By: Jay Pounds (@jaypoundsnfl)
Dynasty Owners! Welcome back and thank you for checking out another one of my articles. We finally have football again with the pre-season underway. With that said, let’s take a look at a few things that stood out to me in Weeks 1&2 of the NFL pre-season.
- C.J. Stroud ($9,069,811) struggles! Stroud had a rough debut against a Patriots’ defense that always gives rookie quarterbacks a hard time. I am nowhere near concerned as this was the toughest test any rookie quarterback could have been given on Day 1.
- On the other end of the spectrum, Texans rookie WR Tank Dell ($1,244,382) was on fire posting a stat line of 5 catches for 65 yards while adding a touchdown. If you were able to snag Dell in the late 2nd or early 3rd round of your Dynasty Owner rookie draft (rookie ADP 31.4), you have to be thrilled after that debut.
- Next, we have Packers starting quarterback Jordan Love ($3,095,863) who looked solid against the Bengals finishing with 7 completions on just 10 attempts for 46 yards and a touchdown. My main worry here is that the stat line is a little skewed due to Love averaging just 4.6 yards per pass attempt. At worst, it’s a great way to build the youngster’s confidence.
- The last 2 players I want to talk about are Kenny Pickett ($3,516,976) and Baker Mayfield ($4,000,000). I have been critical of Pickett since being drafted by my Steelers and we all know how much love I have for Mayfield, but both of these guys came out on fire, and both left the field throwing as many touchdowns as they did incompletions! Only one of each!
In today’s article I will be covering players who I think can contribute heavily towards winning your Dynasty Owner League Championship and you won’t have to invest a ton of draft capital in. You will see a wide range in salaries so be sure you are planning for this come draft day! I don’t have any real requirements in this article outside of the player being drafted in the fifth round or later (ADP 60.0 or higher).
Quarterback
Geno Smith (QB – SEA) – 3 years/$25,000,000 – ADP 105.1
If you are looking for a mid-round quarterback, come draft day then Geno Smith is an excellent option in my opinion. Seattle had chances to draft his replacement and instead went and got the veteran more firepower on offense while spending premium draft capital to do so. If Geno is as good as the Seahawks believe he is, he will be a difference maker on your team this season. In 2022, Smith finished the year with over 4,000 yards passing with 29 touchdowns to just 9 interceptions (378.5 Dynasty Owner fantasy points) finishing as QB6 on the Dynasty Owner platform. If Smith can do it again in 2023, he will be a steal at his salary and draft position.
Jared Goff (QB – DET) – 2 years/$33,500,000 – ADP 164.5
Goff finished one spot below the man above him on this list, yet he is being drafted nearly five full rounds later than Geno Smith in Dynasty Owner startup draft, though Goff is $8,500,0000 more expensive. The biggest win for Goff and the reason I think I would choose him over Geno in a startup draft at their current ADP is because Goff’s offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is back in town for another season which should mean big things. Goff nearly hit 4,500 passing yards while throwing 29 touchdowns to just 7 interceptions last season. If Goff does the same in 2023, he will stay inside of the top 10 quarterbacks for the season.
Running Back
Cam Akers (RB – LAR) – 1 year/$1,543,259 – ADP 69.6
If you are looking for a running back in the sixth round or later, I believe Akers should be your number 1 target due to his strong finish in 2022 and the current makeup of the Rams roster. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford ($40,000,000) and receiver Cooper Kupp ($26,700,000) were both banged up in 2022 and are not getting any younger. I am expecting the Rams to run the ball much more often this season to take some pressure off of Kupp and Stafford in order to keep their dynamic duo healthy. Akers was squarely in the doghouse to start the 2022 season as he failed to hit the 10.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy point mark until Week 13. From Week 13 and on, the Rams gave Akers the workload he should have been receiving all season long and he performed well while getting said opportunities. Should the Rams turn Akers loose this season, he could easily finish inside of the top 8 running backs for the season.
Jerick McKinnon (RB – KC) – 1 year/$1,317,500 – ADP 134.7
Had the Chiefs added a player like DeAndre Hopkins ($13,000,000) this off-season, Jerick McKinnon wouldn’t make this list, but they didn’t and because of that I believe McKinnon is in line for plenty of touches in the best offense in the NFL. If McKinnon is able to play at the level, he did from Week 13 all the way through the Super Bowl, he will be an absolute steal in the 12th round of Dynasty Owner startup drafts. If McKinnon is used regularly throughout the season, I see no reason he doesn’t finish with 1,000 all-purpose yards in 2023. McKinnon had back-to-back 30.0 plus Dynasty Owner fantasy point games in Weeks 14 and 15 while helping many Dynasty Owners make or win their League Championship. Can he do it again this season? I believe so!
Wide Receiver
Deebo Samuel (WR – SF) – 3 years/$23,850,000 – ADP 81.5
Deebo had a quite 2022 by his standards and still finished as WR40 in Dynasty Owner while missing four full games due to injury. When Deebo is healthy, he is no doubt a top 5 playmaker in the NFL and is a player who I would love to have on my Dynasty Owner team over the next couple of seasons. Samuel has been banged up throughout his career, but I fully believe the risk outweighs the reward when he is being drafted in the middle of the seventh round. I am sure the price tag will scare some people away but at $23,500,000, he is much more affordable than a player like Devante Adams ($28,000,000) with similar upside now that he is catching passes from Jimmy Garoppolo ($24,250,000). I don’t mean that to be a knock on Jimmy G, I just think he is a much better fit alongside a player like Samuel versus Adams.
DeAndre Hopkins (WR – TEN) – 2 years/$13,000,000 – ADP 129.0
Up next, we have the most quarterback proof player in NFL history, DeAndre Hopkins, which is why it’s mind boggling that he is a late 11th round pick in startup drafts. I am hoping this ADP is skewed by drafts earlier in the off-season, but even in round 7, I believe he will be a steal. Last season, Hopkins missed eight games in total, had a band of misfits throwing him the ball and still managed to finish the year with over 700 yards receiving while adding 3 scores (149.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). No matter how you spin it, Hopkins will get an upgrade at quarterback in Tennessee while being the unquestioned number 1 receiver. Oh, and barring injury, he won’t be missing the first six games of the season again this year. Hopkins is a lock to hit 1,000 yards receiving this season if he is on the field. After saying all of this, I would comfortably draft Hopkins in the fifth round of a Dynasty Owner startup draft.
Tight End
Darren Waller (TE – NYG) – 4 years/$17,000,000 – ADP 135.7
Last but not least, we have the new number 1 pass catcher for the Giants, Darren Waller. Waller was banged up in 2022, but should he stay healthy, I am expecting him to take on a huge role in Coach Brian Daboll’s offense. Just two seasons ago, Waller finished as the TE2 on Dynasty Owner with 282.6 Dynasty Owner fantasy points and I believe he can get back to that point again for his new team. Quarterback Daniel Jones ($40,000,000) took a huge step forward last season and now that he has a Bonafede number 1 option in Waller, we should see the Giants’ offense as a whole take a step forward. At $17,000,000, Waller will be pricey but if you draft accordingly and he is able to stay healthy you will have an advantage most weeks at the tight end position, and it will only cost you an 12th round pick to do so.
Thank you all for reading! Be sure to check out all of the upcoming content from me, Matt and Steve plus the Dynasty Owner podcast and the Dynasty Owner Livestream to help with the last few weeks of startup drafts. Stay safe out there and good luck on your 2023 Chase for the Ring!