The Final Roster Spot
With the trading deadline passed for most fantasy leagues and the post season right around the corner, many dynasty owners are not concerned about the last few spots on their roster. This is a huge mistake. Whether your team is atop the standings or in the basement, spending time tweaking those final few roster spots could be what you need to get a head start on 2014.
There are players in dynasty leagues every season that make their way onto the waiver wire due to injury, poor play or a lack of opportunity. These players are only an off-season away from fantasy relevance, and dynasty owners should try to scoop them up early, especially if they have space on their roster.
Obviously, there are many kinds of dynasty leagues. There are leagues that are incredibly deep, and in those leagues many of these players may already be rostered. But in shallow leagues with limited or no injured reserve space, many of these players could be available. They shouldn’t remain so for long.
Brian Hoyer
Hoyer was a hot waiver wire add early this season when he completed 55 of 92 passes (59.8%) for 590 yards, five touchdowns and three interception in his first two starts against the Vikings and Bengals. But in week five, he tore his ACL against the Bills and found his way back to the scrap heap in many fantasy leagues.
Dynasty owners should keep in mind that Browns’ general manager Mike Lombardi has long been a Hoyer supporter. He spoke glowingly about him while serving as an analyst for the NFL Network as far back as December of 2011 when he called the former Patriot and Cardinal a, “starter” who has, “all the traits you need, in terms of leadership, toughness, the arm strength, the ability to move the team.”
Hoyer’s signed through the end of 2014 and should enter the off-season as the starter in Cleveland. While the Browns have plenty of ammunition to make a move for a signal caller in the draft, they also have many other needs, so it’s not unrealistic that they’d pass on a quarterback early in the draft. Like dynasty owners, most NFL GM’s take pride in being able to uncover talent that nobody else knew about, so fantasy owners shouldn’t be shocked if the Browns enter 2014 with him atop the depth chart.
Any quarterback with weapons like Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron deserves consideration from fantasy owners. Dynasty owners who are looking for a developmental quarterback and have the roster space should add Hoyer. He’s a lottery ticket, but one that could pay out big!
Ahmad Bradshaw
Bradshaw is another player who found his way onto this list due to an early season injury. He was placed on injured reserve in October after choosing to have surgery on his ailing neck.
Before the injury, Bradshaw was running well. He carried the ball 41 times for 186 yards (4.5 YPC) and two touchdowns while catching seven passes for 42 yards in Indianapolis’ first three games. He was beginning to shoulder a lot of the load for the Colts when the injury happened, and many fantasy owners forgot about him.
Although he’s dealt with more than his fair share of injuries, including a chronic foot problem, he’s still only 27 years old and he’s been extremely effective over his career. He’s averaged 4.6 yards-per-carry over the span of his seven seasons in the league and is considered an above-average pass catcher and very good pass blocker.
His contract will expire after the season, so it’s anyone’s guess where he’ll play next year, but if he can prove that he’s healthy he should get an opportunity to contribute somewhere. Very few details have been made public about his specific injury and players with neck injuries are rarely worth investing in, but dynasty owners looking to add running back depth going into the off-season should kick the tires on Bradshaw.
Jeremy Maclin
Reports out of Philadelphia before the season said Maclin was excited to be part of Chip Kelly’s high flying offense, but this particular Eagle never got off the ground. He tore the ACL in his right knee during training camp, forcing him to miss the entire season. To make matters worse, 2013 was a contract year for Maclin, so he’s scheduled to become a free agent after the season.
There’s a silver lining to the injury however. Since it took place so early in the year, Maclin’s on pace to be healthy for the start of 2014. Nobody knows where he’ll be playing, but dynasty owners should keep in mind that he averaged 64 catches for 860 yards and 6.5 touchdowns per year over his first four seasons and he’s just 25 years old, so he should garner interest on the open market.
Whether he returns to Philadelphia or signs elsewhere (like Kansas City to reunite with Andy Reid), Maclin should have fantasy value in September and would make an excellent addition for dynasty owners looking for help at wide receiver, especially if that help comes from the waiver wire.
Andre Roberts
I’ve been a fan of Roberts since he was drafted out of The Citadel in the third round of the 2010 draft. He’s quick, runs quality routes and is extremely elusive with the ball in his hands.
The 2012 season was Roberts’ best. He caught 64 balls for 759 yards and five touchdowns on 107 targets while catching passes from the likes of Kevin Kolb, John Skelton and Ryan Lindley. Due to the emergence of Michael Floyd this year, his numbers have fallen off a bit. He has only 31 receptions for 320 yards and a touchdown on 52 targets.
Roberts is due to be an unrestricted free agent after the season, making him free to sign with any team. If he were to sign with the right franchise, preferably one with a better quarterback than those he’s played with in Arizona, his fantasy value could spike dramatically. Dynasty owners should add him to the list of players that could breakout in 2014.
Kenny Britt
It wasn’t that long ago that Britt was on the same track as Michael Floyd is right now. In Britt’s sophomore season with the Titans, he caught 42 passes for 775 yards and nine touchdowns in just 12 games. It looked like he had a bright future.
Fast forward a few years (and a reported eight arrests) and Britt’s playing out the final year of the five-year contract he signed after being drafted 30th overall by Tennessee in 2009. He’s been active for ten games this year, but has only played 36% of the team’s snaps and caught only eight passes for 67 yards while dropping six balls on 28 targets this season. He hasn’t found the end zone yet.
Numbers like these don’t typically attract the attention of dynasty owners, but Britt’s talent isn’t in question. His off-the-field issues as well as the injuries he’s suffered over the years are reasons for concern, but if he’s available to be picked up he’s certainly worth the price of the final spot on a dynasty roster just in case he ends up in the perfect situation.
Dwayne Allen
Owners that play in dynasty leagues that are lacking an injured reserve may find Allen’s name in free agency. He was lost for the season after undergoing hip surgery in October but should be back to full health by the time 2014 comes around.
Allen has a reputation as one of the best young blocking tight ends in the league but his pass catching skills are impressive as well. Last year, he caught 45 passes for 521 yards and three touchdowns on 64 targets and was on the field for 77% of the Colts’ offensive snaps. This season he played in one game before getting hurt and only caught one pass, a 20 yard touchdown.
By the time 2014 rolls around, Allen should return to his role as the Colts’ primary in-line tight end with Coby Fleener running many of his routes from the slot. Fleener’s run exactly half (168 of 336) of his routes from the slot this year. Allen should be considered an excellent developmental tight end with TE1 upside. He’s definitely worth a spot on almost any dynasty roster.
Fred Davis
Some might snicker at the suggestion of adding Davis to a dynasty roster at this point. After all, with Jordan Reed out with an injury in week 12 against the 49ers, many anticipated he would pick up the slack, but he hardly saw the field. It’s even gone so far that Logan Paulsen and Niles Paul have moved ahead of him on the depth chart.
Davis has obviously found his way into head coach Mike Shanahan’s doghouse, which has kept him from contributing for most of 2012 and all of this season. It wasn’t that long ago that he caught 59 passes for 796 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games for the Redskins in 2011.
Davis is another player due to hit free agency after the season and he’ll no doubt sign elsewhere, especially if Shanahan is still running things in Washington. His attitude has been questioned at times, but there are many teams in the league in need of a pass catching tight end. If Davis ends up in the right place, he could see a boost in fantasy value.
Brandon Bostick
Bostick is owned in many dynasty leagues, but he’s still worth mentioning. On the season, he has only five receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown, but his snaps have increased since Jermichael Finley was lost for the season.
Bostick signed with the team as an undrafted free agent after the 2012 draft and the Packers have a history of putting an emphasis developing their own talent. Reports out of Green Bay say head coach Mike McCarthy has raved about the former college basketball player’s potential as a downfield pass catcher, but also mention that he’s very raw.
Finley isn’t expected back with the team next season, so Bostick is definitely the leader in the clubhouse to take over as the starting tight end for the Packers in 2014. Anybody playing a prominent role in the Green Bay offense with Aaron Rodgers at the helm has the potential to make a fantasy impact. Bostick is a breakout candidate for 2014 and should be owned in most dynasty leagues.
Follow Dan on Twitter at @dmeylor22
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