As we await the rookie destinations, we are offering some advice on Dynasty Football players to stash for the upcoming 2023 NFL season.
In your standard Dynasty Football league, you have four options to acquire players for your squad: Startup draft, waiver wire, trades and rookie drafts.
As we inch towards the NFL offseason and await the 2023 NFL Draft, the only one of those options available to us right now is the trade. But even with just one path to take, the savvy Dynasty manager is always considering their options.
The players below are not the elite of the elite or the ones that will top any Dynasty rankings you can find on this or any other site. These players are more under the radar (or off the radar completely) players whose acquisition cost will not be exorbitant. They might just be guys you can get added to a deal if you are looking for help in 2023 and beyond.
In this piece I recommend five Dynasty Football players to stash for 2023 and beyond with tremendous upside in the coming year, assuming the opportunity falls their way.
Dynasty Football Players to Stash for 2022
Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions
It took until Week 13 for Jameson Williams to fully recover from the ACL injury that ended his college career in 2021. But as he was preparing to return, the Detroit Lions' offense was starting to really ramp up. Many believed that the addition of Williams to a skill player core of Amon-Ra St. Brown, D.J. Chark, Jamaal Williams, and D'Andre Swift would instantly become one of the best young units in the NFL.
That offense did become one of the most prolific in the NFL over the last half of the season, but there was just one problem. They forgot to include Jameson Williams.
We should have known all along this would be a de facto redshirt year for Williams. Not joining the team until December meant he was way behind on reps and practice time. He ended up receiving only nine targets and one reception the whole season despite playing in six games.
But next season and beyond, Williams' field-stretching abilities will be the perfect compliment to St. Brown's possession style. Williams averaged over 100 receiving yards and almost six catches per game in 2021, leading to 15 receiving scores. He is simply an amazing deep threat and his 1.12 draft capital for the Lions means he should see plenty of run next season.
John Metchie III, WR, Houston Texans
Not only did the Houston Texans rob themselves of the chance at the No. 1 overall pick in April's rookie draft, but they might have also robbed us of a Bryce Young-John Metchie reunion that could have been the foundation of a new Texans passing game.
John Metchie III and Bryce Young hooked up at the University of Alabama and it looked like they would be teammates until the final minute of Houston's game against the Colts where they dropped to the No. 2 pick in the draft. But as noteworthy as that was, the much bigger story is the potential return of Metchie in 2023.
After recovering from a torn ACL suffered in his last collegiate game, Metchie was shockingly diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, a form of cancer that is very treatable, but still would force him to sit in his rookie season. His potential return in 2023 would be major news for a Texans team looking to rebuild their offense. And NFL fans can finally see the slot proficiency he displayed in college.
John Metchie - 35% Available 🧵(5/12)
✅2nd round Draft Capital from Alabama
✅Slot profile
✅Should return in 2023 from Leukemia
✅Potential Brandin Cooks trade
✅Reunite with Bryce Young(?)#WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/URqIR8VyOw— Jason Allwine (@J_Footballwine) January 3, 2023
Despite playing with guys like Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle at Alabama, Metchie posted incredible numbers in his junior season. In 13 games, he amassed 96 receptions for 1,142 yards, eight touchdowns, and a 23.3% target share. His catch rate increased each year he was in college, peaking at 72% in 2021.
Having missed the whole year, we have no track record and no recent memory of Metchie on a football field. That might decrease the acquisition cost, and he is a clear buy this offseason.
Zamir White, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Remember back in the 2022 preseason when we all thought Josh Jacobs was dust and Zamir White would be the back who would take over the lions' share of the Raiders' backfield? Fun times. Jacobs proceeded to lead the league in rushing yards (1,653) and score 12 touchdowns, finishing with a top-five fantasy running back.
But it doesn't change the fact that the Raiders declined Jacobs' fifth-year option before the season began so he can now test free-agent waters unless the Raiders put the franchise tag on him. Jacobs will surely want a massive deal after this season, but are the Raiders willing to do that?
Josh McDaniels' style in New England was always a committee approach. Now, he never had a back as good as Josh Jacobs was this season, but he was always a fan of rotating backs. If Jacobs departs for more lucrative pastures, that will surely mean it will be time for Zamir White to step up. White signed a four-year, $4.4 million deal with the Raiders that keeps him there through 2025.
He averaged over four yards per carry in his limited time this year, and still has the pedigree of a dynamic back out of the University of Georgia who scored 11 times in his 929 yards in 2021.
Isaiah Spiller, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Let's see here. Austin Ekeler rushed for 915 yards, caught 107 balls for 722 yards, and scored 18 times. This saw him finish as the top running back in PPR formats this year. Rookie Isaiah Spiller, on the other hand, rushed 18 times for 41 yards and no scores. Why should we be stashing Spiller exactly? It may not be for 2023, but by the time 2024 rolls around, there is a chance this Chargers backfield could belong to Spiller.
Ekeler will be 28 years old and in the last year of his contract next season. Backup Josh Kelley will also be in the last year of his deal in 2023. Now, there is a chance that Los Angeles re-signs 29-year-old Austin Ekeler to a long-term deal at some point, but just how many soon-to-be 30-year-old running backs are getting multi-year extensions in this version of the NFL?
The Chargers could also very easily cut Kelley heading into next season (who will make $1.1 million) in favor of Spiller being the backup. Spiller won't make $1 million on his current deal until 2025, so there is quite the incentive get as much juice of this orange while the salary is at bargain basement levels.
Spiller totaled 1,200 yards in just 12 games his last year at Texas A&M and is just now 21 years old (he will turn 22 right before 2023 begins). He had a 10% target share for the Aggies, so he is perfectly capable out of the backfield. But if the Chargers are just looking for the latest version of Melvin Gordon next year, Spiller (6'0", 217 pounds) can fill that role. If he serves as the thunder to Ekeler's lightning for one season and then takes over as the lead back, he will be just 23 years old and have very little tread worn off the tires.
Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
Rookie tight end Trey McBride had the best game of his young NFL career in Week 17 when he caught seven of 10 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown. His 10 targets, seven catches, and 78 yards were more than any other games this season combined as the combination of starter Kyler Murray and Colt McKoy just refused to look his way after veteran Zach Ertz was lost for the season. But quarterback David Blough had a different idea. McBride was in on 96% of his snaps in that game and was Blough's favorite target. That performance and the uncertainty and age surrounding Ertz likely earned a longer leash for McBride in the 2023 season.
Ertz tore both his ACL and MCL in Week 10, which accelerated the number of snaps McBride played after that game. Since that time, he has not played in less than 73% of snaps and he now has 25 total targets in his last four games of the season. However, his dynasty stock is tied to what happens with Ertz. With the pro-bowl tight end suffering the serious injury in mid-November, it is unlikely at 33 years old he will be able to return for the start of the 2023 season.
There is also the matter of Ertz's contract status. He is signed through 2024, but the Cardinals have an out in his deal to take on only a $4 million cap hit if he is released after next season. Assuming the Cardinals pick up McBride's fifth-year rookie option, he could be under contract with them at a discounted rate through 2026. With second-round draft capital and Kyler Murray looking to make it back for the beginning of next season, McBride's is a tight end to target in dynasty formats. And is probably still off a lot of people's radars.
There aren't many tight ends that enter the NFL with a college season of 90 catches and 1,100+ yards. He drew a 34% target share his last year at Colorado State and could start to see more targets in Arizona with the news that DeAndre Hopkins is not likely to be back next year.
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