Dynasty Fantasy Football: 8 Players to Buy Before Week 1

Jordan Reed, TE, Washington

ADP: 116th overall (TE12)

You probably just threw up a little bit when you saw Jordan Reed's name, or you may have already skipped to the next guy. Well, for those of you who are still here, the widespread dislike of Reed is exactly what makes him a great buy right now.

Look, I get it. Reed has the injury history of a 58-year-old running back, and he's played a meager 13 games since his breakout campaign in 2015. Oh, and there's also the not-so-small matter of him being pretty bad last year when he was healthy, posting just 35.2 receiving yards per game and finishing with 211 yards and 2 scores in six outings.

But at the tight end position, there are very few players outside of the elite options (Zach Ertz, Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce) who could put up top-shelf numbers. We know Reed can. He was the overall TE3 in standard formats back in the aforementioned 2015 season.

Alex Smith has given Kelce an average of 114 targets per year over the last three campaigns, and Washington isn't exactly overflowing with playmakers in the passing game. So if Reed can stay healthy -- a J.J. Watt bicep-sized if -- he should see significant volume.

Also, if you're into narratives, Washington can cut Reed after this season and leave only $3.6 million in dead cap money, meaning this may be a make-or-break year for Reed. As long as he doesn't break anything on his body, he could be a nice pickup. We project him as 2018's TE11, pegging him for 67 receptions, 602 yards and 4.97 scores.