Nothing brings dynasty fantasy football managers out of hibernation like rookie draft season. After months of radio silence, every single dynasty league I am in has seen at least one trade in the weeks since the NFL Draft. In this period of heightened activity, now is a great time to look to trade for some undervalued players, especially undervalued veterans relative to the shiny new rookies.
Today, I’ll offer some of the best dynasty draft values. These can also be viewed as potential trade targets. To find these players, I’ll use KeepTradeCut’s (KTC) crowdsourced Dynasty rankings and FantasyCalc’s trade-based rankings. I’ll also occasionally reference FantasyPros’ expert consensus rankings (ECR), but the previous two sources are the most accurate reflection of the dynasty market, given that they are directly sourced from community opinions and community trades, respectively. With that in mind, let’s get right into it.
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Dynasty Rookie Draft Simulator
- DBro’s Dynasty Rookie Draft Primers
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings
Best Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Values
Kenneth Walker III (RB – SEA)
Despite dealing with multiple injuries, Kenneth Walker finished 2024 as the RB14 with a respectable 14.4 half-PPR points per game. He now gets a new offensive coordinator in Klint Kubiak, who will likely employ a run-heavy attack given that his predecessor was fired at least partially for being too pass-happy.
There are reasons to be wary, as Seattle’s O-Line is unimpressive and Zach Charbonnet still looms as a capable backup who could push for more work with Walker healthy. But from what we’ve seen so far, the 24-year-old has always been a productive fantasy back when he is on the field. Walker’s RB19 price on FantasyCalc, which, being based on real trades, is probably the most accurate measure of actual market value, is a bargain.
Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL)
Unfortunately, I’m not going to have as spicy a take as “Kyler Murray is the Dynasty QB7” for every team. If anything, the Falcons’ top few dynasty options of Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Michael Penix are all slightly overvalued. Instead, let’s slide down the ranks to Tyler Allgeier, who ranks outside the top 50 dynasty running backs in all three rankings sources. That’s simply too low for a 25-year-old running back with as much going for him as Allgeier has.
You might be asking what last year’s half-PPR RB42 could have going for him, but the answer is simple: Talent and role. The talent part is easy, as Allgeier has posted very solid metrics in all three years of his career, including an 86.4 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade that ranked eighth among qualified running backs last season. As for role, Allgeier is locked in as the clear No. 2 RB and handcuff back to Bijan Robinson.
That’s nothing to write home about, but it’s more than can be said for the running backs around him in dynasty ranks. Players like Trevor Etienne, Blake Corum and Ollie Gordon could easily be third or even lower on their teams’ depth charts. Given how well he has graded out in PFF’s system and rushing efficiency numbers, no one should be shocked if Allgeier lands at least a solid committee role in 2026 after his rookie contract is up. He’s a great target as a throw-in in larger dynasty deals.
D’Andre Swift (RB – CHI)
Look, I don’t like D’Andre Swift any more than the next guy. One of the very first articles I wrote was calling out his very underwhelming rushing efficiency metrics. But Swift is still a 26-year-old running back with a three-down skill set and a history of solid fantasy production.
Swift is also the presumptive lead back in a Chicago offense that should be very exciting with Ben Johnson in town. He is simply too low as the RB30 on both KTC and FantasyCalc, behind backs with similar efficiency concerns in worse situations, like Isiah Pacheco and Travis Etienne.
Ray Davis (RB – BUF)
The argument for Ray Davis is very similar to the argument for Tyler Allgeier… except I don’t feel quite as strongly about it. The 2024 fourth-round pick proved himself to be a valuable handcuff as a rookie, scoring 16.7 half-PPR points when James Cook was sidelined in Week 6.
There’s also a realistic future in which he is handed the lead role in this valuable backfield when Cook’s contract expires at the end of this season. However, Ty Johnson‘s presence as a passing-down back complicates things, and I’m nowhere near as convinced that Davis is an above-average talent as I am with Allgeier. But given that he is all the way down at RB59 in FantasyCalc’s trade-derived rankings, Davis is at least cheap. On a rebuilding team, he’s not the worst player to target as a stash.
Chase Brown (RB – CIN)
My take on Chase Brown is similar to my take on Swift. Yes, there are some red flags here. For one, Brown was seeing unsustainable usage after Zack Moss went down last season, often seeing 100% of the Bengals’ backfield touches. That’s not going to happen again, especially with veteran passing-down back Samaje Perine back in the fold in Cincinnati.
For another, Brown’s efficiency last season was just OK. Combined with his seventh-round draft capital, that means his hold on the Bengals’ No. 1 RB job is certainly not safe long-term. But given that the Bengals only drafted Tahj Brooks in the sixth round of this year’s draft, Brown is the clear No. 1 RB in arguably the league’s best fantasy offense. At just over 25 years old, he’s also more than young enough for age to not be an issue. Trading for him might be a short-term move, but that’s true for essentially all running backs. The RB12 in ECR, Brown is undervalued as the RB20 (FantasyCalc) and RB16 (KTC) in community rankings.
Javonte Williams (RB – DAL)
If Chase Brown is the premium version of D’Andre Swift, Javonte Williams is the bargain version. Williams was one of the absolute worst backs in the league last season, ranking fifth-worst out of 57 qualified backs in PFF rushing grade. Somehow, he finds himself in line to lead the Cowboys’ backfield this year.
Of course, propping up an inefficient veteran back based on projected volume is usually a mistake — that’s the archetype of a “dead zone” running back. But that logic only applies when the fantasy community is excited about a player. Nobody is excited about Javonte, who is outside the top 40 running backs on both KTC and FantasyCalc. If you can get him for a third-round pick (which should be possible, if these sites are to be believed), it’s a very low-cost way to potentially add an RB3 to a competing roster.
Elijah Mitchell (RB – KC)
There is a non-zero chance Elijah Mitchell ends up being the lead rusher in the Chiefs’ backfield this season, even without injuries. Mitchell’s one-year, $2.5 million contract (with $1.35 million guaranteed) is not nothing. That’s more than Kareem Hunt ($1.5 million, $850,000 guaranteed) signed for. Why is Hunt, the much older player, ranked higher in the dynasty market?
Mitchell is down at RB85 on FantasyCalc and RB81 on KTC. That’s not just behind Hunt, it’s behind names like Zack Moss, Nick Chubb and Kyle Monangai. Yes, there’s a chance Mitchell is irrelevant. But the only roadblock standing between him and a valuable fantasy role as the Chiefs’ No. 1 RB is Isiah Pacheco, who was absurdly inefficient after returning from injury last season.
If Pacheco doesn’t return to his former self, Mitchell could easily beat him out for early-down carries. After all, Mitchell racked up over 1,000 total yards as a rookie in San Francisco and has consistently graded out as an above-average rusher. Mitchell may not make a fantasy impact in most scenarios, but he’s still undervalued for his potential upside in the outcomes where things fall his way.
Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV)
You read that right, I’m here to make the case that the consensus 1.01 in rookie drafts and the dynasty RB3 overall before ever taking a snap in the NFL is undervalued.
But my take is straightforward: Jeanty should be ranked ahead of Bijan Robinson.
Robinson has shown the ability to be a productive NFL back, and Jeanty hasn’t. But no one expects Jeanty to be anything other than a complete fantasy stud from the first time he steps on the field. He’s already being selected in the first round in early best ball drafts.
Meanwhile, Robinson is two full years older. They’re, at worst, comparable prospects, with Jeanty getting marginally better draft capital at sixth overall to Robinson’s eighth-overall draft capital. There’s a chance Jeanty underwhelms as a pro while Robinson continues to put up elite numbers.
I think Jeanty ends up ahead of his older counterpart in consensus dynasty ranks by this time next year in 90% of scenarios. Let’s get ahead of that trend and value him there now.
Jordan Mason (RB – MIN)
After an impressive showing filling in for Christian McCaffrey last season, Jordan Mason was traded to the Vikings this offseason. He lands in a very empty running back room, where 30-year-old Aaron Jones is essentially the only real competition.
Jones has always been an underrated player and can be expected to be Minnesota’s No. 1 RB to start the season. But he has struggled with injuries in recent years, as well as with efficiency near the goal line. At the very worst, Mason is a highly valuable handcuff on what should be an elite offense behind an aging, oft-injured back. At best, he could genuinely carve out a fantasy-viable role with early-down and short-yardage touches even while Jones is 100% healthy.
For what it’s worth, Mason ranked third among qualified backs in rushing yards over expected last season, behind only Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley. Putting aside the juicy situation, there’s a chance he is straight-up good. That should be enough to get him above dart-throw rookies like Devin Neal and underwhelming veterans like Najee Harris, both of whom are ahead of him on KTC and FantasyCalc.
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Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.
