5 Players to Target in Dynasty Fantasy Football Before NFL Free Agency

There is no true offseason in dynasty fantasy football leagues as there are always roster moves that can be made. It's paramount to remain ahead of the curve in dynasty, which means staying on top of news in free agency and the draft during the offseason.

With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror, free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft are the most notable events to track. Players around the league could see their roles increase or decline in the coming months, so it's crucial to use this time to target certain players in dynasty leagues before situations can change or remain the same.

After discussing which players to sell in dynasty fantasy football, here are a handful of players I want to acquire in dynasty fantasy football leagues this offseason.

Players to Target in Dynasty Fantasy Football

Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jaguars

It's safe to say that things didn't go as planned for Travis Etienne and the Jacksonville Jaguars this season. Following back-to-back years of posting a 9-8 record, the Jaguars fell to 4-13 in 2024, leading to head coach Doug Pederson getting fired.

During Jacksonville's tumultuous 2024 campaign, Etienne registered career-worst marks in rushing attempts (150), rushing yards (558), and rushing touchdowns (2). On the other hand, second-year back Tank Bigsby paced the team in each of those categories, finishing with 168 rushing attempts, 766 rushing yards, and 7 rushing touchdowns.

Besides Etienne being the more proven receiver out of the backfield, the hiring of Liam Coen at head coach could be enough for Etienne to bounce back in 2025. Before his forgettable output in 2024, Etienne notched the second-most forced missed tackles (64) in 2023, per PFF, and was one of 10 running backs to score double-digit rushing touchdowns.

Given the arrival of Coen, some dynasty managers may expect the Jags to express interest in bringing in a new running back either in free agency or the draft. However, Jacksonville has more glaring needs on their current roster, and Etienne has shown before that he can be a home-run hitter while having the skill set of a three-down back.

Rome Odunze, WR, Bears

Coaching changes are certainly a justified reason for targeting a player in dynasty or any fantasy football format. And there wasn't a bigger coaching change this offseason than the Chicago Bears hiring Ben Johnson from the Detroit Lions.

Expectations were high for Chicago's offense entering the 2024 season thanks to the rookie additions of Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, both of whom were top-10 selections. Odunze tallied 54 receptions for 734 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns on 101 targets in his rookie campaign, operating as the No. 3 option in the aerial attack behind D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen.

Along with Allen set to hit free agency -- which would likely move Odunze up the depth chart if Allen goes elsewhere -- there were some positives to take away from Odunze's rookie season. While Odunze accrued only 1.29 yards per route run this season, his 33.2% air yards share and team-high 3.6 downfield targets (targets of 10-plus yards) per game, via NextGenStats, are encouraging entering Johnson's first year as head coach.

Even though it's naive to believe that one of the Bears' wideouts secures the Amon-Ra St. Brown role in Johnson's offense, Odunze was known for his ability to move around and play different roles in college. I'm expecting Odunze to handle a much bigger workload in a new offense in 2025, making him someone I want to target before Allen potentially departs in the coming weeks.

D.K. Metcalf, WR, Seahawks

Is there a chance that D.K. Metcalf has become a bit underrated in recent seasons? In 2024, Metcalf was just eight yards short of recording his fourth 1,000-yard season in the past five years, and he likely would have easily cleared that benchmark had he not missed multiple games.

Just this past campaign, Metcalf produced a career-worst five receiving touchdowns and 35 first downs gained. The Seattle Seahawks elected to part ways with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after just one year with the organization, and I believe part of the reason for his departure was due to his inability to dial up the "easy stuff" for Metcalf and the other pass catchers.

Even though Metcalf's team-high marks in air yards share (41.1%), average depth of target (13.7), and downfield targets per game (4.2) were all positives in 2024, he ended the year as the WR33 in half-PPR points per game at the position. Since finishing as the WR42 in fantasy points per game in half-PPR formats as a rookie in 2019, D.K. hadn't finished worse than WR27 in his previous four seasons.

To replace Grubb, the Seahawks have brought in Klint Kubiak as their offensive coordinator this offseason, and he's already shared his excitement about getting to work with Metcalf. While Metcalf can still be lethal down the field, Kubiak's offense could make the physical wideout a little less reliant on the deep ball in fantasy next season.

Khalil Shakir, WR, Bills

Upon trading Stefon Diggs last offseason, the Buffalo Bills put together a new-look wide receiver room entering 2024. It didn't take long for Khalil Shakir to emerge as Josh Allen's No. 1 option in the passing game sans Diggs, with Shakir logging career-best numbers in receptions (76), receiving yards (821), receiving touchdowns (4), and targets (100).

Although Shakir's numbers don't jump off the page, he led the Bills in target share (23.0%) and yards per route run (2.35) across his 15 starts in the regular season (excluding Week 18 when Buffalo rested their starters). When combining regular-season and postseason numbers, there wasn't a player in the NFL who averaged more yards after the catch per reception (7.5) than Shakir.

Additionally, only DeVonta Smith and Amon-Ra St. Brown had higher reception rates than Shakir (81.7%). Whenever Allen needed a completion or someone to convert a crucial third down, he was typically looking in Shakir's direction.

There is going to be a ton of people clamoring for the Bills to be aggressive in improving their receiver room this offseason, but Buffalo currently has the third-fewest cap space available, per OverTheCap. With Shakir proving he can be a go-to target for Allen as the Bills fell just one game short of the Super Bowl, he's worth targeting right now as it seems unlikely that Buffalo will add a true alpha at the wide receiver position.

Noah Gray, TE, Chiefs

Once the Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, the discussion quickly became if that was the last we've seen of Travis Kelce on the gridiron. The All-Pro tight end combined for 58 receiving yards on 6 catches in Kansas City's last two postseason contests, and he'll be 36 years old early in the 2025 season.

Regardless of Kelce's decision this offseason, the ideal time to add Noah Gray is right now. As a fifth-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, Gray registered career-highs in receptions (40), receiving yards (437), receiving touchdowns (5), and targets (49) in 2024, getting more run due to a season-ending injury to Rashee Rice and a lack of reliable pass-catchers in the offense.

Until Marquise Brown made his season debut for the Chiefs in Week 16, Gray was posting more yards per route run (1.69) and a higher end-zone target share (22.7%) than Kelce. It's worth noting that Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Justin Watson, and JuJu Smith-Schuster are all unrestricted free agents this offseason.

Even if Kelce elects to return for at least one more season, Kansas City could deploy a bit more two tight end sets to add a wrinkle to their aerial attack. With the tight end position being a tough one to predict each year, it's not the worst idea to try to take a flier on the potential long-term replacement of Kelce.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.