Week 14 Dynasty Notebook: Buy-Low Candidates for Next Season

We're officially into December, which means it's crunch time for fantasy managers everywhere. If you are one of the lucky (or just good) ones who have more or less locked up a playoff berth or a first-round bye, enjoy these next few weeks and pray your roster stays healthy.

If you are out of playoff contention, let's look ahead to next season. Here are several dynasty targets you should go after that you can acquire for below market value.

Colston Loveland, TE - Bears

Here's one for the data/analytics crowd to kick things off…Colston Loveland is a screaming buy-low target for me in all dynasty formats.

The consensus TE1 in our annual Rookie TE Model, Loveland is also one of the youngest players at his position in his class. Yes, Tyler Warren has been wildly more productive by comparison (shoutout to Daniel Jones), but Loveland is nearly two years younger and is on an ascending offense of his own.

Loveland only has three TDs and just one game with more than 55 receiving yards and is currently a low-end TE2. However, this Bears team is somehow 9-3 and sits atop the NFC North heading into the first week of December.

Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams have the Bears sitting as the No. 8 offense, scoring over 26 points per game. Their 25th-ranked defense has forced Williams to air it out, although their run game has dominated as well, leading to this team being pretty balanced.

Loveland is the fourth option in the passing game behind Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and…Olamide Zaccheaus. Bet you didn't see that one coming.

Moving forward, I fully expect Loveland to command a larger share of the passing game in seasons to come. I'm curious how long the Bears continue to ride with Moore, as they have the aforementioned Odunze and they just drafted the uber-talented Luther Burden.

All of this to say, Loveland has too many things in his favor for me not to be in on him. Even if I have to pay a slight premium to another savvy manager, I'm all in on his prospects moving forward.

Jayden Reed, WR - Packers

Staying in the NFC North, the Packers are sitting at 8-3-1, just a hair behind the Bears.

Green Bay and Chicago play each other twice in the next three weeks, so this is a critical stretch run for both teams.

How awesome is it to have truly competitive divisional games this deep into the season? And right after the Midwest just got dumped with snow and the temps are plummeting?! This is true football weather.

Leaning in Green Bay's favor is the hopeful return of Jayden Reed (foot/shoulder). As of Monday afternoon, he was still seeking medical clearance, but he hasn't played since Week 2.

The Packers, once again, have one of the more confounding wide receiver rooms. After spending a first-round pick (finally!) on a wideout in Matthew Golden, he's been objectively disappointing. He hasn't scored yet and has twice as many single-digit fantasy performances (6) as he does games with 10+ points (3).

Even so, the team finds itself firmly in control of its own destiny and could be getting a key chess piece back soon. Reed has long produced like a discount prime Deebo Samuel, with his uncanny ability to make plays in space as both rusher and receiver.

Adding this talent to an already ascending team could be the key to unlocking an even higher ceiling. From a broader dynasty perspective, I don't mind snagging another share or two of Reed before he comes back, even if my team is already out of contention.

The Packers' wide receiver room is going to be fascinating to watch unfold in the coming seasons when contracts are up. Regardless, Reed is someone I want on all of my teams given his currently depressed price.

Luther Burden, WR - Bears

This one hurts as a Packers fan. Not because I dislike Luther Burden, but because I have two Bears players in my top-three dynasty buys in December.

If nothing else, you can't say I'm not objective. I try to be a man of the people.

For many of the same reasons I like Loveland, I think Burden could rise even higher up the dynasty rankings in the weeks, months, and seasons ahead. If this Johnson/Williams tandem in Chicago makes a deep playoff run this year, the hype for the coming seasons will be palpable, and Burden will be right in the middle of that.

As previously mentioned, even if Moore sticks around as the elder statesman in the receiver room, Burden has all the makings of being a true No. 1 option in the league, and he's already demonstrated flashes of it.

Burden came in as the WR5 in our Rookie WR Model but was also the second-youngest receiver in his class. As you likely noticed in my Loveland segment, rookie age is something I do place value on when evaluating under-the-radar prospects. Not all players progress at the same rate, and I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to those who are even younger than their peers.

In the dynasty game, we do have to factor in age, and being able to buy back a few seasons and get younger with these buy-low targets is a viable strategy.

Between Burden and Odzune, we could be looking at one of the best receiver duos in all of football, especially if Williams continues his development at this level. I may not like it as a Packers fan, but I respect what the team has assembled and am excited to see the upcoming matchups.

Pat Bryant, WR - Broncos

I wrote about Pat Bryant a few weeks ago in this piece and feel even more strongly about him now as a buy-low target as we head deeper into December.

Jaylin Noel, WR - Texans

Talented, young players with good QBs and relatively deep wideout rooms: Jaylin Noel checks all the boxes. Yes, Nico Collins is the undisputed No. 1 option, and Christian Kirk is the veteran who just continues to stick around. Toss in fellow rookie Jayden Higgins and there doesn't seem to be much room for Noel.

That's exactly what makes him a buy-low target.