Fantasy football rookie drafts are done for the year and the season is upon us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about our favourite dynasty stashes. The players here aren’t likely to help you this year, but could have a significant boost in their roles as early as next year.
Whether you are competing or not, these are players to keep an eye on or acquire before their price rises. If you have taxi squads or extra bench space these are three players I want at their current prices. These are the kind of guys you can get added to a trade as a throw-in, rather than a future third or fourth round pick.
Calvin Austin – WR – Pittsburgh Steelers
If the Steelers have proven anything, it’s that they have a keen eye for WR talent. Look at Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, JuJu Smith-Shuster, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and now the hype on George Pickens. The Steelers have a good track record of drafting and developing WRs.
The Steelers drafted Calvin Austin in the fourth round. In his last two years of college he put up 2,202 receiving yards and 19 TDs. Also scoring an additional three TDs, with two as a punt returner and one on the ground.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see Austin participate in the preseason as he’s been dealing with a foot injury. The Steelers placed him on IR, meaning he will miss the first four games of the regular season.
Austin is tiny. Listed at 5’8 and only 170 pounds, he doesn’t scream NFL WR. However, his 4.32 forty time and route running makes him someone to keep an eye on. His player comp on Playerprofiler is Hollywood Brown.
Hollywood has become quite the fantasy football asset. I don’t know if Austin gets to that level; however, I believe he can be a serviceable PPR WR in the next few years. Rumblings have pointed to Chase Claypool being a trade candidate. Right now, it looks like he will be the slot WR. That is a role Austin could fill once he is healthy.
You can acquire him for an early 2023 fourth round pick, which is peanuts if he becomes another late round WR steal for the Steelers.
Khalil Shakir – WR – Buffalo Bills
The Bills drafted Khalil Shakir early in the fifth round. Shakir played his college ball at Boise State where he was heavily involved in the offense. In his Sophomore season he only started five of the fourteen games, yet had 63 receptions for 872 yards and 6 TDs. In only seven games as a Jr. he had 719 receiving yards and another 6 TDs. He closed off his college career with 1117 yards to go with 7 TDs. He showed some versatility and rushed for 414 yards over his four years to go along with three scores on the ground, and he even threw a TD pass.
The Bills won’t go to Shakir off the bat. The slot role for the Bills looks to be Isaiah McKenzie’s job to lose right now. They also signed veteran Jamison Crowder to compete. We saw them start Emmanuel Sanders over Gabe Davis last year. However, Crowder is only on a one year deal and McKenzie was only given two years.
Shakir didn’t disappoint in his two preseason games. He put up 8 receptions for 141 yards. His player comp on Playerprofiler is Golden Tate, who was an underrated slot WR for many years. The slot role with Josh Allen provides a nice floor in fantasy football PPR leagues.
His price right now is a mid 2023 third. Get a year ahead and trade for him now!
Jake Ferguson – TE – Dallas Cowboys
Jake Ferguson was productive in all four years at Wisconsin. His four years combined for 1618 yards and 13 TDs. The Cowboys drafted him late in the fourth round. In the Cowboys three preseason games Ferguson caught seven balls for 76 yards.
If you look at Dalton Schultz and Ferguson, they share very similar metrics across the board. Schultz isn’t a great athlete, but he gets the job done in the Cowboys offense. He finished as the TE3 in fantasy football last year. However, he is currently playing on the franchise tag.
It is likely the Cowboys re-sign Schultz to a long term deal. However, if he walks or only signs the franchise tag again, that might leave the door open for Ferguson. Schultz is just a guy, and the Cowboys might not want to pay him if they can fill the role with a cheaper option.
Ferguson might be on some fantasy football waiver wires. If that is the case I wouldn’t make it my top priority to add him today, unless you have deep rosters. He is second on the depth chart, but will only see significant work if Schultz goes down with an injury. If you can trade for taxi squad players, he can be had for a 2023 fourth rounder.
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.