By: Jay Pounds (@jaypoundsnfl)
Dynasty Owners, it feels like it has been forever since my last article! In all reality, it has only been a little over a month, but I am more than happy to be back! Over the past month I purchased my first home and have been extremely busy getting settled in.
We are now just one month away from NFL football games that count and will soon be in full swing. If you have not joined a startup yet this year now is the time to do so. Don’t forget to use your promo codes (LETSGO for $20 off a new team), give your affiliate links to friends who aren’t Dynasty Owners and invite them to get $49 per referral and practice drafting using the mock draft feature here on the Dynasty Owner platform. Last thing before we get into the important stuff is that once the season starts, I will be doing a weekly Free Agent Auction article featuring the top 5 free agents each week. With that article will be a short video on each player to help make those tough in-season decisions a little bit easier.
Is your roster ready for the 2023 season? If not, below are some players that should be able to help your Dynasty Owner team compete each week. I have put together a list of players with a wide range of salaries to ensure there is a player for everyone on this list. I believe each one of these players listed below has a clear path to being a productive Dynasty Owner player in 2023.
$1,000,000 and Under
Elliot Fry (K – DEN) – 1 year/$750,000 – 46.83% Rostered
I won’t spend a ton of time on this one as Fry is nowhere near a lock to be on the Broncos’ roster when the regular season starts. Fry has been in the league four years now and has scored a total of 12.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. If Fry overcomes the odds and ends up as the Broncos starting kicker, he will be a huge value with such a low salary.
Peyton Hendershot (TE – DAL) – 2 years/$858,333 – 50.0% Rostered
Hendershot seems to be a long shot to start the season as the Cowboys’ starting tight end, but there is still a clear path to playing time and it does not require an injury. The Cowboys tight end room is wide open right now and a solid pre-season will earn Hendershot playing time and possibly a starting tight end spot. In 2022, Hendershot did not do much, but he proved he could hold his own and make an impact when called upon finishing with 11 catches for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns (39.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). Hendershot is a clear stash and see what happens but at the price of $1,000,000 Dynasty Dollars to bid on him if he’s available in the Free Agent Auction and likely win that bid, it’s a no brainer in my opinion.
$1,000,001 – $3,000,000
Latavius Murray (RB – BUF) – 1 year/$1,317,500 – 71.03% Rostered
Maybe I have just been too low on James Cook ($1,458,014) since his days with the Georgia Bulldawgs, but I just don’t see him being a bell cow running back, which could mean a steady role in a high-powered offense for journeyman Latavius Murray. Murray has played well in numerous offenses throughout his career, and I am expecting the same should he make the Bills final 53-man roster. In 2022 Murray bounced around a bit and still finished the season with 657 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns while adding in 26 receptions for 117 yards (140.4 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). Should Murray find himself as the lone starter at any point in the year for the Bills I believe he will be a must-start player with top 10 upside because of his pass catching abilities.
Josh Reynolds (WR – DET) – 2 years/$3,000,000 – 32.94% Rostered
I don’t know that Josh Reynolds will be a good option for the entire 2023 season but for the first half of the year I am fully expecting him to be a top 40 wide receiver. The Lions were one of the best teams in the NFL by the end of last season, their passing offense had a ton to do with it and I am expecting that to continue into 2023. Reynolds’ teammate Jameson Williams ($4,365,448) will be suspended for the first six games of the season, and I am expecting him to start slowly upon his return. Should this happen Reynolds production should last around eight games vs six games. Reynolds produced well in a limited role in 2022 posting a stat line of 38 receptions for 479 yards and 3 touchdowns (103.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). If Reynolds ends up taking over the number 2 role for the front half of the season, he could come close to those numbers in just eight games. My prediction would be 29 receptions, 306 yards and 3 touchdowns for him in those games.
$3,000,001 – $5,000,000
DJ Chark (WR – CAR) – 1 year/$5,000,000 – 87.70% Rostered
Chark is the highest rostered player on this list (and his roster percentage keeps going up) and for good reason. In 2022, Chark finished the year with 30 receptions for 502 yards and 3 touchdowns (98.2 Dynasty Owner fantasy points) despite scoring points in just nine games (10.91 Dynasty Owner fantasy points per each game scored in). If Chark is able to stay healthy for close to a full season, he could easily hit the 1,000-yard mark and at just $5,000,000 in salary, it’s a gamble I am willing to take 10 times out of 10. Chark is in a worse offense this season vs last season when he was on the Lions, but he is playing for a team I am expecting to throw the ball a ton while the youngster Bryce Young ($9,488,768) learns on the fly. If Young is able to pick up things quickly, Chark could find himself as a top 30 wide receiver this season.
$5,000,001 – $7,000,000
Leonard Fournette (RB – Free Agent) – $7,000,000 – 81.35% Rostered
I will try not to speculate much on this one as none of us have a clue where Uncle Lenny will play in 2023. Fournette struggled on the ground last year, but more than made up for it with his massive total of 73 receptions. Fournette finished with a stat line of 668 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns while adding in those 73 receptions for 523 yards and another 3 touchdowns (227.1 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). If Fournette finds himself with a quarterback that checks down a lot, he will be a productive fantasy player once again in 2023. If you have a Dynasty Owner team with $7,000,000 in available cap space and Fournette is available in the Free Agent Auction in that league, I highly recommend picking him up and holding him as he is a lock to see a pay cut whenever he signs with a new team.
Darius Slayton (WR – NYG) – 2 years/$6,000,000 – 45.63% Rostered
I am still shocked that Darius Slayton is under 50% rostered. Slayton has been an underrated player since he stepped on an NFL field, and he has done nothing but play well and produce since Day 1. In 2022, Slayton finished the year with 46 receptions for 724 yards while adding 2 touchdowns (126.4 Dynasty Owner fantasy points) in his first year with head coach Brian Daboll. The Giants’ new regime signing Slayton to a new deal tells me he will have a guaranteed role in an offense that should get better as the players continue to get more acclimated to the new coaching staff. If Slayton can step up as the Giants number 1 receiver, he will be 100% rostered in no time. Get him while you can!
$7,000,001 – $10,000,000
DeVante Parker (WR – NE) – 1 year/$7,625,000 – 36.11% Rostered
Earlier in the offseason the Patriots gave Parker a contract extension with a slight salary decrease (2 years/$5,400,000 per year), meaning he should be a critical part of their offense over the next couple of years. Parker’s main issue in the NFL has been his inability to stay healthy but when he is on the field he tends to play well. The Patriots will actually have a competent offensive coordinator in 2023 which should only improve Parker’s ability to produce when he is on the field. Parker finished the 2022 season with 31 receptions for 539 yards and 3 touchdowns (102.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points) while missing four games completely due to injury and being limited to only a handful of snaps in two other games. At a salary under $8,000,000, I am more than willing to take a chance on Parker staying healthy. Should he stay healthy, and the offense takes a step forward under Bill O’Brien, Parker could finish in the 900-1,000-yard range for the season.
$10,000,000 and Above
Odell Beckham Jr. (WR – BAL) – 1 year/$15,000,000 – 51.59% Rostered
It’s time for the expensive players! I thought long and hard about putting guys like Mike Williams ($20,000,000) and Courtland Sutton ($15,200,000) on this list, but Williams was over 80% rostered and Sutton is almost at that roster percentage, while Odell Beckham was sitting there just over 50% rostered. I am not sure how I feel about Beckham heading into the season, but I do know I love the Ravens change to Todd Monken as the offensive coordinator and am expecting to see much more passing from the Ravens than we have seen in the past. If Beckham is fully healthy and Lamar Jackson ($52,000,000) takes a step forward as a passer, Beckham could be in line for a solid 2023 season. All of that said it’s an expensive gamble that I probably will not take.
Aaron Rodgers (QB – NYJ) – 3 years/$37,500,000 – 16.67% Rostered
I have ragged on Rodgers plenty over the past season or two and now it’s time to give credit where its due. A week or two ago, Rodgers took the biggest pay cut in American sports history to allow the New York Jets flexibility to sign other players. I must admit I did not expect anything like this from Rodgers, but he seems to be embracing the team for the first time in his career. I could have finished this segment with one question, and I think I will.
Would you rather have Derek Carr or Aaron Rodgers at $37,500,000?
The answer is easily Rodgers which means there are numerous Dynasty Owners who need to use an Amnesty Provision on Carr and pick up Aaron Rodgers.
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 as we gear up for the new season. Stay safe out there and good luck on your 2023 Chase for the Ring!