Tue Jun 18th 2024

Deep-Dive Players I've Added Since Rookie Drafts

I play in 10, 12, and 14-team dynasty leagues where we roster as few as 300 players and as many as 448 players. Most of my leagues roster 300-350 players, though. It's hard to find gems off the waiver wire at this time of year, especially when most of my leagues allow roster sizes to grow after the rookie draft until they cut back after the final preseason games. Still, I churn the backend of my rosters after the rookie drafts as news about players breaks during mini-camps. There's always a player or two I'm willing to hold on my roster until we have to cut rosters, especially in leagues with taxi squads.

In this article, I'll share about all the players I have picked up between our rookie drafts and now.  I call them my deep-dive players. I think you should check your rosters to see if it would be wise to add these players, too.

Sam Darnold

• Darnold was available on the wire in a few of my one-quarterback leagues. News broke this week that at the end of mini-camp that Darnold would be the Vikings' starter if the season started today. The Vikings may want to see what they have in Darnold before handing the keys to J.J. McCarthy. Darnold has just as good of a chance at winning the job as McCarthy, especially this season. Darnold is under contract for just one year and could help McCarthy develop this season. If Darnold is named the starter, even to begin the season, I'll be glad to have him on my roster in the two one-quarterback leagues where I added him. He has some of the best weapons in the league, who made Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens look effective last season. If McCarthy is named the starter in week one, then Darnold will be one of the players I cut before the season starts, but until then, I'm glad to have him as a backup on my rosters.

Spencer Rattler

• I added Rattler in one one-quarterback league immediately after the rookie draft. We have a three-player taxi squad in that league, and I only drafted three players in the rookie draft: Xavier Worthy in the first round, Jalen McMillan in the third, and Bo Nix in the fourth. Worthy will not sit on my taxi squad, and Nix could be promoted quickly if he earns the starting role in Denver.  All of that to say, I have one open taxi spot and likely two when the season starts. I thought it wise to take a chance on Rattler. I've never been impressed with Derek Carr, though he's on my roster in this league, backing up Lamar Jackson. Rattler will get his chance if he falters in any way this season or gets injured. He reportedly struggled in mini-camp, so Jake Haener may have a leg up on him as Carr's backup, but I can wait and see how he looks in preseason games before deciding to cut him or not. For now, I am content to wait until then. He was once thought to be the top devy quarterback. I like to hold players once considered top prospects, even if they did not live up to their hype in college.

Mike White

• This addition may seem like a stretch, but not when understanding the context.  I was surprised to see White available on the wire in this one league because it's a 14-team superflex league where every backup quarterback should be on a roster. To my surprise, Tua's backup in Miami was available. Though the rest of my team is solid in this league, I only have one starting quarterback, Trevor Lawrence. The rest of my quarterback room is filled with seven capable backups. Some, like White, Easton Stick, Cooper Rush, Sean Clifford, and Andy Dalton, would need an injury to get playing time. Others like Sam Howell and Drew Lock may get opportunities to play if their teams' starters struggle this season. I was happy to add one more backup quarterback to my team.

Trey Sermon

• Reports from the Colts' mini-camp said that Sermon was the clear RB-2 behind Jonathan Taylor during practices. That news made me search the wire in my leagues, and I was surprised to find him available in two. I added him in both leagues. I have Taylor on my rosters in one league, so I was thrilled to get his backup.  Maybe Sermon can have a Zach Moss kind of resurgence sometime this season. In another league, where managers are more active, and FAAB waivers run daily, I thought other managers would go after Sermon after hearing these reports, so I bid a modest eight dollars out of our $100 off-season budget. To my surprise, no one else bid on him. Oh well, at least I added another RB-2 to my squad. I like to stack my rosters with many RB-2s who get roles when their starters get injured. I don't think there is any way that Sermon will get cut from my teams at cut time. He has a permanent spot on my two rosters.

Kareem Hunt

• Even though he remains a free agent, I was surprised to find Hunt on the wire in the 14-team league that rosters 448 players. I put a $41 bid on him from our $1000 FAAB budget and won him. I hope he signs with a team soon or after a training camp injury. He may be washed up, but I bet a team will take a chance on him since he didn't play terribly last year. In a league as deep as this one, that's a chance I was happy to take. You'll read more about players I added to this deepest league, and when you do, you'll see that Hunt was worth the risk.

Nyheim Hines

• I added Hines for $3 in this same league. If Nick Chubb takes a long time to recover, Hines may get some work behind Jerome Ford and D'Onta Foreman. I have Foreman in this league, so that was one extra reason to add Hines. He missed an entire season last year after an accident on a personal watercraft, so he's in the same boat (see what I did there) as Chubb. I was willing to spend $3 in a league this deep to see if he recovered well and would get any playing time.

Cody Schrader

• In this same deep league, we have five taxi squad spots, and players can remain in a taxi for two years. I added Schrader so he could sit on my taxi squad. I was shocked that Schrader was not drafted after his incredibly productive college career. I was sad when he signed a UDFA deal with the 49ers because that depth chart is too steep to climb. Still, if one coach can make an unknown player into something at the running back position, it's Kyle Shanahan. I would only add Shrader in a league with 448 players rostered and a two-year taxi squad. To give you an idea of what kind of players I roster in a league this deep, I dropped Salvon Ahmed to get Schrader.  Both players will likely do nothing for the rest of their careers, but at least I can stash one on my taxi squad.

DeeJay Dallas

• I added Dallas in this same deep league. He's third on the depth chart behind James Conner and Trey Benson but could become an RB-2 if one goes down to injury or in the unlikely chance that Benson can't pick up the game well in his rookie season. Dallas got a sizable contract when he signed with the Cardinals.  I picked him up in a few leagues when he did, but the Benson selection caused me to drop him after the draft. It's only in a league as deep as this one that I'd care to add Dallas.

Zach Evans

• In the same super deep league, I added Evans because he, too, can sit on my taxi squad. I have little hope for Evans since he hardly saw the field last year, even when two starters ahead of him were injured. Now he has two other starters ahead of him, so he's not likely to play this year either.  Still, with 448 players on rosters, I had to dumpster dive. I dropped Jake Bobo, Rakim Jarrett, Cole Turner, C.J. Beathard, Blaine Gabbert, Isaiah Hodgins, and Donald Parham to make way for all these dumpster-dive players in this league. Those are the moves you must make in a league this deep.

Van Jefferson

• I added Jefferson to several of my rosters before the NFL draft and dynasty rookie drafts, but I also found him on waivers after the rookie draft in one of my leagues. I'm not super hopeful Jefferson will become a starter in my lineups, but letting a starting WR-2 on a roster sit on the wire seemed unwise. Jefferson appears locked into the wideout position opposite George Pickens in Pittsburgh, with Roman Wilson assigned to the slot. The new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, is a run-first guy, so I am not expecting big things from the passing game. Even so, it's Jefferson's first chance to begin a season as a starter. I'm willing to wait and see what he can do.

Kayshon Boutte

• I did it. I added Boutte back to a roster where I previously dropped him. I bought into the hype of one report saying that Boutte stood out as the best receiver in mini-camp. Managers still believe in Boutte because he was only available in the one league where I had dropped him. I'm willing to give him one more chance. I was more willing to add him back to this roster because I also have Javon Baker and Demario Douglas. That means I can follow the Patriots, watch the preseason, and see which Patriot receivers emerge as the starters. It's a new era in New England, so everyone is competing for a job, and anyone could win it. I'll wait to see.

Bub Means

• Means was my most drafted player in the fifth round of rookie drafts. I added him off waivers in my one league with only four rounds in their rookie draft. I've written about him in previous weeks when breaking down my draft picks, so I won't write much more here. The Saints have a very thin depth chart at receiver, and Means has a chance to compete with A.T. Perry for a starting role. Perry received some negative reports from coaches during mini-camp, which bodes even better for Means.

Chase Claypool

• I've added and dropped Claypool from my rosters since he signed with Buffalo. His mild mini-camp praise made me add him back to one team where I had previously dropped him. The Bills signed and drafted a ton of receivers, and now they have one of the most unknown depth charts in the league. At least with Claypool, we've seen him perform at peak levels in Pittsburgh before he was traded and failed in Chicago. My unbelief in Keon Coleman makes me more open to adding Claypool to a few of my rosters. In some cases, other managers beat me to it, but I have added him to two rosters to see how the depth chart develops in Buffalo.

Isaiah Williams

• Williams is another player I picked up to add to my taxi squad in that 14-team league. I loved his college tape and production and was surprised he went undrafted. He signed as a UDFA with Detroit, where he has a tough hill to climb for playing time. While the Lions have one of their best receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams still has much to prove, and the wide receivers behind them are pretty weak. Williams is a long shot to make the team after going undrafted, but I'm hopeful he can prove something in training camp and preseason games and make the team.  If so, he can sit on my taxi squad for up to two years before I decide to keep or cut him.

Mike Gesicki

• Gesicki was surprisingly available in one league where I am weak at the tight end position. While he's made some big plays in his NFL career, he's never lived up to his pre-draft hype. He's on his third team in Cincinnati, but he's the clear TE-1 on a team where defenders have more to worry about than tight end. He will get open a lot in Cincinnati and have the best fantasy season of his career this year. I really believe that, and I can't believe I was able to find him off waivers in this one league. He's my starting tight end for my rebuilding team this year.

Zach Ertz

• I can't quit Zach Ertz.  I added him to many of my teams after he signed with Washington and added him to one more team after the draft. At this point in his career, he likely has just one or two seasons left of production. He will get a lot of work this year, even though the Commanders spent a second-round pick on Ben Sinnott. Last year was a big exception, but tight ends typically take time to adjust to the NFL. Sinnott will sit behind Ertz a lot to start the season. I'm hoping to get a little more juice out of the squeeze from Ertz this season before finally quitting on him. Kliff Kingsbury targeted Ertz often in Arizona, and he brought him back to play in his offense again. He's a believer like I am.

Josh Oliver and Robert Tonyan

• I added Oliver and Tonyan in that 14-team deep league. It's a tight-end premium league. Neither player will help me from a long-term dynasty perspective, but I expect one of them to help me a lot this season while T.J. Hockenson recovers from his knee surgery. Hockenson is not likely to play until at least months into the season, which leaves the TE-1 position open for Oliver or Tonyan to take. I first spent $63 of a $1000 budget on Oliver, confident that he would be the Vikings' starting tight end. After hearing a good report from Tonyan in mini-camp, I added him for $0 in case he competes for the starting role.

Tanner McLachlan

• Finally, I added one more taxi squad player to my roster in that 14-team league. McLachlan has a steep hill to climb on the Bengals' depth chart with veteran Mike Gesicki and fellow rookie Erick Alt ahead of him, so I wonder if he'll stay on my roster for long. Still, Daniel Jeremiah had McLachlan ranked way higher than where he was drafted. During the draft, his player remained at the top of the "best available players" list forever. I'm willing to trust Jeremiah and let this play out since I have a two-year window on my taxi squad. He seemed worth a small gamble.

Leave your comment using the form below

Name
Comment
Enter the code