Dynasty Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Buys and Sells (2024)

The WR position is becoming the primary offensive position dynasty managers build through. Who are the ideal dynasty fantasy football WR buys and sells heading into 2024?

One place to quickly gain an edge on league mates is to win some moves this offseason. This is huge for the dynasty WR buys and sells, as it’s the key to not only 2024 but the long-term sustainability of a dynasty roster. You can maintain a long-term contender if you have a solid WR corps. Let’s dive into some players that could push you over the edge and players to get out of now, starting with the sells.

Players to Sell

Michael Pittman Jr, Indianapolis Colts

Look, this is by no means an indictment of Pittman but last year feels like a perfect scenario. The Colts threw the ball around league average in 2023, but mostly that was without Anthony Richardson. They threw it 37 and 25 times in Richardson’s two full games. Both of those games didn’t have Jonathan Taylor playing in them either.

This isn’t to say Pittman is a must-sell. With Jelani Woods healthy, AD Mitchell there, and Taylor healthy, a 27% target share is a tough ask for Pittman. Even with the same target share, if the two games are indicative of the Colts’ passing attack, Pittman likely sees one fewer target per game based on decreased passing volume. The ceiling should be lowered in 2024, and that’s why he’s a sell.

Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans

This is a risky one but coming off a down 2023, I’m looking to move away from Stefon Diggs. WRs don’t typically bounce back off a down year when over the age of 30. Even if he can bounce back, where does he slide in for the Texans in the passing attack? Buying into long-term pieces with good QB play is worthwhile, but Diggs is only there for 2024.

Diggs has traditionally feasted on volume. In his elite season, he’s seen 148 or more targets and eclipsed 16 fantasy ppg in each year. When he’s been at 112 targets or less, he’s been in the 14 fantasy ppg range. Tank Dell saw 75 targets in 11 games and Nico Collins saw 109 in 15 games. That puts both around 115-120 in 17 games, so do you think Diggs sees 150 in 2024?

Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers

This one, I’ll be honest, scares even me, but it’s not about Reed’s talent. The situation in Green Bay is a bit murky. We’re talking about a run-first team that added multiple new RBs, had two productive TEs, and four starting-caliber WRs. The Packers threw the ball just 581 times, around the middle of the NFL, despite a struggling running game without their top RB.

This also doesn’t take his splits with and without Christian Watson. In 9 games with Watson, Reed posted 31 catches, 365 yards, and 3 TDs. Without Watson, in 7 contests, those jump UP to 33 catches, 428 yards, and 5 TDs. So just 7.8 receiving ppg with Watson vs 12.8 ppg without Watson. I get the hype and love the player but it feels like you’re paying for the games without Watson with no risk Watson is still the alpha.

Marquise Brown, Kansas City Chiefs

It might be late to get top dollar on him, but Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is the next sell in this dynasty WR buys and sells article. He’s been hyped up since he landed with Patrick Mahomes and company but this is only a one-year deal then do you really think he will stay? They have all of their other top-skill guys under contract already for 2025 too. So maybe the hope is for a ceiling outcome in 2024?

What is that ceiling though? Brown has one 1,000-yard season in five NFL seasons. That year he saw 146 targets in Baltimore, catching 91 balls for 1,008 yards and 6 TDs. Besides that year, his high for catches is 67 on 107 targets and 769 yards. This also doesn’t account for the injuries he’s racked up, including foot and heel issues. You can likely get an older vet for him with a safer production and health outlook.

Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings

Let’s head back towards the controversial takes with the final sell in Jordan Addison. This take is less about Addison’s talent level and more about understanding how his value is going to move going forward. The Vikings went from a stable, trusted veteran QB who’s a statue to a rookie QB with volume concerns coming out of college.

Can JJ McCarthy become Kirk Cousins or Brock Purdy at the NFL level? Perhaps, he’s in a great spot to try. Even still, Addison is the third target on his team behind both T.J. Hockenson and Justin Jefferson. How long before his target total and quality of looks get back to even what he saw as a rookie? The best guess here is he’s looking at two down years minimum, so now is the time to sell at peak value.

Players to Buy

Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers

It’s time to flip to the other side of the dynasty WR buys and sells coin and discuss buys, starting with Diontae Johnson. If you watched Bryce Young during his rookie season, you may not love this one but the Panthers did all they could this offseason to help. Get a couple of good guards to protect him, add a coach who got the best years out of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield, and acquire a top-flight separator.

ESPN tracks WRs and gives an open score for each player. Over the last four seasons, Johnson has finished third, fourth, first, and twelfth. Last year, the Panthers top WRs finished 37th, 133rd, and 152nd. Throwing to a guy with anticipation, knowing he’ll be open? Young loved that in college and Johnson will be a target hog in this offense. He’s got top 24 WR written all over him at much cheaper prices.

Ja’lynn Polk, New England Patriots

Ja’lynn Polk is the first rookie I’ll bring up, and it’s weird to see him so mispriced. On KeepTradeCut, Polk is valued as WR53, the 137th-best player in SuperFlex offense-only rankings. He’s also the top WR on the Patriots on there. He was picked 37th overall in the NFL draft this year as the 10th WR off the board. He’s the 11th-ranked rookie WR on that site, though it’s easy to put him higher.

The community seems caught up in the narrative that the Patriots can’t develop WRs, which was true under the old regime. This new offensive staff has put a much simpler scheme in place, and Polk has quickly developed a rapport with his new rookie QB. Polk is likely to start early as a rookie and could easily ascend to the top pass catcher with a good young QB. This oozes potential upside for low risk.

Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

Deebo Samuel feels like another massive veteran value for a competitive team. If you’re trying to win, why wouldn’t you want a WR who seems like a good bet for schemed touches in an elite offense? Yes, he’s likely to miss some time in a given year, but he’s played 15 or more games in three of five seasons. The last two times he hit 15 or more games he’s scored as WR2 and WR12 in fantasy ppg too.

So to get a solid fantasy WR2 on your team, a guy with easy double-digit TD upside, you could trade picks or young players. He’s valued behind all these players currently on KeepTradeCut… Tee Higgins, Xavier Worthy, Brian Thomas, Ladd McConkey, and Jayden Reed. In 2024 I’d take a guess he outscores most, if not all, of these guys. At 28, he’s still got solid value for 2-3 more years likely too.

Jermaine Burton, Cincinnati Bengals

There might be some personal bias on this one but Jermaine Burton, on film alone, was my rookie WR4. He fell some due to off-the-field concerns but landed in such a fantastic spot for his long-term outlook. Playing next to Ja’Marr Chase he may never become a massive target earner but he excels on downfield routes and won’t see double coverage next to Chase.

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between Burton and, say, Ricky Pearsall? Besides some draft capital, they both are stuck as likely WR3s on their teams in 2024 before ascending to the number two option in 2025. They both are in top-flight offenses with locked-in young QBs. Burton doesn’t even have an elite RB or TE to take targets in Cincinnati. Should they really be ranked all that differently?

D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

The final player to discuss in this dynasty WR buys and sells article is Seattle Seahawk D.K. Metcalf. Everyone loved that Washington offense last year, all three WRs and their QB went in the first three rounds of the NFL draft, and now their OC is leading the charge in Seattle. Metcalf has surpassed 100 targets in each of his five seasons and should push back towards the 130-140 range in 2024.

26 year old D.K. Metcalf is currently WR22 on KeepTradeCut despite his last four seasons posting finishes of WR6, WR11, WR18, and WR16. Heck, he’s surrounded by four years two guys, Tank Dell, Zay Flowers, Jordan Addison, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Not sure I’d take any of them over Metcalf, as he is continually a top 18 WR and has top 5 yearly upside with his immense TD upside.