Tue Jul 4th 2023

My Most-Rostered Players #2

Last week I wrote about my most rostered players, players I had rostered on more than 33% of my nine dynasty leagues. This week I write about the players I have rostered in 33% of my dynasty leagues.

I hope this article on which players I have in 1/3 of my leagues helps you understand why I value them and have so many shares of them on my teams. I drafted many of them in rookie drafts and start-up drafts. Some were traded for, while others I added on the waiver wire.

Having 33% shares of a player is not surprising, but I only have eleven such players. Here's the list and why I'm glad to have these shares.

Amon-Ra St. Brown

• I was much higher on ASB than most dynasty managers two years ago but could not draft him in most leagues because I traded many first and early second-round rookie picks that year. As a result, two of my three ASB shares were acquired via trades. I drafted him at 2.6 in one league. I traded for him during a rookie draft, giving away Darnell Mooney for the pick. In a salary cap league with a platform that does not track player history well, I traded for him after his rookie season for a late first-round pick, but I can't remember exactly. ASB is the Lion's WR-1, even if Jameson Williams returns from his suspension. He scored 13.1 points per game last year and finished as the wide receiver nine on the season. He's my 7th-ranked dynasty wide receiver, just ahead of Olave. I was all in on ASB in the rookie draft and am pleased to have drafted or traded for him before the dynasty manager realized what they missed.

Chris Olave

• I drafted Olave in three rookie drafts last year. I was slightly higher on Olave than most dynasty managers, so I could draft him in more leagues than expected in the first round last year. After one year, Olave is my 8th-ranked dynasty wide receiver, and I could not be happier to have him on a third of my teams. On a per-game basis, Olave was more productive than his college teammate and fellow second-year player, Garrett Wilson. Olave scored 10.9 points per game compared to Garrett's 10.4. The quick demise of Michael Thomas has made his dynasty rise even more prominent. He's the WR-1 in New Orleans, where Derek Carr brings new life to the offense and Olave's young career. I'm not too proud to admit I drafted Treylon Burks over Olave in one league because I wanted to hedge my bets and get my first share of Burks. Burks has a great opportunity to break out this year, but I doubt his dynasty value will ever catch up with Olave's.

Brandin Cooks

• I drafted Cooks in every league that I still have him rostered. I drafted him in a start-up draft five years ago, in another four years ago, in a dispersal auction two years ago. I sold him during a rookie draft this season to get younger players, knowing his his value is waning. I have Olave and Dotson in that league, and was ready to move on from Cooks as an older asset. I traded Cooks and Donovan Peoples-Jones for Khalil Herbert and Pierre Strong, a player I'll write about below. I still love Cooks and think he'll have a fantasy productive year in Dallas, but he's a player I'll aim to trade after he has a few good games this year. I've enjoyed having him on my dynasty teams, even as he has changed NFL teams so often, but I am ready to move on from him this season if I am able.

Puka Nacua

• Nacua was one of my most targeted late-round targets in this rookie class. I drafted him in two leagues, added him in one league after the four-round rookie draft, and missed out on him in two leagues late in the fourth round, two and three picks before I had him queued up to draft. I was so mad that I missed out on two more shares of Nacua. Both drafts that I missed out on Nacua were in June after the hype on him was building. OTA reports about Nacua were glowing, making me feel wise for drafting him so often and causing me to miss out on him in June drafts. He has one of the easiest depth charts to climb in LA, and I believe he will become a starter in week one. He's versatile and athletic and can be used in multiple ways in McVay's offense. I can't wait to see what he can do from the jump! 

Miles Sanders

• I was much higher on Sanders than other dynasty managers in his rookie class. I drafted Sanders a lot but have since traded him away and traded for him. My current shares came from a start-up draft in his rookie season, a rookie draft in his rookie season, and a trade in one league three years ago straight up for Terry McLaurin. Sanders signed the most lengthy and hefty free-agent contract amongst the running back free agent class, with several still waiting to get signed and others getting cut or possibly still getting cut. I'm happy to follow the money and believe that the Panthers think as highly of him as I have all these years. Chuba Hubbard has had every chance to become the lead back in Carolina but has yet to prove able. Sanders will be the Panther's lead back for the next two to four years, and I'm still pleased to have three shares of him, given that he's finally freed from the Eagles, who kept him in a running back committee. Sanders will miss the excellent offensive line and potent offense in Philadelphia, but he will capitalize on a lead role and more touches in Carolina. Sanders is one of the players I've most tried to trade for this offseason, and I will keep trying.

Samaje Perine

• All of my Perine shares were added early last off-season when Cincinnati signed him. I was thrilled to have a running back with a great pedigree and draft capital as a handcuff behind his college teammate, Joe Mixon. He spelled Mixon more than I thought last season, especially at the end of the season. His consistency in the passing game and reliability made him a prime player for teams to pick up in free agency. When the Broncos' new head coach, Sean Payton, quickly signed him, Perine's dynasty value took a big jump. His dynasty value has only increased since then as Javonte William's ACL recovery lingers. Perine is a depth piece on my teams that will undoubtedly see my starting lineups many times this season, and if Williams' recovery lingers, he will become an every-week starter for my teams. I'm glad I could add him to my teams in the leagues that gave up on this previous first-round rookie draft pick.

Pierre Strong

• I drafted Strong in one league last year, added him the week after the draft on waivers in another, and added him in a package deal during this year's rookie draft. Strong was one of my favorite mid-round picks in his rookie class, even though he was buried on the depth chart in New England, who drafted another rookie running back, Kevin Harris, in the same class. A year later, things have changed a lot with Damien Harris moving on to Buffalo, Strong getting a role ahead of Kevin Harris last season, and the Patriots not adding depth in free agency or the draft. Strong was the player I targeted in a package deal when I traded Brandin Cooks. Rhomandre Stevenson is this RB-1 in New England, but Strong is the next man up if he's injured. I'm pleased to have a handcuff like Strong on three of my nine teams.

Dallas Goedert

• I drafted Goedert in a start-up draft his rookie season, added him off waivers in one league after his rookie season, and traded for him in another league, but we've since switched platforms, so I can't remember the history of the trade. Still, I remember that Goedert was my target in the trade. I'm pleased to have Goedert on my teams, but he's a player I'd like to trade if he strings together a few productive games this season. I still believe he's a fantastic player, so I drafted, added, and traded for him, but I'm concerned about his target share in the new-found Philadelphia offense. I think he'll be a top-12 fantasy tight end for the next year or two, but I don't think he has the opportunity to see his dynasty value increase as other tight ends surpass him in the coming years. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith will dominate the Eagles' targets in the next few years, and Jalen Hurts will steal too many touchdowns. I love Goedert's talent but fear his future production is limited.

Greg Dulcich

• I was higher on Dulcich than most dynasty managers, so I drafted him in the fourth round of one draft last season, added him off waiver after a four-round draft, and added him in a salary-cap league during a free-agent auction after he was not drafted in that league's rookie draft. Dulicich was my TE-2 last year behind Trey McBride. Dulcich battled injuries last season but had a few productive and hopeful games on an inept Denver offense. Now, he's got a new coach in Sean Payton, who made Jimmy Graham a star for years. Offseason reports have been inconsistent, with some reports indicating Payton loves him and others indicating he does not. I still believe in his talent and know the offense will get better, and I am hopeful Russell Wilson can become the next Drew Brees and Dulcich the next Jimmy Graham.

Chig Okwonkwo

• I added Chig in every league I could last season after he made big plays in the preseason and early season. Several leagues with taxi squads already had him on their taxi squad, and one other manager in my leagues, Dave Cancelleri, beat me to the punch on Chig twice! Otherwise, I would have had him in more of my league. I was early to the jump, but others definitely beat me to it. I had a fourth share of Chig in a tight-end premium league where I was loaded at tight end and rebuilding, so I traded him for Damian Harris and a rookie draft pick which turned into Jayden Reed. His athleticism often makes the difference for tight ends in the NFL, and though his playtime and targets were limited last year, his analytic stats were off the charts in his rookie season. He's likely the second most-targeted player on the Titans this season, which is what most top-12 tight ends become. I'm happy to have Chig in a third of my leagues, but I am skeptical and would be willing to sell him as I have once. Tight ends are easy to wait on in dynasty leagues, so I'm eager to wait on him until another manager makes a fair deal.

Michael Mayer

• I had Mayer ranked much higher than other dynasty managers, so I drafted him in three leagues during this year's rookie drafts and passed on drafting him in two other leagues when he was my highest-ranked player. Still, I was loaded at tight end and chose to draft a player at another position. He was my 12th-ranked player in superflex leagues, and I drafted him as early as 1.10 and as late as 2.4 and 2.6, all after Dalton Kincaid was drafted. I've written too much about Mayer in the last few months, given that he was a player I drafted often, but I'm as confident as ever that Mayer will become a top-12 dynasty tight end for the next decade. He's not athletic enough to become a top 1-6 dynasty tight end, but I'm sure he'll have a Jason Witten kind of career.

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