Unless your fantasy championships include Week 18 (they shouldn't), you've officially reached the end of another season. Lucky for you, the sun never sets on dynasty fantasy football leagues. Let's get right back to work and highlight five players you should be targeting in the coming weeks.

Early 2026 Buy-Low Targets In Dynasty Fantasy Football

Cam Ward, QB - Titans

There's always going to be a ton of pressure on first-round rookie QBs, especially those who are drafted first overall. Before we dive into Cam Ward specifically, here's a quick rundown of the last three QBs taken with the No. 1 pick.

Trevor Lawrence (2021) - 17 games

• 3,641 passing yards
• 12 TDs/17 INTs
• 207 fantasy points

Bryce Young (2023) - 16 games

• 2,877 passing yards
• 11 TDs/10 INTs
• 166 fantasy points

Caleb Williams (2024) - 17 games

• 3,541 passing yards
• 20 TDs/6 INTs
• 260 fantasy points

Through 16 games, Ward is sitting at 3,117 passing yards, 15 TDs, seven INTs and 184 fantasy points. Honestly, with what he's working with in Tennessee, he's doing pretty well.

Much like the NFL, I'm (almost) always willing to give highly drafted QBs a long runway in fantasy football. Since his Week 10 bye, Ward has just one game with fewer than 16 fantasy points and currently has three-straight outings of at least 20 fantasy points.

With another full offseason of reps, growth and confidence ahead of him, Ward is at his lowest value-wise right now. Make the move before the rest of your league catches on.

Premium

Go FantasyLife+

Your league is unique. Your advice should be too. Get personalized tools, rankings, and projections tailored to your fantasy football league settings.

Learn More

Tyler Shough, QB - Saints

You might not know how to pronounce his last name, but Tyler Shough has been quietly playing himself into a starting role next season. Over his last seven games, he's topped 22 fantasy points in six of them.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me quickly remind you how Shough ended up a late-season league winner.

The Saints drafted him 40th overall this last spring. He spent three seasons at Oregon and three more at Texas Tech before finally landing a full-time role at Louisville last season. In 12 games, he threw for almost 3,200 yards, 23 TDs and just six INTs.

Looking back at some of our notes on him, six months ago, Thor Nystrom had this to say:

Shough is an above-average athlete in a big frame. He’s got arm talent, and has shown the ability to win in the quick game and also beat defenses downfield. Shough is a creative thrower who uses multiple arm angles. He throws a catchable spiral.

A 26-year-old rookie is pretty rare, but the Saints won't pick any earlier than eighth overall next spring. So, unless they feel they can trade up or sit tight and secure their QB of the future, there's a strong chance they roll with Shough as QB1 heading into the offseason and next fall.

Matthew Golden, WR - Packers

There's nothing wrong with a sprinkle of homerism/optimism as we shift into the offseason.

The Packers famously broke tradition by drafting a wideout in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, much to the delight of the thousands of fans in attendance and beyond.

Needless to say, Matthew Golden has been a massive disappointment. While he has topped 50 receiving yards four times in 13 games played, he's been borderline useless in every other contest. He has yet to score a TD (either rushing or receiving) and sports just a 10% target share, good for fifth among Packers WRs.

As far as first-round busts go, Golden is (unfortunately) well on his way.

However, that's exactly what makes him a buy-low target as we head into 2026. Jordan Love is an objectively talented QB who has demonstrated the ability to play at an elite level. Romeo Doubs is a free agent at the end of this season, and it remains to be seen what happens with him. Tucker Kraft (ACL) will miss the majority of the offseason, which leaves Christian Watson as the only legitimate option ahead of Golden.

We know Golden is talented and has the tools to thrive in the NFL. I firmly believe his situation and overall offensive environment will result in significantly more production in 2026 and beyond.

This is the cheapest Golden will ever be. I'd make a move before he makes some noise in either Week 18 or the playoffs.

Tre Harris, WR - Chargers

I don't have too many general rules in dynasty fantasy football, but one of them is targeting Year 1 rookies who disappoint relative to draft capital AND have great offensive situations.

Enter, Tre Harris.

The Chargers continued to build around Justin Herbert when they selected Harris in Round 2 last spring. He joined a room of wideouts that included Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Keenan Allen. Allen, the elder statesman, is a free agent at the end of this season, and it looks like McConkey has solidified his hold on the WR1 role.

Even accounting for Johnston's bounce-back campaign and the run-heavy approach of the coaching staff, there's ample room for Harris to contribute at a high and meaningful level.

The three aforementioned teammates have all accounted for at least 18% of the target share this season, while Harris is down at 8%. It should not be a surprise to see Harris double that mark in his second season with the Chargers.

Pat Bryant, WR - Broncos

Pat Bryant may have gone in Round 3, but he's still a Day 2 rookie wideout with ample room to grow alongside arguably one of the best coach/QB combinations in the league.

It's been awesome watching Sean Payton and Bo Nix cook this season.

While Courtland Sutton is the undisputed No. 1 option, there's plenty of opportunity for someone to step into the No. 2 role. Between Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims and Bryant, all of whom will still be on their rookie contracts next season, whoever steps up will find himself in a much more fantasy-friendly role.

Right now, that edge belongs to Franklin, who has posted a 19% target this season (Sutton is at 22%) while Mims and Bryant are down at 10% and 9%, respectively.

Six months ago, I said this about Bryant:

Bryant profiles as someone who takes a significant step over the second half of his rookie season and carries that momentum into an exceptional Year 2.

While he hasn't had the second-half surge I was anticipating, I'm still convinced he has all the tools and the right environment to pay off in a big way for dynasty managers who move to acquire him this offseason.

Join Our Newsletter

Trusted by 400,000+ fantasy football players. Get access to Fantasy Life's free award winning newsletter and tools, all in one step.

Email Address

Subscribe

By registering or logging in, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.