By: Jay Pounds (@jaypoundsnfl)
Dynasty Owners we are so close to having real NFL football back in our lives and I cannot wait! Come Sunday, September 10th, I will be glued to my couch and TV screen all day. Thank God for delivery drivers, am I right? Pizza, adult beverages and football are in the very near future folks, but before we get to enjoy all of that it is time to make sure your Dynasty Owner rosters are in order before kickoff of Thursday Night Football on September 7th.
In today’s article, I will take a look at some of the best remaining free agents who happen to be affordable and less than 76% rostered, though many of these players are well under the 76% threshold and are widely available. I am not expecting many of these players to be Day 1 starters on your Dynasty Owner team, but they can help out on your Bench and will make for great added depth.
Marvin Jones (WR – DET) – 1 year/$3,000,000 – 63.81% Rostered and Josh Reynolds (WR – DET) – 1 year/$3,000,000 – 31.13% Rostered
I had to lump both of these guys into one for now as I am unsure which will demand the greater target share until Jameson Williams ($4,365,448) gets back from his six game suspension. In all honesty, both will likely put-up respectable numbers, but I am expecting one to be clearly ahead of the other when footballs start to fly. It’s hard to picture Marvin Jones in a Lions uniform and not being the number 2 guy, but Josh Reynolds has a lot of experience with quarterback Jared Goff ($33,500,000) going back to their days with the Rams together. If I had to choose, I would put my money on Reynolds but it’s a close call. Who would you go with? Let me know on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Bid – $2,000,000 Dynasty Dollars
Robert Tonyan (TE – CHI) – 1 year/$2,650,000 – 60.7% Rostered
I must admit this is not a player I currently love, but I am also not the biggest believer in Cole Kmet ($1,894,445) either. I am expecting Kmet to get more opportunities early due to the investment the team has in him, but would not be surprised if Tonyan ends up with more targets when all is said and done. Tonyan was not great in 2022 by any means finishing with 53 catches for 470 yards and 2 touchdowns (112.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points), but he is an experienced veteran who has spent time with a Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers ($37,500,000) and someone who young quarterback Justin Fields ($4,717,989) can lean on in tough times. The Bears also play in what is known as the Windy City, so expect to see a lot of two tight end sets with Kmet and Tonyan on the field at the same time in Chicago.
Bid – $1,000,000 Dynasty Dollars
Darius Slayton (WR – NYG) – 2 years/$6,000,000 – 44.75% Rostered
I still can’t believe the disrespect Darius Slayton gets from the fantasy community as a whole. It’s not just in Dynasty Owner where you can blame the salary as I see this man on the free agent list much more often than not on many different platforms, yet he has done nothing but produce most of the time he has been on an NFL field. The only thing that seemed to slow Slayton down was Joe Judge and the amazing coaching decisions he made while head coach of the Giants. Throughout his career (aside from the second year of the Judge regime in 2021), Slayton has been a lock to hit the 700-yard mark. I am expecting that to increase in his second year in Brian Daboll’s system and believe we will see Slayton finally hit the 1-000 yard mark this year. If Slayton can increase his red zone production in 2023, it’s not crazy to think he can finish inside of the top 30 wide receivers.
Bid – $2,000,000 Dynasty Dollars
Kene Nwangwu (RB – MIN) – 2 years/$1,058,200 – 64.98% Rostered
The NFL is a brutal place for running backs. Kene Nwangwu’s teammate Alexander Mattison ($3,500,000) is about to be put to the test in 2023 and because of that I want the guy directly behind him. We have never seen Nwangwu get much work outside of as a return man, but there is no doubt that he is electric with the ball in his hands and at worst will be fun to watch from the running back position. If Mattison happens to struggle, gets hurt, or just simply can’t handle being a workhorse back for an entire season, Nwangwu will end up seeing at least 8-12 touches a game in a high-powered offense. At worst, I am grabbing Nwangwu as a handcuff to Mattison but there is a real chance he will work his way into a role after the first couple of games. Nwangwu has a very low salary making him a low risk pick up with a ton of upside for at least 2023.
Bid – $2,000,000 Dynasty Dollars
Ben Skowronek (WR – LAR) – 2 years/$891,131 – 50.58% Rostered
I know I know; Ben Skowronek doesn’t move the needle for any of us, but he is going to be on the field a ton in an offense that has Matthew Stafford ($40,000,000) at the quarterback position and Sean McVay as a head coach. If Skowronek’s teammate Van Jefferson ($1,402,784) fails to take a step forward, Skowronek is a lock for the number 2 role behind Cooper Kupp ($26,700,000) and may be the number 2 guy regardless. Should Kupp happen to miss time to an injury, I believe Skowronek would be a lock to play on the Bench for most Dynasty Owners at the minimum. My 2023 prediction for Skowronek is in the area of 50 catches for 600 yards and 2 touchdowns and when you pair that with a salary under $1,000,000 and multiple paths to a bigger role, Ben Skowronek should be rostered in more than 50% of Dynasty Owner leagues.
Bid – $1,000,000 Dynasty Dollars
Jimmy Garoppolo (QB – LAV) – 3 years/$24,250,000 – 75.49% Rostered
I know Jimmy Garoppolo is an expensive option at quarterback, but he is the only one left under $30,000,000 who is a lock to start for his team in Week 1. In all honesty if I had to pick up Garoppolo, I would find a way to accumulate $9,250,000 more in cap space and pickup Jared Goff (if available as he is 84.44% rostered), but that isn’t what we are here for. Garoppolo has never been an intriguing fantasy option, but he is consistent and should be the same in 2023 despite switching teams. The biggest risk when picking up Garoppolo is his injury history, but that’s a risk some may have to take if they need a Bench quarterback for the season. If you are going to grab Jimmy G, I would highly recommend picking up, or trading for rookie Aidan O’Connell ($1,087,345) as well. If you don’t pick up/trade for O’Connell and Garoppolo happens to get injured be prepared to pony up at least $7,000,000 Dynasty Dollars in a Free Agent Auction bid or a second round rookie draft pick to acquire O’Connell.
Bid – $1,000,000 Dynasty Dollars
Deep Fliers
Tyler Badie (RB – DEN) – 1 year/$750,000 – 24.12% Rostered
Another year, another Tyler Badie pickup recommendation in the off-season. In all reality, it is a long shot that Badie sees significant playing time, but Broncos lead back Javonte Williams ($2,216,438) is coming off of a significant injury in 2022 and we all know how that can go. Should anything happen to Williams, Samaje Perine ($3,750,000) will be the lead back, but I would fully expect the Broncos to go with a running back by committee approach which would mean Badie would have a guaranteed role.
Bid – $1,000,000 Dynasty Dollars
Joshua Dobbs (QB – ARI) – 1 year/$2,000,000 – 20.62% Rostered
At the end of last week, the Cardinals traded for Browns quarterback Joshua Dobbs, which tells me that they do not have a whole lot of faith in any of the quarterbacks they have on the roster. If this is the case, it’s a real possibility we will see Dobbs as the starter for the Cardinals until Kyler Murray ($46,100,000) gets back from injury. If this is true, you better get Dobbs now because as soon as the news breaks, he will be a minimum of $5,000,000 Dynasty Dollars to acquire in the Free Agent Auction.
Bid – $1,000,000 Dynasty Dollars
Imhir Smith-Marsette (WR – KC) – 1 year/$940,000 – 1.95% Rostered
I don’t know if Smith-Marsette will even make the Chiefs roster but after the performance he had in the final week of the pre-season, he will likely get a chance somewhere. Smith-Marsette isn’t someone Dynasty Owners will be rushing to pick up, but he is someone we should keep an eye on for the time being. In the Chiefs final pre-season game against the Browns, Smith-Marsette finished with 4 catches for 101 yards and 1 touchdown.
Bid – $1,000,000 Dynasty Dollars
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. Don’t forget I will be doing free agent articles and short YouTube videos to help Dynasty Owners with their in-season acquisitions. Stay safe out there and good luck on your 2023 Chase for the Ring!