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League #35693
By: Jay Pounds (@jaypoundsnfl)
Dynasty Owners, welcome back to another week of rebuilding teams with Jay. I don’t know about all of you, but for me it is time to start the countdown to the 2022 NFL season. With that said, we are only 51 days from seeing top level football again. Each year when the pre-season nears, I feel as if I were a kid eagerly awaiting a visit from Santa again. If my significant other were to read that last line, she would likely shake her head, chuckle, and say you really do have a fantasy football problem. While I do not disagree with her, I also do not care because football is almost back!
In today’s article, I will be putting a little spin on the Rebuilding with Our Dynasty Owners series and will be selecting one team from the Dynasty Owner orphan store to breakdown. I will likely continue this until all orphan teams have been purchased. If you have never taken over an orphan team, you are in for a real treat today. Personally, I feel that taking over an orphan team and bringing it back to prominence is one of the toughest and most rewarding things fantasy football has to offer. Typically, rebuilding teams do not have a bright future as the previous owner usually gives up and either makes questionable moves, or no moves at all making it a huge task for the new owner to get the roster to a comfortable place. If you are a fantasy football nut who loves a challenge, look no further you have come to the right place!
I have created a new category (Long-Term Hold) that better suits some player situations. A Long-Term Hold will be a player who is a potential Building Block but is unlikely to produce for more than a season, or a rookie who is talented but not yet a Building Block.
Building Blocks
- Patrick Mahomes (QB – KC) – 10 years/$45,000,000
- Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN) – 3 years/$7,704,910
- Calvin Ridley (WR – ATL) – 1 year/$2,725,178
The Building Blocks for this team are rather slim, but part of the reason for that is because the Players to Trade list has last year’s fantasy football M.V.P. (Cooper Kupp) on it. The first player on the list I want to cover is the most controversial, Calvin Ridley. I know some will say I could have placed Ridley on the Long-Term Hold list because he is suspended for the season, but that category is more for developmental prospects and Ridley is nowhere near that. We have seen Ridley put up a WR1 season already and while he may not get back to that, I see no issues with him as a WR2 for quite awhile upon returning from suspension. Plus, you will get nowhere near his value in a trade right now.
Up next, we have my favorite young receiver in the game, Ja’Marr Chase. In 2021, Chase put up unbelievable numbers as a rookie after reconnecting with his college quarterback from LSU, Joe Burrow. I see no reason to believe Chase can’t put up the same, or better numbers, in 2022 considering the upgrades the Bengals made to their roster this off-season.
The last guy on the list is none other than Patrick Mahomes and just as I said with Chase, he doesn’t need much of an explanation. I know $45,000,000 may seem like a ton for a quarterback but before long he will likely be seen as a bargain as quarterback salaries continue to rise.
Long-Term Hold
- Malik Willis (QB – TEN) – 4 years/$1,286,083
- Jahan Dotson (WR – WAS) – 4 years/$3,762,090
Welcome to the inaugural version of the Long-Term Hold category! The first player I will cover in this new section is none other than Malik Willis. I figured with so much craziness surrounding him the last few months, he would be the perfect player to start off this category. Willis is an extremely talented kid, but he is also very raw when it comes to the finer things that quarterbacks need to succeed in the NFL. Willis will be a project for your roster and the Tennessee Titans, but at a low salary of $1.286 million per season you can afford to be patient. If Willis ends up as even an average starter in the next couple of years, he will be a huge value for this roster.
The second player on this list, Jahan Dotson will see the field a lot this season, but I could not justify him as a Building Block just yet, but also felt he was more than just a hold. It took me a while to come around to him but after digging into Dotson I feel he has the tools to succeed at the NFL level for quite a while. I am not so sure he will become an elite receiver, but I do see someone who should be a quality contributor for many seasons if the Commanders can develop him correctly. I know that’s a huge “if” because it’s the Commanders.
Players to Trade
- Jamal Williams (RB – DET) – 1 year/$3,000,000
- David Montgomery (RB – CHI) – 1 year/$1,003,845
- Cooper Kupp (WR – LAR) – 2 years/$15,750,000
- Hunter Renfrow (WR – LV) – 1 year/$708,987
- Mike Gesicki (TE – MIA) – 1 year/$10,931,000
- Albert Okwuegbunam (TE – DEN) – 2 years/$1,011,011
The Players to Trade list has some interesting names on it, but none better than Cooper Kupp! Kupp was an absolute beast in 2021 and outside of an injury, I see zero reasons to believe it won’t happen again. The Rams are virtually running it back in 2022 and with Kupp and Stafford locked up long-term, it is a perfect opportunity to trade the star receiver. At 29 years old, Kupp belongs nowhere near a rebuilding roster so trade him now and reap the rewards for years to come.
David Montgomery is another great trade piece for this roster who will return great assets. If I were purchasing this orphan team, the first thing I would do after trading Kupp is offer Montgomery up to all the contenders. If you would like a more detailed explanation on why to trade Montgomery, check back to my article from last week.
Another interesting player in this category is Hunter Renfrow. I know the addition of Davante Adams hurts the overall outlook of Renfrow, but at such a low salary this season, I feel he will still return solid value in a trade.
The two tight ends on this list are very different from each other, but in both situations, I think I would look to trade them. Gesicki is a player who I have never cared much for, and it has gotten much worse with his new contract. I would move Gesicki for a tuna sandwich at this point and I hate tuna, meaning get what you can for him and do not look back. Finally, Albert O is in the best situation of his career and that’s exactly why I am moving him. With all the hype surrounding the Broncos tight end, I think it’s a much safer bet to trade him vs. holding him and hoping he pans out.
Players to Hold
- Gardner Minshew (QB – PHI) – 1 year/$677,721
- Chuba Hubbard (RB – CAR) – 3 years/$1,048,294
- Devin Singletary (RB – BUF) – 1 year/$974,500
- Kenyan Drake (RB – LV) – 1 year/$5,500,000
- Bryan Edwards (WR – ATL) – 2 years/$1,173,113
- Tutu Atwell (WR – LAR) – 3 years/$1,477,175
The Players to Hold list doesn’t have any surprising candidates but it does offer some potential hope. Gardner Minshew is an extremely cheap backup playing behind a quarterback that likes to run the ball in Jalen Hurts. If Hurts gets hurt (no pun intended), Minshew will become one of the best values on the platform and will surely return valuable assets in a trade.
Devin Singletary is another interesting player and one I would hold onto at this point. If James Cook comes out and struggles while Singletary does well, his trade value will likely skyrocket.
The most questionable player on this list is Kenyan Drake and while I see reasons to cut him, I think he’s a better Player to Hold if you have the cap space. No, Drake will not become a featured back at this point in his career but if an injury does happen, he is still a talented back who can put up numbers which will make it much easier to trade him vs. cutting him and getting nothing.
The last player I want to touch on is Bryan Edwards. Edwards is not in a great situation playing on a terrible Atlanta team, but he does have two very important things going for him. The first being he is familiar with Marcus Mariota, and the second being he will get every opportunity to succeed making him an easy Player to Hold.
Players to Cut
- Case Keenum (QB – BUF) – 1 year/$6,000,000
- Taysom Hill (QB – NO) – 4 years/$10,000,000
- Brandon Bolden (RB – LV) – 2 years/$2,505,000
- Jermar Jefferson (RB – DET) – 3 years/$889,581
- Tevin Coleman (RB – NYJ) – 1 year/$1,500,000
- Anthony Miller (WR – PIT) – 1 year/$1,035,000
- Rashard Higgins (WR – CAR) – 1 year/$1,187,500
- Mo Alie-Cox (TE – IND) – 3 years/$5,850,000
Of course, there are a few players you can make the case to keep but I feel the best course of action for all of these players is to cut ties and free up quite a bit of salary cap space (nearly $29 million).
Current Rookie Draft Picks
2023 – 1st, 2nd, 3rd
2024 – 1st, 2nd, 3rd
2025 – 1st, 2nd, 3rd
Dynasty Dollars and Amnesty Provisions
Dynasty Dollars = $10 million
Amnesty Provisions = 3
My Thoughts
Overall, this roster needs a ton of work, but a turnaround can be made rather quickly if done right. The trade asset of Cooper Kupp alone is enough to jumpstart a rebuild. The first thing I would look to do with this roster is to build through the receiver position and find a quarterback to pair with Mahomes. I also think that this team may need to shy away from the tight end position until it is time to compete and acquire one via trade as the position tends to take awhile to develop. If you are up for a challenge, this is a great roster for you!
Thank you all for reading and playing Dynasty Owner. Be sure to check out the rest of our articles written by Steve, Nate, and Matt. Stay safe out there and good luck on your 2022 Chase for the Ring!