February 10, 2018

Dynasty league strategy for fantasy football keeper leagues in 2018. Aaron Schillinger lists players at each position (QB, RB, WR, TE) to stash in deep leagues.

Stashing players in your dynasty leagues is one of the most fun, yet simultaneously frustrating aspects of dynasty league fantasy football. It isn’t often that players pop up during their first year and make a big name for themselves in fantasy football. We’ve been spoiled in recent years with guys like Ezekiel Elliott and Odell Beckham Jr. Some of the most fun, and agonizing, players to own are guys like Amari Cooper, who bring so much upside, and so much frustration at the same time.

Stashing talented players like Chris Godwin or DeVante Parker, who are stuck in a less than ideal situation, can be a pain, but eventually it could pan out. The situation versus talent debate is one of the most popular topics in the dynasty community. Sometimes patience pays off, other times it just never works out.

The following players are ones who are either set up in a situation that could pay off soon, or worth grabbing now while the asking price is as low as it will get.

Dynasty Stashes for 2018

Mitch Trubisky (QB, CHI)

Whether you were a believer in Mitch Trubisky heading into the season or not, there was a lot of controversy over the Bears taking him with the second overall pick. He ended the season with 2,193 yards, seven TDs, and seven interceptions. Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, Matt Nagy, has been named the new head coach of the Chicago Bears, and former Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich was recently named the Bears new offensive coordinator. Helfrich also did a lot of work at Oregon with Marcus Mariota. At the end of the day, signs are pointing in the right direction for the Bears and Trubisky.

Mitch Trubisky has a lot of similarities with Jared Goff, one of those now being the struggling rookie season, with new coaches coming in for his second year. I don’t expect the Bears to take off like the Rams did, but the future is looking bright. In two-QB leagues, where quarterbacks carry much more value, Trubisky is someone who you could make a move for if you’re convinced he’s going to take that next step forward. If you like him, but don’t love him, it makes more sense to target him in a one-QB league where you might be struggling at the QB position.

Trubisky isn’t as much of a deep stash as the next guy on this list is, but there is a good chance the Trubisky owner is frustrated with him. If you’re looking for a potential breakout QB for next year, he’s one to target.

AJ McCarron (QB, CIN)

AJ McCarron will be a restricted free agent this off-season, and he looks like someone that will have a new home in 2018. If you were one of the lucky ones who had Jimmy Garoppolo stashed at the bottom of your roster for the past couple of years, you’ll understand just how beneficial stashing someone like this can be. The value of Garoppolo has been creeping up steadily, and rightfully so. This is the type of stash that you want on your roster, and McCarron is the next one in a similar situation. Stashing QBs like this are those situations with little risk, with the potential reward offering some serious upside. Even if you don’t particularly need a QB, he is someone that you should be stashing.

James Conner (RB, PIT)

If you’re the Le’Veon Bell owner, there’s a good chance you spent a fairly early pick on James Conner last year. Even if you aren’t the Bell owner, there’s also a good chance you grabbed him if he fell to you in the second round or lter. His price is still fairly low, and he’s someone that is worth targeting right now. Expect the news to get more intense around Bell as the off-season goes on, and Conner’s stock will be on the rise. This situation, you need to be ahead of the curve.

James Conner isn’t just some random rookie that got stuck in a less than ideal situation. The guy is talented and was ranked much higher in rookie rankings before the draft. Conner has good hands, good patience, and has one of the most inspiring stories of anyone out there. If you haven’t read his story about overcoming cancer, you should. Spending a year stuck behind Bell has its pros and cons, and Conner gets to learn from arguably the best in the game. His patience, pass-catching ability, and finesse are some traits that everyone knows Bell for. We all know just how valuable Bell’s handcuff has been in the past (hello, DeAngelo Williams), and now we have a solid young rookie with that handcuff value, and then some.

I’m not one of the guys that’s out here saying Bell is going to sit out the 2018 season or retire, but this situation is very interesting. If there is even an outside chance that Bell isn’t playing in Pittsburgh next year, watch Conner’s stock jumps like crazy as we get closer to the start of the 2018 season. If you can go out there and offer a 2018 third-rounder as a starting point to the Conner owner, go for it. If you get a second rounder as a counter, this is still worth doing whether you own Bell or not.

De'Angelo Henderson (RB, DEN)

The Broncos backfield has been an annoying situation to deal with over the past few seasons. CJ Anderson showed flashes and had many owners convinced that he was the real deal. Anderson has a potential out in his current deal that would leave the Broncos with no cap hit if he is released. He’s had his opportunities to prove it in Denver, and I don’t see how they bring him back if they can get out at no cost.

Regardless of the contract situation on Anderson, the bottom line is that someone needs to step up. I was one for buying into Devontae Booker as a rookie to stash, largely due to never being a huge Anderson fan. Someone will step up, and Booker has been below average when he got his chances. Henderson had a solid game in week 17 with his limited touches, and he looks much better on the field than Booker. Henderson is the Broncos RB to go buy for cheap and stash him where you can.

While Denver's offense isn't too inspiring, any time you can go out and grab someone that you see has a potential path to a starting RB, you need to at least consider making a move. Assuming the price isn’t crazy of course. Similar to a guy like Peyton Barber over in Tampa Bay, both teams need someone to step up at the RB position. If there is an outside chance that guys like this don’t get replaced by a young stud RB or a big name in free agency, the dirt-cheap price is one I’m willing to pay to for the upside. Don’t go crazy with it, but if there are other guys in situations like this, throw a low-ball offer out there and go from there.

Leonte Carroo (WR, MIA)

Leonte Carroo, the third-round draft pick from 2016, was one of the highest-rated receivers of this class. This is your typical case of a talented player stuck in a rough situation. Jarvis Landry has been one of the most underrated fantasy players out there, and he has been a target monster in Miami. DeVante Parker has had issues of his own, and has been very disappointing over the last couple seasons, yet owners kept banking on a breakout year.

At this point, it looks like Jarvis Landry is headed out of Miami, and someone needs to step up. I don’t trust Parker, and this is the perfect opportunity for Carroo to step up and make a name for himself. The talent is there, the price is dirt cheap, and the situation is looking like it could work out nicely for him.

Gerald Everett (TE, LAR)

This Rams offense is for real. Gerald Everett didn’t put up many stats this year, but not every rookie TE puts up numbers like Evan Engram did. More often than not, the position takes a few years to develop. Similar to Hunter Henry, it may be a year or two before he comes into his own. This offense is legit, and Sean McVay picking his “Jordan Reed” of the Rams offense is very appealing. Let’s not forget this rookie tight end class was stacked, and despite falling to the second round, he was still one of the most talented rookie tight ends heading into the draft.

The Rams offense put up an average of 239 passing yards per game, putting them at the 10^th best passing offense in the league, and I expect this to continue moving forward. This offense has just one season together, and with the resurgence of Todd Gurley and growth of Jared Goff, the passing game will continue to open up. I expect Everett’s role to increase as he improves as a route-runner, gets more familiar with the offense, and becomes acquainted with playing the NFL.

More 2018 Dynasty League Strategy