The offseason is my favorite time of the year for dynasty fantasy football. Apart from the NFL draft and free agency, I love to dive into hail merry fantasy prospects. These are the deep stashes that have been overlooked by the community. These players won’t be League Winners, but they could provide solid depth in leagues where you need to start nine or more players. I’m expecting these players to supersede other players with similar ADP.
For this exercise, all stash players will be beyond the 175 ADP threshold based on DLF football’s ADP database for Superflex leagues. With that said, let’s get into it.
Jerome Ford, RB – Cleveland Browns
It’s hard to say a fifth-round running back from 2022 ‘won’ the 2023 NFL Draft, but Jerome Ford has good reason to believe he’s next in line behind Nick Chubb this year.
The Cleveland Browns let Kareem Hunt walk in free agency. They also ignored the running back position in the NFL draft. Per Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com, it’s likely the Browns opt to go with Jerome Ford as the team’s RB2 in 2023. This is significant for a number of reasons.
For starters, Nick Chubb isn’t a pass-catching back. If we look at Kareem Hunt’s numbers, we can get a general idea of what to expect for the Browns’ RB2 in fantasy football; a 40-50 target floor with a minimum 100 carries seems to be a guarantee. From there, fantasy production depends on how efficient Ford can be.
Ford is rostered in 40% of Sleeper leagues. There’s greater than a 50-50 chance that he’s on your waiver wire. If not, he can be traded for cheaply. Currently, the asking price is between a ’23 3rd or a ’23 4th – with varying value dependent on your league.
Ford hasn’t proved much yet in the NFL, but I expect that to change soon.
Nico Collins, WR – Houston Texans
Nico Collins was the fantasy community’s darling after the 2021 NFL Draft. The 6’4″ wide receiver out of Michigan was selected 89th overall to the Houston Texans. After two years, it’s safe to say the hype has died down. Collins failed to post 500 receiving yards for a second consecutive season, but there’s plenty of reason to have hope going forward.
Nico Collins has been added to The In-Season #ReceptionPerception Rookie Report. I think this guy can play. Very smooth for a WR his size and has the skills to play X-receiver. Opportunity should be there now post-bye.
Full report on 10 rookies here:https://t.co/aZgG2FNhOW pic.twitter.com/PIGl1M1PGY
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) November 20, 2021
Collins only played in 10 games in 2022, but he was starting to find his groove. In games he played, Collins was only out-snapped by Brandin Cooks by 0.9 percent (Collins at 71.9% & Cooks at 72.8%). In Weeks 10-13, Collins was the WR30 in PPR leagues. He would then miss the rest of the season with a foot injury he was dealing with since Week 7.
Prior to the NFL draft, the Texans traded Brandin Cooks to the Dallas Cowboys. They signed Robert Woods in free agency, but the 31-year old hasn’t been fantasy relevant since 2020.
In the 2023 NFL Draft, the Texans selected CJ Stroud second overall. Stroud should be a significant upgrade over Davis Mills. The Texans did draft Houston WR Nat Dell in the third round, but the 5’9″ wide receiver will clearly play a different role than the 6’4″ Collins.
The person nobody talking about who’s definitely gonna take a leap next season with a REAL QB looking his way
NICO COLLINS #WeAreTexans don’t give up on 12 yet !!! pic.twitter.com/KG3BMS6V1i
— Rockets Capital 🚀 (@Rocketscapital1) April 29, 2023
Collins is rostered in 61% of Sleeper leagues. More likely than not, you’ll have to trade for him. Fortunately, he shouldn’t be expensive. Fantasy football leagues always vary, but per DLF, Collins can be had for a ’23 3rd round pick. To me, I think it’s worth the risk with Collins in a situation that’s likely to improve for him going forward.
Mecole Hardman, WR – New York Jets
With Aaron Rodgers in New York, every wide receiver on the Jets receives a boost. I listed Mecole Hardman as a target for the Jets to target this offseason, and I’m riding that train into sleeper territory for fantasy football.
The new offensive coordinator in New York is Nathaniel Hackett. Hackett utilizes parts of the K-Gun offense, also known as the ‘run and shoot’. Hardman is an excellent wide receiver for this type of scheme, and could be in line for some big plays downfield. But the Jets aren’t looking to only utilize Hardman as a deep threat.
A big reason Hardman signed with the Jets was their desire to extend his route tree. Considering he graded well in Matt Harmon’s Reception Perception earlier in his career, I’m willing to give him a chance in an offense that will utilize him in different ways, with an elite quarterback at the helm.
I’m not expecting Hardman to be a League Winner by any means. That doesn’t mean he won’t provide quality depth as a bench stash in fantasy football leagues. As the WR3 on the Jets, Hardman will get his; and if Garrett Wilson or Allen Lazard were to go down, his role would expand in the offense.
Hardman is rostered in 60% of Sleeper leagues. You’ll likely have to trade for him, but it shouldn’t be more than a 3rd round pick. Most fantasy managers are disappointed in Hardman and will look to get what they can – even in a new environment.
Ben Skowronek, WR – Los Angeles Rams
I’m pretty sure only myself and Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay were the only people on the Ben Skowronek train. With the team trading Allen Robinson and not drafting a wide receiver until the fifth round, I’m ringing the Skowronek bell yet again.
Genuinely didn't know Ben Skowronek declared for the Draft until earlier today. One of my deep sleepers of the rookie class. Little bit of issue gaining separation but amazing at using body leverage & elite contested catcher. Some development with the Rams could be good for him.
— Thomas Christopher (@ThomasCP_NFL) May 2, 2021
Skowronek was a 7th-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. Usually, that’s the end of the story. But Skowronek has proven to be a true swiss-army knife, and a player Sean McVay can’t stop raving about.
In essence, Skowronek is a taller, less-refined version of Cooper Kupp. At least, that’s how he’s being used by McVay. Last season, Skowronek led a depleted Rams’ WR group in snaps. He played 84%+ of snaps in 9-of-14 games The efficiency left more to be desired (and honestly, those numbers would look a lot different if he scored touchdowns), but it gave us an idea of how he’ll be used going forward.
Skowronek is a big wide receiver at 6’3″ 224lbs. While I don’t expect him to completely take over Allen Robinson’s role from last season, I think he’ll be utilized more frequently by the Rams’ offense.
Matthew Stafford will be back in 2023, and the offensive line should be better (and healthier). Because of that, I’m expecting a bounce-back from the Rams offense as a whole. Van Jefferson is another great player to target in fantasy football leagues, but I’m going for the guy who’s been Mossing people in college (and the NFL).
Ian Book 🤝 Ben Skowronek
The two have had no issue finding the end zone 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XbQHHA428y
— ESPN (@espn) November 14, 2020
Skowronek is rostered in 12% of Sleeper leagues. He should be easy to acquire on the waiver wire. If he’s not there, he should be easily had for a 4th.
BAKER MAYFIELD TO BEN SKOWRONEK 🤯 pic.twitter.com/w7AH8b1Bnx
— PFF (@PFF) December 9, 2022
