Early Off-Season: Deep Dynasty Discounts

The NFL Playoffs are in full swing! That means your fantasy league champions have been crowned, the money has been distributed and 2022 is a wrap. That’s all folks, right? WRONG! The number 1 rule in dynasty is this. There. Is. No. Off-Season. The beauty of dynasty is that it is a 24/7 365 grind that just never stops. Sure, you’re not setting lineups for the foreseeable future, but you still need to be working to improve your squad for the 2023 season and beyond. Covered here are players that can likely be acquired for somewhere in the range of a late 2^nd to an 3^rd round pick in your upcoming rookie drafts. Make no mistake, there are risks in making trades at this time of year where future roles are difficult to project, but with that risk comes a unique buying opportunity. Every year there are players we look back on and wish that we had moved the lottery ticket that is a late round rookie selection for a player already in the league that hadn’t quite popped yet. If you like to swing for the fences at a bargain basement price point in your dynasty leagues, then this is the article for you!

QB: Jordan Love – GB

Headline: “Green Bay starting quarterback’s immediate future in doubt.” I feel like I’ve heard this story before. Between Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, there is never any shortage of drama when it comes to the end of an era at Lambeau field. With Rodgers looking like he may find his way out of town before the 2023 season, the stars may finally be aligning for 2020 first round selection Jordan Love to take over under center for the Packers. We have seen precious little from Love since his name was called on draft night nearly 3 years ago, but we know the GB organization prefers to be a year (if not a few years) too early rather than a year too late before passing the baton to their next franchise QB. A phenomenal Sophomore year at Utah State saw the former Aggie post 39 Total TDs and just 6 interceptions, but that was all the way back in 2018. 5 years in a dynasty league can feel like an eternity, so it’s very possible that a manager is looking to recoup something for him and turn the page.

What will he cost?

Depending on your league’s format, Love’s price can vary, but a late 2^nd round pick in what is considered a strong draft class in super flex leagues would give you a real chance of landing Love right now. If you’re looking to throw a dart on Love in 1QB formats, he shouldn’t be going for more than a late 3^rd round pick at this point.

RB: Pierre Strong – NE

Yes, a Patriot’s running back who rarely saw the field in year one made the list folks, bear with me.  As a lifelong Pats fan, the way Strong’s rookie campaign unfolded was incredibly predictable. Whether it be Kevin Faulk, Shane Vereen or James White, the team takes their time developing running backs to fit their system. Even current lead back Rhamondre Stevenson was either inactive or in on less than a third of the team’s offensive snaps on 12 occasions during his rookie year in Foxboro. Point being, there is a precedent for patience being rewarded in this backfield. When Strong took the field for New England he showed glimpses of upside as both a runner and a receiver. On the season he registered 10 carries for an even 100 yards and snagged all 7 passes thrown his way. Granted, the sample size here is miniscule, but Strong did profile as a dual threat back in college who could shoulder a massive workload. With Damien Harris likely walking away in free agency, the number two job in the backfield is firmly up for grabs with minimal competition for the role currently on the roster heading into 2023. To be clear, he’ll be playing second fiddle to the uber talented Stevenson, but the Patriots prefer to rotate through multiple RBs, leaving enough meat on the bone to for more than one back to be fantasy viable. Look at Strong as a cheap addition who has a path to some stand-alone value with upside for more if Stevenson were to miss time next season.

What will he cost?

A mid-3^rd round pick in just about any format should get a deal done in most cases. Any manager who took Strong in this range of last year’s draft can’t have been overly thrilled with his lack of production as a rookie and is most likely looking to take another late round spin of the wheel. Give them that chance and add Strong on the cheap before free agency comes around.

WR: Isaiah Hodgins – NYG

Hodgins finds his way on to this list after a strong finish to the 2022 season. The 2020 6^th round pick of the Bills began his career buried on the depth chart in Orchard Park to the point where he landed on the Buffalo practice squad to start the 2022 season. When it became clear that the Giants needed pass catching weapons, former Bills OC Brian Daboll snatched the 24-year-old Hodgins up in early November and immediately inserted him into the WR rotation. Down the stretch of the fantasy season, Hodgins finished WR16 in both half & full PPR formats between weeks 13 - 17. Those numbers were backed up by his best game as a pro in the Wild Card Round where he erupted for an 8/105/1 line in a Giants’ victory in Minnesota. What we have here is a young player walking into a contract year with 3 seasons of experience in his current head coach’s offense that we just saw produce at a WR2 level for a time despite being parachuted into a new team in the middle of the season.

What will he cost?

Difficult to say, as Hodgins’ name is no doubt on the fantasy radar by now. But an early 3^rd round pick should either get a trade done, or at least start a productive conversation. The selling point managers looking to acquire him should be hammering home to their trade partner is that his production was recorded over a small sample size, and that Hodgins was locked down in the team’s Divisional Round thumping at the hands of the Eagles. Those points are true, but remember, the hit rate in the third round of rookie drafts is low, and players selected in that range typically take time to develop, if they pan out at all. With Hodgins, that development period has come and gone, and he showed that he can help an NFL offense and should have a role with the Giants and a deeper connection with Daniel Jones heading into 2023.

TE: Jelani Woods – IND

In the barren wasteland that is the tight end pool, there aren’t many secrets as to who the reliable producers are. Being a buy low writeup, we won’t be touching on any of those production standouts here. Beyond the cream of the crop, there is a vast pool of players who might be fantasy viable someday, and rookie tight end Jelani Woods falls firmly into that category. What I liked most about Woods in the scouting process was his large frame. At 6’7 he screams red zone target, and a TD is just about all a tight end needs to help your fantasy team win. The former 3^rd round pick showed flashes in his first season in the NFL, recording 18 catches over the season’s final 6 games. His best all-around outing came in week 12 where he finished with 8 grabs for 98 yards on 9 targets from Matt Ryan. The Colts are no doubt in for a complete revamp, which does make Woods’ future role a bit of a question mark, but that is firmly baked into his price heading into the off-season.

What will he cost?

A mid-3^rd round rookie pick will likely be enough to pry Woods away from one of your league mates. This could especially be the case if the manager holding Woods has a log jam at the TE position and would rather take a shot on a prosect at another position. He will require some patience to be sure, but if you’re willing to stick it out for a year or two on Woods, he could pay dividends for dynasty mangers in the long run.