This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant
By: Jay Pounds (@JayPoundsNFL)
Dynasty Owners, we are down to our last two Free Agent Auction targets articles for the 2022 season. We are really getting down to the nitty gritty at this point, but there are a few players who offer upside left for the taking.
Before we jump into today’s free agents, let’s look at a few of my favorite takeaways from Week 15. The first major takeaway has nothing to do with any individual team but will include many, the playoff race. Both the NFC and AFC have extremely close races and it should make for a great end to the season. The first game I would like to touch on is the Jaguars vs. Cowboys in what I am officially calling Trevor Lawrence’s ($9,198,372) coming out party. I went back and rewatched this game and was impressed with many of the throws that he made. Lawrence has been doing this as of late, but doing it against a top tier defense like Dallas only helps my case. The next game I want to touch on is the Jets vs. Lions in what would have been the toilet bowl last season. Both teams have turned things around, but Detroit looks like the real deal as of late, stringing together six wins in their last seven games against tough competition. If the Lions keep playing good football, they could become the team no one wants to see in the playoffs. I mean let’s be honest no one wants to play a team that enjoys chewing on kneecaps. My final takeaway from Week 15 is the fact that the Steelers have completely ruined their draft stock for a slim shot at losing in the first round of the playoffs. We all remember last year against the Chiefs, right? It will be no different this year if they somehow win out and make the playoffs. I love seeing my team make the playoffs, but I’d like to have a little confidence they can compete with the big dogs first.
The players listed below are in no order and are less than 85% rostered in Dynasty Owner with a salary of $8,000,000 or less.
- Zay Jones (WR – JAC) – 3 years/$8,000,000 – 81.7% Rostered
I gave everyone a fair warning last week that I would only put Zay Jones in this week’s article if he had a huge game and he did exactly that. In Week 15, Jones exploded against a very good Dallas defense, finishing with a stat line of 6 catches for 109 yards and 3 touchdowns, good enough for 34.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. The biggest factor I like about Zay Jones moving forward is the fact he is tied to quarterback Trevor Lawrence for another two seasons. Lawrence has struggled at times to start his career, but over the past month or so he has looked like the quarterback we all expected him to be, a potential superstar. If Lawrence continues to thrive and grow, Zay Jones could find himself in the top 20 wide receiver conversation come 2023. Regardless of what happens the Jaguars will be a fun team to watch for the foreseeable future.
- Rashid Shaheed (WR – NO) – 1 year/$705,000 – 49.36% Rostered
Rashid Shaheed has earned himself future playing time in the NFL because of the season he has had thus far. While Shaheed has not been elite by any means, he is starting to show he is able to produce when he is involved in the game plan. In the past two games for the Saints, Shaheed has put up respectable numbers catching 7 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown. Shaheed does seem like the typical boom or bust type player, but should fit well on teams competing for the 1.13 bonus first round rookie draft pick. Another huge plus for Shaheed is the fact he has such a low salary for just this season means you can pick him up with zero worries.
- Noah Brown (WR – DAL) – 1 year/$1,187,500 – 75.74% Rostered
The strangest stat I could find from the Cowboys-Jaguars game was the fact that Noah Brown led the Cowboys in targets despite CeeDee Lamb’s ($3,502,503) big game. Brown not only led the team in targets, but he led the team in touchdowns too. Coming into the season, both Steve Van Tassell and I were high on Michael Gallup ($11,500,000) and that has looked like bust up to this point, though Gallup has four years remaining on his contract to prove otherwise. Was Sunday’s game an outlier, or has Noah Brown surpassed Michael Gallup for the number 2 receiver spot in Big D. It certainly seems as if Brown has surpassed Gallup over the past two weeks with Brown having 10 catches to just 3 for Gallup.
- Russell Gage (WR – TB) – 3 years/$10,000,000 – 60.43% Rostered
I can assure all of you that Steve Van Tassell was a happy man watching Russell Gage have a big game this past Sunday. Steve loved Gage after Tom Brady ($15,000,000) brought him to Tampa and I must say after awhile he had me on board. Gage has been bad this season no matter how you want to spin it, but the same can be said for the entire Buccaneers offense in 2022. The Buccaneers lost on Sunday, but the offense moved the ball for the first time in awhile and this is the point in the season where Tom Brady tends to lock in and elevate his game. Will that happen the rest of the season? I am not sure, but I will never count Brady out as I have learned the hard way numerous times.
- Marquise Goodwin (WR – SEA) – 1 year/$1,272,500 – 42.98% Rostered
Last week I had Marquise Goodwin on this list and stated that if one of the two star receivers ahead of him were to go down to injury, Goodwin would become a must add player. Goodwin has not had many big games this season, but he has had several big plays and has likely earned the trust of all of his Seahawks’ teammates but most importantly quarterback, Geno Smith ($3,500,000). In both of the big games, Goodwin had this season he surpassed 20.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points and he did so while playing behind elite receivers DK Metcalf ($1,146,513) and Tyler Lockett ($17,250,000). Lockett is slated to miss one game against the Kansas City Chiefs due to a finger injury, which should be a high scoring affair with plenty of opportunities for Goodwin to shine in his expanded role for the first time this season.
- Colt McCoy (QB – ARI) – 2 years/$3,750,000 – 68.09% Rostered
In the final spot, we have a player I am not very excited about putting on the list but after watching McCoy’s backup Trace McSorley ($965,000) play this past weekend, there is no doubt in my mind McCoy will be starting if he is healthy. McCoy struggled before getting hurt against a tough Broncos defense, but the matchups should only get easier for McCoy in the next two weeks. I would not recommend playing McCoy in your Starting lineup, but he can help our Dynasty Owners earn a few Bench points over the final two weeks. With some of the close playoff matchups we witnessed this week, every point will matter.
Thank you all for reading and good luck with your Week 16 playoff semifinals matchups! Don’t forget to check out the other articles from Steve and Matt, as well as the Livestream, Champions podcast, and the podcast with Steve and myself. Stay safe out there and good luck on your 2022 Chase for the Ring!