Dynasty Fantasy Football Buys: 3rd-Year Players to Trade For

January 31, 2026

Joey recommends 5 fantasy football dynasty buys, third-year players to trade for during the 2026 offseason. These could be fantasy football breakouts for 2026.

The best time to improve your dynasty team is in the offseason. This is the ideal time to trade for players who might be coming off a bad year or trade away a star player for multiple picks. That's why dynasty fantasy football leagues are so fun, because you are able to make moves even when there is no football happening.

In this article, we will discuss five third-year players dynasty managers should be buying during the 2026 offseason. All five of these players weren't the most consistent fantasy options in 2025. However, better fantasy seasons should be in store for each of these five up-and-coming stars.

So, which third-year players should dynasty managers buy this offseason? Let's dive in and find out.

Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders

After a historic rookie campaign, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels failed to follow up on that impressive first season. Part of the reason was due to three different injuries he suffered last year. He missed two games due to a knee injury, one game due to a hamstring injury, and seven total games due to an elbow injury. As a result, Daniels missed 10 of 17 games in 2025.

Even when he was healthy, he wasn't necessarily a strong QB1 option for fantasy managers. He finished as a QB1 in just one of his seven starts and averaged only 16.8 fantasy points across those seven contests. With Daniels having an injury-riddled 2025 campaign, his overall dynasty value might have dropped a bit since his rookie season.

If that's the case, Daniels is an easy buy heading into the offseason.

Jayden Daniels runs it in for the TD!

WASvsDAL on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/FU16BZMmAj

— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025

He is just 25 years old and has already shown his fantasy upside in his short career. Back in his rookie season, Daniels finished as the overall QB5 while averaging 21.5 fantasy points per game. He threw for 3,568 yards, 25 passing touchdowns, and ran for 891 yards on the ground. His rushing potential gives him a much higher fantasy ceiling each week.

Assuming his injuries are in the past, Daniels should return to being a strong QB1 option in 2026 and beyond. The Commanders just hired an up-and-coming offensive guru in David Blough to be their new offensive coordinator, and the 25-year-old is one of the best dynasty quarterbacks right now. He is ranked as the QB3 on KTC's latest dynasty rankings.

Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Injuries have really held back Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson from being a relevant fantasy option in his first two years in the league. He missed four games during the 2024 season and missed the final 13 games of the 2025 season due to a knee injury. Both of those injuries also came at a bad time for the former Florida State star.

In 2024, Benson was set to see a larger workload in the final weeks when James Conner went down with an injury. However, Benson was dealing with an ankle injury himself that caused him to miss Week 16 through Week 18. So, he never really got to show his potential in his rookie campaign that year.

Then in 2025, Benson was in line to be the Cardinals' starting running back once Conner suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 3. In his first career start, the 23-year-old totaled 10.4 PPR fantasy points behind a 13-touch performance. Unfortunately, that was Benson's only start of the year, as he suffered a knee injury in Week 4 that ended his season early.

Even though Benson has struggled to stay healthy in his short career, he is a sneaky buy ahead of the 2026 season. He won't turn 24 years old until July, and Conner is on his last legs. That means Benson could eventually take over this backfield. Don't forget, the Cardinals spent an early third-round pick on the Florida State product.

The talent is definitely there for him to succeed in this Arizona offense. He just has to stay on the field. With his dynasty value continuing to drop, now is a good time to take a chance on Benson. He won't cost dynasty managers much and carries significant upside if he manages to stay healthy.

Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers 

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey is one of the biggest dynasty fallers at the position following the 2025 season. McConkey was highly regarded as a top-10 dynasty WR just 12 months ago. He put together a strong rookie season in 2024, in which he finished as the overall WR13 in PPR formats. That year, the Georgia product caught 82 passes for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns.

Therefore, many dynasty managers were excited for what's to come for the young wideout. He averaged 15.1 PPR fantasy points per game as a rookie and averaged 18.7 PPR fantasy points in the final seven weeks of that season.

HERBO 40 YARDS TO LADD

📺 | @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/b0UUH3SSNe

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 28, 2024

However, McConkey was not the same player in 2025. He averaged only 11.3 PPR fantasy points and finished as the overall WR30 in PPR formats. His numbers across the board were down from his rookie season, as he caught 66 passes for 789 yards and six touchdowns across 16 games. The Chargers playmaker was simply unstartable in fantasy by the end of the year.

The two most noticeable differences from McConkey's 2024 to 2025 season were his motion rate and catchable target rate. In 2024, McConkey ranked 12th in catchable targets (79.5%) and 39th in motion rate (10.9%) among all WRs. He dropped to 66th in catchable target rate (66.4%) and 68th in motion rate (8.2%) among all WRs last year.

Both of those numbers, though, should improve in 2026 and beyond. The Chargers' offensive line will be back to full strength, which means Justin Herbert should have more time to throw and be more accurate in the pocket. Then, the addition of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel should help McConkey's overall dynasty value. McDaniel has been known to use a lot of motion in his offenses.

That's enough reason to buy McConkey heading into his third season. He's also only 24 years old and tied to Herbert moving forward.

Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze got off to a blistering start this past season. He finished as a top-20 fantasy WR in each of the first four weeks and averaged 19.9 PPR fantasy points during this span. After that, Odunze was an extremely inconsistent fantasy play the rest of the year. He only scored above 10 PPR fantasy points twice from Week 6 to Week 13 and missed the final five weeks due to a foot injury.

That foot injury, though, was a major reason why Odunze wasn't as consistent a fantasy option as he was to begin the season. He first injured his foot in October and then reaggravated that same foot injury during pregame warmups against the Browns in early December. So, the former Washington wide receiver was never 100% healthy in the second half of the year.

That's why Odunze is the perfect buy in all dynasty leagues this offseason. We saw what his role can be in this Chicago offense to start the 2025 season, and he was emerging as a breakout fantasy candidate. Then, the injury happened.

With Odunze tied to quarterback Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson for the foreseeable future, there is a real chance that he breaks out next year. Dynasty managers need to get ahead of that and try to acquire him this offseason. It might not be easy to trade for him, but he's a player who has the potential to be a consistent WR1 in 2026 and beyond.

Odunze, in this evolving Bears offense, is a nice dynasty target from the 2024 draft class.

Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers

One of the biggest keys in dynasty is trusting the talent. Sometimes, it's hard to do that when certain players aren't playing for various reasons. In the case of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, he just hasn't been able to stay healthy.

In 2024, Pearsall missed the first six games after being shot in the chest in an armed robbery attempt in the preseason. While it took him a couple of weeks to get going once he was finally active, he flashed his upside in the final weeks. The former Florida star caught a combined 14 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns across the last two games.

But more injuries held him back in 2025. He dealt with a persistent PCL knee injury that he first sustained in Week 4 and then reaggravated in the final weeks of the regular season. As a result, Pearsall went on to play in only nine of 17 games while totaling 36 catches for 528 yards this past year.

Purdy to Pearsall! wow

JAXvsSF on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/3cs1rBJxmv

— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025

An encouraging sign is that Pearsall did show some good things when he was on the field. He caught eight passes for 117 yards in Week 3, caught six passes for 96 yards in Week 15, and totaled five catches for 85 yards in Week 17. With Brandon Aiyuk all but gone, Pearsall should remain a key part of this San Francisco offense moving forward.

That makes him a dynasty buy heading into the 2026 offseason. It's tough to predict injuries, and if he manages to stay healthy, he has WR2 fantasy upside in this 49ers offense. At just 25 years old, better days are ahead for the former first-round pick.

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