I love looking for dynasty stashes. In a year-round activity like dynasty fantasy football, the enthusiasm for the league has its peaks and valleys — particularly during the offseason.
There’s a lull immediately after the Super Bowl, but the start of free agency usually sees an uptick in activity. The NFL Draft is the major milestone with everyone focusing on the upcoming class and positioning themselves to draft the players they like at reasonable value. Then there’s a fairly long break in the action until preseason starts up.
We currently find ourselves in the midst of that portion. Minicamps have wrapped up and there won’t be much NFL news for the next five weeks. One way for engaged dynasty owners to continue to try to give themselves an edge, is to peruse the free agent market and try to bolster the backend of their squad. Some dynasty leagues increase roster size during the offseason before a late August trim-down date, and if you have any kind of roster space available, now would be the time to stock it full of potential upside. It’s also a smart time to try and acquire some of last year’s late round rookies that underwhelmed and could be had for 50%-75% of what the owner paid a year ago.
Let’s take a look at some of these high-potential stashes for dynasty leagues and what exactly these players could provide in the near future.
John Kelly, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Year after year, we always talk about trying to get the cheapest back on the Patriots’ roster as the one to stash. I’m using that same philosophy on a Rams squad with a head coach that deliberately schemes defenders out of the box to the clear up running lanes. Rewind to last March and the dynasty community was enamored with John Kelly. What changed? Kelly slid in the draft to the sixth round (RB14), landing behind Todd Gurley on the Rams’ depth chart. We now have the knee issue to worry about long term with Gurley and while everyone is busy trying to overpay for Darrell Henderson, it could be a smart move to pivot to the much, much cheaper Kelly after a year of doing nothing (in addition to Henderson joining the Rams) has suppressed his value. Kelly is still that electric playmaker out of Tennessee that had a hefty receiving workload and dominated in the receiving game. Henderson’s addition to the backfield has lowered Kelly’s already low outlook, but if Gurley were to miss any time, it wouldn’t really be that surprising to see a committee form with Kelly used as a pass-catching back in one of the league’s most efficient offenses.
Jake Kumerow, WR, Green Bay Packers
If there were one player I’d prioritize in acquiring right now, it’d be the Packers’ Jake Kumerow. Kumerow has looked spectacular in minicamp to the point of Aaron Rodgers commending him for always being in the right place at the right time. We’ve seen Kumerow perform well in both the preseason and regular season whenever his number has been called. He faces a tough path to playing time, but the talent is there. Last season, this receiver group underwhelmed outside of Davante Adams. If Kumerow can stay healthy, he has a legitimate chance to compete for WR3/WR4 duties. On an Aaron Rodgers-led offense, that could be a valuable role.
Chris Warren III, RB, Oakland Raiders
Chris Warren III gained popularity among the dynasty crowd last year after a highly productive preseason where he led all running backs in rushing yards and fantasy points. The mauling bruiser (6’-2”, 247 pounds) averaged 5.0 yards per carry and 2.55 yards after contact during his preseason NFL debut. The depth chart in Oakland has already thinned out with Isaiah Crowell being placed on IR. Jalen Richard figures to back up rookie Josh Jacobs, mostly as a third down back, leaving an opening for Warren to contend with DeAndre Washington and Doug Martin for RB3 duties. The Raiders offensive line did a decent job last season providing running lanes for their backs, finishing 13th in FootballOutsiders’ Adjusted Line Yards. Don’t be surprised to see Warren III’s name resurface among Raiders beat reporters when he has a chance to truly shine — in training camp with pads on.
Keith Kirkwood, WR, New Orleans Saints
Keith Kirkwood’s association with the Saints offense likely means that he’s rostered in most 12-team dynasty leagues, but in the off chance he was recently dropped by someone in favor of a rookie pick, you should be racing to the waiver wire to acquire him. Kirkwood’s clearest path to playing time is by playing the role of “big slot” receiver. Standing at 6’-2”, 221 pounds, Kirkwood has excellent size — and an 89th percentile speed score — to make a difference operation out of the slot. Last year, Kirkwood played over 70% of his passing down snaps from the slot, where he saw 85.7% of his targets (18-of-21). Only Michael Thomas had more targets in the slot (52) last year. Kirkwood’s 2.1 yards per route run there cleared the league average by a sizable margin (1.35 YPRR), presenting optimism for an increased role there in 2019. Ted Ginn Jr. and Tre’Quan Smith likely still stand in front of Kirkwood in the wide receiver pecking order, but an injury to either could elevate Kirkwood to a fantasy-relevant role as early as this season. Even if Kirkwood is owned in your league, I’d recommend trying to pry him from the owner before his value rises.
Trenton Cannon, RB, New York Jets
Trenton Cannon was a popular preseason DFS player last season that never really saw that translate to the regular season. He had just 38 carries during the regular season, running for a paltry 3.0 yards per carry, but his work in the receiving game could leave reason for optimism. He was targeted 25 times and could carve out a role as a receiving back in Adam Gase’s new offense. AddingTy Montgomery to this backfield and bringing back Bilal Powell has Cannon on the backburner for 2019, but both veterans were signed to just one-year deals. Cannon could find himself backing up Le’Veon Bell as soon as 2020. The one caveat with Cannon is the he’s entering his age-25 season in just his second year in the league. Prospects that enter the league that late generally flame out quicker than others. Stash Cannon, but he should be one of your first drops if in need of roster space.
Cam Sims, WR, Washington Redskins
Towering at 6’-5”, Washington beat reporters were impressed with Cam Sims making plays deep downfield during minicamp this spring. Sims was a standout preseason DFS player last year, sporting a 16.9 average depth of target (aDOT), but a high ankle sprain suffered on the opening kickoff of Week 1 forced him out for the entire season. Undrafted out of Alabama, Sims has to fight his way back to playing time again in 2019 against a depth chart that added third-round pick Terry McLaurin and sixth-round pick Kelvin Harmon. The veterans ahead of those players are coming off some very disappointing seasons, cracking the door for a potential opportunity here during training camp and preseason. Sims has a crowded depth chart to climb, but none of the other receivers on the roster offer the size Sims has as a 6’-5” perimeter target with deep speed. After making the 53-man roster last year, I’m willing to stash Sims as a potential sleeper in the new Dwayne Haskins-era of Washington football.
Boston Scott, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
A sixth-round pick coming out of Louisiana Tech last year, Boston Scott made his way from New Orleans to Philadelphia late last season. His only touches came as a kick returner, but his speed and explosiveness were evident to everyone. A Darren Sproles-esque player, Scott has exceptional speed and quickness at just 5’-7”, 195 pounds. Scott finds himself on a crowded, albeit unspectacular, depth chart in Philadelphia with a few temporary roadblocks ahead of him on the depth chart at this time. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Philadelphia clear house following preseason and keep Scott due to his special teams abilities. He’s probably one of the deeper names on this list, but his tantalizing athleticism makes him a desirable stash.
