Three Players to Stash in Dynasty Leagues
For the committed Dynasty owner, movement at the bottom of your rosters is a common occurrence. Dropping an “eh” player to pick up someone with breakout potential is something every Dynasty owner is reaching for time and time again.
In leagues that have large rosters, it’s important to capitalize on these players due to the potential that they possess and the capabilities they may have to put your team over the edge. A prime example would be Phillip Lindsay last season. For the people who picked him up early, they were extremely happy with their decision and the fact that he turned into a solid fantasy contributor for your team.
With that in mind, it’s time to take a look at three potential breakout players, who are absolutely worth picking up and stashing at the end of your Dynasty benches, as Week 3 of the preseason quickly approaches.
Dare Ogunbowale – Tampa Bay Buccaneers, RB
Entering his third year in the NFL, Ogunbowale has amassed exactly zero touches. This doesn’t exactly instill confidence in him as a breakout player, however, Ogunbowale has caught the eye of the new Bucs coaching staff.
#Bucs RB Dare Ogunbowale is getting a decent amount of work with the first team offense. He’s had back-to-back strong performances in the preseason games. First time we’ve seen him run with the starters this much.
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) August 18, 2019
Ogunbowale has struggled to stick on an NFL roster up to this point, but he’s never been in a backfield as ambiguous as this one in Tampa Bay. Peyton Barber is seemingly the lead back, but he was underwhelming when given the opportunity last season. Ronald Jones was putrid as a rookie and his 2019 outlook isn’t appearing to be much brighter as he’s currently out dealing with a knee injury. Andre Ellington is the other back of note in this rotation and he literally didn’t even play in the league last year. No one signed him even though he was a free agent.
This leaves an opportunity for Ogunbowale (I’m getting tired of typing this last name) to slide in and see some work in the receiving game. There’s a high probability that he could slide in and pick up some 3rd down work, which according to head coach Bruce Arians, he’s been excelling at in training camp and the preseason.
No matter how the RB position shakes out for the #Bucs, save a spot for Dare Ogunbawale. He made some good inside runs Thursday and is key on special teams. “He’s doing fantastic. [He’s] got really good vision [and] good blitz pick-up. He’s really impressing us,” Arians said.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) August 2, 2019
Ogunbowale was utilized in the receiving game at Wisconsin during his time there, catching 60 passes for 507 yards and 2 touchdowns. Given the ambiguity this backfield has in Tampa Bay, Arians might decide to give Ogunbowale some significant snaps and he could become relevant in PPR leagues. The receiving ability in a running back is important in Arians’ scheme and we saw what having Arians in town did for David Johnson‘s targets in the passing game…he’s worth picking up and holding onto for the time being to see how this backfield shakes out.
Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts, TE
Mo Alie-Cox is affectionally referred to as “Gigantor” here at The Fantasy Footballers. He’s listed at 6’5″/267 pounds, but has the fluidity and movement abilities of a player 40 pounds lighter.
He has a basketball background and knows how to utilize his size to box out and compete for contested catches in the red zone, which led to him hauling in two TDs on only seven receptions last season.
Mo Alie-Cox makes an INCREDIBLE grab for the @colts TD!
📺: CBS #Colts pic.twitter.com/PAoF03OyEK
— NFL (@NFL) October 28, 2018
The tight end position is essential for Frank Reich‘s offense in Indianapolis and we’ve seen Andrew Luck have an affinity for the position as well. Jack Doyle and Eric Ebron are currently ahead of him on the depth chart, but Doyle struggled with injuries last season and that’s continued into this campaign also as he aims to recover from hip surgery and a kidney injury.
Moving forward, it’s no guarantee that Doyle stays on the field. Ebron will be the defacto TE1, but we’ve seen the TE2 in a Frank Reich system have value for fantasy football. The biggest component in this argument for stashing Mo Alie-Cox though is that both Ebron and Doyle’s contracts with the Colts are up after this season. I would anticipate the Colts would be willing to resign Ebron if he has a repeat performance of 2018, but it would be a long shot (in my opinion) for them to resign Doyle with his injury concerns.
This leaves Alie-Cox with an intriguing opportunity in the future for fantasy value. He’s still extremely raw and learning the position, but we’ve seen flashes of his talent. Either this season (with an injury ahead of him on the depth chart) or next year, Alie-Cox could become a player you’re extremely happy you stashed away early.
Foster Moreau, Oakland Raiders, TE
In case you didn’t know, Jon Gruden is looking to bring back 1990s football into the modern-day NFL. This means that the tight end position is one of the most important on the field for that offense and they’re often running out of 12 personnel (1 running back & 2 tight ends).
Last season, out of Derek Carr‘s 19 passing TDs, tight ends accounted for ten of them. While Darren Waller is the latest hotness and receiving all the training camp/preseason hype, Foster Moreau is quietly sneaking under the radar.
Moreau is a rookie out of LSU handpicked by this new regime in Oakland. He’s a high character leader and has the talent to make an impact in this offense right away. Not only as a receiving threat but as a blocker. He’s tough, gritty and competitive, which Gruden will love.
LSU TE Foster Moreau taking everybody out…. pic.twitter.com/ul4ZU0BDxt
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 2, 2018
Moreau doesn’t carry immediate top-10 tight end upside, but he’s someone to keep an eye on and stash in deep leagues. He’ll get opportunities to be on the field right away and would be a hot waiver wire pickup if something were to happen to Darren Waller via injury. If you’re desperate for tight end help in a deep league, go snag the rookie tight end who’s barely owned in Dynasty leagues.