Player value in dynasty football reminds me of watching ocean waves. They ebb and flow, always in a state of flux. Competitive dynasty players anticipate these movements before they happen and act by picking up, buying, or selling players as the situation demands. Dynasty general managers have previously been at the mercy of regular waiver segments to assist in dynasty pickups, but these fail to account for the long-term view necessary to dynasty success. This weekly column will focus on identifying assets that will help dynasty teams build for the future, as well as players that may plug a hole at a position of need on an otherwise strong squad.
Welcome to the seventeenth week of Waivers of the Future! If you won your championship, congratulations! Bask in the glory of it, for it is a truly special thing when you come out on top in a very competitive league.
If you were not so fortunate, fear not. This column is just for you! The writer will endeavor to use this last article of the year to give you stash candidates who may not have been relevant this year but have a greater chance of contributing to our teams in the future.
It cannot be stressed enough how important waiver wire management is, even in short-bench dynasty leagues. This author won a staff dynasty league last year when he started C.J. Anderson and Damien Williams in place of an injured Todd Gurley and James Conner. You never know when these marginal guys could become very important!
Pickups are listed in order of preference. Bid amounts are going to be highly variable from league to league at the end of a year, so use your best judgment. If you feel strongly about a player, do not be afraid to spend the remainder of your waiver budget to get that guy on your squad for next year.
QUARTERBACK
- Teddy Bridgewater, NO
- Ryan Tannehill, TEN
- Drew Lock, DEN
- Will Grier, CAR
- Gardner Minshew, JAX
- Jacoby Brissett, IND
- Jarrett Stidham, NE
- Josh Rosen, MIA
- Chad Kelly, IND
Bridgewater once again has the option of going to a new team at the end of the year, but he seems happy in New Orleans and few would be shocked if he chose to be the future for the Saints after Drew Brees hangs up his cleats. Ryan Tannehill looks to have done enough to earn a multi-year extension in a Tennessee offense that is finally finding a way to put together a viable passing game. Drew Lock, Will Grier, and Gardner Minshew obviously need seasoning, but all have shown flashes that suggest they could be at least fringe NFL starters. Jacoby Brissett is a known commodity at this point, but he does have one of the better offenses in the NFL from which to operate when everyone is healthy. Jarrett Stidham is merely interesting as the primary backup to an aging Tom Brady. No doubt his dynasty trade value will apex in the offseason when Brady’s contract extension talk is uncertain. Josh Rosen has been in two very bad situations and it is unclear if he will get a legitimate shot with a good organization, but the talent is such that it is worth holding him to find out. Chad Kelly could very well be the most intriguing and high-upside name on this list, but past character issues make him a volatile asset that could lose all value at the next instance in which Kelly crosses the line.
RUNNING BACK
- Jordan Wilkins, IND
- Raheem Mostert, SF
- Mike Boone, MIN
- Raheem Mostert
- Bo Scarbrough, DET
- Kerrith Whyte, PIT
This list is going to be thinner than others because it is a position of scarcity in dynasty leagues. Largely, the ones that are even speculative are already rostered. Alexander Mattison and Darwin Thompson are great examples of this truth. Wilkins tops the list of players that are probably out there. Had injury not cut his opportunity short, we may have been talking about him a lot more as he filled in for Marlon Mack. He is a running back that has a higher ceiling than Mack if he continues his development trajectory. If folks in your leagues drop Raheem Mostert or Mike Boone after the playoffs, thinking they were useful only for this year, both are worth picking up. Mostert seems to have forced his way into the committee conversation for next year. With Matt Breida and Jerrick McKinnon unable to stay healthy, there is a good chance we will be calling his name again. Some see Mike Boone as being every bit as talented as Alexander Mattison, if not more so. While the writer is not in agreement with those folks, he will concede that Boone is serviceable and may have done enough in fill-in duty this year to earn greater consideration by the Vikings going forward. Bo Scarbrough is another name you may see dropped post-playoffs that could be worth holding on to, especially in non-PPR formats. Kerryon Johnson has not proven to be able to stay healthy. Though Scarbrough doesn’t have the dynamic ability of Johnson, he is serviceable in an offense that prefers to run with a lead. If the Lions’ injury luck bounces a little differently next year, they may be ahead in a few more games. Kerrith Whyte is interesting from the standpoint that he has flashed ability in limited work and could work his way up to be behind a starter that so far has had trouble staying healthy in James Conner.
WIDE RECEIVER
- Demarcus Robinson, KC
- Deon Cain, PIT
- Richie James, SF
- Allen Lazard, GB
- Tim Patrick, DEN
- Greg Ward, PHI
- Byron Pringle, KC
- Juwann Winfree, DEN
- Emmanuel Butler, NO
- Javon Wims, CHI
- Auden Tate, CIN
Robinson is the highest priority of those listed because of the offense in which he would be operating. He is someone who could potentially overtake Sammy Watkins’ role if the Chiefs decide to cut him or should injury strike, as it so often has in Watkins’ career. When a quarterback has been able to get him the ball, Deon Cain has flashed a bit in Pittsburgh. With Ben Roethlisberger back next year and the race for the second receiver on the team wide open, Cain has just as good of a chance as anyone else on the roster to compete for it. Richie James has shown the ability to line up anywhere. Kyle Shanahan values this skill set in his receivers, and while Deebo Samuel and Emmanuel Sanders will get the first crack at the starting spots, James is one injury away from mattering in a good passing attack. Allen Lazard has faded in recent weeks, but there is room for him to continue to develop in this offense. No one has decisively claimed the second spot opposite Devante Adams in that offense. Though the Packers are not as high-flying as they once were under a free-wheeling Aaron Rodgers, there is at least spot starter value in whoever ends up with that job long-term. Tim Patrick and Greg Ward are receivers who have done well with the opportunities that injuries ahead on the depth chart have presented to them. They may go back to not mattering next season; but then again, they may have shown enough to stick on rosters that are thin at the position. Byron Pringle, Juwann Winfree, Emmanuel Butler, Javon Wimms, and Auden Tate all are players who have either shown flashes in camp or game situations, but all look like long shots without some favorable bounces in terms of depth chart attrition. Still, in deeper leagues, they are worth holding in order to see if they get a bigger role going forward.
TIGHT END
- Ian Thomas, CAR
- Hayden Hurst, BAL
- Jeremy Sprinkle, WAS
- Foster Moreau, OAK
- Mo Alie-Cox, IND
- Anthony Firkser, TEN
- Robert Tonyan Jr, GB
- J.P. Holtz, CHI
Tight end is another thin list because of positional scarcity. If Ian Thomas is out there, he is far and away the priority add. Greg Olsen is nearing retirement and even when he is on the roster, chronic foot and ankle injuries seem to keep him off the field more often than not. If Thomas is not there, Hurst is a close second. Mark Andrews is the main pass catcher in a tight end heavy passing attack when healthy, but we saw when Andrews missed that Hurst was perfectly capable of standing in for him in that role. Jeremy Sprinkle is intriguing because of Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis’ health situations and because of his ability to block and receive well. Paired with the right new coach and system, he could be a pleasant surprise in the way Darren Waller was for us this year. Foster Moreau, like Sprinkle, is both competent in terms of catching and blocking and is paired with a coach that likes to target two tight ends frequently. Mo Alie-Cox will get a chance to be in two tight end sets with Eric Ebron likely to move on in free agency and has looked more than capable in limited work. Jack Doyle is also long in the tooth, making Alie-Cox a very interesting stash. Anthony Firkser is clearly behind Delanie Walker and Jonnu Smith; but with Walker’s career coming to a close and Smith not always able to stay healthy, Tennessee could be forced to rely on Firkser more going forward. He has size, reliable hands, and the ability to box out defenders in the middle of the field. Robert Tonyan Jr has been simmering in Green Bay since being stolen off of the Lions’ practice squad in 2017. The position takes a while to learn and there have been some small flashes when he has been in game situations to suggest there is something there. Also, with Jimmy Graham and Marcedes Lewis as his only competition currently, there is an opening for Tonyan if he can take the leap next year - or better yet, in the postseason this year. It is unlikely J.P. Holtz will hold the pass-catching tight end job into next year, but it is possible. His snaps have been trending up the entire year and he has been a bright spot for the Bears in a lost year. Adam Shaheen and Trey Burton have been largely disappointing due to constant injuries and the Bears may forgo drafting a tight end to address other, more pressing needs.
LOST AT SEA
(Previously appeared in this column, but a change in situation has rendered the player no longer worth holding.)
Alize Mack, FA- Mack had a good landing spot in Kansas City but was recently waived. We will see if he lands back on the practice squad after the team gets through the postseason; but for now, do not waste a roster spot on him.