By: Jay Pounds (@jaypoundsnfl)
Dynasty Owners, we are three weeks through the NFL season and finally starting to get a good feel for what to expect from most of our beloved fantasy players, as well as a good read on where our fantasy teams are headed this season. Should your Dynasty Owner team(s) go “all in” and make a run at a League Championship, or should you start looking to future seasons and get younger or cheaper?
Before I talk about anything else, I want to tell you about a game of Madden I played on Sunday. During the game, I wanted to score as many points as possible, and boy was I successful in my quest! I finished the game with a final score of 70-20, and my running backs accounted for 8 total touchdowns. I’m sure you all know where I am going with this. The Dolphins put on a show on Sunday, and I swear they are still scoring touchdowns! If you had either Raheem Mostert ($2,800,000), or Devon Achane ($1,359,362) in your Dynasty Owner starting lineup or even on your bench, you were a happy camper this past weekend.
In other news around the NFL, all 3 undefeated teams from the NFC South are no longer undefeated, Trevor Lawrence ($9,198,372) struggled once again, and the Vikings are now 0-3. Will the Vikings look into trading Kirk Cousins ($35,000,000) if they lose their Week 4 game against the Panthers? I would be willing to bet quite a bit of dough that Cousins is already on the market and will be gone by Tuesday should the Vikings fall to 0-4. The last team I want to touch on is those same old Cowboys. Is there a team in the NFL that has so much hope every single year only to lose games in critical moments? The Cowboys are fighting to keep pace with the Eagles and will be doing so all season long. With that comes the need to win games against lesser opponents, and yet the Cowboys defense we all thought was elite let Joshua Dobbs ($2,000,000) tear them up all Sunday long. Did the Cowboys just have a bad game, or are they an average team once again? Let me know what you think on X (formerly known as Twitter)
If you are new to this series of articles, there is a small list of requirements, with the main one being that the player must be 80% rostered or below in Dynasty Owner. The only other requirement I have is that I would like the player to have a salary of $8,000,000 or less, but I will put a higher salary player on the list if I feel they are worth it. Free Agent Auction bids will process on Wednesday at 5 AM (Eastern) for this upcoming week, so there’s still time to get your bids in for Week 4. The Bid listed below is my recommended amount to secure the player for your Dynasty Owner team in the Wednesday Free Agent Auction run in a typical Dynasty Owner league.
- Jameis Winston (QB – NO) – 1 year/$4,000,000 – 24.14% Rostered
You all must be tired of hearing this by now, but I am going to say it until I don’t believe it anymore. In Dynasty Owner, cheap quarterbacks are gold! On this platform, winning consistently with a quarterback that finishes outside of the top 10 is very difficult to do and, in most cases, will take a fair amount of luck on your side. All of that said, I don’t think Jameis Winston is going to be a top-10 quarterback, nor do I think he is going to win you games, but he does make for an excellent bench option here on Dynasty Owner. I think the Dolphins just scored again. Unlike the Dolphins, Winston failed to lead the Saints to points on Sunday, but with a full week to prepare as the starter, he should be much better prepared in Week 4, and it will likely result in better numbers. Let’s not forget that Winston threw for over 30 touchdowns in a season not long ago. Let’s forget that he also threw over 30 interceptions in that same season. If you want Winston, you better be prepared to spend Dynasty Dollars; quarterbacks rarely ever come cheap. Even if they are just a couple-week rental.
Bid – $4,000,000
2. Dontayvion Wicks (WR – GB) – 4 years/$1,035,637 – 34.87% Rostered
I know the first response most will have to this pick-up is the fact that Dontayvion Wicks is performing so well without his teammate and Packers’ lead receiver, Christian Watson ($2,310,258), on the field. However, Wicks has shown promise and is a fantastic future stash. In fact, Wicks’ big performances could come much sooner than expected, with Watson failing to see the field through three weeks of play. In Watson’s absence, Wicks started the year slow but is becoming more involved in the game plan each week. In Week 2, Wicks made himself known by catching 2 passes for 40 yards and a touchdown (12.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). In Week 3, Wicks received even more action, catching 4 passes for 45 yards (8.5 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). Wow, another Dolphin touchdown! If any of the guys in front of Wicks get injured or if Watson struggles to stay healthy upon his return, Wicks could be a viable fantasy option as soon as this season. At this point, Wicks is a stash with potential, but regardless, he deserves to be rostered by more Dynasty Owners.
Bid – $2,000,000
3. Kendrick Bourne (WR – NE) – 1 year/$5,000,000 – 69.73% Rostered
Another week, another appearance for Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne. Bourne did not have a huge week by any means, but he once again had the same or more targets than any other receiver on the Patriots’ roster. In Week 3, the Patriots clearly had a game plan to run the ball a ton, as both Rhamondre Stevenson ($1,057,264) and Ezekiel Elliot ($3,000,000) had over 15 carries in what looked like a football game from the 1980s in high definition. Despite the lackluster fantasy numbers from the Patriots offense as a whole, Bourne still managed to grab 4 catches for 46 yards in route to 8.6 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. I have never made Bourne out to be anything more than a player you can put on your bench and forget about, and he has been just that through three games. Touchdown Miami! I am expecting what we have seen from Bourne over the past two weeks to be his floor this season, and I don’t think he has hit his ceiling just yet. Better days are ahead for the Patriots de facto number 1 receiver.
Bid – $1,000,000
4. Melvin Gordon (RB – BAL) – 1 year/$1,165,000 – 36.02% Rostered
I had Melvin Gordon on this list for Week 2, and I am sure many of you chuckled while reading it. Here we are two weeks later, and Gordon is likely in line for a big workload in Week 4. I know Gordon is seeing the field because of injury, but at this point, it seems you can count on a few Ravens’ running backs going down to injury throughout the season. I think Ray Rice was their last running back to start and stay healthy for an entire season. Gordon is well past his prime, but as we have seen with players like Kenyan Drake ($1,317,500), Latavius Murray ($1,317,500), and even Gordon himself, being a star running back doesn’t matter much these days when it comes to being a viable fantasy option. If Gordon is able to see 15 or more touches this week, he will be a must-have bench player in Dynasty Owner with the way the running back position currently looks. The Dolphins find the end zone again! Gordon also has the benefit of playing on a team that loves to run the ball and almost always runs the ball effectively, which makes him a must pick up for most Dynasty Owners.
Bid – $3,000,000 – I know it seems high, but people are desperate
5. Matt Gay (K – IND) – 4 years/$5,625,000 – 65.9% Rostered
I won’t spend a whole lot of time on this one and will throw in a sixth player this week, as not many will give Matt Gay the credit he is due after his historic Week 3 performance. We interrupt this message to let you know that the Dolphins have scored again! In Week 3, the Colts could not get near the red zone almost all game long, resulting in Gay going 5 of 5 on field goals, with 4 of those kicks coming from 50 yards or more. Gay put up 30.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points and was one of the top scoring players of the week not wearing a Dolphins uniform.
Bid – $1,000,000
6. Kylen Granson (TE – IND) – 2 years/$1,046,592 – 68.2% Rostered
I swear to you all it’s pure coincidence that the bonus player on this list is teammates with Matt Gay who the reason I have a bonus player on the list. Granson had a fairly quiet Week 3, but it’s now obvious that he has established himself as the top tight end in Indianapolis. One big reason I am not too concerned with Granson’s lack of production is the fact the Colts had backup quarterback Gardner Minshew ($3,500,000) going with rookie Anthony Richardson ($8,498,508) out because of injury. If Granson continues to struggle after Richardsons return, then I will start to worry. Until then, Granson is a great player to stash and see what happens. Did you hear that? The Dolphins crowd is cheering again!
Bid – $1,000,000
Thank you all for reading! Be sure to check out all of the upcoming articles from me and Steve plus the Dynasty Owner Livestream, now every Thursday afternoon at 4:00 PM (Eastern). Stay safe out there, and good luck on your 2023 Chase for the Ring!