Sophomores To Buy In Dynasty Fantasy Football: Get In On Emeka Egbuka While You Still Can

First years are hard for some people. I remember walking through the doors of my high school for the very first time with a fresh bowl haircut, a very shiny and highly flammable shirt (with dragons on it), and pant legs wide enough to fit a whole separate person.

As you might’ve guessed from that tragic mental image, high school got off to a rocky start for yours truly.

But hey, the next year I came back with a new look, a positive attitude, and fewer dragons on my clothes. Not no dragons, mind you, just … fewer. By the time I graduated, I’d met my future wife, made some lifelong friends, and accrued a treasure trove of good memories.

My point is … things change. People grow. Who we are as freshmen in high school doesn’t have to define who we are for the rest of our lives. So dang it, why don’t we extend that same grace to rookies in the NFL?

The players below are primed to outshine their rookie year performances and improve the fantasy fortunes of anyone willing to trade for them now. Take advantage of these sophomores on the rise …

Dynasty Fantasy Football Second-Year Players To Buy

Emeka Egbuka | WR | TB

Can we make a pact, you and I? I’m going to say something that might seem outlandish … OUTRAGEOUS even. But I’d like you to keep an open mind until I’ve said my peace. Ready …?

Emeka Egbuka could easily be the next Jaxon Smith-Njigba. LET ME FINISH!

Like JSN, Egbuka was drafted into a “crowded” receiving room. Like JSN, Egbuka quickly proved he belongs at the top of the draft chart. And like JSN, there is an incredible buying window waiting to be seized upon before he vaults into the top 10 at his position.

Through Week 5, the rookie had already racked up 445 and five touchdowns. Sadly, a hamstring injury in the following game pretty much derailed his season. I hate to be the guy who blames injuries, but there was a pretty clear and thick line between healthy Egbuka and injured Egbuka last year.

The Bucs brought in Zac Robinson to take over as OC to help resurrect Baker Mayfield, who had an uncharacteristically tough time hitting his targets last season. I expect the Baker-to-Egbuka connection to thrive for many seasons to come.

Matthew Golden | WR | GB

This man is the quintessential example of a low-risk/high-upside acquisition. Expectations were high for Golden after the Packers broke tradition and spent a first-round pick on him, but he failed to deliver the goods. Heck, he barely delivered the mehs.

But luckily, there were flashes of brilliance. Even better, some of those flashes showed up when it mattered most: the playoffs. Golden managed four catches, 81 yards and a touchdown in his lone playoff appearance.

While he didn’t show up in the stat sheet often enough, Golden showcased sticky hands, elite separation skills, tremendous versatility and a willingness to play through injuries. The coaching staff liked what they saw enough to let Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks go in free agency.

Green Bay has long been committed to developing its young wide receivers, maybe sometimes to a fault. What that means for Golden is a wide-open runway for opportunities and a soft cushion to absorb any failings in the short term.

With a questionable defense and a potentially disastrous backfield situation, there’s a strong chance Matt LaFleur finally cuts Jordan Love loose. We could be looking at a big shift in offensive identity, with Golden becoming one of the biggest benefactors.

Tyler Warren | TE | IND

If Warren’s top-tier production had come at the end of the season instead of the beginning, his dynasty value would be right in line with Colston Loveland. And I’m starting to think he should be valued even higher.

Through Week 13, with a healthy Daniel Jones, Warren was on a full-season pace of 82 receptions and 969 yards. Those are big numbers for a rookie. But once Jones was sidelined and the Colts turned to their septuagenarian savior Philip Rivers, things fell apart. Warren capped off the season with five games averaging 27 yards and nary a touchdown in sight. His yards per target plummeted from 8.8 to 3.9. Things got very, very bad.

And that’s why we have a buying window, folks. In the short term, I think Michael Pittman leaving opens up more quality targets for Warren than for Josh Downs or Alec Pierce. But it doesn’t feel like the dynasty community at large agrees.

In the long term, it wouldn’t shock me one bit to see Warren have more steady high-end production than Loveland, who is fetching quite a bit more in dynasty trades these days.

Woody Marks | RB | HOU

Marks never should have been the lead running back in Houston. I don’t think that’s why he was drafted, and I don’t think it’s what the Texans wanted. But their hand was forced when Joe Mixon’s mysterious foot injury turned into a season-ending debacle, and the decrepit Nick Chubb looked to be running in wet cement.

So Marks, easily the best pass-catching back from the 2025 draft class, was shoehorned into the lead role and slogged his way into flex-worthy status. It wasn’t pretty.

With David Montgomery coming to town, Marks’ value has pretty much evaporated based on the assumption that he’ll be relegated to a minimal pass-catching role. But that role could be a pretty nice one for fantasy managers.

C.J. Stroud is still looking for another reliable pass catcher behind Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz. I’m willing to bet that Marks assumes that role, becomes much more efficient and once again winds up as a solid flex option. But this time, he should look better doing it.

Players Mentioned in this Article

EmekaEgbuka
WRTB
PPG
9.5
Proj
175.4
MatthewGolden
WRGB
PPG
4.8
Proj
117.5
TylerWarren
TEIND
PPG
8.7
Proj
158.6
Jo'quavioiusMarks
RBHOU
PPG
8.7
Proj
99.2

Published Jun 30, 2026, 6:55 AM ETUpdated Jun 30, 2026, 9:10 AM ET