By: Jay Pounds (@jaypoundsnfl)
Dynasty Owners. it is that time again! As crazy as it is, the fantasy football season is starting to wind down. As we head into Week 9 of the NFL season, most Dynasty Owners now know whether their team(s) will be contending for a League Championship or a high draft selection. I know no one wants to be in the conversation for a high draft pick, but injuries can destroy a roster in a hurry leaving you no choice but to turn to the Free Agent Auction or look to 2024.
Before we even start to think about the 2024 season, let’s take a look at some of the big news from Week 8. I am sure all of you have heard the news a thousand times but there was no bigger news in Week 8 than Captain Kirk, Kirk Cousins ($35,000,000) tearing his ACL. I don’t think this could have happened at a worse time for the veteran quarterback as he is in the final year of his current deal. Will Cousins be ready for the start of 2024? Will he sign another big contract? My bet is Cousins will sign a 1-year “prove it” deal in 2024 with hopes of earning a high end 2–3-year deal in 2025. Will the Vikings bring in a big name in their attempt to make the playoffs? Let me know what you think on Twitter/X.
What is wrong with Brock Purdy ($934,252)? Purdy started his career by reeling off 10 straight regular season wins, but now has lost his last three games. Quite the turn of events if you ask me! I do believe Purdy will get back to the quarterback we have seen at the end of 2022/beginning of 2023, but if he doesn’t what do the 49ers do? Turn to Sam Darnold ($4,500,000)? Maybe they gave up on Trey Lance ($8,526,319) a little too early and shouldn’t have traded him? Either way it’s going to be a lot of fun watching it play out.
The last topic I want to discuss is the Kansas City Chiefs offense. The Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce ($14,312,500) has hidden many of the Chiefs flaws this season and I believe his health will be the key factor if the Chiefs want any shot at making a Super Bowl run. The Chiefs are extremely young at the receiver position and have time to figure it out but someone other than Travis Kelce needs to step up quickly!
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 9. 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.
- Jaren Hall (QB – MIN) – 4 years/$1,029,819 – 10.73% Rostered
Do I really need to say it again? I am sure most of you know the next phrase before I say it. Cheap quarterbacks are gold here on Dynasty Owner and that is exactly what Jaren Hall is. Not only is Jaren Hall a quarterback with a cheap contract but he is a rookie quarterback with quite a bit of upside ahead of him, potentially of course. Yes, the Vikings are looking at their options at the quarterback position but what happens if Hall comes out Sunday and has a good game while leading his team to victory? If he can, would the Vikings really hand the keys over to a rookie when they have playoff aspirations? If I were the Vikings at this point, I would let Hall play the rest of the way, Keep Jefferson off the field and enter the Caleb Williams/Drake Maye sweepstakes. In relief of Kirk Cousins ($33,500,000) on Sunday, Hall didn’t look lost in his limited playing time finishing the day with 3 completions on 4 attempts for 23 yards and -1 rushing yard, though he did lose a fumble on a sack (-2.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). If Hall happens to hit this would be a massive win for anyone picking him up!
Bid – $6,000,000
2.Darrell Henderson (RB – LAR) – 1 year/$1,053,001 – 81.99% Rostered
Alright you caught me! I am cheating on this one, with Henderson so close to the roster percentage cut off I am going to give him one more week on the list. At this point it seems as though it doesn’t matter who lines up in the backfield for the Rams, they are going to succeed. Over the past two games after being signed off the street, Henderson has posted a total of 25.1 Dynasty Owner fantasy points, finishing with a stat line of 30 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown while also adding 4 catches for 59 yards. It appears as if Henderson will be the lead back for the foreseeable future for the Rams and should be 100% rostered come Thursday. Warning! If you missed out on Henderson last week, this is your last chance to acquire him for just Dynasty Dollars. The Rams also have Royce Freeman ($1,080,000) who is only 57.85% rostered and scored a touchdown on 44 yards rushing (10.4 Dynasty Owner fantasy points) in Week 8 and will likely jump above the 80% threshold as Henderson’s clear handcuff. Grab one of these guys before it’s too late!
Bid – $8,000,000
3.Leonard Fournette (RB – BUF) – 1 year/$7,000,000 – 60.54% Rostered
Uncle Lenny is back! In case you are living under a rock without Wi-Fi, Leonard Fournette has signed with the Buffalo Bills practice squad and his status will change from Free Agent on the Dynasty Owner platform on Thursday. His salary won’t change until he is officially signed to the Active roster though. I will warn Dynasty Owners to temper expectations for a few weeks while Fournette learns the playbook. Come playoff time, Fournette could be a huge help for the Dynasty Owners who pick him up now. Fournette is an excellent fit with the Bills and will likely be their lead back by the time the Dynasty Owner playoffs roll around. As many of you already know, Fournette has the skill set to be a fantasy stud while paired with Josh Allen ($43,005,667). Fournette gives Allen a veteran passing weapon out of the backfield and will be used in the red zone as soon as he hits the Active roster. Fournette may not have the efficiency he once had but he is still a talented back who can put up good fantasy numbers if he gets enough work, especially in a high-powered offense like the Bills. The last time Fournette had an elite quarterback, he finished with over 200 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. Dynasty Owners will likely have one shot at picking up Fournette because when a big-name signs with an offense like Buffalo, Dynasty Owners tend to pounce on those players quickly.
Bid – $4,000,000
4.Demario Douglas (WR – NE) 4 years/$993,333 – 63.60% Rostered
Another week, another Patriots wide receiver on the list! Hopefully this at least makes editing these articles enjoyable for Steve Van Tassell! Demario Douglas has quietly been the second best Patriots wide receiver since he returned from injury in Week 7. Over the past two weeks, Douglas has produced a stat line of 9 receptions on 13 targets for 79 receiving yards plus 24 rushing yards and 25 return yards (19.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points(. I know these aren’t jaw dropping numbers but with a salary under the $1,000,000 mark, Douglas is a player that should be rostered in all leagues. He is showing that he can succeed as a Bench option on bye weeks already and will see more work now that Kendrick Bourne ($5,000,000) tore his right ACL on Sunday and will miss the rest of the 2023 season. Even if Douglas is a player, you don’t necessarily need, I highly recommend picking him up and holding him for the future, at worst you’re out a few Dynasty Dollars and minimal salary against the cap! As we all know, Bill Belichick is terrible at drafting high-end receivers, but we have seen him hit on guys like Demario Douglas in the past with the most recent player being Jakobi Meyers ($11,000,000) who now plays for the Raiders.
Bid – $3,000,000
5.Taysom Hill (TE – NO) – 3 years/$10,000,000 – 34.48% Rostered
Finally, we have the expensive option for the week. Typically, I avoid players like this but allow me to explain why Taysom Hill has finally made it. The Saints have been a terrible red zone team this season, but they had yet to deploy Taysom Hill in those situations, until this past weekend that is. In Week 8, Taysom Hill showed off his versatility and helped the Saints find success in the red zone for what feels like the first time this season. I know Hill is a tough player to roster due to his $10,000,000 salary, but if the Saints are going to continue to use him around the red zone more often he could easily be a top 12 tight end the rest of the way! When Hill is on the field, he offers a multitude of ways to produce fantasy points for your roster as he is a threat to throw, run, or catch the ball on each play. Should Hill find consistency the rest of the way, he will be over the roster threshold in just a couple weeks. Even with a $10,000,000 salary.
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 weekly Dynasty Owner Livestream. Stay safe out there and good luck on your 2023 Chase for the Ring!