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Dan Fornek's NFL offseason losers to buy low on in dynasty fantasy football leagues. His top trade candidates and buy-lows, including Jayden Reed, Rhamondre Stevenson, and more.
Every offseason, we see free agency and the NFL Draft damage the situation of some of our favorite fantasy football players. However, there are also a lot of times when our knee-jerk reaction to a player’s value (especially in dynasty) is an overreaction.
The players on this list lost value this offseason due to their teams' moves or situation changes. Because of that, they could easily be characterized as “buy lows” in dynasty fantasy football leagues.
Which players should you buy who had a poor offseason? Read below to find out.
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Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
Rhamondre Stevenson’s dynasty value took a significant hit when New England drafted Ohio State rookie TreVeyon Henderson in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Henderson handled 590 carries for 3,761 yards and 42 rushing touchdowns during his four years in college. He also added 77 receptions for 853 yards and six receiving touchdowns.
Over the last three seasons, Stevenson has operated as the lead back in New England, averaging 63.6% of the team’s backfield snaps while competing with underwhelming complementary options. That workload allowed him to average 191 carries for 820 yards and five rushing touchdowns per season, along with 60 targets, 47 receptions, and 276 receiving yards.
Those days are likely over.
Patriots again hitting Duo and again asking the Bengals CB to make the tackle. Rhamondre Stevenson with a great run here to make it all right. pic.twitter.com/HW6GbRQuc0
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) September 9, 2024
However, for at least the short term, Stevenson isn’t going anywhere in the Patriots backfield. Stevenson signed a four-year, $36 million extension before the 2024 season that will take effect starting in 2025. The structure of the contract means he will be in New England for the next two seasons due to his guarantees.
Additionally, Henderson struggled with health in college and was at his best in 2024, splitting the backfield with fellow second-round pick Quinshon Judkins. Henderson will get plenty of playing time in 2025 with New England, but it seems very unlikely that he will immediately dominate touches.
Expect Stevenson to continue to maintain a steady role as long as he’s on the Patriots. The offense will likely be better thanks to Drake Maye and the team’s offensive line upgrades. That should give Stevenson plenty of opportunities to score fantasy points.
Stevenson’s value is at an all-time low after the Patriots drafted Henderson. Take a chance on him as a flex play with touchdown upside.
Rico Dowdle, RB, Carolina Panthers
Rico Dowdle quietly put together a strong season for the Cowboys in 2024. The veteran running back made the most of his first starting opportunity, carrying the ball 235 times for 1,079 yards and two rushing touchdowns while adding 39 receptions on 49 targets for 249 yards and three receiving scores. Dowdle finished as the RB24 in PPR points per game (12.4) as the Cowboys lead back.
Rico Dowdle picks up 27 yards!
📺: #CINvsDAL on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus & ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/jB6DA4IBQ2— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2024
Despite his success, the Cowboys allowed Dowdle to leave in free agency. The strength of this running back class in the draft did the veteran back no favors, leading him to sign a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Panthers that could be worth up to $6.25 million in incentives.
In many ways, this was not an ideal landing spot for Dowdle. Instead of being in a situation where he could lead a backfield, he will at least be splitting time with Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard was also excellent in 2024, carrying the ball 250 times for 1,195 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns while adding 43 receptions for 171 yards and one receiving score.
Still, there are positives for Dowdle in dynasty. The Panthers have an ascending offense with one of the best run-blocking offensive lines in the NFL. Second-year running back Jonathon Brooks has already been ruled out for the season, leaving Dowdle in the lead for a complementary role to Hubbard.
Additionally, we have seen Hubbard struggle with efficiency in the past. Dowdle could easily begin the season in a change-of-pace role, but take over the backfield with any injuries or ineffectiveness from Hubbard.
We don’t know what Dowdle’s role will look like in 2025, and we don’t know which team he will play for after that. However, he showed enough in his limited time as a starter to warrant a shot in dynasty leagues.
Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
All of the offseason hype for the Jaguars has centered around Travis Etienne Jr. and rookie Bhayshul Tuten. On the surface, that makes sense. We love explosive players in fantasy football, and both Etienne and Tuten are explosive in the backfield.
However, the discourse is ignoring the player who could easily lead Jacksonville’s backfield in 2025, Tank Bigsby.
Tank Bigsby pic.twitter.com/a5bCdvpGWD
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) March 25, 2025
Bigsby had a truly atrocious rookie season in 2023, handling just 50 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns. However, he rebounded in a major way in 2024. The second-year back ended the season with 168 carries for 766 yards and seven rushing touchdowns while adding seven receptions for 54 yards.
Bigsby averaged 4.6 yards per carry behind an abysmal offensive line. Etienne, the more explosive player, averaged just 3.7.
Jacksonville’s backfield is a fantasy manager’s worst nightmare. We have no idea how the new coaching staff will divvy up carries between three capable players. Sometimes, in moments like this, it is best to just take a flyer on the cheapest option.
Bigsby was surprisingly fantasy-relevant in 2024. There is no reason to believe he can’t continue that positive momentum with a new coaching staff as an early down volume running back with touchdown upside.
DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears
Countless words have been written about Chicago’s new-look offense under celebrated play-caller (and first-year head coach) Ben Johnson. The Bears featured a good pass-catching group with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet before using a top-10 pick on tight end Colston Loveland and a second-round pick on Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III.
The crowded pass-catching room, combined with reports of body language issues, has led many to believe that Moore could be the odd man out in Chicago’s passing attack. Given the improvements in the offense, his value has seemingly dropped, according to public perception this offseason.
A lot is being made of beat reports in the summer. It is causing many to ignore the fact that Moore is the most talented receiver on Chicago’s offense.
DJ Moore is so good with the football in his hands.
Can’t wait to see how Ben Johnson sets him up for yac opportunities.
This is going to be fun. pic.twitter.com/FzcEvGWwyP
— Joey Sangwich (@JoeySangwich_) May 5, 2025
Since joining the Bears in 2023, Moore has averaged 138 targets, 97 receptions, 1,165 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns per season. He has six straight seasons with at least 118 targets, 63 receptions, 885 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns.
Even if Johnson plans on replacing Moore, it won’t happen in 2025. Moore carries a dead cap hit of over $60 million. That number drops to $35 million in 2026 before plummeting to $8 million in 2027.
On the surface, it appears Moore will have two seasons left in Chicago unless the Bears decide to find a trade suitor. However, that likely wouldn’t happen until the 2026 offseason.
Moore has six straight seasons as a WR2 in PPR scoring, including a top-10 finish in 2023. Given Chicago’s offseason acquisitions and the reports from camp, his value has still fallen despite potentially being in the healthiest offensive environment of his career.
Buy the dip.
Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers
Jayden Reed has struggled to find consistency in fantasy thanks to his role as a slot-specific player with a quarterback who isn’t afraid to spread targets around. Because of that, Reed has two straight seasons finishing just outside the top 24 wide receivers despite averaging 13.6 PPR fantasy points per game as a rookie and 11.6 PPR in his second season.
Green Bay Packers WR Jayden Reed
20-163-1 rushing
55-857-6 receiving
75 targets25.3 years old at start of 2025 season (Year 3)
Every rush + target in 2024 👇 pic.twitter.com/u8urhXqHd1
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) June 17, 2025
Things won’t get much better for Reed from a playing time standpoint in his third season after the Packers used a first-round pick on Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden.
That, combined with his role as a wide receiver specifically in three-receiver sets, is leading fantasy managers to overlook the impact Reed can have. Reed finished as the WR1 overall in Week 1 last season (33.1 PPR points) and the WR2 in Week 4 (27.1 PPR points). Both games were losses where the Packers were forced to pass to keep up in scoring.
Green Bay’s secondary took a major hit heading into 2025 when the team released Jaire Alexander. The Packers have also struggled to get consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks outside of edge-rusher Rashan Gary. There is a chance the Packers will be forced into more negative game scripts in 2025. That will greatly benefit Reed.
Reed is a volatile player in fantasy football due to his role. However, in situations where the Packers are forced to pass, he consistently schemed up touches and can finish as a top-scoring fantasy wide receiver.
Managers who roster Reed are likely tired of trying to guess the weeks he will be relevant. This gives us an excellent opportunity to buy low on a dynamic weapon who could have his best season in 2025.
Isaiah Likely, TE, Baltimore Ravens
2024 was the best season of Isaiah Likely’s career. The third-year tight end had 58 targets and set career-highs in receptions (42), receiving yards (477), and touchdowns (six). Through three seasons, Likely has an impressive 11.7 yards per reception, showing his ability to work downfield as a vertical threat from the tight-end position.
You can’t watch this cut-up and tell me Isaiah Likely isn’t a top-5 TE talent in the NFL. @DaGorilla4 pic.twitter.com/fKJmZOtGBX
— Chris Cooper (@ChrisCooper_NFL) May 23, 2025
It seemed like the stars were going to align for Likely heading into 2025. The Ravens were rumored to trade away veteran tight end Mark Andrews. Unfortunately, a trade never materialized.
Andrews will be a Raven in 2025, which means Likely will once again be relegated to a secondary role in the tight-end room. He’s poised to lose even more snaps since the team signed DeAndre Hopkins to function as its third receiver behind Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman.
However, we got a glimpse of Likely’s ceiling in 2024. His ability to impact games as a receiver and take over the offense is too enticing to ignore at the tight-end position.
Likely finished as the TE21 in PPR points per game in his third season (7.7) but had four top-10 scoring weeks at the position (including a TE1 finish in the first game of the season). Throughout the year, Likely showed his dynamism out of the slot and allowed us to see what life after Andrews would look like in Baltimore.
It’s possible that the manager rostering Likely would be willing to move off him for more steady production in 2025, knowing that Andrews is returning to the team. If you can acquire Likely and withstand another potentially inconsistent fantasy season, he’s a worthy addition in dynasty.
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