By Steven Van Tassell (@SteveVT33)
With training camps in full swing, it’s the time of the year when fantasy football analysts overreact to every video posted on Twitter in which a QB either not wearing pads or facing a pass rush that can’t touch him throws a perfect pass to a receiver. The receiver is either wide open or makes a spectacular catch and everybody is ablaze with comments about how they need to be drafted, came into camp in the best shape of their career, and how they are going to take over as the WR1 for (INSERT TEAM NAME HERE). Yes, the (INSERT TEAM NAME HERE) was intentional. There are so many of them that it’s impossible to keep track.
In this article, I’m going to look at players who are likely not rostered in your Dynasty Owner league at this time, prior to the first pre-season game, and suggest that Dynasty Owners take a look at their Free Agent Auction and make a bid on them. They are going to be flyers, dart throws or lottery picks (whatever you like to call them) because they are widely not rostered and may not end up helping your Dynasty Owner team. Because nobody in a majority of Dynasty Owner leagues have these players on their roster a full month after rookie drafts finished and with training camps in session for at least a week for most teams, you’ll likely be able to make a $1 million Dynasty Dollar bid in the Free Agent Auction and have them on your roster. That’s also why they are flyers, dart throws or lottery picks.
All of these players are going to be cheap, so almost all Dynasty Owner teams can roster most of them. I’m talking $2 million per year or less with some under $1 million in salary. Some of them will be veterans, but likely veterans on minimum salary contracts, or close to that amount. No Brandin Cooks ($19,882,000) as even though he’s rostered in only 42.63% of Dynasty Owner leagues as he’s not a flyer or cheap. Most Dynasty Owners know Cooks, but few have him on their rosters because he is very expensive. A few started their NFL careers as undrafted rookie free agents (UDFAs), like James Robinson ($1,010,000) did back in 2020, which may be why they are playing under a really inexpensive contract. Finally, we’ll have those late round rookie draft picks who end up blossoming during their rookie season. Everybody’s favorite Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy ($934,252) is the most recent example, but there are plenty of others.
Last year, we had a couple of players with an ADP of 0 in 2022, meaning nobody drafted them in a startup draft, but are now rostered in over 90% of leagues. Besides Purdy, a couple of WRs, Rashid Shaheed ($750,000) and Greg Dortch ($1,010,000) spring to mind. I’m pretty sure that hardly any Dynasty Owners had Shaheed or Dortch on their roster in Week 1, but by the end of the season, they were finishing among the top 70 WRs in Dynasty Owner (WR61 for Dortch and WR67 for Shaheed). Now, they are being drafted, on average, in the 11th-13th round (Shaheed with an ADP of 153.1) or in the 20th-22nd round (Dortch with an ADP of 253.2). They aren’t winning you a League Championship, but you could have put Shaheed or Dortch on your practice squad early in the season last year for cheap, then used them in your lineup during the Dynasty Owner playoffs when they were putting up double-digit points.
The goal here is to identify some of these players well in advance of Week 1. That way when they have that great early season game and Jay Pounds writes about them in his weekly Free Agent Auction targets article, the other Dynasty Owners in your league won’t find them because they aren’t there. They are on your roster already!
For this article, I’m going to give you at least two players per position (no kickers though, you’re welcome). One will be the Flyer and rostered in less than 50% of Dynasty Owner leagues. The second one will be the Deep Flyer who is rostered in less than 15% of Dynasty Owner leagues. I’ll also add in a few bonus players because I like to write and can’t make up my mind sometimes. A few of the bonus players might be slightly over 50% rostered so they can’t be a Flyer, but still deserve to be mentioned. Just so you know, I’m using Flyer over Lottery Pick and Dart Throw because it’s the shortest phrase of the three.
Any salaries, ADPs and roster percentages listed were current as of the afternoon of August 2nd. All 2023 contract information is currently what is listed on the Dynasty Owner platform (number of years and salaries) and has been taken from Spotrac (https://www.spotrac.com/). Contracts and salaries are always subject to change and can potentially be increased. Check the Dynasty Owner Constitution for the ins and outs of when and how a contract change takes place.
Quarterbacks
Quarterback injuries are going to happen, and some teams are going to start their third string (or even fourth string) QB at some point in the season. It’s much rarer for a QB to take 100% of his team’s snaps during the course of the season. It actually happened last year by Seahawks QB Geno Smith ($25,000,000), while the other three teams in the NFC West were just the opposite and had four QBs play for them at some point.
In fact, more teams had three or more QBs start a game for them during the 2022 regular season (13) than only had one QB start every game (10). Just like NFL teams need plenty of QBs since they are likely to need to start at least two of them during the season, Dynasty Owners need QB depth because of injuries, players getting benched, bye weeks and the need to have two active QBs every week because of Bench scoring.
Good luck predicting which teams are going to be needing more than one QB this year now. In reality, that’s not 100% true as there are teams more likely than others to be playing multiple QBs and end up with someone who was rostered in a very small percentage of Dynasty Owner leagues at some point in the season. Here are my top candidates to be one of those QBs and therefore someone who Dynasty Owners should be keeping an eye on and thinking about rostering now before an injury occurs and everyone wants him.
Flyer: Aidan O’Connell (QB – LV) – 4 years/$1,087,345; 49.40% rostered
Raiders rookie QB Aiden O’Connell isn’t my choice for the rookie backup QB most likely to play in 2023. That’s Arizona rookie QB Clayton Tune ($1,047,655), but Tune is rostered in 81.27% of Dynasty Owner leagues so I had to pivot.
O’Connell is my selection because the depth chart in Las Vegas after starter Jimmy Garoppolo ($24,250,000) shouldn’t be calming the nerves of any Raiders’ fans who are worried about Jimmy’s foot injury. Yes, I know Jimmy passed his physical and I love his talent and that he just wins baby (career regular season record of 40-17 as a starting QB). However, since being traded from New England to San Francisco and making his first start for the 49ers back in December of 2017, he played in less than two-thirds (55 out of 87) of the 49ers’ regular season games. His last full season was back in 2019, when he was 13-3 as a starter and the 49ers went to the Super Bowl.
Let’s be honest here. At 31 years of age and with his injury history, Jimmy is unlikely to start all 17 games for the Raiders in 2023. Add in the fact that the team is likely to be out of the playoff hunt late in the season when your Dynasty Owner team might need a QB the most. We could see O’Connell under center for the Silver and Black during the Dynasty Owner playoffs and if you’re relying on Jimmy to be your Bench QB, then you might want to grab O’Connell just in case.
Deep Flyer: Joshua Dobbs (QB – CLE) – 1 year/$2,000,000; 2.79% rostered
Joshua Dobbs was the choice for Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel at the end of last season over Malik Willis ($1,290,025) as the Titans were desperately trying to hold on to a playoff spot. He wasn’t great with just 22.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in those two games, but that was better than what Willis produced, or Nick Foles ($3,100,000) did when he was thrust into action by Indianapolis. Foles had been on the Colts all season, while Dobbs joined the Titans on December 21st and was starting at QB barely a week later, on December 29th.
If something happens to Deshaun Watson ($46,000,000 and the Browns are still in the playoff chase, don’t be surprised if Dobbs gets the call over rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson ($1,045,568). Of course, Dobbs will have to beat out Kellen Mond ($1,305,854) for a roster spot during training camp so I wouldn’t go hit the Free Agent Auction for Dobbs until that happens.
Another QB to Consider: Skylar Thompson (QB – MIA) – 3 years/$935,554; 39.44% rostered
As I say all of the time on the Dynasty Owner podcast and Livestream, Tua Tagovailoa ($7,568,859) hasn’t played a full season of football since 2018 and he had multiple concussions last year. While Mike White ($4,000,000) should be the backup QB, he doesn’t qualify for this spot as his salary is too high and he’s rostered in 70.52% of Dynasty Owner leagues. If you have Tua as your Starting QB, but don’t have White on your roster, you may need to go get Thompson before the inevitable Tua injury. Yes, Thompson was terrible when pressed into action last year (19.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in seven games played, including two starts), but he’s cheap, available in a majority of Dynasty Owner leagues and hopefully better if pressed into action this season.
Running Backs
The same thing is true at running back. Injuries are going to happen. NFL teams usually have more RBs on their roster than QBs plus extra RBs on their practice squads who they can call up. Because of Running Back by Committee, load management and other factors, inexpensive RBs who might have a role for their NFL team are hard to find. Because of the salary cap and need for RBs, Dynasty Owners have gobbled up almost all of the inexpensive ones already with 75 RBs being rostered in over 95% of Dynasty Owner leagues.
However, it’s still possible to find RBs who might have a role during the 2023 season. If this article was published last week, not many people would have wondered who the Colts third string RB is, but now everybody is looking at Deon Jackson ($825,000) and wondering if he’s going to be the next Devonta Freeman ($1,075,000) or Latavius Murray ($1,317,500) in 2021 for the Ravens, or the next Ty’Son Williams ($825,000).
Here are some potential 2021 Devonta Freemans for your Dynasty Owner team.
Flyer: Melvin Gordon (RB – BAL) – 1 year/$1,165,000; 29.08% rostered
If you’re discussing RB injuries, then you have to start with the Ravens. At 30 years old, Melvin Gordon is not exactly a perfect player to pick up in a dynasty league. He also ended the 2022 season as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, but didn’t play any games for the Super Bowl Champions after getting released by the Denver Broncos and picked up by the Chiefs. It wasn’t a great year for Gordon as he was supposed to lead the Broncos backfield after the injury to Javonte Williams ($2,216,438) in Week 4, but ended up getting dropped from the roster. He was RB56 with 82.1 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in 10 games played. He also ended up averaging 3.5 yards per carry, tied for his lowest since with his 2015 rookie season with the San Diego Chargers.
Gordon was far better in his two previous seasons in Denver as he finished in the top 20 RBs both years (RB19 in 2021 and RB14 in 2020). By joining the Ravens, he is joining the team with arguably the most injury prone RBs in the NFL. Both J.K. Dobbins ($1,432,359) and Gus Edwards ($4,500,000) missed all of the 2021 season and half of the 2022 regular season combined (Dobbins missed nine games and Edwards missed eight). None of the last three RBs to have over 100 carries in a season for the Ravens are still in Baltimore, so if Dobbins or Edwards misses significant time, Gordon would likely end up as the primary backup at RB. While QB Lamar Jackson ($52,000,000) will likely lead the team in rushing, it wouldn’t be terrible to have Gordon there and hope he picks up a couple of TDs and a few rushing attempts and yards per game.
To be honest, I had Sony Michel ($1,080,000) as my flyer initially and only changed after his retirement was announced. Michel was rostered in only about one-third of Dynasty Owner leagues at that point. It’s difficult to make a choice like this without losing your top pick at the spot, but I think Gordon is a fine replacement.
Deep Flyer: Ty Montgomery (RB – NE) – 1 year/$1,800,000; 13.15% rostered
With Montgomery missing all but one game last season and suffering an injury in practice last Thursday, this may not be a great choice, but as I said above, there aren’t a lot of players to choose from here. However, Patriots coach Bill Belichick is reportedly not concerned so I won’t be either.
Last year, Montgomery had 11.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in his one game (Week 1 versus Miami when he had -2 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 15 receiving yards, 28 return yards, 1 TD). He played 21 out of 57 snaps on offense in that one game, which is a pretty healthy snap share. Of course, that was then, and this is now as new Patriots Offensive Coordinator Bill O’Brien will (hopefully) have a better offensive philosophy for the team than Matt Patricia. That might not include a big role for Montgomery. There’s also the possibility of the Patriots signing Ezekiel Elliott ($15,000,000) and Montgomery having a more reduced role.
However, Belichick values versatility and Montgomery was a WR before being moved to RB plus has the ability to return kicks. That versatility should help Montgomery make the roster if he’s healthy, even if Elliott is added to the team. At this point with a deep RB flyer, all I’m thinking about is making the roster and having a chance to carve out playing time which is why Montgomery is my choice here.
Another RB to Consider: Ke’Shawn Vaughn (RB – TB) – 1 year/$1,188,999; 54.58% rostered
While it’s true that Vaughn is rostered in more than half of Dynasty Owner leagues, he was rostered in just under that many (47.39%) as recently as just before the Buccaneers started training camp. That was before the news about him entering camp as the primary backup to Rachaad White ($1,282,500) broke. Since then, Dynasty Owners in a few leagues have decided that Vaughn might be worth picking up.
For an early third round pick, Vaughn really hasn’t been given many opportunities in Tampa Bay, but that could change now that the G.O.A.T. Tom Brady isn’t at QB and Leonard Fournette ($7,000,000) isn’t on the roster either. Vaughn has always been the third RB on the Buccaneers’ roster and in three years, he only has 79 carries in 37 games. In 20 of those 37 games, he failed to register a rushing attempt or a target.
When he has gotten the chance, he hasn’t performed badly. Overall, he has a career average of 4.3 yards per carry (342 yards on 79 carries) and in the seven games in which he has carried the ball more than five times in a game, he is averaging 4.9 yards per carry (287 yards on 58 carries). It’s possible that Vaughn just needs a chance and that he might get it in the final year of his rookie contract as long as he can beat out Chase Edmonds ($1,232,500), Patrick Laird ($895,000) and undrafted rookie free agent Sean Tucker ($898,333). Tucker is one of the RBs rostered in over 95% of Dynasty Owner leagues. If Vaughn beats Tucker out to be White’s backup, Vaughn should merit consideration as a RB to pick up unless you do it earlier than everybody else and get him now.
Another RB to Consider: Raheem Blackshear (RB – CAR) – 1 year/$750,000; 51.0% rostered
I really like Blackshear and picked him up in a couple of Dynasty Owner leagues last year after he had a good game in Week 9 and was the Value Player of the Week. In case you aren’t familiar, the Value Player of the Week is the player who has the lowest Dynasty Dollar per Point (DD/PT) value for a week. Normally, only players under $1 million win the award because it’s difficult to have that low of a DD/PT value at much more because one low salary player is likely to get 20.0 or so Dynasty Owner fantasy points in a given week. Blackshear had 17.5 Dynasty Owner fantasy points the week he won it.
Blackshear only had a total of 55.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in 13 games played (4.28 Dynasty Owner fantasy points per game), but he had two games with more than 10.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points and another with 9.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points, so he would have helped on your Bench three times as an undrafted rookie.
Obviously, Blackshear isn’t going to be the Panthers’ starting RB. That’s Miles Sanders’ ($6,350,000) job. However, with only 5 RBs on the Panthers’ roster, Blackshear has the opportunity to carve out a role as a third down pass catcher out of the backfield and late-game garbage time ball carrier. He led the team in kickoff returns in 2022 and if he maintains that role, he’ll have an opportunity with the ball in his hands every week. There are more than 50 RBs who make the NFL league minimum of $750,000 and Blackshear is one of the best positioned of those players to log meaningful snaps during the season and the least rostered of the players who might get those chances.
Wide Receivers
There are 683 WRs currently listed on the Dynasty Owner platform and plenty to choose from who fit the flyer criteria outlined earlier. With teams like the Giants having 13 WRs on their roster, down from 15 earlier in the off-season, it’s difficult to even figure out who among the inexpensive and low-rostered players might make the team, never mind who is going to this season’s Rashid Shaheed or Greg Dortch. However, that’s the task at hand, so let’s give it a try.
Flyer: Trent Sherfield (WR – BUF) – 1 year/$1,770,000; 27.09% rostered
After being the clear WR3 on the Dolphins last year behind Tyreek Hill ($30,000,000) and Jaylen Waddle ($6,771,498) and performing well by finishing the season as WR88 with 83.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points, it was surprising to see the Dolphins let Sherfield go in free agency. When the Bills picked Sherfield up shortly after releasing Isaiah McKenzie ($1,232,500), he seemed to be McKenzie’s most likely replacement as the Bills’ slot receiver. Not a bad spot to be in as McKenzie was WR51 in 2022, scored 127.3 Dynasty Owner fantasy points and was targeted 65 times.
Personally, I expected Sherfield to be a popular off-season pickup after signing with a team that passes the ball nearly 60% of the time. The Bills do still have Stefon Diggs ($24,000,000) and Gabriel Davis ($998,595), but Davis didn’t perform nearly as well as anticipated in 2022 and the possibility exists that another WR could vault ahead of him this season. Based on roster percentage, Dynasty Owners are clearly favoring Khalil Shakir ($1,001,787) as that guy since he is rostered in almost every Dynasty Owner league (99.2% rostered). However, it’s not inconceivable that it could be Sherfield who emerges instead of Shakir.
I have Sherfield in five out of my six Dynasty Owner leagues and he’s on the Free Agent Auction in the sixth league, but my roster is already at the 30-man limit in that league. That should tell you how I feel about Sherfield and it’s heartening to see stories in the Buffalo press backing up my good feelings.
Deep Flyer: Justin Watson (WR – KC) – 2 years/$1,700,000; 3.98% rostered
Watson has a $1.38 million guaranteed salary for 2023 between his signing bonus and 2023 salary, which is a pretty good sign that the Chiefs like him and want him to make the roster. He has received praise recently from Head Coach Andy Reid who used words like “smart”, “talented”, “detailed” and “very important” to describe Watson. That’s another good sign for Watson’s chances of making the team and contributing in the place of departed WRs JuJu Smith-Schuster ($8,500,000) and Mecole Hardman ($4,500,000) who had 135 targets combined last year.
I remember seeing Watson on the field during the Super Bowl when Smith-Schuster was out with an injury, and he had two receptions for 18 yards and two first downs in the game. He ended up playing 33 snaps on offense, which was 60% of the team’s offensive snaps, and third among Kansas City WRs. While it’s usually not good to read too much into one game, I’m going to do just that because the one game was the Super Bowl! The fact that the Chiefs had enough confidence in Watson to use him on a majority of the offensive snaps in the team’s biggest game of the season says a lot to me.
His regular season stats weren’t gaudy at all in 2022 with just 51.8 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in 16 games, or 3.24 Dynasty Owner fantasy points per game. He also only caught 15 passes while being targeted 34 times, a poor 44% catch rate. That’s why he’s only rostered in a handful of Dynasty Owner leagues. However, if Patrick Mahomes ($45,000,000) needs a WR to throw to who he trusts early in the season, don’t be surprised if Watson is that receiver.
Rookie to Watch: Tyler Scott (WR – CHI) – 4 years/$1,125,863; 42.23% rostered
The fourth round rookie from Cincinnati is a deep threat and could be the type of player who could help Bears QB Justin Fields ($4,717,989) stretch the field and benefit from likely double coverage on fellow WR DJ Moore ($20,628,000). Scott has been receiving praise from Bears Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy early in training camp, which is good news for Bears fans. If neither Darnell Mooney ($894,263) nor Chase Claypool ($1,654,156) live up to expectations in the final year of their rookie contracts after injuries curtailed their 2022 seasons, the Bears might look to Scott as the WR of the future opposite Moore.
Tight Ends
Let’s be honest here. Nobody is finding an inexpensive TE in the Free Agent Auction who isn’t on too many Dynasty Owner rosters and can be plugged into your Starting lineup. Basically, you’re hoping for a guy who can be fill-in on your Bench for a bye week or two or maybe performs well enough early in the year to be a viable Bench replacement at the end of the year. If you need more than that, then you should have drafted a TE in your rookie draft as there were a lot of them to take and most were available after the first round. Dalton Kincaid ($3,356,756) was the exception, and his rookie draft ADP was still 10.1.
All of the top TEs are rostered in over 95% of Dynasty Owner leagues with many 100% rostered. A lot of low salary TEs are widely rostered, as are six rookie TEs. Not a lot of players to pick up, but here are a few who you can put a bid on and see how well they perform in training camp.
Flyer: Cole Turner (TE – WAS) – 3 years/$999,720; 39.84% rostered
Last year, I thought Commanders TE John Bates ($1,050,604) could help out Dynasty Owners and he didn’t do much with just 29.8 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in 16 games. With new offensive coordinator Eric (Sleeping with) Bieniemy (one of my favorite Chris Berman nicknames out there) in Washington for his first season, the potential is there for someone on the Commanders to become the next Travis Kelce ($14,312,500). While Logan Thomas ($8,021,667) is the starter, his salary makes him ineligible for this spot. He is also 32 years old; two years separated from his 2020 breakout season and has missed 13 games over the past two seasons.
Turner could step into the TE void in Washington. Commanders head coach Ron Rivera was reportedly excited about Turner last season, but then an Achilles injury followed by a concussion robbed him of several games and he barely played in the 10 games that he suited up and had just 4.3 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (2 receptions for 23 yards). Well, that was then, and this is now and with the addition of Bieniemy, the Commanders not drafting a TE in the NFL Draft or adding any via free agency and Thomas’ age, it could be time for a new top TE to emerge and catch passes from Sam Howell ($1,005,400). Turner is available in just under three-fifths of Dynasty Owner leagues and a bargain at just $280 less than $1 million.
Deep Flyer: Will Mallory (TE – IND) – 4 years/$1,032,648; 5.18% rostered
It’s All About the U, isn’t it? Enjoy the video for a minute, then come back and read the rest of the article. Great video and introduction to a great 30 for 30 episode. Mallory played for Miami about 35 years too late and is even a dozen years younger than new Saints TE Jimmy Graham ($1,317,500). Mallory improved his pass catching stats every year for the Hurricanes and finished the 2022 season with 42 receptions for 538 receiving yards and 3 TDs, which ranked him inside the top 15 college TEs in receptions and receiving yards. He finished his college career off against Pitt by catching 9 passes for 103 yards and a TD.
There is a long tradition of quality Hurricanes TEs in the NFL and Will Mallory could be the next one. He’s probably fourth on the Colts depth chart at the position and started training camp off on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list due to a right foot/ankle injury. All that means is the other Dynasty Owners in your league won’t think about grabbing him now. Combined, the three Colts’ TEs had 75 receptions for 803 receiving yards and 6 TDs last year, but none of them separated themselves as the top guy. Mallory could develop a connection with fellow rookie Anthony Richardson ($8,498,508) in a new Colts offense and if you have roster space, a little over $1 million in salary cap space and time to be patient with him, Mallory might be your guy. Remember, there is a TE taken in the third round or later of the NFL Draft who breaks out every year. Mallory was drafted in the fifth round this year and could be the one.
Another TE to Consider: Elijah Higgins (TE – MIA) – 4 years/$1,003,971; 27.09% rostered
Higgins was a WR at Stanford, but is being converted to TE. Miami is a good landing spot for him as the Dolphins’ top TE in 2022, Mike Gesicki ($4,500,000), was not re-signed and went to New England. Gesicki wasn’t great with just 98.2 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (32 receptions, 362 receiving yards, 5 TDs) to finish as TE22. The three veteran TEs on the team now, Durham Smythe ($3,500,000), Eric Saubert ($1,685,000) and Tyler Kroft ($1,290,000), combined for similar numbers with 86.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points on 34 receptions, 334 receiving yards and 2 TDs in 2022, so none of them are great either.
While the approach of replacing Gesicki with the combination of Smythe, who was on the Dolphins last year, Saubert and Kroft might work for Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s in baseball, it’s probably not what the Dolphins plan to do. Admittedly, whoever the TE is in Miami will be the fourth option at best, but with Higgins being a rookie and learning a new position, I’m ok with it. Higgins might not help your Dynasty Owner team until late in the year, or even next year, but he was Stanford’s top receiver in each of the past two seasons with a total of 104 receptions for 1,204 receiving yards so he knows how to catch passes. Those pass catching skills could translate to the NFL and the other stuff can come later as he learns his new position.
Another TE to Consider: Jeremy Ruckert (TE – NYJ) – 3 years/$1,261,227; 35.06% rostered
Ruckert barely played for the Jets in 2022 as he was only on the field for 46 offensive snaps and had just 1 reception for 8 yards (1.8 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). He was expected to do more after being drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft out of Ohio State in 2022, but the Jets also signed free agent TEs Tyler Conklin ($6,750,000) and C.J. Uzomah ($8,000,000) and both of them played a lot. Conklin didn’t miss a game last year and Uzomah missed just two.
With a new QB in town in Aaron Rodgers ($37,500,000), it could be wide open for Ruckert to come in and play a little bit this season. With Uzomah having a very high salary and a poor 2022 season, it’s possible that the Jets move on and give the backup spot to Ruckert. Fortunately, the Jets haven’t brought on any former Green Bay Packers TEs to compete for playing time. Not yet, but it’s still early.
The Jets invested a pretty high draft pick in Ruckert and while they drafted Zack Kuntz ($989,190) in the seventh round this year, Ruckert still has more draft capital and a year of experience which should give him getting the opportunity to play ahead of Kuntz. If you drafted Ruckert last season or picked him up off the Free Agent Auction and kept him for the entire 2022 season, then now is not the time to bail on him. And if he’s available in your league, as he is about two-thirds of Dynasty Owner leagues, then he could be worth grabbing and seeing how he meshes with Rodgers.
Conclusion
What does everyone think of these dart throws? Anybody spending a dollar (aka $1 million Dynasty Dollars) on these lottery tickets? If there is anyone who you are 100% sure that I’m completely wrong about, let me and everyone know on Twitter. Make sure to tag me (@SteveVT33) and Dynasty Owner (@Dynasty_Owner) in your tweet and pile on the likes from the rest of the Dynasty Owner community. And be sure to check back at the end of the 2023 season so we can all count how many of these guys I got wrong.
Out of all 14 flyers listed, I feel most confident in Trent Sherfield who I had on a non-Dynasty Owner league dynasty roster last year and felt was underappreciated in Miami. If he continues with how he’s played so far in training camp, he could be the WR2 in Buffalo behind Stefon Diggs.
The biggest reach out of this group is probably Joshua Dobbs. As I said earlier, if Deshaun Watson goes out, it might be Dorian Thompson-Robinson, since he is only rostered in 29.08% of Dynasty Owner leagues and who I considered for the Aidan O’Connell spot, who replaces Watson. Dobbs could also get cut during training camp. It’s happened to him before by the Browns. However, I think Jimmy G is more likely to get hurt than Watson, so I went with O’Connell, then Dobbs.
Because I’m a Patriots fan, you might think that I want the Ty Montgomery prediction to come true the most, but you would be wrong. That would mean the 30-year old Montgomery is playing meaningful snaps for New England in 2023. Instead, it’s Raheem Blackshear as I grabbed him last year in a couple of leagues after our 2023 Chase for the Ring Champion Dynasty|Trade|School (D|T|S) Rudolph Valentine (@DynastyTradeU) flagged him as the potential best pickup in Carolina after the Panthers traded Christian McCaffrey ($16,015,875).
If reading this article makes you want to draft a Dynasty Owner startup draft, then join a startup drafts this all summer before the start of the NFL season. Go to your D.O. Store, click on New Team for 2023, and find a time when you can draft this weekend, or a weekend in the future. You can also Create A League for a specific day and write and invite friends who you want to play in a Dynasty Owner league. If anyone of those friends are new to Dynasty Owner, give them your affiliate code and get a $49 referral fee. Don’t forget to give everyone you know the most recent promo code (STARTUP) for $10 off a new team.
While you’re waiting to draft one of these flyers in your next startup draft, or just looking at your current teams to see who’s available, Dynasty Owner has plenty of other content to help you out. Matt Morrison – The Jerk started looking at players with updated 2023 contracts for this season in his Contract Spotlight series. The most recent one is about Terry McLaurin. The last article from Jay Pounds was about some of the top Free Agents available. It’s a full list of different players so go check it out if you haven’t read it already.
Jay and I also do a weekly Dynasty Owner podcast and we also have a weekly Friday Livestream with me and Dynasty Owner CEO Tim Peffer. The Livestream is usually on at 11 AM on Friday, but check every week to make sure of the time and go back and watch previous episodes on the Dynasty Owner YouTube channel. There are a few episodes with live mock drafts from earlier in the off-season that were a lot of fun. Finally, don’t forget to follow Dynasty Owner on Twitter. Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Steven Van Tassell is the Head of Content for Dynasty Owner
Follow us on Twitter: @SteveVT33 and @Dynasty_Owner