Every fantasy football player is looking for late round gems to have in their back pocket. Dynasty rookie drafts are over, but trading is important! The following dynasty stashes are great to add in a trade for either a rebuilding team or competing teams that might trade draft picks and upside youth for a more competitive piece.
When looking for dynasty stashes, there’s many factors. With aging players, team buy-out options, expiring contracts, injury history at the position, and of course the overall talent of the player are important. Most of these players won’t be impactful this year. But they could step into fantasy relevance as early as next year depending on how their situations play out.
Aidan O’Connell, QB Las Vegas Raiders
Aidan O’Connell started two full years for the Purdue Boilermakers. He earned second-team All-Big Ten Conference honors both years. Over those 24 games, he accumulated 50 TDs and 7,202 passing yards.
The Las Vegas Raiders selected O’Connell in the fourth round. He showed well this preseason, completing 43 passes for 482 yards and three touchdowns while throwing no picks.
O’Connell is a pocket passer. He lacks mobility, which could limit his fantasy football upside. However, he can be a game manager, which fits the Raiders current system. If, or when, there is an injury to Jimmy Garoppolo, I do believe they will give him a shot.
Garoppolo signed a three-year deal, but most of the money is tied to this year. The Raiders can get out of the contract after year two with no dead cap hit. There is a chance that the Raiders continue to be mediocre, keeping them out of reach of a top QB. If the Garoppolo experiment isn’t working out, O’Connell could get a shot next year.
He is getting some love, currently as QB37 on KTC. There is a chance O’Connell went undrafted in dynasty rookie drafts, but he should be one of a few dynasty stashes to place on a taxi squad. I would be willing to trade a future third to acquire him.
Sean Tucker, RB Tampa Buccaneers
Remember when you were told to trade your 2022 picks for 2023 picks? Sean Tucker was one of the reasons why you were supposed to do that. His Sophomore season with the Syracuse Orange in 2021 consisted of 1496 rushing yards and 12 TDs. He even sprinkled in 255 receiving yards and another 2 TDs over 12 games. But his Junior year quieter. He managed only 1060 rushing yards, with another 254 through the air and 13 total TDs.
During the NFL Combine, Tucker was diagnosed with a rare congenital heart defect. It is unknown whether this will affect his ability to play in the NFL long-term, but it caused NFL teams to pass on his talents. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him as an undrafted free agent. There wasn’t a better landing spot for him.
The Buccaneers let veteran Leonard Fournette walk, leaving only Rachaad White, Chase Edmonds and Ke’Shawn Vaughn in the backfield. All three backs are more known for their work as pass-catchers than running between the tackles. Tucker could see work as early as this year as a result. In fact, he has seen time with the first team in practice recently.
Edmonds and Vaughn are both free agents after this year. If Tucker shows enough, there is no reason for the Bucs to invest in RB next year. He and White could form a great one-two punch.
Tucker’s stock has definitely gone up a bit in dynasty leagues. However, you can still snag him cheap or have him thrown into a deal. Get him on your list of dynasty stashes now before the season starts and it’s too late.
Kayshon Boutte, WR New England Patriots
Just like Tucker, Kayshon Boutte was once thought of as a locked-in first-round pick for rookie drafts in 2023. Boutte earned Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman Team honors in 2020. That year, he led the Louisiana Tigers with 735 receiving yards and five TDs in 10 games, of which he only started five. He started his Sophomore year on fire with 509 yards and 9 TDs in six games, before going down with an ankle injury. The ankle did not heal correctly, leading to a second surgery.
To say his Junior year was a disappointment would be an understatement. In 11 games Boutte had 538 yards and only 2 TDs. His lack of production, lack of motivation, and off-field issues were part of the reason why Boutte fell to the sixth round.
The New England Patriots WR depth is not strong. They signed JuJu Smith-Schuster to a three-year deal that can be voided easily after two. DeVante Parker just signed a two-year contract, and Kendrick Bourne is in the last year of his deal. Last year’s second-round pick Tyquan Thornton is beginning the year on IR. Demario Douglas, who like Boutte was selected in the sixth round this year, has had great camp reviews and could be someone to keep an eye on as well. With the lack of star power at WR, Boutte could be the guy.
The Patriots might have found a gem and you can, too. The talent is there, hopefully the coaching staff can push the right buttons to help revive this once-promising prospect. He showed well in the second preseason game, catching two passes for 49 yards and a TD. Send a 2024 3rd round pick to add him to your collection of dynasty stashes and get ahead of the game.
Brenton Strange, TE Jacksonville Jaguars
Brenton Strange has potential to be a three-down starting caliber TE. Over his last two years with the Nittany Lions, he accumulated 587 yards and 8 TDs. Not eye popping numbers, but Strange had just under a 10% target share each of those years. He caught 6 passes for 47 yards this preseason.
It is his versatility that is getting the coaching staff excited. If they are able to move him all over the field, there is a better chance Strange becomes fantasy relevant. Doug Pederson is a bit of a TE whisperer, having success with Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert and reviving Evan Engram‘s career last year.
The Jacksonville Jaguars spent a second-round pick on Strange, despite signing Engram to a three-year contract. That shows their confidence in what Strange can provide for their team. Doug Pederson utilized Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert successfully in Philly; especially in 2019 when they both finished as top 10 fantasy TEs.
Tight ends typically take a bit longer to develop, so Strange is a great add to your taxi squad in dynasty leagues. He’s flying under the radar in the year of TEs. There is a chance he went undrafted in dynasty rookie drafts and is sitting on waivers. If not, go throw a future fourth-round pick to see if you can acquire him.
Now that the dust has settled and the preseason is over, it is time to reevaluate our rookie picks. These are four players are in a good situation to raise their stock if the cookie crumbles correctly. They might be another late-round pick that fails, but they are priced accordingly. Why not take a shot on the upside of these dynasty stashes?
Sheldon Hand
Sheldon Hand is an elementary school teacher. He started writing in 2019, and started working with The League Winners in 2021. He has been playing fantasy football for fifteen years, got into dynasty seven years ago and have become a bit obsessed.