The term ‘buy low’ is common in fantasy football circles. It’s usually applied to players after they have a down year, suffered an injury, or are reaching an age cliff. The problem is, most buy low suggestions aren’t actually feasible in fantasy leagues. These players are usually clung to by their managers for a variety of reasons. In this article, I’ll highlight actual buy low candidates – real players you can acquire at a low cost, with potential ceilings worth the investment. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any ‘sexy’ names here, because frankly, those aren’t real buy low options. Nonetheless, I hope this article can provide a couple diamonds in the rough for this upcoming season and beyond.
As a side note, I must stress that this article is intended for fantasy football superflex leagues.
Ryan Tannehill, QB – Tennessee Titans
Ryan Tannehill is probably the least-sexy name at quarterback for fantasy football. He’s old, in a run-first offense, and is coming off an injury-plagued 2022 season. It’s also why he’s the perfect buy low candidate at quarterback.
Tannehill had a slow start to the season as the QB21 through the first five weeks. He missed some time, then was the QB14 in Weeks 10-15 before ultimately suffering a season-ending ankle injury.
The Tennessee Titans drafted Malik Willis in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but he looks far from ready to take over the starting role. And, to be honest, it probably saved Tannehill from being a cap-casualty this offseason. At any rate, we’re likely to see Tannehill as the Titans starter this season – at minimum.
If the Titans move on from Tannehill next year, he finds himself in ‘veteran bridge’ territory. In essence, he still has multiple starting-quality years ahead of him. That’s what’s most important if you’re a fantasy manager. And at cost, Tannehill is worth the price.
Currently you can get Tannehill for a 2023 3rd round pick. That’s starter-level play for a pick that will likely lead to a roster clogger. Tannehill isn’t supposed to be your QB1. He can be used as a matchup-dependent flex play at QB2.
We’ve seen what Tannehill can do in a run-first attack; even at his floor, with injuries included, he’s within QB2 range of outcomes. Unless you’re three deep at quarterback, you should be inquiring on Tannehill this offseason.
Jamaal Williams, RB – New Orleans Saints
Listen, fantasy football shouldn’t be this hard. Despite finishing as the RB13 with a league-leading 17 rushing touchdowns in ’22 and signing a three-year deal with the New Orleans Saints (who are likely to be without Alvin Kamara in 2024), Jamaal Williams is actually trending down in dynasty value.
Yes, 2022 was likely his peak. After all, 17 touchdowns is hard to top. Yet what we saw in Detroit is what we’ll see in New Orleans; at least, in terms of Williams’ usage. With the potential – and likely – suspension facing Alvin Kamara (along with likely underlying factors that will limit his fantasy upside) in 2024, I’m questioning why more people aren’t buying into Jamaal Williams.
The Saints have a potential out in Kamara’s contract after this season. If they opt to go that route, Jamaal is likely to be the 1A to whichever rookie – or veteran – they bring in. He’s also been working on improving his mental aptitude for mid-game situations, and working on pass-catching to get on the field for more opportunities for touches.
@jswaggdaddy @usnikefootball @RossJacksonNOLA @Jimmy_C08 @TonyTQuist @BYUfootball @MikeMasunas @MasunasMichael pic.twitter.com/2ZKEgDttOX
— Luke Neal (@coachLukeNeal) April 15, 2023
In fantasy leagues, Williams can be had for a late 2023 2nd round pick, or an early 3rd. I’m putting my money where my mouth is, too. Below is my latest trade where I acquired Williams.
Obviously, you shouldn’t be buying Jamaal Williams if your team is in a rebuild. Williams won’t provide the longevity to be relevant when a rebuilding team is ready to compete. However, he’s able to give you at minimum a two year window of solid flex play. That ability can be huge for contending teams.
Josh Palmer, WR – Los Angeles Chargers
It’s hard to argue that without Josh Palmer, the Los Angeles Chargers make the playoffs in 2022. With Mike Williams and Keenan Allen both missing time, it was Palmer who stepped up in a big way. In games where he played at least 80 percent of offensive snaps, Palmer finished with 50 catches on 75 targets for 558 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Palmer is a bigger receiver who doesn’t let contact stop his progress on routes. He’s also a player who likes to ‘get one back’ after having a bad rep. In many ways, he’s a perfect hybrid between Mike Williams and Keenan Allen.
Tennessee WR Josh Palmer (6-1 210) had a standout week at the Senior Bowl. Full video of his 1-on-1 reps from the week of practices: https://t.co/szl6nT5Nsz pic.twitter.com/ROHO7RJOiC
— Brad Kelly (@CoachBKelly) January 30, 2021
Williams and Allen’s time in LA may come to an end sooner than later. I believe it’s Palmer’s opportunity to grab the bull by the horns. The Chargers can get out of Allen and Williams’ contract after this season. If the team doesn’t choose a WR in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, it’s likely they’ll look to continue developing Palmer to take over a significant role in the future.
In terms of fantasy football value, Josh Palmer can be had quite easily for a 2023 3rd round pick. The hit rate on these picks is not high at all. I’d rather take the risk on an investment attached to a young, talented QB (Justin Herbert) that has already produced in a limited role, than hope that a 3rd round rookie pick will hit. We still haven’t seen Palmer’s ceiling yet, and for the price, it’s worth finding out if he can hit it.
Michael Gallup, WR – Dallas Cowboys
It feels like only yesterday that Michael Gallup blew up in his second year, putting up 1107 yards and 6 touchdowns in only 14 games. Since then, he lost Dak Prescott in 2020 to a gruesome ankle injury, was ravaged by injuries himself in 2021 before ultimately suffering a torn ACL in Week 17, then played hobbled throughout the 2022 season. Gallup would ultimate get arthroscopic surgery on his knee and ankle following the 2022 season.
The Dallas Cowboys gave Gallup a massive 5 year, $57,500,000 contract prior to the 2022 season. The team also restructured Gallup’s contract, in what could all but guarantee his roster spot for the 2024 season.
Fantasy football managers are concerned about Gallup’s role because the Cowboys traded for Brandin Cooks in the offseason. Cooks is a great talent in his own right, but I think it still allows Gallup to produce in what should be a high-powered offense. On top of that, the team let TE Dalton Schultz walk in free agency, allowing more opportunity for the wide receivers – regardless if Dallas were to draft another tight end this year.
Honestly, it’s forgotten just how talented Gallup is. Here’s a breakdown from Reception Perception’s Matt Harmon after his 2020 season (credit to 4for4’s Rob Lorge for his own Gallup article that led me to this breakdown):
“It doesn’t get brought up nearly enough that Gallup plays the most difficult receiver role in the Cowboys’ offense. Since he’s their best receiver against press coverage, right now, Gallup is the only one who can consistently play the X-receiver position. Gallup lined up outside on 95 percent of his sampled snaps and was on the line for 78.4 percent. Gallup also runs the most difficult routes on the tree at a high rate. Given that he thrives in this difficult role and a player like Cooper is best suited in positions other than X-receiver, it’s hard to argue with the Cowboys continuing to lean on Gallup here. Gallup’s 72 percent success rate vs. man coverage demonstrates he’s an underrated route runner. With a 75.5 percent success rate vs. press coverage, we see he’s developing a wide variety of release moves that give him an edge when running vertical patterns. Gallup’s best work comes on the curls and comebacks. He leads all players charted from 2020 in comeback routes by a decent margin and maintained a strong 75.6 percent success rate. These routes can be the basis of any NFL receiver’s portfolio but it’s far from some of the layup targets other players in the receiver corps get on a regular basis.”
As far as fantasy football goes, Gallup can be had at a cheap price. In many leagues, that means a 3rd or 4th round pick in a rookie draft. Like every other player in this article, I’ve been putting my money where my mouth is. Below is my latest trade involving Gallup.
The 2023 4th round pick in the trade above is the 4.07.
To give full transparency, I will never prop up a player or prospect without attempting to acquire them in leagues myself. Doing otherwise is dishonest, in my opinion. I know these buy low options may not be popular, but I hope they’re able to do what matters – provide above-average return on your investment.
