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Training camp has started and meaningful football news has begun to hit a fantasy football desert starved for any substance. With that news comes shifting values. Here are five players who see their dynasty value rising.
RB Ray Davis, Buffalo
The Bills tried very hard to force a compliment to James Cook in the rush game. Latavius Murray, Ty Johnson, Damien Harris, and Leonard Fournette totaled 144 rush attempts and 31 targets. For context, Tyler Allgeier saw 204 touches over 17 games, which works out to 12 touches per game compared to the Bills group's 10.3. Most importantly, for fantasy purposes, that cluster saw 48 opportunities inside the red zone compared to 47 for Cook.
If Davis can see 10.3 touches and 2.8 red zone attempts per game in what should be a high-powered Buffalo offense, he has a great opportunity to return stand-alone value. If Cook is forced to miss time, Davis can be a league winner. Pretty good for a rookie with a positional value of 55 on KeepTradeCut.com and RB44 in Footballguys Dynasty Rankings.
Davis has emerged immediately as an early star of training camp. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady compared Davis favorably to James Cook, saying, “He brings a little different element, both in the passing game in the run game, that we felt like was a great addition.”
Davis is a different back than Cook, weighing nearly 25 lbs more with a listed weight of 216 vs 190. The Bills have their eyes on the postseason, and maintaining health is an important element. Shifting closer to an even split in touches, or even pushing Davis slightly ahead in weather games later in the season is in the range of outcomes. If the story is not already out on Davis, it will be very soon. If your leaguemates hold closer to his published market value, this is a great opportunity to add a talented young back in a favorable situation.
Recent trades for Davis on FantasyCalc.com:
- Ray Davis and Ezekiel Elliott for Cole Kmet
- Ray Davis for Jahan Dotson
- Ray Davis for Josh Downs
- Ray Davis for Tyler Allgeier
RB Chase Brown, Cincinnati
In the wake of Joe Mixon’s departure, “Bengals starting running back” is a significant fantasy question. Early returns have Brown running ahead of Zack Moss, actively involved with the first team offense.
Brown had limited opportunities as a rookie in 2023, with 22% of his touches coming in a meaningless Week 18 win over Cleveland. His one true highlight came on a 54-yard touchdown reception in Week 14 against the Colts. Brown hit a top speed of 22.05, the second fastest ball carrier speed of the season behind DK Metcalf’s 22.23 in Week 13 and narrowly edging Tyreek Hill’s 22.01 in Week 5. Beating Hill in speed is not nothing.
Fantasy managers are tuned in. Brown sat at RB40 just days ago on Keeptradecut.com, though his Footballguys value is closer to the RB40. Brown, as the clear starter in a strong Bengals offense, will instantly push into the Top 20 of dynasty rankings.
The Bengals are behind him, with coach Zac Taylor speaking on his shot with the first team: “I think he’s earned that. I think he’s worked the right way. He’s what we hoped we were drafting.” Zack Moss is the only competition. At first glance, Moss enjoyed a breakout 2023, but digging deeper, he was largely the same player he has always been, posting career lows in yards after contact per rush at 1.9 and breaking only four tackles for a 45.8 attempt per broken tackle rate, compared to 8.6 for his first three seasons.
Recent trades for Brown on FantasyCalc.com:
- Chase Brown for Zach Charbonnet
- Chase Brown for 2025 2nd
- Chase Brown for Calvin Ridley
WR Rashee Rice, Kansas City
Rice ended the season as Dynasty WR14 on Keeptradecut.com until a busy offseason saw him encounter legal trouble. The result of two different events—a traffic accident and a subsequent nightclub encounter—dropped him all the way to WR50. The Chiefs adding Marquise Brown in free agency and Xavier Worthy in the draft further complicated matters.
But now we sit in August, and Rice is not suspended. His value has ticked up to WR30, but being attached to Patrick Mahomes II gives him a high ceiling.
Rice established himself as a reliable presence, working as a volume receiver in the short to intermediate game. Those numbers spiked to WR10 from Weeks 13 to 17. This is a rare opportunity to grab a potential elite fantasy producer attached to the best quarterback in the NFL, who turned in a very strong rookie season.
A suspension is still looming, but at present, it looks unlikely to hit in 2024. In Dynasty, dropping a player 36 spots due to missing what could be 25% of one season is far too reactive. The biggest bet is Rice will turn around his offseason troubles over the remainder of his career. He has been quiet since the May incident, but his reputation sticks.
Recent trades for Rice on FantasyCalc.com:
- Rice for Deebo Samuel Sr.
- Rice for Keenan Allen and 2025 2nd
- Rice for a 2025 1st
WR Darnell Mooney, Atlanta
Mooney has been left for dead, falling all the way to WR81. The Falcons gave him the 26th most guaranteed money of any receiver this offseason, and he is locked in as the team’s WR2.
The situation is perfect for a renaissance. The Shanahan scheme from which new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson comes has produced multiple high-end fantasy receivers, and quarterback Kirk Cousins has supported multiple receivers throughout his career.
The Falcons' schedule is the most tantalizing part for Mooney. The team has no outdoor games against a defense that ranked in the Top 16 in pass defense. The last five weeks of the fantasy season they play the 31st, 23rd, 13th, 17th, and 32nd-ranked pass defenses, with four of those games indoors. That stretch includes two of Kirk Cousins’ old teams, the Vikings and Commanders.
Everything is set up for the Falcons to debut a top-five passing offense, and Mooney is the cheapest entry point. He has the big-play ability to turn in one play that makes his week and has underrated spike-week potential. In deeper leagues starting ten or more players weekly, a player like Mooney, who can give solid production for bye weeks and injury coverage, is an underrated value.
Recent trades for Mooney on FantasyCalc.com:
- Mooney for 2026 3rd
- Mooney, Baker Mayfield for Jameson Williams, Daniel Jones
- Mooney for Quentin Johnston
TE Isaiah Likely, Baltimore
Likely has established himself as a potential difference maker, placing as TE3 from Weeks 14 to 18 in 2023. He just needs to get on the field. Mark Andrews has made that difficult.
But the dam may be breaking.
Likely has been a persistent camp drumbeat, with the team reimagining plans to their offensive scheme to work both him and Andrews together. When you realize offensive coordinator Todd Monken coached a Georgia offense that featured multiple tight end sets with Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington, the vision comes together.
The Ravens are not flush with options at wide receiver, so instead of forcing a player like Nelson Agholor or a raw rookie like Devontez Walker into a key role, they can add additional blocking for a fearsome rush-attack build around Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.
Two tight ends seeing fantasy relevance in the same offense has pretty much been limited to just Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez for a short window in New England. At a value of TE18, Likely is an opportunity to buy in on a young player in a strong offense who has produced previously.
Recent trades for Likely on FantasyCalc.com:
- Likely for 2025 2nd
- Likely for Zack Moss
- Likely for Marvin Mims Jr.
