Rookies and veteran players alike can see their dynasty fortunes swing on draft night. Rookies can lose draft capital and suddenly become afterthoughts in dynasty leagues. On the other hand, if a veteran's team spends a high pick at their position, that veteran could struggle for playing time.
Players who avoid losing value are called "Dynasty Survivors," i.e., a player with a lot to lose entering the draft who came out clean on the other side of the NFL draft.
We asked our staff for their favorite dynasty survivor. Here are their answers.
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Veteran Dynasty Survivors
Jason Wood
Isiah Pacheco is a clear winner. The Chiefs bolstered their receiving and tight end corps in free agency and the draft but did nothing to add competition for Pacheco at tailback. He's now positioned as a feature back on the league's best team.
Ryan Weisse
It was a sequence of events, but things went very well for Ezekiel Elliott. The Cowboys were considered a premium landing spot for a rookie running back. Instead, they drafted zero and drought back Elliott. No running back in the league last year touched the ball in the redzone more and scored fewer touchdowns than Tony Pollard. Elliott might not be the same back he once was, but he can still fall in the endzone.
Leo Paciga
The obvious answer here is Isiah Pacheco. The 25-year-old RB enters his 3rd season with the Chiefs with very little competition in the backfield. Adding WR speedsters Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown will draw defensive attention away from the line of scrimmage and underneath routes, putting Pacheco in the perfect position to build on his 4.7 YPC career average and 44 receptions in 2023.
Corey Spala
Greg Dulcich (TE, DEN) is my favorite draft survivor. General manager George Paton mentioned in February (2024) that Denver needs to solidify the tight end position, specifically “a weapon in the middle of the field.” They did not draft a tight end or sign one in free agency. Dulcich only played 32 snaps before having a season-ending injury in 2023.
Denver traded away Jerry Jeudy, and pending health, Dulcich will look to acquire the targets where Jeudy operated. This is the area where GM Paton wants a tight-end weapon over the middle.
Gary Davenport
Robert Spillane had a great 2023 season with the Las Vegas Raiders—his 148 tackles were more than he had in 2021 and 2022 combined. But Spillane isn’t a unique talent—just a hard-nosed, smart linebacker. The Raiders could use more athleticism at the position, but the only linebacker they drafted (Ohio State’s Tommy Eichenberg) is basically Spillane, but with no NFL experience. Divine Deablo can take a breath, too. Their gigs appear safe in 2024.
Zareh Kantzabedian
Zamir White is the most notable player to have survived this year's draft. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders have opted for running back Dylan Laube, who is reputed to be one of the best pass-catching backs in his class. However, it is unlikely that Laube will threaten White's role as an early-down running back. As such, White can now be considered a dependable RB2 for at least 2024.
Andy Hicks
Zack Moss for the Bengals. With Joe Mixon chased out of town, the group behind Moss presents as poor. Chase Brown, Trayveon Williams, and Chris Evans. Moss was surprisingly effective for the Colts in relief of Jonathan Taylor and earned a two-year contract. Handcuffing Moss and Chase Brown is a low-cost way to get great value at the running back position for your RB2/RB3 in redrafts and significantly above expectations in dynasty.
Rookie Dynasty Survivors
Matt Montgomery
Michael Penix Jr. was the story of the draft, not because of his play on the field but because he came in as Kirk Cousins's unexpected backup. He will be getting the old-school rookie quarterback treatment. Sit, learn, develop, work out your body, and above all else, learn how to be a franchise's quarterback. Maybe Kirk Cousins won't outwardly teach him, but is there a better example in the NFL of being a likable franchise quarterback than Cousins? I think Penix has a tremendous long-term landing spot in this draft and is worth a place on your taxi squad if not just a bench hold.
Jeff Haseley
Regarding rookie drafts, I often target Baltimore's Devontez Walker toward the end. One of his strengths is his ability to excel as a deep-threat receiver, where the Ravens could use help. If he manages to secure that role, it could pave the way for him to become the team's primary receiving option.
Ben Cummins
I’m going to J.J. McCarthy here. After watching eight games of his All-22 film, my evaluation was a strong enough sample for me to have conviction, in my opinion, that he was a developmental game manager with a second-round grade. McCarthy has a lot he needs to improve on. His footwork is messy and frantic at times, he struggles to work through his progressions and rarely goes through full-field reads, he’s not a particularly accurate quarterback, he declined the big play down the field when it was there too often, and he simply just doesn’t have a lot of experience as a passer.
However, McCarthy is young, by all accounts, is a good leader, and just landed in arguably the best situation in the entire NFL for a rookie quarterback. I would be way less bullish on McCarthy in a different spot, but he survived the draft by landing with Kevin O’Connell, Justin Jefferson, and Jordan Addison.
