By: Jay Pounds (@jaypoundsnfl)
Dynasty Owners, it is that time of the week again! Usually during my introductions, I give you my takeaways from the previous week, but I am going to do it a little different today and look at my major player surprises with the first quarter of the season officially in the books.
At the quarterback position we have none other than “Mr. Dangeruss” Russell Wilson ($48,517,647) who heads into Week 6 sporting a 1-4 record despite slotting in as the sixth ranked quarterback here on Dynasty Owner. I knew Wilson would play better with Sean Payton in town, but I wasn’t expecting him to be just 0.3 Dynasty Owner fantasy points behind Patrick Mahomes ($45,000,000) after the first two minutes of the first game let alone after five full games!
Up next, we have something I don’t think I have ever seen before in fantasy. At the running back position, we have a pair of teammates, Devon Achane ($1,359,362) and Raheem Mostert ($2,800,000), who are both inside of the top 3 in Dynasty Owner scoring at their position. I don’t think it will end up that way when all is said and done, but it’s still an amazing accomplishment for a team that also has the number 1 scoring wide receiver, Tyreek Hill ($30,000,000) five games through the season. The Dolphins have established themselves as clear contenders and have been a ton of fun to watch.
In the wasteland (tight end position), we have another unbelievable feat as a rookie sits atop the rankings. The rookie is none other Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta ($2,366,498). LaPorta has been an absolute beast this season and has been by far the most consistent tight end on the platform. LaPorta has not scored less than 8.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in a single game all season long and has a high game of 22.4 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. I don’t mean to brag, but I drafted Sam LaPorta two years ago, late in my first ever devy league!
As for the honorable mentions, we have Kyren Williams ($992,601) and D’Andre Swift ($2,134,729) at the running back position ranking fifth and ninth, Nico Collins ($1,217,879) at the receiver position ranking 11th, and Cole Kmet ($1,894,445) at the tight end spot who is ranked fourth. I know I left kickers out. I am sorry. Let me know on X if you are mad at me!
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 6. 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.
- Logan Thomas (TE – WAS) – 2 years/$8,021,667 – 22.22% Rostered
Sound the alarms, Logan Thomas is officially a TE1 after a quarter of the season. I know this sounds horrible, but keep reading and you may become intrigued. Had Thomas not missed the Week 3 contest against Buffalo, he may have found himself inside of the top 7 or 8 tight ends through five weeks of the season. Thomas has shown himself to be a safety net for young quarterback Sam Howell ($1,005,400). I know these numbers won’t blow you away but remember what the rest of the position looks like while reading this, 18 catches for 183 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns (44.5 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). Yea that’s what a TE1 looks like in 2023. If Thomas can stay healthy the rest of the way, he should easily finish inside of the top 12 tight ends making his rather large $8,021,667 contract and blah outlook seem feasible. At this point, what are your other options? If you really want to know, see below.
Bid – $2,000,000
2. Tyler Conklin (TE – NYJ) – 2 years/$6,750,000 – 47.51% Rostered
What! Two tight ends on the free agent list in 2023! Again, this is not an attractive free agent pickup at all, but it is what it is with just about everyone not named Sam LaPorta at the tight end position struggling to post consistent fantasy numbers. Tyler Conklin has now hit 9.8 points or better in three of the Jets’ five games this season with his best performance coming in Week 5 when he posted a stat line of 4 catches for 67 yards which was good enough to score 10.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. While you should be prepared for some 4–6-Dynasty Owner fantasy point weeks from Conklin, he is a solid option for your Bench during bye weeks and even a every week Bench player for some rosters. I am also expecting the Jets to make a change at quarterback when Trevor Siemian ($1,317,500) is acclimated which should mean better numbers for all of the Jets’ pass catchers. I think it’s clear at this point that Zach Wilson ($8,787,670) is a bona fide third string quarterback on a few rosters in the NFL!
Bid – $1,000,000
3. Nelson Agholor (WR – BAL) – 1 year/$3,250,000 – 15.33% Rostered
We may just rename this week’s article to blah as that’s how I feel telling you to pick up these players. I am sure you have heard the old saying “20 bucks is 20 bucks” well I’m changing it a little and declaring this year’s fantasy football motto “production is production”. Yea, it’s been that kind of year. I’m sure this will hurt the Rashod Bateman ($3,149,853) truthers feelings, but Nelson Agholor has quietly been the second best receiver for the Ravens this season and he seems to have a firm grasp on the spot. I know that last statement doesn’t carry much weight with the way the Ravens have looked on offense this season, but I’ll say it again “production is production”. Speaking of production, Agholor finished Week 5 with 5 targets securing 4 of them for 64 yards and a fumble, good enough for 9.4 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. The great thing about picking up Agholor is the fact he is on a cheap one-year deal and won’t be hard to move on from should he struggle the rest of the season. Either way, bye weeks are coming up and it is time to secure some depth for your rosters.
Bid – $2,000,000
4. Trenton Irwin (WR – CIN) – 1 year/$825,000 – 4.21% Rostered
Up in the 4 spot we have little known receiver Trenton Irwin. Many experts (including myself) were expecting veteran Tyler Boyd ($10,750,000) to see most of the work as the secondary option to Ja’Marr Chase ($7,704,910) with Tee Higgins ($2,171,696) out in Week 5. Instead, it was Irwin who shined brightest behind Chase. In Week 5, Irwin had an impressive stat line of 8 catches for 60 yards on a whopping 10 targets, scoring 14.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. I know some will be worried that Irwin’s teammate, Tee Higgins will be back from injury come Week 6 but with the Bengals having a bye during Week 7, I am expecting Higgins to sit out for one more week. If this is the case, I see no reason Irwin won’t see a ton of work again this week. I know picking up a one-week rental is tough here on the Dynasty Owner platform, but I believe Irwin is well worth it should quarterback Joe Burrow ($9,047,534) play well on Sunday. With a price tag of less than $1,000,000, I see no reason Irwin is not worth the small risk of a pickup.
Bid – $2,000,000
5. Craig Reynolds (RB – DET) – 1 year/$1,080,000 – 36.02% Rostered
Alright tread carefully with this one! I am uncertain if Reynolds’ teammate, Jahmyr Gibbs ($4,461,283) will be back for the Lions’ Week 6 contest but with the way Reynolds played in relief I would expect them to hold the youngster out another week or two. I know this is going to sound crazy to hear but the Lions are playing for bigger things than a playoff spot this year in a wide open NFC and should be thinking big picture with every decision they face. In Week 5, Reynolds dazzled in a backup role to David Montgomery ($6,000,000) finishing the day with 7 carries for 52 yards averaging a massive 7.4 yards per carry, oh and he was able to find the end zone for 11.2 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. I know some Dynasty Owners may pause because of the presence of Montgomery, but the Lions have used multiple running backs since Dan Campbell showed up in the Motor City and I don’t see it changing anytime soon. The guy enjoys biting off people’s kneecaps, of course he is going to pound the rock. Should we just call Dan Campbell the modern-day Bill Cowher?
Bid – $2,000,000
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!