Buy-Low Targets For Dynasty Fantasy Football: Isaiah Likely and More Players To Trade For

You don’t need me to tell you that dynasty is all about the long game. But to paraphrase Lloyd Christmas, there are some leagues where the trades flow like wine and active managers flock to the group chat like the salmon of Capistrano.

And in those trade-heavy leagues, it can be advantageous to flip some of the more fringe dynasty assets depending on the direction of the wind. So if the early-season schedules look especially favorable for a player with relatively low value, we shouldn’t hesitate to go after them.

If they give us a boost early on as we expect, great, maybe we can offload them for an even bigger return once their schedules stiffen. And if they don’t give us that boost? Well, please send your strongly worded letters to Sam Wallace …

Players To Buy Low In Dynasty Fantasy Football

Isaiah Likely | TE | NYG

Besides the Rams, no other defense the Giants face through their first five weeks even cracks the top 20 in our fantasy football rankings. Better (worse?) yet, neither do the Giants themselves, which could make for some super sloppy, high-scoring affairs. The Cowboys, Titans, Cardinals and Commanders also have good-to-great offenses, so Jaxson Dart will have to get his offense humming to stand a chance.

And he may have to do it with a limited supporting cast. Malik Nabers had a surprising second “clean up” procedure on the knee that suffered a torn ACL in September. File that under “Things That Are Going To Be a Huge Pain in the Arse Come Draft Season.” Human Roomba Cam Skattebo is also working his way back from a combination of severe injuries that required emergency surgery, so he could get off to a slow start.

I already assumed Likely would see more action in New York than he did splitting time with Mark Andrews in Baltimore, but these first few weeks could have him looking like a true fantasy stud. Remember Week 1 of the 2024 season, when Likely finished as THE TE1 after dropping a 9-111-1 stat line on your waiver wire? What if we get that, but for multiple weeks? And instead of being on waivers, he’s on your dynasty roster for a modest price? If your rookie draft hasn’t happened yet, try to pair a second-round pick with a little something extra in exchange for the 26-year-old tight end.

Rico Dowdle | RB | PIT

The journeyman running back is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with two different teams. Why not make it a third?

Dowdle should at least get a favorable jump on that trifecta, as the Steelers have arguably the easiest first-half schedule of any team. In their first eight weeks, they’ll only face one team with a winning percentage over .500 in 2025 (New England). The remaining seven teams collected a total win-loss record of 46-73. I didn’t do so hot in math class, but I’m smart enough to know that’s not very good.

Whether or not the annoyingly mysterious (or mysteriously annoying) veteran QB returns to the team and reunites with Mike McCarthy, this is pretty close to a best-case scenario for game scripts. At worst, McCarthy shouldn’t feel the urge to abandon the run game, and at best, a tough Steelers defense could provide Dowdle plenty of opportunity to salt these games away.

I’m not trying to overlook Jaylen Warren, who should remain heavily involved in the offense, especially in the passing game, but his dynasty value was never as tied to the short term as someone like Dowdle. If you, like me, don’t like to pay up for stud running backs in dynasty and prefer to supplement your contending teams with undervalued veterans, Dowdle is a fantastic target. Currently valued at RB33 over on KeepTradeCut, you can probably scoop him up for a pittance.

Justin Fields | QB | KC

Hear me out. If you’re a QB-needy contender in a Superflex league, what can it hurt to send a few hay pennies in exchange for Fields? I know the consensus about the NFL scheduling the Chiefs’ opener against the Broncos on Monday Night Football is that it’s a sign both Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix are ahead of schedule in their injury recoveries. But like … what if they’re wrong?

What if Mahomes isn’t ready to return so soon after his late-season torn ACL? What if he suffers a setback? What if he suits up in Week 1 and re-aggravates it? Heck, what if his mobility is so limited that Andy Reid trots out Fields in a Taysom Hill-esque fashion just to keep things interesting?

My point is, there are plenty of iterations where Fields plays in some capacity against the Broncos IN PRIME TIME. And if he looks good out there? Against a tough defense? His dynasty value will no doubt shoot up. Narratives will start to swirl that Reid has “fixed” the wayward QB and, in a league desperate for starting-caliber quarterbacks, Fields becomes another reclamation project a la Malik Willis or Sam Darnold.

… Or, ya know, he’s a solid fill-in for your squad for a few weeks based purely on his rushing ability in easier matchups until Mahomes triumphantly returns. Either way.

Players Mentioned in this Article

IsaiahLikely
TENYG
PPG
3.9
Proj
117.0
RicoDowdle
RBPIT
PPG
10.9
Proj
151.2
JustinFields
QBKC
PPG
14.6
Proj
28.0

Published May 18, 2026, 6:45 ET