The 2023 fantasy season is behind us. Dynasty gamers are turning their attention to the offseason, which is prospecting season. It’s also time to make moves that shore up roster spots, including buying into assets that are values at each position. The quarterback and tight end positions are important to get right in Dynasty. Below are seven early Dynasty Buy Lows at the quarterback and tight end positions for 2024.
2024 Dynasty Buy Lows | Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield – Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield ranks as the QB9 overall in fantasy this season and the QB14 in fantasy points per game. During the season, Mayfield put up eight top-12 QB weeks. Through Week 17, he ranked No. 7 in pass attempts, No. 1 in deep ball attempts, No. 3 in Air Yards, No. 9 in Money Throws, and No. 4 in TD passes amongst quarterbacks.
Mayfield is just 28 years old and looks to be a top-20 QB in the league. The noise is that he returns to the Buccaneers next season. Mike Evans is a free agent in 2024, but Mayfield looks like a locked-and-loaded QB2 for Superflex managers regardless. He’s currently being priced at the low end of the market.
Kirk Cousins – Vikings
Kirk Cousins suffered a torn achilles during Week 8 of the regular season. His current timetable for return would likely be somewhere between July and October of 2024. This means he should play a good majority of the 2024 season. He may not miss any time at all.
Another Vikings player emphatically urging the team to re-sign Kirk Cousins.
My followers seem evenly split on the subject. https://t.co/1H5y8kDvcr— Paul Charchian (@PaulCharchian) January 8, 2024
Don’t forget, before the injury, Cousins was playing some of the best football of his life. In fact, through seven weeks, disregarding the week he was injured (he actually finished as the QB13 that week), Cousins finished as a top-10 QB five times in seven games.
On the season, Cousins ranked as the QB6 in fantasy points per game. It looks like he is going to be back in Minnesota for 2024 and beyond – in an offense that loves to pass the ball at an impressive clip. Minnesota ranked No. 4 in Team Pass Plays Per Game when Cousins played this season. Cousins also ranked No. 3 in True Completion Percentage, No. 7 in QBR, No. 7 in Accuracy Rating, and No. 2 in True Passer Rating this season. He will turn 36 during the NFL season next year, but I’d be willing to wager Cousins still has a few very productive years in him, especially in Minnesota.
Jared Goff – Lions
Sometimes it’s better to be boring. I know Jared Goff is not going to raise any eyebrows, but for that reason, he is an affordable add in Dynasty. He is currently the QB8 and the QB13 in fantasy points per game through 17 weeks of the NFL season. Goff ranks No. 3 in pass attempts, No. 12 in Money Throws, No. 5 in True Completion Percentage, and No. 7 in Deep Ball Completion Percentage.
Goff also plays behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. He appears to be the Lions QB for the foreseeable future. Unless Detroit looks to upgrade, Goff’s QB16 ranking on Keep Trade Cut appears too low. Take advantage of a Dynasty gamer who is looking to move off the reliable QB in search of the next big thing.
2024 Dynasty Buy Lows | Tight End
Kyle Pitts – Falcons
Now that Arthur Smith has been relieved of his duties in Atlanta, Kyle Pitts will see an uptick in utilization. There is no world where Jonnu Smith should be outproducing a tight end with top-five draft capital. On the season, Pitts ranks as the TE14 overall and the TE17 in fantasy points per game through 17 weeks. However, there are some signs of life despite the lack of production.
Pitts ranks No. 2 in Air Yards and Air Yards Share, No. 1 in ADOT, and No. 1 in Unrealized Air Yards amongst tight ends. He also ranks No. 35 in Catchable Target Rate amongst tight ends with an abysmal 65.4-percent of his passes being deemed catchable. This points to bad quarterback play, and the good news is the Falcons will absolutely look to upgrade that position this offseason. An upgrade at QB could be exactly what the doctor ordered to get this ultra-talented TE back on track.
Cole Kmet – Bears
I’m not sure why the Dynasty community continues to undervalue Cole Kmet. On the season, Kmet ranks as the TE7 overall and the TE8 in fantasy points per game. While not flashy, Kmet is a solid player. He ranks No. 6 in Target Separation while ranking No. 8 in Yards Per Route Run amongst tight ends. He also ranks No. 1 in True Catch Rate.
The 2023 Bears success rate…
+ Targets to D.J. Moore or Cole Kmet: 61%
+ Targets to everyone else: 39%The 2023 Bears yards per attempt…
+ Moore or Kmet: 9.2
+ Everyone else: 5.3— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) January 10, 2024
Kmet will be heading into his year 25 season in 2024. Chicago may make a change at QB. Whether it’s Caleb Williams or Justin Fields, however, Kmet is going to be a featured option in the offense. Chicago signed the second-round tight end to an extension this past offseason that makes him a Bear until the 2028 offseason. Simply put, Kmet has been a reliable top-10 option at the TE position, and he is currently priced as the TE11 on Keep Trade Cut. Take the discount on a productive, but less flashy option at tight end.
Chigoziem Okonkwo – Titans
Acquiring Chigoziem Okonkwo in Dynasty is more of a bet on talent and not so much based on his 2023 production. There was a lot of buzz around Okonkwo early in the redraft process, but ultimately Okonkwo let fantasy gamers down in 2023.
Okonkwo is still a very talented player who flashed for two top-10 tight end performances since Week 13. Additionally, the Titans are currently slated to pick No. 7 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. They could be in line to draft a QB in a QB heavy class.
Okonkwo ranked No. 7 amongst tight ends in Unrealized Air Yards in 2023, No. 7 in Target Separation while ranking No. 19 amongst tight ends in Yards Per Route Run. He is poised to break out in 2024, when he will turn 25 years old. At TE20 and player No. 178 overall according to Keep Trade Cut, he is more than worth taking a shot on.
Pat Freiermuth – Steelers
Freiermuth was hurt and inconsistent in 2023, but he was coming off of a 2022 season where he ranked No. 5 in targets, No. 4 in Air Yards, No. 4 in Unrealized Air Yards, and No. 9 in Yards After Catch amongst tight ends. Even this season, Freiermuth has put up a TE 1 week and a TE 8 overall week. He is just 25 years old.
The Steelers are reportedly interested in upgrading their quarterback in 2024. This will most likely come via free agency or a trade. If the Steelers add Russell Wilson or trade for Justin Fields, Freiermuth becomes even more valuable in an offense that could take serious strides forward in 2024.
