Tue May 19th 2026

Players to Target After Rookie Drafts

Taylen Green

• I was surprised that Taylen Green wasn't drafted in my 12-team superflex league, even though we had only 4 rounds in the rookie draft. He was drafted between 43rd and 50th in my other leagues. I spent $11 FAAB to add him in this superflex league because he can sit on my taxi squad while the quarterback battle in Cleveland plays out. I would not call myself a Green fan, but his athleticism is enough of a reason to add him off waivers in a superflex league with taxi squads.

Seth McGowan

• In that same league, McGowan was not drafted either, which was even more strange since he was drafted as early as 33rd in one of my leagues and 47th was the latest he was drafted. In this league, I have D.J. Giddens on my roster, so I was eager to add McGowan to see which of the two can win the primary backup role to Jonathan Taylor. Every second-string running back should be on dynasty rosters since they are startable pieces when lead backs get injured, as they often do. McGown had a rocky collegiate career on and off the field, but the Colts drafted him late in the seventh round rather than fight for him as an undrafted free agent. I still like Giddens far more than McGowan, but Giddens did not do enough to prove he’s the backup to Taylor last year, since the Colts trusted Ameer Abdullah ahead of him last year. They’ve since let Abdullah go and drafted McGowan. It’s a competition for the backup role, so I thought it was worth spending $21 offsason FAAB to add him to my roster.

Deion Burks

• I spent $19 offseason FAAB on McGown’s teammate, too. Burks was drafted in the fifth round of all of my five-round rookie drafts, but in this four-round league, he was available on waivers. Burks was the Colts’ other seventh-round draft pick, so there is not a lot of investment in him. Still, he was productive in college and has one of the weaker depth charts to climb in Indianapolis. I’m positive he will make the Colts’ roster and have opportunities to play this season. In a league like this with four spots on the taxi squad, he’s worth adding after the rookie draft. I am excited to have one share of Burks on my team.

Oscar Delp

• I was incredibly surprised to see that Delp wasn't drafted in my 10-team league with 4 rounds in the rookie draft, especially since it’s a tight-end premium league with 3 taxi-squad spots. Delp was drafted as early as 16th in one of my leagues and 29th in another, but was more commonly selected at the three-four turn. He was drafted 36th in three of my leagues. The Saints spent a lot of draft capital on him as the 9th pick in the third round, so they have plans to use him as a blocker and pass catcher. He has an easy depth chart to climb, too. He should have been drafted in this league, but since he wasn't, I spent $11 of off-season FAAB on him, and, believe it or not, no one else bid on him at all. That was a big mistake on their part.

Drew Sample and Jack Endries

• Ourlads lists Drew Sample as the Bengals’ starting tight end, so I added him for $1 in one of my tight-end premium leagues, and I picked up his new competition, Endries, for free, as well. Sample may only be listed as a starter as a blocker while Mike Gesicki has the receiving role, but everything in Cincinnati is uncertain enough that I wanted to take a small bet on it. I added Endries instead of Sample in another tight-end premium league with a taxi squad, too. He has a tough depth chart to climb, but that’s what taxi squads are for. I’m pleased to take a patient approach with him and see if he can fill Gesicki’s receiving role in the future.

Kenny Pickett

• I added Pickett in two superflex leagues after the rookie drafts. Both are deep leagues with almost every backup quarterback on rosters. I even drafted him in the 24th round in my most recent start-up draft. Pickett is likely a career backup at this point, but we’ve seen some first-round quarterback rebound later in their careers, like Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones have. I’m not expecting Pickett to do that, but I do see the Carolina starter, Bryce Young, as one of the quarterbacks with the most uncertain future as a starter on their team. This is a prove-it season for Young, and if he does not prove it, Pickett will get a look at least. All of that to say, I am glad to have Pickett on my roster in deep superflex leagues, not just because he’s an injury away starter that can be a trade piece if Young gets hurt, but he also has a better chance that other quarterbacks don't need an injury to a starter to see playtime.

Marcus Mariota

• Matiota needs an injury to the starter to see playing time, and he saw plenty of that last season when Jayden Daniels was injured. He’s one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league and is productive for dynasty rosters, too. I drafted him in the 20th round of that same most recent start-up draft and added him to my roster after the rookie draft in another. Both leagues are superflex, obviously. He and Pickett should be on a roster in every superflex league. They’re an injury away from being a valuable piece to play or trade in dynasty rosters.

Treylon Burks

• As much as I love Antonio Williams, the Commanders did not spend the kind of draft capital on a receiver to threaten Burks’ role as a starter this season. He’ll have the best chance to make a fantasy impact as he has since he was drafted by the Titans. First-round draft picks like Burks get multiple chances in the NFL, and this is his next, and likely last, big chance to become a starter and be fantasy relevant again. Burks is the player I added most off waivers after the rookie drafts. I added him to three leagues and even drafted him as Mr. Irrelevant in one rookie draft where we can select free agents with our pick. Admittedly, I added Burks in all three leagues where I drafted Williams, so I can hedge my bets on the Washington depth chart, but Burks has as good a chance as anyone to become the second-most-targeted Commander behind Terry McLaurin.

Jahan Dotson

• I’ve always been a Dotson believer, though I’ve dropped him from all of my rosters in recent years. However, after he signed with Atlanta, I added him to many of my rosters with open waivers in the offseason. Now that rookie drafts have passed and waivers are open in all of my leagues, I have made Dotson my most-added player. The Atlanta depth chart is wide open with only London and Pitts as confident targets in the passing game. Though Bijan Robinson will share a huge piece of the passing game pie again, too. I’m all in and ready to take one more chance on Dotson to see if her can live up to the potential he showed in college and in his rookie season. He may not make most of my rosters in leagues where we trim our rosters before the first game of the season, but he will sit on my roster throughout the rest of the offseason in hopes that he can revive his career in Atlanta with a new coaching staff that targeted him to sign in free agency. This is his last chance on my dynasty rosters, and I am eager to see what he does with it.

Greg Dulcich

• Dulcich, like Dotson, was a favorite of mine in his rookie class. I drafted him a lot, but had to drop him in every league. Last year, however, when he started to play well for Miami, I was one of the first managers to add him back to my squads. His late-season production got him picked up in all of my leagues by other managers or me, but in one league, he wasn't, so I gladly added him off waivers. Miami will be a terrible team this season, which means they could be behind in many games and passing a lot. The Dolphins have a super-thin depth chart at pass catcher and may have to rely on Dulcich. I am worried that Mike McDainel was the coach who unlocked Dulcich last season, and that his absence will make Dulcich unproductive again. Still, he’s their starter, and you should not see a starting tight end in the NFL sitting on waiver wires of my dynasty leagues. I even drafted Dulcich in the 23rd round of my most recent startup, which is a tight-end premium league. Call me a sucker, but Ducich and Dotson are now some of my most rostered players, even if they’re the last players I pick up off waivers after rookie drafts.

Leave your comment using the form below

Name
Comment
Enter the code