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By: Jay Pounds (@JayPoundsNFL)
I want to take a quick second and welcome everyone reading to the New Year here on Dynasty Owner! Free agency in Dynasty Owner is so much different than you will find in any other league and truly makes what would be a slow time in normal dynasty a lot of fun here on Dynasty Owner. The new league year is an especially important time with many decisions to be made. We have seen countless players switch teams including some massive names in new homes, with more to come in over the next couple of days/weeks. I hope you all are as excited as I am when it comes to bringing in the new season and a new Chase for the Ring champion in 2021!
If you have been slacking in the football world, just give it a day and you will realize, it is time to watch some Dynasty Owner on YouTube and get caught up on all of the new information that is rapidly coming out. This is my reminder to all of you that this is the most important time of the year to really remake your roster without burning through tons of Dynasty Dollars and your amnesty provision. Next week I will be doing something a bit different for my article/video and instead of the usual rebuild strategy article, I will have one of our owners on with me to break down his brand-new orphan team and the process behind it, as well as how he sold his first team.
During the video/article I will break down what I feel the outlook for his team is, any cap troubles I feel will need addressed, plenty of roster moves and insight, as well as some great football conversation about all of these moves. Also, in next week’s article we will also go over any moves our rebuilding team has made, as well as get his input on what moves he thinks should be made too. If there is anything specific you would like to be brought up, please let me know and I will be sure to cover it.
In my opinion a rebuild doesn’t start until the owner has at least one building block giving him/her a direction to move in. If a team doesn’t have a solid foundation of a star player or 2 it will be much harder to make that team competitive for multiple seasons in a row, which Is the main goal of a rebuild. In today’s article we will be discussing the top 10 players that I feel comfortable building my team around. The only catch to this article is the players must be 27 and under, simply because this is for teams who are rebuilding. Let’s face it no one wants to start a rebuild with a bunch of 28–30-year-old players who are going to fade away sooner rather than later.
Over the next few articles, I will be using part of the intro to my articles to give quick updates on the team we are all building together. With the NFL New Year in full swing there are many decisions that need to be made. Below I will list a few questions/moves that could be made and will decide what to do with all of your input. After these moves are decided we will move on to trades that we feel should be made in the near future.
- Should we keep Nelson Agholor with his new deal in New England?
- What do we do with Corey Davis moving to the Jets?
- Keep/trade/cut Marvin Jones?
- Keep or sell Gibson and Dobbins?
1. Joe Burrow- 3 years $9,047,534
2020 stats- 264-404 2688 yards 13 Td’s 5 Int
At number 1 we have the man, the myth, and the legend himself, Joe Burrow! In Burrows rookie year he was phenomenal given the situation he was playing in. Burrow was pressured on almost 50% of his drop backs during his rookie campaign, yet still was on pace to shatter rookie passing records before his season ending injury. I know the injury will scare many away from truly believing in building around Burrow, which is exactly why he is number one on this list. Because of Burrows injury I feel you can get him for a fraction of the price you would have paid for a healthy Burrow last season.
The Bengals have been linked to Golladay and a few other free agent names, which show the Bengals may finally spend some money in free agency. Burrow, and Burrow owners alike should be thrilled. If the Bengals find a way to protect Burrow, he will be an absolute steal over the next few years of his rookie deal. The other great positive for Burrow is the significant draft capital his team has to provide him with talent.
2. Justin Herbert- 3 years $6,644,688
2020 stats- 396-595 4336 yards 31 Td’s 10 Int
In 2020 Justin Herbert had himself an unbelievable year for a rookie quarterback, but if it weren’t for Burrow going down, I don’t think he wins rookie of the year, or holds any rookie passing records. All of that said Burrow did get hurt and Herbert did win rookie of the year, which certainly drives up his asking price when trying to go for him. Hebert’s 2020 stat line is impressive with 396 completions on 595 attempts for 4336 yards and 31 Td’s, with no training camp or preseason.
I know we all keep hearing about the no training camp or preseason, but it is a factor that really can’t be overlooked as a full offseason could really put guys like Herbert and Burrow in a tier above what was originally thought. The only reason Burrow is ahead of Herbert here is because he will be cheaper to acquire with the injury. If you are able to get Herbert somewhat cheap, take it and run. Players like Herbert, or a healthy Burrow are nothing but cheat codes in this format.
3. Kyler Murray- 2 years $8,789,661
2020 stats- 375-558 3971 yards 26 TD’s 12 Int 133 carries 819 yards 11 Td’s
In the 3 spots I have my toughest decision, one Kyler Murray. Murray has been nothing short of exciting since entering the NFL, especially when it comes to fantasy football. Murray’s rushing upside is not only fun to watch, but effective on the field as well. Late in 2020 Murray was injured and his numbers dipped a bit but he seemed to bounce back towards the last few games in 2020 looking like the Kyler of old.
The reason I had so much trouble slotting Murray here is the length of his contract with just 2 years remaining; it doesn’t give much time to capitalize on Murray’s cheap salary. The biggest thing I love about Murray moving forward is another year with Nuke Hopkins, especially after the first season they had together in 2020. If Kyler stays on this positive track, he will be worth owning even at a higher salary. Let’s just hope it’s not Dak, or Mahomes money!
4. Justin Jefferson- 3 years $3,280,701
2020 stats- 88 catches 1400 yards 7 Td’s
Would you just look at that beautiful stat line? Would you just look at it! Hopefully you get that inside joke, but all jokes aside isn’t his 2020 stat line glorious! Jefferson came into the NFL with some question marks about playing in such a good offense and playing a ton of time in the slot vs. the outside…. Well Jefferson proved all of that to be wrong rather quickly. The LSU product had a quiet first 2 weeks and then never looked back, breaking Randy Moss’s rookie receiving record along the way. What makes Jefferson’s 2020 season even more impressive is the fact he did all of this opposite Theilen, who has what seems to be a great rapport with Kirk Cousins.
The fact Jefferson came in and thoroughly out produced a player like Theilen gives great reason to believe Jefferson will be a dominant Wr1 for many years to come. If you can somehow find a way to acquire Justin Jefferson, do it as he is one of the best building blocks you can find! If this isn’t enough for you to believe in him just look at how he made Cousins an actual fantasy option by the end of the season.
5. Calvin Ridley- 2 years $2,725,178
2020 stats- 90 catches 1374 yards 9 Td’s
Heading into 2020 there were really only two knocks on Ridley. The first being he plays opposite of Julio and may not be able to do it alone, which he proved he could do no problem this past season. The second issue was the fact that he doesn’t produce much after the catch limiting his upside. I don’t think I need to go into much detail about Ridley’s upside after the year he just had. Ridley’s biggest strength seems to be his ability to convert in the red zone, which course translates wonderfully to fantasy. Ridley has also stayed relatively healthy over the course of his short career and there seems to be no reason to believe that will change anytime soon. If you are unable to nab Jefferson, Ridley is a great consolation prize!
6. A.J. Brown- 2 years $1,413,092
2020 stats-70 catches 1075 yards 11 Td’s
Up next on the list we have our third wide receiver in as many spots, A.J. Brown. In 2020 Brown was bothered by an ankle injury that seemed to be all season long, but it didn’t seem to stop him in terms of production. Even injured, Brown was able to increase his yardage and touchdown numbers from his rookie season in 2020, though his efficiency did drop a bit. In the coming season Brown should be featured even more than he has been since joining the Titans with Corey Davis going to the Jets, and Jonnu Smith joining the Hoodie in New England.
Since entering the NFL, Brown has given us zero sign that he can’t handle an increased role in the offense and operate with tighter coverages by the opposing defense. My biggest question marks on Brown have to do with a bit of the same reasons I love him, being he now has to do it alone, and the fact he has a new offensive coordinator in 2021.
7. Josh Allen- 1 year $5,295,760
2020 stats- 396-572 4544 yards 37 Td’s 10 Int 102 carries 421 yards 8 Td’s
If you are new to Dynasty Owner reading this for the first time you are probably thinking, how in the world is Josh Allen at number 7 with the year he just had. Well, that is what makes Dynasty Owner so much fun and strategic. In any other format you would find guys like Mahomes, Jackson, and Prescott on the top of this list, but in Dynasty Owner their massive salaries keep them off of it entirely. In a year or 2 Allen will sign a massive contract as well so he may not fit for all rebuilding teams, which is why he’s all the way down at 7. If you feel you are a year or 2 out and will have some cap space at that time Allen is a must own on your team, if not I would likely shy away.
When breaking down the future of Allen I cannot find much negative to say and I love the outlook of the offense he is playing in, especially if they manage to keep Daboll a few more seasons. If you’re close to contention and can afford the asking price, I would grab Allen and enjoy knowing good times are ahead.
8. CeeDee Lamb- 3 years $3,502,503
2020 stats- 74 catches 935 yards 5 Td’s
Even with the massive season Jefferson just had I still think Lamb quietly was more impressive, though I still have Jefferson ahead due to the presence of Amari Cooper for Lamb. Let’s look back at what Lamb had to play through in his rookie season that didn’t even offer training camps, or a preseason. A few weeks into the season star Qb Dak Prescott went down with a season ending injury, backup Dalton came in and got hurt just 3 weeks after.
Lamb had to play the next few weeks with no name Qb’s while Dalton recovered. Dalton finally returns to action in week 11 and somewhat gets the Cowboys offense on track. The offensive line and running game were also rough in 2020 for the Cowboys offense. Despite all of this Lamb fell just short of the 1,000-yard mark, which tells me big things are coming for the young talented receiver out of Sooner country. If you can buy Lamb at a small discount because of 2020 I highly recommend doing so.
9. George Kittle- New Deal
2020 stats- 48 catches 634 yards 2 Td’s
George Kittle will not come cheap for owners that are trying to trade for him, or owners that already roster him due to his massive new deal. I tried to stay on the cheaper side of things when picking players on this list and that is the sole reason for Kittle being number 9 instead of in the top 2, or 3. Even at a huge salary, Kittle is more than worth rostering because of the advantage he gives you almost every week at the tight end position.
As we all learned about the tight end position in 2020, if you have an elite tight end you have a huge advantage. The fact Kittle was hurt last season and has a massive new deal incoming you may be able to get him a little cheaper than you think, depending on the owner of course. One way to make sure you hit on a tight end vs. being patient waiting on one to develop is to trade for a player like Kittle.
10. Jonathon Taylor- 3 years $1,957,287
2020 stats- 232 carries 1169 yards 11 Td’s 36 catches 299 yards 1 Td
As much as I don’t like building around running backs, I just had to put Taylor on this list. The colts have a great offensive line and a great offensive system that Taylor thrived in towards the end of the season. The Colts deciding to bring Mack back hurts Taylor a little, but I think Taylor showed he was capable of great things throughout the last half of 2020. Taylor came into the NFL as a great Rb prospect who seemed to be a surefire thing with just one question mark, his receiving.
As you can see in his stat line above Taylor proved he could be a 3-down workhorse who can be a receiving threat out of the backfield with 36 catches and just under 300 yards. If Taylor continues to improve as a receiver, he will be a consistent top 5 running back for years to come. If you can manage to get Taylor without completely breaking the bank, do it. I would recommend using the Mack signing and the first half of 2020 to your advantage in any trade for Taylor.
Conclusion
With the New Year upon us the majority of the free agents will be signed in the coming days and I figured that this would be a great time to conclude my top 10 player articles for rebuilding your team. With all of the changes that are happening I will take the next few weeks to cover some things on the draft, what players you should be cutting, a Dynasty Owner’s orphan team (mentioned above), and much more. I will also touch on things like how to maneuver your way through the draft to acquire more picks and hope to do an article on trades rebuilding teams have made over the offseason. As always please let me know if there were anything you would like me to cover in upcoming articles and feel free to contact me on Twitter anytime! Thank you for reading and good luck on your 2021 Chase for the Ring!
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