In just a few short weeks into the dynasty fantasy football season, everything we thought we knew has changed.
JK Dobbins and Nick Chubb have gone from priceless commodities to worthless assets. Guys named Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua have come off waiver wire and taxi squads and become must-starts… thanks to WR king-maker Matthew Stafford. At the least the TE landscape is as terrible as it always is. We didn’t know that either, though we should have.
But among the chaos wrought by early season surprises are places where you can pivot and win big. As we do every week, we have a few interesting buys and sells ahead of Week 4 that can dramatically improve your dynasty fantasy football teams in the long run.
So, let’s embrace the volatility and dive right in…
Buy Rashee Rice
There’s a chance that Kansas City Chiefs rookie WR Rashee Rice is flying under the radar in your dynasty fantasy football league. If he is, that’s because he’s just the PPR WR53 through three weeks of the season. With Travis Kelce getting all the love from Patrick Mahomes and Skyy Moore kind of, maybe coming through on pre-season hype, it’s time to make a move for Rice.
Despite playing almost half as many snaps as Moore, Rice actually has earned one more target than the second-year wideout. He’s turned that into 10 receptions for 108 yards, or three more receptions and four fewer yards than Moore has. Mahomes is clearly looking for Rice when he’s on the field.
Also, Rice narrowly missed a much bigger Week 3, thanks to some bad luck in second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Bears:
Rashee Rice was close to a 23-point fantasy breakout game in Week 3
Rice had a pair of 2nd quarter near-TDs 👇🏼
(11:50) catch originally called a TD and was overturned and marked at the 1
(1:12) 13-yard reception tackled at the 15/59/0 was nearly 5/61/2 👀 pic.twitter.com/FuE7ESDfCH
— Curtis Patrick (@CPatrickNFL) September 25, 2023
Though not one of the household names taken in the draft at WR this year, Rice was still the seventh receiver off the board, taken at the back of the second round. He even went directly ahead of Marvin Mims Jr and Tank Dell and just behind Jayden Reed. All three of those rookies have enjoyed breakout performances already this season.
As the 12th best WR in the NFL in yards per route run and second overall in target rate per Player Profiler, Rice is a screaming buy for managers who may just be looking at the bottom line. It could be hard to get your hands on a talented but unproven wideout catching passes from Patrick Mahomes, but it should be worth the overpay.
If I’m targeting Rice in a trade, I’d send a 3rd round pick and a lesser player, a breakout elder statesman like Adam Thielen or even a 2nd round pick to acquire Rice on the cheap now. Give me the chance at WR2 level production if Rice can grab a hold of the second-fiddle role in KC.
Sell Kyren Williams
In a plus matchup against a pretty average defense, Kyren Williams fell back down to earth in Week 3. But let’s be real, he’s still a likely back-end RB2 option for the rest of the season, assuming health. However, it’s likely he’s still viewed as more given his elite production in Week 1 and 2. I’m looking to get out on Williams now – for the right price, of course.
Williams continued his exceptional, out-of-nowhere usage this past week, alongside teammates Nacua and Atwell. He received 100% of the Los Angeles Rams’ running back touches, but did little with them. On the night, Williams had a combined 65 yards and no scores on 12 touches.
Look, the underlying metrics were still nice; he received 7 targets from checkdown Charlie, Matthew Stafford. But the bigger concern for me is a porous offensive line that’s making it difficult for Williams to hit 4 yards per carry. We saw the same issue with Cam Akers. And though Williams has the receiving chops, it’s clear that it’ll be tough sledding most weeks for the Rams run game.
Though Williams is a workhorse, I don’t like this offense. The lack of upside in the run game will likely lead to disappointment more often than not.
If rebuilding, I’d send Williams away for a 2nd round pick or a young receiver with upside like Elijah Moore or the aforementioned Rashee Rice. And, right now, you can probably get more than that for him.
Buy Gerald Everett
Sadly, Mike Williams is down for the year with a season-ending ACL tear against the Minnesota Vikings. That’s terrible for the player and team in reality, but in dynasty fantasy foobtball it opens up an opportunity for work.
The question, though, is who exactly will get that work. Many seem to believe it’ll be Joshua Palmer, who has been running as the clear WR3 in Los Angeles. Some are high on rookie Quentin Johnston, who is now a shoe-in for increased snaps. But my money is on the guy who did it last year when LA’s weapons were out: Gerald Everett.
Everett’s role has taken a hit this season because Kellen Moore seems intent on using Donald Parham more than ever. And, to be fair, it’s panning out wonderfully. Parham has three TDs in the season’s first three games. With his scoring upside capped, Everett has been a disappointment on the year thus far.
But with Big Mike now on the shelf, the Chargers are going to need someone to step up to occupy his role. That looks to be Palmer, with QJ running deep routes to stretch the D. But it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Everett dominate between-the-20s looks from Justin Herbert once again. Especially if Keenan Allen is eliminated, Everett has as good a chance as any LA pass catcher to earn targets.
At a position that remains up-in-the-air through the early stages of the season, I’ll swing on a likely discounted Everett for a 3rd rounder. I’ll also offer up a lower-end wideout like Darnell Mooney or Rashod Bateman to see if I can score Everett.
Sell Josh Dobbs
Josh Dobbs literally came out of nowhere for the Arizona Cardinals, who traded away a fifth rounder for his services two weeks before opening day. Since that time, the former Cleveland Brown has been great, both in the locker room and on the field.
Dobbs isn’t an ideal starting NFL QB, but he has shown that he can move well and deliver the ball fairly accurately through the first three weeks. After a rough outing in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders, he’s put up back-to-back nice fantasy weeks… and is now a get-what-you-can-for-him-immediately sell candidate.
Dobbs has been efficient thus far as a passer and his rushing has improved each week. Now presumably more comfortable in his new offense with his new weapons, the Cardinals have been competent on offense. And with 96 yards rushing and a touchdown over his past two games, he’s the dual-threat we like to see for dynasty fantasy football QBs.
He’s been impressive enough early on, and people are taking notice:
.@AZCardinals @josh_dobbs1 with a skillset that makes you pay attention. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/lgfAilkbtS
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 25, 2023
This is exactly why you need to sell him. Kyler Murray is due back eventually and Dobbs is not long for the starting role. I’m looking for contending teams who were relying Aaron Rodgers, Derek Carr and Joe Burrow. Maybe I can get something for relatively nothing.
I’ll take a 3rd rounder for Dobbs in a Superflex league. I’d even consider a younger WR or TE with promise, like Trey McBride or Cole Kmet. It’s worth seeing if a contender is in need of a QB3 who may not be worth much for long.
Those are my best buys and sells for this week. Check back weekly to see who is trending, and make the right deals to help you build a killer dynasty fantasy football team.
Jeremy Shulman
Jeremy is an avid football fan from New York who lives in Amsterdam and roots for the Patriots. This walking contradiction has played fantasy football for over than 20 years. He is now a Senior Dynasty Writer at The League Winners. In his spare time, he writes and edits professionally.