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Dave Ventresca breaks down whether you should buy or sell three players in dynasty fantasy football formats: Deebo Samuel Sr., Stefon Diggs, and Justin Fields.
We are smack in the middle of the NFL offseason. We’ve already seen a ton of trades and free-agent acquisitions by teams across the league. That means there are plenty of fantasy football implications to discuss.
Several players have joined new teams this offseason, including Deebo Samuel Sr., Stefon Diggs, and Justin Fields. While they each are starting fresh with a new club, this doesn’t mean we should automatically expect big results.
This also means dynasty fantasy football managers have to decide if they should buy or sell each player. Let’s take a few minutes and discuss what dynasty gamers should do with them.
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Deebo Samuel Sr. - WR, Washington Commanders
2024 was not Samuel’s best season. The six-year veteran butted heads with teammates throughout the year and was forced to overcome a midseason bout of pneumonia. He only caught 51 passes for 670 yards and averaged the fewest receiving yards per game of his entire career.
This was the turning point for Deebo Samuel this year. His approach with the media was different after this, especially coming off his not enough touches tweet.
Fans booed him after this drop and I’m sure he heard it loud and clear. pic.twitter.com/ME3Va6Ov3X
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) February 9, 2025
Apparently, there was more going on behind the scenes in 2024. Samuel requested that the team trade him this offseason, and San Francisco would eventually trade him to the Washington Commanders.
49ers trading WR Deebo Samuel to the Commanders for a 5th-round pick. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/V5hiStDf66
— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2025
It remains to be seen if Washington knows how to deploy Samuel properly. He has played such a unique role in the 49ers offense throughout his career. Samuel is not a typical receiver for the fact that he’s not a great route runner or separator. So, this could make it difficult for him to find success if he’s not deployed in the same role that Kyle Shanahan created for him in San Francisco.
Samuel struggled down the stretch last year, and the 49ers were willing to let him leave. They only received a fifth-round pick in return and took on $31 million in dead cap money by moving him. All of this sure looks like a major red flag.
Find someone who still believes in Samuel and use his name value to cash out. Trade returns won’t be the same as they were a few years ago, but they’ll be better if you move him now, before the bottom completely falls out.
Verdict: Sell
Stefon Diggs - WR, New England Patriots
Diggs enjoyed a fine first half of the 2024 season. He posted a 47-496-3 line in eight games in his first season playing for the Houston Texans.
.@StefonDiggs scores his first TD with the @HoustonTexans!
📺: #HOUvsIND on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/XXohBZDrvh— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024
However, he suffered a torn ACL in a Week 8 game against the Indianapolis Colts and would miss the remainder of the season.
Texans WR Stefon Diggs out for rest of season with torn ACL. pic.twitter.com/4iV11cRLQP
— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2024
While Diggs proved last year that he is not completely dust, several factors complicate his dynasty value moving forward. The first of which is his recovery from last year’s torn ACL. It typically takes players a full year to regain their pre-injury form following this injury. We may not see his best again until 2026.
That brings us to the second issue, which is Diggs’ age. He will be 31 at the start of the 2025 season and turns 32 in November. This is an age where many receivers see a steep drop in production. Combine this with the fact Diggs is coming off a major injury, and it’s easy to see a scenario where he struggles in 2025.
Diggs signed a three-year, $69 million deal with the New England Patriots this offseason. While that may seem like a good deal on the surface, the team has an out in the contract following 2025. That means this is a one-year deal, and Diggs could be out of a job if he doesn’t perform.
All of this suggests the preferred play is to sell Diggs. Find an owner in your league who’s in win-now mode and try to get him off your roster. He might look like an appealing win-now player, but the reality is there are a lot of risks surrounding him.
Successful dynasty players look to mitigate risk. It would behoove gamers to move him now while his value has gotten a slight boost.
Verdict: Sell
Justin Fields - QB, New York Jets
Fields posted a 4-2 record in six games as the Steelers starter last year before being benched in favor of Russell Wilson. Despite the benching, Fields still managed to provide results for dynasty gamers, thanks in large part to his legs. He scored five rushing touchdowns in his six starts and finished as a QB1 three times.
Justin Fields scores his first rushing TD with the @Steelers!
📺: #LACvsPIT on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/mHjDNMx55Y— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
The fifth-year pro signed with the New York Jets in free agency. With that, he becomes an immediate QB1 option for fantasy owners. Just keep in mind that he has notoriously struggled as a passer and could wind up being a placeholder for a rookie quarterback.
However, the incoming quarterback class is relatively weak, and there’s a good chance Fields’ replacement is not in this class. That means he will be a solid option for dynasty managers in Superflex leagues. His rushing ability firmly puts him in the QB1 range, making Fields a buy for the 2025 season.
He makes for a great QB2 play and shouldn’t be too expensive to acquire for managers in need of another signal-caller. Just be aware of the risk and know that the 2026 quarterback class is supposedly very good, so there’s a chance New York will select Fields’ successor in the 2026 NFL Draft.
While that’s a very real possibility, there’s little standing in Fields' way in the immediate future. As long as he stays healthy, he should return QB1 production and can be a real asset for Superflex dynasty managers.
Verdict: Buy
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