Last season, Matt Ward’s “Stashes and Sleepers” series famously brought you players like Elijah Mitchell, Khalil Herbert, and Davis Mills. This year we are back with 32 names for you to stash on your dynasty rosters.
Dynasty fantasy football is not just about the stars. It is about depth, patience, and getting young budding talent that flies under the radar of consensus. Identifying opportunities to acquire upside players at low costs can help you create that dynasty juggernaut you have always wanted.
Next up, the NFC South!
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Kyle Trask - Quarterback
Bucs Nation
The Buccaneers are running it back for at least one more season with Tom Brady at the helm of the offense. Brady retired for a short period this offseason and spent time away from the team during mandatory training camp to deal with undisclosed personal issues. The greatest ever to play the game is on his last legs as an NFL quarterback, with his inevitable permanent retirement looming. Kyle Trask will benefit from learning behind the all-time leader in passing yards for one more season before potentially taking over the lead role in 2023. There is a good chance Trask becomes the next starter as the team will be well over the NFL’s salary cap limit in 2023, whether or not Brady remains. The Buccaneers will have difficulty finding a capable replacement in the post-Brady era as their Super Bowl-ready squad is expected to select at the end of every round in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Furthermore, Trask has some decent draft capital on his side to support a chance at the starting position. The Buccaneers drafted Trask in the 2nd round of the 2020 draft after the carefree gunslinger helped ignite Kyle Pitts’ record-breaking season at Florida. The Buccaneers' backup quarterback has positive scouting grades from NFL.com and NFL NextGen Statistics, with a 6.19 scouting grade from the former and a 77.0 scouting grade from the latter. These two scores slot Trask into a predictive tier of capable QB2’s with the potential to develop into a plus starter. The third-year quarterback is an overlooked stash with a chance at the leading gig in 2023. Trask is rostered in under 65% of Dynasty Superflex leagues, per SleeperHQ, and is likely available on your waiver wires. The young quarterback's cost is palatable at all levels and is worth a gamble even if the Buccaneers decide to move in a different direction next season.
*Bonus Sleeper/Stash*
Cade Otton - Tight End (Dynasty Penny Stocks: Rookie Waiver Value Adds)
ATLANTA FALCONS
Desmond Ridder - Quarterback
Oregon Live
Desmond Ridder should be rostered in 100% of all dynasty leagues across every platform, yet it is currently available in 22.0% of leagues on Sleeper. Ridder is a game-changing athlete, exhibited by his top scores in every category at the NFL Combine. The third-round pick is a long shot at maintaining job security on the Falcons offense as the team is loaded with draft capital amidst a massive rebuilding phase. However, the Falcons are also thin at every position and will need to allocate their draft picks wisely if they hope to rise above their bottom-feeding status. Ridder may get an earlier opportunity to start than previously expected. The Falcons will begin the season with Marcus Mariota as the number one quarterback. Mariota shares a similar skill set to Ridder but has not started an entire season since 2018, when he was a member of the Titans. Ridder excels in the same facets as Mariota with the benefit of youth and a rookie contract on his side. Expect the Falcons to test the waters with their rookie quarterback during 2022, as the team is in no position to compete for a playoff spot. If Ridder can wrangle the starting role from Mariota, his rushing upside alone could put up weekly mid-range QB2 numbers. The dynamic quarterback will undoubtedly see an upward rise in dynasty value should the Falcons name their 2022 rookie the starter at any point in the season. It is merely a matter of “when” not “if.”
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Adam Trautman - Tight End
Saints.com
Adam Trautman is an intriguing upside stash for managers looking to bolster their tight end depth with a cheap option. The Saints' third-year tight end has not lived up to expectations in his first two seasons as a pro. However, it is worth noting that Trautman had played through several injuries, coaching, and quarterback changes while steadily improving when his snaps and production, albeit on limited sample sizes. One such performance included a TE4 finish (16.8 FPTS) against the Eagles in Week 11. I do not encourage managers to chase single-game outliers when the acquisition cost outweighs the risk involved (*cough* Gabe Davis *cough*). With that said, Trautman is a 23-year-old tight end that leads his team’s depth chart with no capable backups in position to steal his role. An encouraging narrative when analyzing Trautman’s third season is the common nature of late tight end breakouts in dynasty. Tight ends have the latest breakout window of any NFL player position, with the largest experience-adjusted grouping of top-12 performances coming in the third year of a player's career. According to PFF, 18.0% of tight ends do not record a top-12 season until year three, with 24.0% of career breakouts happening in years four and five. In fact, tight ends with ten years of NFL experience or more have accounted for 20.0% of all top-12 seasons over the last decade. Patience is a virtue in dynasty leagues that allow deep benches. If you can afford the roster spot, Trautman is worth a look if for nothing less than his position atop the Saints depth chart.
CAROLINA PANTHERS
Baker Mayfield - Quarterback
Cleveland.com
Baker Mayfield is a 27-year-old starting quarterback with a guaranteed role on an NFL roster. Those reasons alone should warrant a 100% rostership across all dynasty leagues. Somehow, the former first overall pick is rostered in just 84.2% of Superflex leagues on Sleeper with a startup evaluation of QB26 (131st overall). Two-QB leagues dominate the dynasty landscape, with the format becoming the standard setting for managers as of late. Mayfield being valued outside of the top-24 options at the position is ludicrous, considering his career body of work. Mayfield has never finished below QB25 in PPG in his career despite the messy downturn with the Browns organization. His worst statistical season came in 2021 after being disillusioned by his previous franchise. Mayfield still amassed over 3000 passing yards for the fourth consecutive season with just 14 games played. A change of scenery will likely spark a career resurgence for the fifth-year quarterback. The Panthers have dug themselves into a trench of disparity over the last few seasons with several bad trades and misses in the NFL Draft. Mayfield could be the team’s saving grace as they work through a rebuilding period. A successful showing in 2022 could leave Mayfield as the new franchise quarterback while the team attempts to solidify their needs at other positions. His trade cost on several popular market calculators equates to a late 2nd/3rd-round 2023 draft pick. Managers needing a QB2 can invest comfortably in the Panthers' newly acquired quarterback. Take caution as there is inherent risk involved in any transaction. Continually assess your team's needs and future value before moving assets. Luckily, Mayfield possesses youth and upside capable of returning the value of the investment as he is momentarily overlooked by market consensus.
Check out the complete Heat Wave Cheat Sheet for the NFC South!
If you would like to look back on last year’s Stashes and Sleepers series, it is available here:
Dynasty Deep Dive: Stashes and Sleepers- AFC Edition
Dynasty Deep Dive: Stashes and Sleepers- NFC Edition
Much respect, thank you for reading. If you have any continued thoughts and would like to share, I am always available for an open conversation on Twitter: @PsychWardFF or Instagram: @psychwardff.
You can find my other works as the Lead Writer and DOC at Broto Fantasy Football.
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By Matt Ward