The 2022 NFL Draft is just around the corner, and the excitement of free agency has finally died down. It had to be the most eventful free agency period we’ve seen in years, maybe even ever.
The 87th annual NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 28, in Las Vegas. With Dynasty values constantly changing throughout the offseason, this current period just before the NFL Draft offers an excellent opportunity to buy low on some players.
Dynasty rankings using FantasyPros consensus dynasty rankings
J.K. Dobbins (RB – BAL)
FantasyPros Dynasty Ranking – RB15
First up is one of the more popular breakout candidates from a year ago, J.K. Dobbins running back of the Baltimore Ravens. His season was cut short thanks to an ACL tear in the last game of the 2021 preseason, which was a massive blow to fantasy football and dynasty managers. Just a couple of weeks after this injury, his teammate Gus Edwards also tore his ACL, making this an awful season of injuries for the Ravens running backs.
Dobbins is set up for the classic third-year breakout as the lead running back on the Ravens’ offense. His average draft position and price overall will be a bit lower than it was a year ago, but he has every opportunity in the world ahead of him to break out and take over this backfield. Dobbins is very talented and still just 23 years old, turning 24 in December. This might be the lowest price that he will be and the last real chance to buy low on him.
James Conner (RB – ARI)
FantasyPros Dynasty Ranking – RB28
James Conner just finished 2021 as the RB5 in PPR and Standard scoring leagues after the best fantasy football season of his career. Conner was one of the most consistent running backs and was pretty much a lock to find the end zone week in and week out. He had five games where he ran for two touchdowns, and he finished the season with 15 total rushing touchdowns, second in the NFL for all running backs behind just Jonathan Taylor.
Chase Edmonds is out of Arizona, and Conner will have all the opportunity to be a solid RB1 again next year. Conner is a very underrated dynasty asset, and even if they draft a rookie, he’ll be a reliable producer once again. Buy him for as cheap as you can, and he’ll be a great piece to help you win now.
Ronald Jones II (RB – KC)
FantasyPros Dynasty Ranking – RB40
I’ve never been a big fan of Ronald Jones II. But there’s no denying that he’s looked electric at times and that we’ve all wanted to see what he could do as a lead back. Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been a massive disappointment since being drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He averaged 13.5 and 11.8 fantasy points per game in his first two seasons. He scored four rushing touchdowns in both seasons and has been significantly underutilized in the passing game, where he was supposed to shine and boost his fantasy value.
All this to say, Jones is looking like an excellent value as the RB40 in our dynasty rankings. You could argue that Jones has just as much upside in this offense as Edwards-Helaire does and is looking like half the price of him. Jones has his flaws, but he is worth buying low on at this price if possible.
Check out our latest dynasty trade value chart 
JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR – KC)
FantasyPros Dynasty Ranking – WR38
Next up is another new face with the Chiefs, JuJu Smith-Schuster. I’ll start by saying that there is a chance that the manager who has Smith-Schuster mow might be all in on him landing with Patrick Mahomes, and the price will be far too high to sensibly “buy low” on.
That said, WR38 is far too low for someone who now has the chance to be the top wide receiver for the best quarterback in the NFL. Travis Kelce will do his thing once again, but the Chiefs will need a consistent receiver who can handle 120+ targets and be a weapon for this offense.
Tyreek Hill is gone, putting his 159 targets up for grabs. Smith-Schuster has the chance not to be just good but fantastic. He’s also just 25 years old, despite being in the league for five seasons already, meaning he’s got plenty of football left in him. Smith-Schuster has finished as a WR1 before and could easily do that again with Mahomes.
Adam Thielen (WR – MIN)
FantasyPros Dynasty Ranking – WR47
There’s no denying that Adam Thielen has fallen off some since Justin Jefferson came onto the scene. As a 31-year-old veteran, it’s completely understandable that he’s ranked so low. However, he just finished as the WR28 in PPR leagues in 2021 and was the WR10 in 2020, with Jefferson as the WR6 as a rookie.
Thielen restructured his contract to return to Minnesota and had ankle surgery back in December. I wouldn’t be going out of my way to draft Thielen in a startup, but with rookie hype in full swing, you can probably grab Thielen for a late-second-round pick and get some production to win now. Thielen is being written off, and the cost is just too low for the production he can give you.
Cole Kmet (TE – CHI)
FantasyPros Dynasty Ranking – TE13
The third-year breakout is coming for the Bears’ tight end. In his first two seasons, he’s finished as the TE20 and TE42 but was held back by veteran Jimmy Graham and the underwhelming Bears offense. Kmet went the entire 2021 season without catching a touchdown pass and never topped more than 87 yards in a single game.
I’d be shocked if Chicago doesn’t unleash Justin Fields and just let him run this offense, positioning Kmet is in a perfect spot to step up. Allen Robinson is now with the Rams, and I expect Jimmy Graham to retire finally. The only real weapon in the passing game is now Darnell Mooney. Kmet is someone you can buy now and could easily be a guy that finishes in the low-end TE1 range.
Cheap, Cheap
Chuba Hubbard (RB – CAR)
FantasyPros Dynasty Ranking – RB44
After playing just 10 games over the past two seasons, Christian McCaffrey has shown us that maybe it’s just not wise to give your running back 350 to 400 touches in a season. No matter how talented they are, it’s hard to sustain, and obviously, it’s taken its toll on McCaffrey. Still, I expect the Panthers to use McCaffrey heavily, but they need to scale back the usage and let another back split time, and that’s where Chuba Hubbard can come in.
No, he didn’t look amazing when he stepped in for the injured McCaffrey last year, but Hubbard was still the clear lead back that Carolina wanted to use. Hubbard could offer some value as a change-of-pace option as someone who has shown he is capable in the passing game. Also, if McCaffrey misses anytime, Hubbard will be someone you can immediately plug into your lineups as a flex option with upside. He’s cheap, and even if you don’t have McCaffrey, you can use his underwhelming performance from 2021 as leverage and get him for probably a late third-round rookie pick.
Donovan Peoples-Jones (WR – CLE)
FantasyPros Dynasty Ranking – WR64
After acquiring Amari Cooper in free agency, the Browns have not signed another wide receiver. Jarvis Landry could still come back, but I doubt it happens based on reports of what kind of money he wants.
This leaves Donovan Peoples-Jones to be the next man up outside of Cooper. With the addition of Deshaun Watson, there are going to be plenty of targets going around. Peoples-Jones has shown flashes at times, and as the WR64, he’s someone you can get very cheap.
Cameron Brate (TE – TB)
FantasyPros Dynasty Ranking – TE49
One of the cheaper options that I’m looking to acquire is Cameron Brate of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. OJ Howard is officially out of Tampa and has signed with the Buffalo Bills. Obviously, this is contingent upon Rob Gronkowski and what he decides to do, but Brate is a very inexpensive player to acquire, maybe even on the waiver wire in some leagues. Either way, here’s a brief window of opportunity to buy low on him that will change very quickly if Gronkowski decides to hang it up.
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Aaron Schillinger is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Aaron, check out his archive or follow him @Aaron_Schill.
