker, Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez and even Gary Barnage to name a few. TEs seem to play at a higher level later in their career, whereas, other skill positions excel in their mid to early 20s. Coming over from Oakland at the beginning of 2019, Cook took a few weeks to get adjusted to his new team. In his first four weeks, he didn’t surpass 10 points. Once he found his footing, he put up some of the most reliable TE numbers in the whole league. From week five on, he hit double digit points EVERY WEEK he was on the field and this propelled him to his TE6 finish. With a full year of Brees to Cook, in an offense they both know and understand, he has top five potential. Due to his age and the fact that most dynasty owners detest older assets, you can get him for DIRT cheap! If you’re a contender and you need a TE who will give you immediate production, but at a minimal cost, Jared Cook’s your guy.
Price Point: Late 2nd or two early 3rds
Players of similar value Cook: Hayden Hurst, Darrell Henderson, James White, Sterling Shepard
Honorable Mentions To Buy
Eric Ebron, Hunter Renfrow, Brandin Cooks
Thanks for reading! Agree or disagree with my choices? Who’s your top dynasty value buys in 2020? Let me know in the comments below.
Writer: Julien Barnett (@ThePointAfterFF)
Editor: Joe Simonetti (@joesimonetti77)