Dynasty Players to Buy Prior to 2022 (Fantasy Football)

Dynasty managers’ biggest job prior to the start of each season is filling their roster with players whose value is ready to increase dramatically throughout the next season. Every year there’s a breakout player that can be acquired for pennies on the dollar and appreciate dramatically once their potential is realized.

There’s a player at each position I’ve been targeting (or held on to tightly) all off-season to give my dynasty roster the bump it needs for greatness in 2022.

Trade values based on KeepTradeCut calculator scores.

QB – Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

The Bears’ second-year QB enters 2022 as the bonafide starter after a strong end to his rookie season, but still has plenty to prove. Fields ended 2021 with 4 top-10 QB finishes in his last 5 starts. He was injured in the only start he didn’t finish as a QB1 playing just 51% of the snaps.

While it’s a small sample size, Fields’ 17-game pace from Week 8 to the end of the season would put him in elite company. Only six QBs have totaled 3,000 passing and 700 rushing yards since 2013 and all of them except one have finished as the QB-6 or higher, including two overall QB1 finishes (Josh Allen, 2021; Lamar Jackson 2019).

Fields’ pre-season has backed up the success everyone saw to end 2021, with a 14-for-16, 156 passing yards, and three TDs in Chicago’s preseason finale. Andy even mentioned Fields’ statline in the August 29 episode of the show as his “Good Vibes” candidate heading into the regular season.

Getting Fields in a Dynasty league may be tricky prior to the start of the season, but could be nearly impossible if Fields takes big steps forward. The manager with Fields on their roster invested at least a mid-1st-round rookie pick to get him last year, which means you can’t get Fields for free.

Offering a future 2023 2nd-round pick or an older starting QB with upside (Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins) and a later future pick should make the deal worth considering without breaking the bank to get a potential game-breaker at the QB position.

RB – Chase Edmonds, Miami Dolphins

Edmonds has been a tough player to put a finger on over the off-season. After being the very first signing of free agency, Edmonds has a chance to be the lead guy in what many expect to be a much-improved offense in Miami.

There might be some shadow on Edmond’s 2021 season due to James Conner taking over the Cardinals backfield and finishing as a top-5 RB on the season, but Edmonds finished as RB26 or higher anytime he got at least 55% of the snaps those first eight weeks prior to injury.

Now we find Edmonds in South Beach where he’s not only paid to be the lead back, but his projections with the new Dolphins regime led Jason to name him as a “My Guy” for the 2022 season in redraft.

The best reason I’ve seen all off-season for investing in Edmonds comes regarding the fit with new Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel’s zone blocking scheme:

Former SF run-game coordinator and OC Mike McDaniel is now the Dolphins HC.

Per @SportsInfo_SIS, the 49ers used zone blocking 282 times last season, 6th-most in the NFL.

Chase Edmonds on zone blocking last season (50+ carries)

EPA per play: 1st
Yards Per Attempt: 5.8 (1st)

— Connor Allen (@ConnorAllenNFL) June 13, 2022

Personally, I’ve fought whether to sell or keep Edmonds on my Dynasty roster this off-season, but facts like these make Edmonds a buy across the board.

Putting a cost to acquiring Edmonds isn’t easy, but starting with a 2023 2nd-round pick, a young player that we haven’t seen breakout like Rondale Moore or an aging veteran like DeAndre Hopkins might be enough to get the ball rolling to get Edmonds on your roster before his value goes through the roof with a big season.

WR – Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers

Another “My Guy” from the Ballers for 2022 (this one is Mike’s), Lazard is a sneaky grab in Dynasty since most managers may be enamored with the rookies in the Packers receiving room. Meanwhile, Lazard is in line to be the lead WR for Aaron Rodgers in 2022.

When it mattered most last season, Lazard was there for fantasy managers. After the Packers bye week, The Lazard King averaged 5 receptions for 58 yards and a TD over the last five weeks of the season, including 3 top-15 WR finishes.

With no Devante Adams and only rookies and the likes of Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins to compete with for targets, Lazard can be a quiet target to trade for and get high-end production in dynasty.

Whoever currently has Lazard on their dynasty roster probably views him as a WR3 or lower asset, so you won’t need to break the bank for him. Offering a Miles Sanders or a 2-for-1 deal that has a 2022 rookie involved may be enough to add what Mike has projected as the WR-23 for the season.

TE – Brevin Jordan, Houston Texans

While definitely being the biggest unknown on the list, Brevin Jordan is a player that I really like for Dynasty rosters.

As a rookie, Jordan only started 2-games for the Texans at tight-end and appeared in just eight. However, over that 8-game stretch, he posted three finishes inside the TE12, including overall TE3 & TE6 marks. That’s as many TE-6 finishes as 2022 fantasy darling Cole Kmet had the entire year in half as many games.

He’s not a household name, but Jordan profiles as a big-play TE. He ran a 4.64 40-yard dash and registers a 106.6 speed score in the UDK. That’s comparable speed-wise to the profiles of Mark Andrews & Travis Kelce. I’m not saying he’s Kelce or Andrews, but Jordan has the athletic ability to create the mismatches you’re looking for at tight-end.

Jordan should have every opportunity to be the leading option at tight-end in an offense that figures to be playing from behind quite often. Both Jason & Andy project Jordan to catch 5 TDs this season, which is the 17-game pace he was on through just 8-games last season playing just 40% of snaps. Assuming Jordan is the lead TE for the Texans, there’s a good chance he outperforms those projections.

At the end of the day, if you don’t have one of the top TEs for fantasy (and even if you already do) throwing a dart at a young guy like Jordan giving your team value can be the cheat code that pushes your roster over the top when it hits right.

Getting Jordan on your dynasty roster may not be difficult. In fact, he may be on waivers since he’s only rostered in 2% of leagues on Sleeper. If you did have to go acquire Jordan, a 3rd-round rookie pick or younger unproven asset should be plenty to get a negotiation moving.