Get ready for your season with theScore's 2018 Fantasy Football Draft Kit.
PPR Dynasty Rankings
Top 300 | Rookies
The success of your dynasty team is directly linked to how early you can accurately assess talent.
Identifying an aging player who still has plenty left in the tank can be just as valuable as acquiring a young star before their breakout. The same can be said for knowing the right time to cut ties with a prospect who isn't going to reach their originally anticipated apex or a veteran star who is nearing a production cliff.
Here are 10 players who can help give your dynasty team an edge, if you make the right move with them.
Buy
Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions - It feels like Stafford, who is entering his 10th season, has been around forever. That kind of sentiment can lead fantasy owners to think they should be moving on before the inevitable decline hits. The Lions passer turned 30 earlier this year, but that's hardly an age to fear for quarterbacks. Stafford has been a top-12 fantasy QB in each of the last seven seasons and with a talented cast around him, that trend will continue for at least a few more years.
Tarik Cohen, RB, Bears - In Cohen you have a perfect storm of fantasy variables coming together heading into the 2018 campaign. As a rookie, the 5-foot-6, 181-pound back showed game-breaking quicks that should have earned him more touches in an offense desperate for playmakers. New head coach Matt Nagy will not repeat the mistakes of his predecessors. He's already gone on record saying he will use Cohen all over the field, comparing the situation to what he had with Tyreek Hill in Kansas City. Jordan Howard is Chicago's lead back, but Cohen's role is going to grow significantly moving forward.
Kenny Stills, WR, Dolphins - Why is no one talking about Stills? DeVante Parker continues to steal headlines, the most recent being a parallel to what we heard last year about him doing all the right things to prepare. Unfortunately, we saw the results of Parker's hard work in the form of a disappointing 57-catch, 670-yard, one-touchdown campaign in 2017. Meanwhile, Stills finished as the WR26 in fantasy with 847 yards and six scores. With Jarvis Landry's 161 targets no longer clogging up Miami's passing game, Stills is in position to lead the Dolphins' receiving corps and no one seems to have noticed yet.
John Ross, WR, Bengals - Making a move for Ross is a classic example of testing the water to see if an owner has soured on a player. A horrific debut season resulted in no receptions, one rush for 12 yards, and just three appearances. Taking a chance on a former top-10 pick - in this case, the ninth overall selection from 2017 - is well worth a shot if his current owner is doubting Ross' future. The Bengals need to find another receiving weapon to pair with A.J. Green, so at some point, Ross will get the call.
Gerald Everett, TE, Rams - Tight ends are notorious for having slow starts to their NFL careers, which allows us to give Everett a pass for a relatively quiet rookie campaign. Sean McVay got the most out of his skill position players during his first season in Los Angeles, which lends hope to a potential Everett breakout over the next two years. Dynasty owners could do worse than to invest in a quality young receiving tight end playing in a surging offense. Take advantage of the lack of discussion about Everett and stash him for when his star finally shines.
Sell
Tom Brady, QB, Patriots - Brady will be 41 when he suits up for his 19th season. Regardless of his claims that he can play until 45 or of what his TB12 methods have done for him so far, time is going to defeat Tom and it's going to happen in the next couple years. If you're contending for a title and you want to tie your championship chances to Brady, that's understandable. But owners who have another starting option, or those who are in the middle of a rebuild, should be looking to acquire assets before the clock runs out.
Derrick Henry, RB, Titans - This was supposed to be the year for Henry to finally reward fantasy owners who patiently watched him play behind DeMarco Murray for two years. The Titans clearly don't care about your dynasty dreams though, since they signed the dynamic Dion Lewis in free agency. Lewis was the RB19 a year ago while playing for the Patriots and brings starting-caliber talent to Tennessee. Both backs are going to be involved in the offense, but there are no guarantees Henry will see enough work to reach the RB1 status his owners have been waiting for.
LeSean McCoy, RB, Bills - Shady is locked in for 300-plus touches if he stays healthy. The problem lies with the quality of those touches, playing in an offense with an uncertain quarterback situation, a brutally downgraded line, and one of the worst receiving corps in the league. Running backs need to be viewed on a shorter timeline than other positions in dynasty, but McCoy will enter the year on the wrong side of 30, putting his future beyond 2018 in question.
Jarvis Landry, WR, Browns - Wide receivers who change teams often have a transition period in which they struggle with their new club. That's certainly within the realm of possibility for Landry, who has grown accustomed to seeing a massive amount of volume in Miami, averaging over 150 targets per year over the last three seasons. His workload will likely take a hit with the Browns while sharing targets with Josh Gordon, Corey Coleman, David Njoku, and receiving back Duke Johnson. Get ahead of the public and find an owner who believes in Landry's long-term value.
Jimmy Graham, TE, Packers - Graham is no longer a physical freak capable of dominating opponents in every level of the passing game. The 31-year-old was able to salvage his fantasy numbers in 2017 by scoring 10 touchdowns. The Packers signed him hoping for more of the same, but touchdowns can be difficult to predict year over year. Catching passes from Aaron Rodgers should help him remain fantasy relevant for another year or two, but it's tough not to wonder whether he's the latest tight end whose production will crater once he arrives in Green Bay.
