At this point in the offseason most rookie drafts have already taken place. Most of the popular rookie names are already scooped up by either you or your leaguemates, but there’s always a few players that find their way through the cracks and make a name for themselves. Most leagues also have a monthly waiver period allowing you to make roster transactions. While the rest of your dynasty league is at the beach soaking up the sun, spend a few minutes now to take a look at whether any of these rookies could be worth stashing on your squad. An early stash now — even if it’s just adding someone to your taxi squad — could end up paying dividends come November.
In advance of your league’s next round of waivers, here are several rookies that could be worth stashing in dynasty leagues of varying sizes.
Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys
The fourth-round pick by Dallas should be picked up in most 12-team leagues, but I was surprised to anecdotally find he was available in a recent 16-team draft I concluded, late in the fourth round. If Pollard is available, he’s currently the No. 2 back on the Cowboys’ depth chart. Oft compared to former Cowboy, Lance Dunbar, the former Memphis back is an explosive one in space. During his final two seasons he averaged 7.2 yards per carry and 13.3 yards per reception. Early reports are that Dallas wants to utilize him as a gadget player and on some passing downs. Pollard’s history suggests that if Ezekiel Elliott were to miss any time, it’d more likely be a committee surfaces, but Pollard’s unique explosiveness does have some standalone value.
FAAB Percentage: 5%-8%
Preston Williams, WR, Miami Dolphins
The depth chart at Miami isn’t very deep upon closer examination. The Dolphins have Devante Parker, Kenny Stills, and Albert Wilson all have expiring contracts in 2020. We could see a lot of shakeup at the position soon, so I’ll be taking a few dart throws at one of the best pure prospects on their depth chart in Williams. Williams finished his final season at CSU commanding a whopping 36.1% target share, sporting a 96-1,354-14 receiving stat line. He has good size at 6’-4”, 211-pounds, and posted a sterling 90th percentile College Dominator Rating, per PlayerProfiler. With the typical development curve for receivers taking about three years before they hit their peak, Williams could be worth the wait in Miami as a perfect taxi-squad candidate.
FAAB Percentage: 5%
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants
DynastyLeagueFootball ADP has Jones going as the 47th rookie off the board. For leagues that did not see Jones getting drafted, it shouldn’t take long before he finds himself on someone’s roster. He’s coming off a great performance in minicamp and looks to legitimately challenge Eli Manning for the starting quarterback spot. Jones’s arm strength on passes downfield and his athleticism have been particularly noteworthy from Giants’ beat reporters. At this stage of his career, Manning has very little of either. Even in single-quarterback leagues, Jones merits being rostered as a player that should see playing time sooner rather than later.
FAAB Percentage: I’d rather be aggressive now and secure Jones if I need a quarterback than kick myself for not bidding enough. 10%-15%.
Qadree Ollison, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Ollison is a player I’m surprised isn’t going inside the top-four rounds of rookie drafts considering Atlanta just spent a fifth-round pick on him. His measurables were mediocre, but the depth chart ahead of him isn’t very daunting. Devonta Freeman has missed significant playing time the last two seasons due to lower body injuries and concussions. Ito Smith is a 5’-9”, 200-pound back that doesn’t have the size to lead a committee and was horribly inefficient last year (3.5 YPC). Enter Ollison, a 6’-1”, 228-pound behemoth that racked up yardage after contact at Pitt. In fact, he was top-10 in total yards after contact among this year’s running back class (760 yds), per PFF. Playing in Atlanta’s high-scoring offense behind one of the league’s best offensive lines, Ollison could end up being a perfect stash for down the final stretch of the season.
FAAB Percentage: 0%-2%
Darius Slayton, WR, New York Giants
New York also has an interesting wide receiver situation in that all their primary pass catchers — Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, Evan Engram, and Saquon Barkley — operate close to the line of scrimmage. The Giants need a field stretcher and I’m not 100 percent convinced Corey Coleman is the right man for the job. Enter Slayton, this year’s fifth-round draft pick, with blazing 4.39 speed. Not only does he have terrific speed to blow by defenders, it essentially is his specialty. He finished his collegiate career with a career average of 20.3 yards per reception. Slayton is a big play waiting to happen, and while it may take some time until Daniel Jones and his arm strength take over the No. 1 quarterback duties, don’t be surprised if these two hook up in the preseason for some DFS fireworks.
FAAB Percentage: 3%-5%
Emanuel Hall, WR, Chicago Bears
Another explosive receiver, Hall went undrafted in this year’s draft class but was quickly picked up by Chicago. Chicago has it’s share of explosive playmakers already in guys like Taylor Gabriel, Cordarelle Patterson, and Tarik Cohen. Speed by itself won’t be a unique trait in this offense. That being said, there was a reason some draft analysts had Hall as a potential third-round draft pick. He has the size at 6’-2”, 201-pounds, the speed (4.39), and led all receivers at this year’s combine with a 43.5” vertical jump and 141” broad jump. Hall may not see much of the field Year 1, but has a chance to work extensively with receivers coach, Mike Furrey, to help improve his all-around game. He’s a longshot, but he has all the athletic measurements you’re looking for at this stage of the game.
FAAB Percentage: 0%
Scott Miller, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After letting Adam Humphries and his 105 vacated targets walk to Tennessee, perhaps we see a darkhorse contender arise to seize his old slot receiver role. It’s all but presumed the majority of those targets (and DeSean Jackson’s 74) get redistributed among the top playmakers in Tampa Bay, but could we see a rookie emerge with a breakout training camp? Scott Miller was a four-year receiver at Bowling Green, finishing his senior year with a 71-1,148-9 receiving stat line. Miller sported a sterling 3.06 yards per route run (YPRR) — top-12 in this year’s class — while running over 81.3% of his targets come from the slot. Early camp reports look favorable for the sixth-round draft pick with 4.44 speed, and there’s a huge opportunity laid out in front of him to take Humphries’ old role. With very few people paying attention to minicamp news, you won’t have to break the bank to add him as a stash.
FAAB Percentage: 0%-2%
