The offseason is in full swing, with most rookie drafts completed or coming up very soon and training camp right around the corner. Your league might be in a bit of a post-rookie-draft lull with the NFL news cycle the quietest it will be for many months, but that makes it the perfect time for smart dynasty managers to get ahead of the hype and make trades for players who are likely to see their value rise throughout the offseason.

Not only are your leaguemates probably bored and more willing to hit accept on a trade just for the excitement, but they also probably aren't paying as close of attention to the offseason news and roster moves as you are. This gives you a chance to get ahead of the curve and improve your team before the news cycle kicks into full gear and everyone catches up on the 2025 fantasy football landscape.

To help you out, we have compiled four of their favorite sneaky trade targets to acquire now before the hype train gets rolling this offseason.

Four Players To Trade For In Dynasty Fantasy Football

Keon Coleman | WR | Bills

Jonathan: The dynasty market is down on Keon Coleman heading into 2025, but I think the hate has gone too far, making him a sneaky trade target for savvy fantasy managers. Coleman had an up-and-down rookie season, but because of how it finished, fantasy managers seem to be remembering it as worse than it actually was.

When evaluating his rookie season, you really have to view it through the lens of the injury he suffered in Week 9. In Weeks 1-8, he posted a very strong 2.07 YPRR and scored three times. He was also coming off his two best games in Week 7 and Week 8 when he went 4/125/0 and 5/70/1.

In the seven games after he returned from injury (including the playoffs), he was down at 1.05 YPRR and recorded just one catch in five of those seven contests. That type of statistical drop-off suggests he was just never fully healthy despite returning to the field.

I don't tend to value offseason quotes very highly, but it is still better to have positive buzz than nothing at all. Josh Allen has been very complimentary of Coleman's work ethic this offseason, and for his part, Coleman made it clear he wasn't satisfied with how his rookie season went.

More importantly, the Bills offseason moves suggest Coleman is still a big part of their plans. They did add Josh Palmer and Elijah Moore in free agency, but they didn't draft anyone at the position until the seventh round. Palmer and Moore are serviceable depth pieces, but they won't be major target competition if Coleman can step up in his second season.

We know the Bills will be one of the NFL's best offenses as long as Josh Allen is healthy, and Coleman should have every opportunity to be one of the top targets on the team in 2025 and beyond. This makes him a great buy-low target with a mid-second-round rookie pick or a declining veteran like Stefon Diggs. It definitely isn't a risk-free move, but those are the types of deals that can help build a dominant roster for years to come.

Josh Downs | WR | Colts
 

Jonathan: The fantasy football community has underrated Josh Downs since he entered the league. In my opinion, this is partially because of his size and partially because of the poor QB play he has had to deal with. In his two pro seasons, the Colts have averaged a dismal 206.6 passing yards per game and have just 38 total passing TDs. For context, four NFL teams had more than 38 passing TDs in 2024 alone.

The offensive environment has been one of the worst in the league, and yet Downs has put together two strong seasons. Even more importantly, he had a major efficiency jump from his first season to year two. He improved in virtually every important metric, and his 2024 season was borderline elite. Downs ranked top-20 among all WRs (min. 50 targets) in both YPRR and YAC per reception.

His raw stats were a bit suppressed because he only played in 14 games, but he was the WR35 in PPR points per game, making him a viable weekly starter.

Another stat that caught my eye was the fact that Downs ranked fourth in ESPN's open score for the 2024 season. He creates separation and easy throws for his QB. Unfortunately, Anthony Richardson hasn't been able to take full advantage of that with his 50.6% career completion percentage.

With Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson expected to split time this season, I am not projecting the Colts to be a prolific passing offense, but Downs is a good fit for the way Jones plays, so that should provide a baseline of solid production. If Richardson has improved as a passer, that could also provide unexpected upside. All things considered, we should be looking at a similar or slightly improved offensive environment when compared to the 2024 season.

It also helps that Downs will only turn 24 years old in August, so he is just entering his prime and should still have plenty of productive seasons ahead of him. When his QB situation improves, I expect we'll see a true breakout as he establishes himself as one of the best slot WRs in the league. I want to be ahead of that breakout and would love to trade older veterans in a better situation to get an underrated, ascending player like Josh Downs on my roster. 

Jordan Mason | RB | Vikings
 

Sam: The Vikings continue to make excellent football moves that, unfortunately, could give fantasy football managers some grief.

After spending his first seven seasons in Green Bay, Aaron Jones had a career year in his first season with the Vikings. He posted career-best marks in:

• Rushing attempts - 255
• Rushing yards - 1,138

He also posted his second-best season in receiving yards (408), which was his most since 2019.

Needless to say, if your 30-year RB sets a new record for total touches in a season, and manages to stay healthy for the entire 17-game season, you better have a solid backup in place moving forward.

The Vikings not only rewarded Jones with a two-year/$20-million contract, but they also brought over Jordan Mason to shore up the position.

Most known for his backup role for Christian McCaffrey, Mason is a solid RB in his own right. He's averaged north of 5.0 yards per carry over nearly 200 carries across his last two seasons.

The word out of Minnesota is that Kevin O'Connell wants to scale back Jones' usage this season after his record-setting 700 snaps in 2024. It also sounds like Mason will be the primary short-yardage and goal-line option. Those changes spell bad news for Jones and his fantasy managers.

On paper, Jones still is (and should be) the starting RB. However, it sounds like it'll be more of a 1A/1B split between Jones and Mason. That makes the latter, who is four years younger, a much more appealing dynasty option moving forward and someone that managers should be looking to add before the season gets underway.

Devin Neal, RB - Saints
 

Sam: This player might not be expected to see the field a ton in Year 1, but I am willing to play the long game with Devin Neal.

Drafted by the Saints in Round 6, Neal joins Kendre Miller and Clyde Edwards-Helaire as the trio of options behind an aging Alvin Kamara.

For some perspective, Neal has been on our radar here at Fantasy Life for a few months now. Thor Nystrom tabbed him as his biggest RB riser coming out of the Senior Bowl.

"Neal is an instinctual, finesse slasher. His feet are elite—choppy, blur-fast, and precise. In space, he is slippery, and hard to square up. Neal adds to the illusion by toggling speeds, messing with defenders’ angles. He runs with vision and patience, staying on schedule behind his line. If a cutback lane opens, he’s going to find it."

In college, Neal dominated. He topped 1,000 rushing yards in his final three years at Kansas and finished his four-year career with more than 4,300 rushing yards and 53 total TDs.

CEH is on his second team after starting his career with the Chiefs, and Miller has never consistently produced enough to give coaches (or fantasy managers) the necessary confidence.

There's a clear path to meaningful work for Neal, and while Kamara will look to maintain his lead-back duties for another season, Neal has the tools to succeed in the NFL for a long time.

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