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Justin Carter looks at NFL players you may want to stash in dynasty fantasy football leagues for the 2023 season.
There are a lot of different ways to play dynasty leagues, which is what makes them so fun. You can go all-in for a title, trading away future picks for studs.
Or you can stash young players, acquire draft picks, and go into rebuilding mode.
Below, you'll find five young players who might not belong on the roster of a contending dynasty team, but who have value going forward and should be stashed by rebuilding teams.
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Tyler Badie - RB, Baltimore Ravens
The Missouri product had the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career as a senior, running for 1,604 yards and 14 touchdowns. He led the SEC in rushing. But he also led Mizzou in receptions, showcasing his versatility.
Badie isn't the biggest back, but he's a dynamic player who can be a weapon in this league, excelling in the outside run game and the passing game.
Of course, we know the Ravens don't target their running backs, as just 14% of the team's targets went to the position last year, the second-lowest mark in the NFL. But there were still 83 targets to backs, with 42 of those going to Devonta Freeman.
The Ravens have Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins both under contract for 2023, but they can save some money if they move on from Edwards next year, and Dobbins didn't play last season because of a knee injury and still isn't 100%. In fact, he and Edwards are both on the PUP list right now.
Badie has a decent shot at future playing time, even if he'll start this season as the third back.
Zamir White - RB, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders backfield gets interesting after this season. Josh Jacobs will hit free agency and is coming off of the lowest rushing yardage total of his career last season. He's at 732 carries through three years, plus 107 receptions. Will the Raiders feel comfortable bringing Jacobs back, or will this be a situation where a running back gets used heavily on his rookie contract and then has to head elsewhere?
Then there's Kenyan Drake, who is already 28, which is getting up there in running back years. He only had 758 career carries through six seasons so his legs might be a little fresher than Jacobs, but also...Drake saw just 63 carries last year.
There's a good chance that the Raiders move on from both guys after 2022. And what would that leave them with? Zamir White, I guess!
The former Georgia running back is similar to Jacobs in that his bread and butter is running the football, not catching it. White has the build and the vision to be an effective between-the-tackles runner. I think 2023 will be a good year for him.
Wan'Dale Robinson - WR, New York Giants
The Giants' wide receiver room is a mess. Heading into this season, Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton are all back with the team and have shown varying flashes.
But this group has a chance to look a lot different in the near future.
Shepard's 2023 salary is a void year. With how inconsistent he's been, will the Giants bring him back? And Slayton is a free agent after this season—he's looked solid at times, but it feels like he'll have to look elsewhere if he wants a consistent role.
That leaves Golladay and Toney. Golladay was incredibly disappointing last season and there's a decent out on his contract after 2023. Toney had moments as a rookie, but there have already been trade rumors.
Robinson should be viewed as the future slot receiver for the Giants. His path to snaps as a rookie is cloudy just because this team has so many guys competing for snaps, but at some point down the line, Robinson will get his chance. Stash him now while you can.
Tyler Johnson - WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Finally, a non-rookie!
I like Johnson in dynasty because I'm looking beyond the Tom Brady era. The Bucs keep making the kinds of moves that set the team up to win now, like signing Julio Jones to a one-year deal. But at some point—I assume after this season, but you never know—Tom Brady will retire and the Bucs will need to re-tool.
As of now, the Bucs have Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Russell Gage all under contract through 2023. Both Evans and Godwin will make around $23 million that season. But Evans has void years starting in 2024 and the Bucs will have to decide if they want to keep paying big money for Evans in his early 30s. Godwin also has a decent out after 2023. The Bucs could look to save some money, especially with Godwin having a history of injuries.
Johnson hits free agency in 2024 and the Bucs could decide to move on from him by then. But the former fifth-round pick has had some good moments for Tampa, and last season he saw a huge jump in targets from 17 as a rookie to 55. If he can just prove that he's a better option than Gage, Johnson could end up with a sizable role in 2023, and from there, the Bucs—or another team—might be interested in seeing what Johnson can do as a starter. The upside isn't as high as the first three guys I mentioned, but Johnson can still have value in a pass-heavy offense.
Kylen Granson - TE, Indianapolis Colts
Remember all the preseason hype there was about Kylen Granson last year? Only for him to barely see the field on offense, with 15 targets over the course of the season, which turned into 11 catches for 106 yards?
Yep. That's what rookie tight ends do: nothing.
But Granson's not a rookie anymore. He's presumably learned a little more about functioning in an NFL offense and he'll get to prove that as the retirement of Jack Doyle should mean Granson slides into the No. 2 tight end role behind Mo Alie-Cox.
He's also been getting some work with the first team, though so has rookie Jelani Woods:
Granson impressed in training camp and the preseason last year. He just couldn't do it when it mattered, which isn't a knock on him. Again, rookie tight ends are notoriously slow to get going.
Granson's college tape features some really good plays from the former wideout-turned-tight-end:
At a position where nothing is guaranteed when it comes to fantasy, a TE-needy manager might want to stash Granson on the bench and hope that the explosiveness and craftiness he showed in college will translate to the NFL.
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