By: Jay Pounds (@jaypoundsnfl)
Dynasty Owners! We are back with another fun filled week of free agents! As I always do, let’s take a look at some of the notable events of the past week. C.J. Stroud ($9,069,811)!!! What a performance the former Ohio State product had this weekend and while I don’t want to get ahead of myself, I think Ohio State finally has a star quarterback in the NFL. Unless you want to count Joe Burrow ($9,047,534) that is. In Week 9, Stroud set the rookie record for passing yards in a single game, finishing the day with 470 yards passing and 5 touchdowns and 62.5 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (470 passing yards, 10 rushing yards, 5 TDs, 1 2-pt. conversion, 1 fumble). Oh, and a near perfect passer rating of 147.8. Stroud also now has the highest scoring week here on Dynasty Owner this season, second highest overall in Dynasty Owner history and highest ever by a QB. If you can’t tell I am excited about the start Stroud has had thus far. Enough on my love affair, let’s move on to the rest of the league.
If you want to see an unfamiliar site, go to Google and type 2023 AFC playoff picture. When you do, you will find that all four AFC North teams would be in the playoffs if the season were to end today. Will that happen? I highly doubt it, but it’s still really neat to see this far into the season.
I can’t explain how badly I wanted to come on here today and talk about how the Cowboys “Cowboyed it up” on national television and while they lost, I will admit they surprised me quite a bit. Games like Sunday night are games Dak Prescott ($40,000,000) usually plays average at best in but had Dak not played so well, this game would have been a complete blowout. While the Cowboys didn’t pick up a victory against the Eagles, they took a massive step in the right direction. If moral victories were a real thing the Cowboys may have won Sunday night despite losing on the scoreboard.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the Raiders’ fan base on the free win every team with an interim coach gets. Enjoy it now because it usually goes downhill quickly come Week 2! On the bright side, at least Josh McDaniels is gone and will never be an NFL head coach again. He needs to add Tom Brady’s kids to his will as McDaniels made boatloads of money off him even after Brady switched teams and retired twice.
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 10. 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.
- Noah Brown (WR – HOU) – 1 year/$2,600,000 – 30.65% Rostered
I can’t remember, did I mention that C.J. Stroud had a big weekend? Well one of the biggest recipients of that big weekend was former Cowboy Noah Brown. Anyone want to take a guess on where Noah Brown went to school? Yea, that’s right, The Ohio State University. Unfortunately, the two did not cross paths in their time in Columbus, but nonetheless it’s always fun to watch guys from your favorite college team up and do well in the pros. In Week 9, Brown had the biggest game of his career, and it all came on just six targets! Brown finished the day with 6 catches for 153 receiving yards and a touchdown finishing with 27.3 Dynasty Owner fantasy points for the week. It has been a guessing game on which Texans’ receiver will have a good week but if, and it’s a big if, Brown and Stroud build on this past week, our Dynasty Owners who win Brown’s services in the Free Agent Auction will be extremely happy!
Bid – $5,000,000
2.Keaton Mitchell (RB – BAL) – 3 years/$904,333 – 78.16% Rostered
If you read reports from this game, you are going to see things like garbage time attached to Keaton Mitchell’s name, but I don’t think it is a fair statement at all. Yes, the Ravens were up a couple of touchdowns at the half but that is hardly garbage time and Mitchell finished the first half with just as much work as Gus Edwards ($4,500,000) and Justice Hill ($2,255,000) and more rushing yards than both of them combined. Mitchell also produced the two biggest plays for the Ravens all season long in Week 9, or at least it seems that way, and looks to be a perfect fit alongside Edwards moving forward. It may be a week or 2 before we figure out what Mitchell’s true role will be but if he continues to produce electric plays, the Ravens will happily use him to take some of the load off of Lamar Jackson ($52,000,000). The Ravens are a Super Bowl or bust team which should mean players like Mitchell will see the field more in an attempt to keep their stars fresh for a deep playoff run. I remember hearing a lot about an undrafted rookie free agent running back the Ravens signed in camp, and I think we all figured out why this past Sunday.
Bid – $7,000,000
3.Taysom Hill (TE – NO) – 3 years/$10,000,000 – 49.81% Rostered
I am not going to spend much time on Taysom Hill as he was in last week’s article and his pricey salary is not for everyone. All of that said I believe Hill should be rostered in just about all fantasy football leagues, including Dynasty Owner, at this point. The tight end position is horrible this season and Hill’s versatility is much too intriguing to pass on. It also helps that Dennis Allen and the Saints have figured out how to best utilize him. I mentioned last week how bad the Saints had been in the red zone and Hill has single-handedly changed that over the past 2 weeks of play. In Weeks 8 and 9, Hill played a part in four of the Saints’ eight touchdowns scored (2 rushing, 1 passing, 1 receiving) while the Saints won both games. Hill currently sits as the seventh ranked tight end in Dynasty Owner and was not featured in the game plan much until Week 6. If Hill is able to stay healthy, he has a realistic shot to finish as a top 3 tight end the rest of the season.
Bid – $2,000,000
4.Leonard Fournette (RB – BUF) – 1 year/$7,000,000 – 69.73% Rostered
I know Uncle Lenny is another repeat from last week, but I did not expect him to still be so widely available after a week on the open market. Fournette does come with a price tag of $7,000,000 currently, but that will be changed if he is signed to the Bills’ active roster, or should I say when. I think we should expect to see Fournette in a 50-50 split with James Cook ($1,458,014) by next week at the latest. If the season were to end today, the Bills would miss the playoffs and it seems as if they are missing something as a team. Judging by signing Fournette, the Bills’ front office must truly believe it’s a running game and balance on offense. If Fournette ends up taking over in the Bills’ backfield, he could easily become a league winner with how banged up the running back position is as a whole right now.
Bid – $3,000,000
I couldn’t come up with a great fifth player this week, so I am going to do something a little different and give everyone a couple of quick hitters as possible fifth options for this article.
5a. Royce Freeman (RB – LAR) – 1 year/$1,080,000 – 72.03% Rostered
Yea, Yea laugh away! I know Royce Freeman is not the most attractive selection but hear me out. Despite playing well, Darrell Henderson ($1,053,001) was signed off the street, has never finished a full season healthy and is already in a time share with Freeman as we speak. If anything happens to Henderson, Freeman will see the ugliest 20 touch game in the history of the NFL. 20 touches is 20 touches, right?
Bid – $2,000,000
5b. JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR – NE) – 3 years/$8,500,000 – 85.06% Rostered
Had JuJu been rostered in fewer Dynasty Owner leagues, he would have been the only fifth option, but I didn’t feel like cheating so here we are. JuJu should be the Patriots number 1 receiver the rest of the season with Kendrick Bourne ($5,000,000) now out. The only real competition JuJu has is rookie Demario Douglas ($993,333) who has been banged up already this season. JuJu may not be someone with a high ceiling these days, but he should be a great option for your Bench the rest of the way with a consistent floor.
Bid – $2,000,000
5c. Jack Stoll (TE – PHI) – 1 year/$815,833 – 1.15% Rostered
If I am being honest, I just couldn’t comfortably put a player that has been around three seasons and has scored less than 35.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points on the list. Jack Stoll becomes the starting tight end by default in Philadelphia moving forward after the Dallas Goedert ($14,250,000) injury, but I am not expecting much from him in terms of fantasy production. If you are in desperate need of a tight end and enjoy gambling, Stoll is your guy. If not, I would find a way to pick up Taysom Hill.
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!