By: Malcolm McMillan

Well it is finally here. The end of the road. Week 17 (for most) represents the final week of the fantasy football season. After this, it is booking tickets to Cabo to celebrate the end of an exhausting 2021, and if you are lucky getting to watch your NFL team make a run at the Super Bowl.

Unless you play in a dynasty league.

If you play in a dynasty fantasy football league, you know that the season never ends for you, even if it is””admittedly””about to slow down significantly. Before that happens though, there is still a week to make some significant moves, and some players that could boost their stock going into 2022. This week the focus is going to be on those players; guys who could boost their stock for 2022 with a good Week 17 performance. Dynasty managers can then either hold these assets or flip them for a nice return on investment before the offseason gets underway.

Ke’Shawn Vaughn: RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Ke’Shawn Vaughn has arguably been a bust so far in his career. Does it help him to be on a win-now team with two talented veteran running backs ahead of him in the depth chart? No, be even with that caveat it has still be disappointing. Last week though, there were finally signs of life. With starter Leonard Fournette out, Vaughn put in a solid relief performance behind Ronald Jones II. In fact, it was more than solid. In point-per-reception (PPR) scoring, Vaughn finished RB21 with 13 points. This week, Fournette is still out, and Vaughn gets an even better matchup against the abysmal New York Jets. So the stage is set for him to boost his stock.

This opportunity could not come at a better time. Last year, Fournette played well with Jones II injured, and turned it into a starting role this year. Now it could be Vaughn’s turn to shine, and given he is the only running back on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster in 2022 (for now), capitalizing on that opportunity could turn his career around.

Jaret Patterson, RB: Washington Football Team

While he was an impressive college player, Jaret Patterson was never expected to be a star in the NFL. He is undersized, and his athletic profile is nothing impressive despite his gaudy college stats. Plus, he is strictly a downhill runner, so the odds were against him to break through the Washington Football Team depth chart. However, he did just that, making it onto the 53-man roster despite his undrafted free agent status. Since making it that far though, he has stalled out as an occasional relief runner for starting running back Antonio Gibson.

Week 17 could change all that. Pass catching running back J.D. McKissic is already on injured reserve, and now Gibson is out on the COVID-19/reserve list. That leaves the backfield””potentially””solely in the hands of Jaret Patterson against a Philadelphia Eagles run defense that gave up two rushing touchdowns to the Washington backfield just two weeks ago, but not much else. If Patterson has a good performance against the Eagles, he could boost his stock going into 2022, when he and Gibson are the only running backs (currently) on the roster.

Deonte Harty: WR, New Orleans Saints

2021 has been a wild year for Deonte Harty, who started the year as Deonte Harris. The New Orleans Saints wide receiver has been suspended, been on the COVID-19 reserve list and changed his name and that was just in the past month. Prior to that, he flashed as one of the two wide receivers of note for the Saints (the other being Marquez Callaway). Now that he is back off the COVID-19 list for Week 17, he has a change to flash again against a reeling Carolina Panthers.

There are a couple of things going for Harty going into 2022. First, the Saints have a potential opening for a top wide receiver with Michael Thomas doing his best to be off the team in 2022. If they cannot trade Thomas, it may be worth it to cut the bridge-burning veteran receiver, as a post-June 1st cut would save the cap-starved Saints $15.8 million against the cap. Harty, as a restricted free agent, would be easy (and cheap) to bring back for 2022. His top HOG rate and targets per route run certainly indicate the Saints see something in him, and it would be surprising if they did not bring him back.

If the Saints do not bring Harty back for 2022, a great Week 17 performance would entice teams currently window shopping for a wide receiver. The 24-year old is currently trending up, and would be an attractive option for any team needing an intermediate to deep threat at wide receiver.

The post Deep Fantasy Football Stashes for Week 17 (and Beyond!) appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Malcolm McMillan

The Byepocalypse is upon us and fantasy football managers are currently scrambling to roster anyone with a pulse. Luckily, there are still some names out there that even in the deepest of leagues, are still widely available. None of these players are lock-it-in studs. They do not even necessarily have the most promising long-term futures. However, each one does have at least one major reason for consideration to be included on the rosters of fantasy football managers.

DeeJay Dallas: RB, Seattle Seahawks

DeeJay Dallas has had a fairly quiet season so far. However, the past two weeks have seen a noticeable uptick in work since Chris Carson has been absent with a neck injury. Carson is still guaranteed to be out for two more weeks due to his stint on the injured reserve list, and that means there is a definite window for Dallas to shine. Fantasy football experts have expected him to solidify a role as Seattle’s third-down back, and with Carson out and running back Alex Collins banged up, there is no time like the present. Especially, since Dallas is under contract until the end of the 2023 season. If he is performing well, Seattle will use him, which is exactly what they have done. Plus, in point-per-reception (PPR) fantasy football leagues, Dallas’s noticeable increase in the receiving game is incredibly promising. There may not be another running back with this much potential still available to fantasy football managers. Full stop.

Dante Pettis: WR, New York Giants

There is a saying in fantasy football, “The best ability is availability.” Well, given that most of the New York Giants wide receivers are injured, Dante Pettis’s availability could be a serious ability. Last week against the Los Angeles Rams, Pettis capitalized on that ability””plus the absences of wide receivers Kadarius Toney and Darius Slayton””and saw 11 targets. Did those targets only turn into five receptions and just shy of 10 fantasy football points in PPR leagues? Yes, but that is still 11 targets, which cannot be overlooked. Especially since the injury situation for the Giants wide receivers may not be improving.

Pettis is a former second-round NFL draft pick and already the team has leaned on him when players have gone down. Fantasy football managers in desperate need of a wide receiver could do worse. There are not many widely available wide receivers who have seen 11 targets in a game this season.

Chris Moore: WR, Houston Texans

Look, the article is deep fantasy football stashes, right? Is it likely that Moore, at age 28, is suddenly breaking out into an NFL deep threat? Probably not, but there is something there. Moore was largely an afterthought on the Baltimore Ravens for the first five seasons of his career. Since arriving in Houston though, he has developed a surprising connection with Texans quarterback Davis Mills. Over the past two weeks, Moore has seen an average of five targets and 64% of the offensive snaps, which have turned into a total of 27.3 fantasy football points in PPR leagues. In Week 5 in particular, Moore scored 21.9 PPR fantasy points with 21.8 yards per reception on his five targets. While that number is astronomically high and probably not sustainable, it is not wholly unexplainable. Moore did produce fairly elite yards per reception at the University of Cincinnati and has good athletic measurables that support the ability to catch the ball deep.

Is he still 28? Yes. Is he tied to the skills of Mills, who might not be good as a quarterback? Also yes, unless Tyrod Taylor resumes his duties as the starting quarterback for the Texans. Taylor has no connection with Moore, so that does not necessarily help Moore’s case as a stash either. However, if you need a deep fantasy football stash, there are some reasons to consider Moore, at least for the 2021 season.

The post Deep Fantasy Football Stashes for Week 7 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Malcolm McMillan

Week 3 is just around the corner and already injuries are playing a massive role in fantasy football. These injury issues are always impactful, especially in redraft fantasy football leagues. Still, even dynasty fantasy football managers feel the impact of a major injury despite the deeper rosters.

If any reminder of that was needed, Thursday night’s game gave fantasy football managers one in a big way. In the third quarter against the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey went down and never came back. Now he is out for multiple weeks, and dynasty fantasy football managers rostering his backup, Chuba Hubbard, are rejoicing. They now either have a valuable trade asset or someone that can plug a hole in their lineup for a few games (at least).

All the players listed below are worth considering for exactly this reason. Either they could be valuable due to an injury, or they already are valuable due to injury. Either way, there is a good chance they should make it onto their roster.

Dwayne Haskins: QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been dealing with a left pectoral injury all week. He missed the first practice of the week, and even Head Coach Mike Tomlin thinks that the hits are wearing on Roethlisberger. The combination of an existing injury, Roethlisberger’s (relatively) advanced age, and the weakness of the Steelers’ offensive line make Roethlisberger missing time a real possibility. His backup could be a valuable fantasy football asset, especially if they can play their way into becoming Big Ben’s successor.

Which is why you want Dwayne Haskins. The former first-round draft pick signed with the Steelers back in January after being cut by the Washington Football Team. If Roethlisberger were to miss time, Haskins and fellow backup quarterback Mason Rudolph would be duking it out to replace him. Rudolph has already been benched once as Roethlisberger’s backup for poor performance, and Tomlin going back to him by default is not a guarantee. Bet on Haskins instead of Rudolph if you are looking for a cheap fantasy football asset whose value could skyrocket if the player ahead of him goes down.

Jacques Patrick: RB, San Francisco 49ers

We have already seen an undrafted free agent journeyman and a sixth-round draft pick excel as the running back in Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers offense. Why not another undrafted running back signed off another team’s practice squad? The 49ers have some serious issues at running back right now. Raheem Mostert is out for the season, JaMycal Hasty is out for multiple weeks, Elijah Mitchell is “very questionable,” and Trey Sermon is recovering from a concussion. Since the 49ers signed Patrick from the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad, he is already on the 53-man active roster and will be suiting up for a Week 3 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. If Sermon were to go down again, that would leave Patrick in line for a lead-back role with Mitchell out.

A word of caution, Patrick is likely not a long-term asset. He is more likely a weekly rental and then a sell-high candidate if he plays well. Mitchell and Sermon are likely the future of this backfield, and unless Patrick can outperform his career backup role and his below-average athletic profile, he will not supplant them. Even if he did turn some heads with his rushing ability this preseason.

Braxton Berrios: WR, New York Jets

Unlike the other two names on this list, Braxton Berrios is already succeeding this season. Despite being rostered in less than half of all dynasty leagues on Sleeper, and barely any redraft leagues, the New York Jets wide receiver is fantasy-relevant. Yes, Corey Davis may be leading the Jets wide receivers in fantasy football points in point-per-reception (PPR) formats, but Berrios is leading the team in targets. That target share is a big reason why Berrios has yet to have a game with less than 10 PPR fantasy football points this season.

While this workload feels doomed to regress, it is not a guarantee that Berrios is not already locking down a role. With a 57.97% snap share, he is definitely behind Elijah Moore and Corey Davis on the wide receiver depth chart in New York. However, everyone assumes that once all the Jets wide receivers are healthy, that Berrios will take a backseat. So far though, Keelan Cole failed to supplant him in Week 2, and Jamison Crowder struggles to even make it onto the field. At 25, Berrios is still young enough to have room to grow as a player, and the new regime in New York has no reason to be loyal to any players that cannot perform. Berrios is worth a stash as long as his connection with rookie quarterback Zach Wilson is intact.

The post Deep Fantasy Football Stashes For Week 3 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.