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Matt Donnelly's expensive dynasty fantasy football players to trade for. His top pricy dynasty assets worth buying and acquiring, including Malik Nabers and more.
For dynasty football managers, roster construction is similar to managing a stock market portfolio. Savvy managers want to buy low on an asset and maximize their return on investment whenever possible. While that is still a sound strategy, it's okay to do something for yourself and spend a little extra occasionally.
With that in mind, several players on the fantasy streets are worth their gold weight. It's okay to add them to your roster at their perceived ceiling. These are the top five dynasty assets that aren't cheap but are well worth the investment for 2025 and beyond.
But first, for a deeper dive into dynasty strategy, rankings, and trade tactics, check out our complete Dynasty Fantasy Football Guide.
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Nico Collins, WR - Houston Texans
As we enter the 2025 season, there may still be an opportunity to add some Nico Collins shares at a responsible price, considering he missed five games during his 2024 campaign. However, even if you can't get a steal of a deal on the Texans Pro Bowl pass catcher, there is still value in adding him to your roster regardless of the price.
Collins started the first five weeks of last season, averaging 21.3 fantasy points per game. At the same time, Ja'Marr Chase was the only receiver who posted more fantasy production over that period than Collins had. That's taking Week 5 into account, where his injury limited him to playing just 13% of the snaps. Upon his return in Week 11, Collins would still average nearly 18 fantasy points per game on the season. If you project that start throughout the season, Collins was on pace for 96 receptions, 1,424 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns.
Why is Collins a must-add? Before missing Week 6 due to injury, Collins had racked up a league-best 567 receiving yards, being targeted on 44 occasions, and earning a 23.2% target share. That worked out to 113.4 receiving yards per game; meanwhile, the next closest receiver, Chase, averaged 98.6 yards per contest.
Collins accounted for 38.4% of the Texans' receiving yards market share thanks to an impressive 3.63 yards per route run. For fantasy, this added up to the WR2 to start the season, which proved that his WR12 finish in 2024 was not a fantasy outlier. Ore impressive yet, while Collins has produced video game-esque numbers when healthy, he has also seen a 65.1% catchable target rate over the previous three seasons (fourth-worst).
Going Deep!
Best Average Separation Scores on Vertically-Breaking Routes [2024]:
1. Nico Collins - 0.224
2. Brian Thomas - 0.166
3. Josh Palmer - 0.153
4. Mike Evans - 0.152
5. Terry McLaurin - 0.146
6. Ja'Marr Chase - 0.139 pic.twitter.com/3o8g7FjFWo— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) July 7, 2025
Collins is the featured option in the Texans' passing game and is expected to be a target hog as Houston parted ways with Stefon Diggs after just one season and replaced him with Christian Kirk and a pair of rookies in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. In Collins, fantasy managers can expect a top-5 fantasy receiver for years, which is always a wise investment.
Jayden Daniels, QB - Washington Commanders
One of the most comforting things a fantasy manager can do is plug in a "set it and forget it" type player, especially regarding the quarterback position. During the 2024 season, only Lamar Jackson (16) and Baker Mayfield (13) finished with more weekly top 12 finishes than Daniels' 12 in his rookie campaign.
In just his second season, some believe Daniels is a legitimate candidate to win the MVP award, and the numbers back that up. Daniels was the fifth-best quarterback under pressure last season, posting an 85.7 passing grade when he was left with less than 2.5 seconds to throw. Daniels also produced the second-best completion percentage on tight window throws, connecting at a rate of 35.2%.
Pressure is just another word to Daniels, who also averaged 0.59 fantasy points per dropback when trailing, which put him amongst elite fantasy options in Jackson, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow. However, what sets Daniels apart is his ability to add fantasy production with his legs. In 2024, Daniels' 36.1 scramble yards per game bested that of Jackson (27.4) and Jalen Hurts (28.1), which aided in Daniels leading the Commanders in rushing yards with 891.
As Daniels got more comfortable within the Commanders' offense and with what NFL defenses were doing against him, we saw Daniels take that next step much sooner than anticipated. While Daniels was still impressive, averaging 18.1 fantasy points per game through the first 11 weeks, from weeks 12 through 17, Daniels became a fantasy cheat code, averaging 20.8 fantasy points per game to close the season and lead many fantasy managers to championships.
In the games that Jayden Daniels played 50% or ^ snaps
he averaged 23.7 fantasy points per game
Overall last season that would have = QB2 in fppg pic.twitter.com/QDpPeGSU88
— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) June 12, 2025
Heading into 2025, Washington has added some new wrinkles to their offense, most notably the addition of a jack-of-all-trades weapon in Deebo Samuel Sr. As much of a threat as Samuel is in the passing game, it's the way he will affect the run game that will cause defenses to hesitate for a split second which will ultimately open things up even moreso for Daniels as a passer and a runner.
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Ashton Jeanty hasn't even played a down in the NFL, yet he should have fantasy managers feeling the same way Fry felt in Futurama when he needed that "eyePhone." Just, "Shut up and take my money!"
Last season, the Raiders' run game was abysmal. What looked promising heading into the season with Zamir White quickly became fantasy nightmare fuel as Alexander Mattison, Sincere McCormick, and Ameer Abdullah led the team in rushing, with neither topping more than 132 carries or 450 rushing yards. Add all four running backs' numbers, adding up to 302 carries for 1,097 rushing yards. During his final season at Boise State, Jeanty alone carried the ball on 374 occasions and churned out 2,601 yards on the ground.
Jeanty is the unquestioned leader in the backfield in Las Vegas as McCormick, White, and an aging Raheem Mostert round out the depth chart. Last season, Saquon Barkley led the NFL in touches with 378, and knowing Jeanty's history as a bell-cow and looking at the depth chart, there is a good chance Jeanty challenges that mark as a rookie.
Five RBs from the 2025 class are among the top-25 most elusive players by Missed Tackles Forced per Carry
– Ashton Jeanty (0.46 MTF/A)
– Bhayshul Tuten (0.45)
– RJ Harvey (0.42)
– Omarion Hampton (0.41)
– Quinshon Judkins (0.40)(out of 111 charted RBs since 2016) pic.twitter.com/mVjLd2aysh
— Graham Barfield (@GrahamBarfield) May 28, 2025
Las Vegas has a competent quarterback under center for the first time in a long time in Geno Smith, along with a pair of options in the passing game in Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers that will help prevent teams from loading the box. If history has taught us anything, this Raiders offense will play fast. Chip Kelly, who takes over play calling, had two offenses finish in the top four in total plays over his four seasons in the NFL, with all four of those offenses finishing first in seconds per play. More plays mean more touches for Jeanty, ultimately leading to more fantasy points.
Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
While both Bowers and George Kittle topped Trey McBride's 2024 fantasy outcome, McBride produced more points with less. Bowers led all tight ends in fantasy production with 247.7 fantasy points, while Kittle was behind him with 231.9 of his own. Kittle's production was propped up somewhat thanks to his 11 touchdown receptions, while Bowers finished with five.
Comparing "Expected" vs. Actual TDs for fantasy-relevant players in 2024 via @FantasyPtsData
> Trey McBride, George Pickens, the Vikings backfield, and Chase Brown got unlucky last year and are positive regression candidates
> I'm most worried about James Cook and McLaurin pic.twitter.com/1rNrAWQOLO
— Ryan Heath (@RyanJ_Heath) June 26, 2025
Meanwhile, McBride was limited to just a pair of receiving touchdowns in the desert despite 34 red zone targets. Patience is key, the volume is there, and the production is coming. If McBride's touchdown reception total was equal to that of Bowers, then McBride's season total goes from 230.3 fantasy points to a league-best 248.3.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is expected to take a step forward this season, which should take some of the attention off of McBride, but not too much. After all, McBride's 24.9% target share led all tight ends, as did his 33.6% first read target share, 71.6 receiving yards per game, and 30.8% team receiving market share per Fantasy Points Data. McBride also led in targets' power route (0.234), Targets per game (9.2), and receptions per game (6.9).
In a game where every advantage is an opportunity, what would fantasy managers not want to "pay up" for a player destined to top his position in production as McBride currently is?
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
When your rookie season is compared to Randy Moss, Chase, and Puka Nacua, you know you are cooking with fire. In 2024, Malik Nabers posted 256.2 fantasy points, finishing as the WR6 on the strength of his NFL rookie record of 170 targets. Those targets are there to stay as Nabers will eat well for the foreseeable future while Wan'Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, and Jalin Hyatt settle for leftovers.
Most Fantasy Points per Game From a Rookie WR [Since 1990]
1. Odell Beckham Jr. (24.6)
2. Randy Moss (19.2)
3. MALIK NABERS (18.2)
4. Ja'Marr Chase (17.9)
5. Anquan Boldin (17.7)
6. Puka Nacua (17.6)
7. Justin Jefferson (17.1)
8. Michael Thomas (17.1)
9. Brian Thomas Jr. (16.7)… pic.twitter.com/JYEXjsIaSe— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) June 24, 2025
Nabers dominated the Giants' receivers' room, accounting for a 32.2% target share, an unprecedented 42.8% first read target share, and averaging 11.1 targets per game. Nabers' 0.32 targets per route run led to 18.2 fantasy points per game. Volume matters as much for pass catchers as it does for running backs.
Not only did Nabers show off his talent last season, but he also did so by showing the world he is as close to quarterback-proof as a prospect can be, as Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock, and even Tim Boyle all took turns under center. New York blew up that quarterback room and significantly upgraded with Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and their future franchise signal-caller, Jaxson Dart. All three quarterbacks have shown a knack for pushing the ball down the field, which will benefit fantasy managers.
If Nabers, at 21 years of age, could finish with 109 receptions and over 1,200 receiving yards playing with below-average play under center while missing two games. Nabers may be better than Chase and Justin Jefferson sooner rather than later. Isn't that something you want to add to be the cornerstone of your fantasy roster for the next 10 or more years? You really can't put a price on peace of mind.
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