Moves to Make Now in Dynasty Fantasy Football (8/2)

I may or may not have watched a single snap of the Hall of Fame game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans, but all that matters is the NFL is officially back! We’ve got preseason football, and training camp is in full swing. This week’s dynasty moves to make include adding a few waiver wire gems who have impressed in camp (and could be in line for starting roles) and a couple of buys who happen to have the same last name.

As a reminder, buying doesn’t mean getting a player for the complete box set of “Biker Mice from Mars” and Bailey Zappe. Selling doesn’t mean you must rid your rosters of said player for 10 cents on the dollar. When players are improperly valued, take advantage.

Dynasty Moves to Make: Buys

Deshaun Watson, QB, Cleveland Browns

It’s no secret Deshaun Watson has been a shell of himself from his days in Houston. The Browns upgraded their wide receiver corps this offseason with the addition of Jerry Jeudy, who forms a solid group of pass catchers with wide receiver Amari Cooper and tight end David Njoku. Watson turns 29 in September and still has plenty of potential for multiple years of above-average production. With a run game in flux with injury and a pass-friendly new offensive coordinator in Ken Dorsey, Watson’s situation looks the best since his arrival in Cleveland. I’m not spending up for Watson, but many people are entirely writing off him from a fantasy perspective. This move is more due to the low cost relative to the potential ceiling than my belief that a bounceback is actually imminent. He’s worth the shot at a discount.

(Note: I generally list players I’d be willing to trade in 1 for 1 deals, but there wasn’t much of a match for Watson. I’d suggest packaging one of the following quarterbacks with a mid-tier wide receiver in the Gabe Davis/Romeo Doubs range.) 

Players I’d be willing to trade for Watson in a package deal: Matthew Stafford, Baker Mayfield, Geno Smith

Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers

Production has never been a problem for Christian Watson, but staying on the field has. He’s dealt with recurring hamstring injuries that have caused him to miss 11 of 34 regular season games in his first two seasons. Watson spent the offseason searching for an answer to his issue and believes he’s found it. Testing discovered he had asymmetry in his leg muscles, which was likely the root cause of the problem. Time will tell if it indeed was the issue and if he’s done enough to resolve it, but his current price tag is well worth the shot, considering his age and the offense he’s on. Watson’s the deep threat in the Packers’ crowded wide receiver room, ranking second and sixth in average depth of target over the past two seasons (minimum 50 targets, per StatsHub).