10 Players I’m Not Ready To Give Up On In Dynasty (2024)
2024 Deep Dynasty Buys & Stashes
This is the time of year to audit your dynasty teams. We need to pay particularly close attention to the end of the roster guys and taxi squad players. There is going to come a time, whether it’s during the preseason or early in the regular season, where you’re going to have to make a decision to move on from one or more of these guys or not. That’s why during this quiet period in the fantasy football calendar, it’s a perfect opportunity to figure out the players you’re comfortable moving on from and those you’re not ready to give up on just yet. Here are some of the guys I’m still buying and stashing in dynasty.
More: 6 Rookies GUARANTEED To Impact Fantasy Football
Roschon Johnson, RB, Bears
Roschon Johnson was one of my favorite rookies from the 2023 class. He is a big, powerful running back who somehow created production behind Bijan Robinson at Texas. He is a natural in the receiving game, both as a pass-catcher and in protection. We saw some flashes of that in his rookie campaign. However, it was an overall disappointing first year for Johnson. He ran for just 352 yards on 81 carries and was mostly relegated to RB3 duties behind Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman. If it weren’t for an untimely concussion, though, things could have been much different for Johnson.
He began the season backing up Herbert and was ascending in snaps before a Herbert injury opened up an opportunity atop the depth chart. Unfortunately, Herbert’s injury coincided with a concussion that knocked Johnson out of the lineup for multiple weeks. So rather than getting his chance to lead the backfield, it opened the door for Foreman who excelled and cemented himself into a prominent role for the rest of the season.
Still, Johnson managed three top-24 fantasy performances in five weeks to close out the season. He did that by catching 15 passes from Weeks 12-17. He totaled more than 50 yards in four of those five games.
With the offseason signing of D’Andre Swift it’s hard to see a clear path to a significant role for Johnson right now. But Swift was underwhelming from an efficiency standpoint last season and Johnson did enough late in the year to warrant an opportunity at the RB2 job. That could turn into a prominent role as a high-end handcuff or eventual starter in what is expected to be a much improved Bears offense with the additions of Keenan Allen and Caleb Williams. I am not ready to give up on Johnson after one disappointing season. He was a prospect I had high hopes for and that really hasn’t changed. We’re running it back in 2024.
Michael Wilson, WR, Cardinals
It can’t be too surprising that Michael Wilson had a quiet rookie season after injuries held him to just 14 games over his final three collegiate seasons. Naturally, he lacked a bit of the experience required to make a significant impact as a first year NFL player. However, Wilson did enough to draw some intrigue heading into year two. He finished the season with 38 receptions and 565 receiving yards. There were five instances where he was targeted six or more times in a game. In those contests, Wilson averaged 1.94 yards per route and more than 12 fantasy points, according to FantasyPros. That’s nothing to scoff at. And we can’t forget that he was stuck with a combination of Josh Dobbs and Clayton Tune for the first half of the season. Then with Kyler Murray at the helm, Wilson finished the season strong with back-to-back top-24 fantasy performances.
Wilson can use that strong finish to propel him to the No. 2 wide receiver position opposite Marvin Harrison Jr. All that’s in his way is Zay Jones—Greg Dortch will be the slot. That’s a premium position to be in in what is expected to be a potent Cardinals offense. With a healthy Murray, the additions of Harrison and running back Trey Benson, and the ascension of tight end Trey McBride, this could be one of the more explosive units in the NFL. That will only benefit a guy like Michael Wilson.
Remember, Wilson was a guy that impressed in college when he was healthy and shined at the 2023 Senior Bowl. He is a big-bodied playmaker who uses his size, physical strength, and body control to create separation and win in the red zone. He has the athleticism to add value after the catch as well.
Michael Wilson has legitimate upside as the WR2 in Arizona. He needs to be on the radar in best ball and redraft leagues and should be a trade target in dynasty. It won’t cost much to get him and the payoff could be huge.
Marvin Mims, WR, Broncos
I was a big fan of Marvin Mims coming out of Oklahoma last season. He was a big time playmaker in college, leading the Sooners in receiving in all three seasons and averaging over 19 yards per reception for his career. He followed that up with a 4.38 40-time at the NFL Combine. That drew Sean Payton’s attention too, enough to make Mims his first draft pick as Broncos head coach. Mims got off to a decent start in Denver. He scored as the WR18 in Week 2 and followed that up with a WR23 performance in Week 3. Unfortunately, he never even cracked the top-50 again.
Mims struggled to get on the field—reaching a 50% snap share just twice—and finished his rookie season with just 317 yards on 22 receptions. But the flashes he gave us early in the season provide some hope that he can be a more consistent presence in the Denver offense in 2024. That will only be helped by the trade of Jerry Jeudy to Cleveland. His competition for the WR2 job will be rookie Troy Franklin, Tim Patrick who is coming off multiple catastrophic leg injuries, Josh Reynolds, Brandon Johnson, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
At worst, Mims should be Denver’s primary deep threat, a role he did well in when given the opportunity as a rookie. While it was a small sample, PFF scored Mims with a top-30 deep receiving grade. Mims has already gotten some positive buzz at offseason workouts from the media. Even coach Sean Payton chimed in, saying Mims’ role will expand this season.
I don’t know if he will ever truly break out of the deep threat mold to become a guy we can trust in fantasy football on a week-to-week basis, but I’m not ready to give up on a guy whose profile I was a fan of coming into the league.
Jahan Dotson, WR, Commanders
I have to be honest. I’ve never been a Jahan Dotson guy. He was a fade for me last season and I was screaming from the rooftops to sell him in dynasty. However, I am on the wagon for the first time in 2024. It’s not because there’s some deep, dark advanced metric that is indicating a breakout is coming. That doesn’t exist—Dotson was just simply bad last season. Instead, the combination of cost and opportunity are aligning perfectly. Dotson’s Underdog ADP has fallen all the way to the 12th round. He’s now the dynasty WR53 on KeepTradeCut. With a new offense and a new quarterback in Washington, my optimism is high that Dotson can have a productive season.
Curtis Samuel was a big thorn in Dotson’s side last season but he’s now in Buffalo. Dotson actually had a few quality performances in games that Samuel missed or left early. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels gives some hope for improved quarterback play which will only help the cause. Daniels showed us at LSU that he is not going to shy away from letting it rip. Dotson’s speed and playmaking ability should pair nicely with Daniels’ tendencies and work well as a complement to Terry McLaurin.
I’m still not the biggest Dotson guy, but I’m not panic-selling like I’ve seen a lot of dynasty gamers do this offseason. Instead, I’m getting him thrown into deals while the cost is low. Then I’ll flip for profit later.
Khalil Shakir, WR, Bills
Khalil Shakir has given us two seasons of spotty production. He has been completely off the radar for the casual fantasy gamers. However, at 24-years old and entering his third NFL season, Shakir has a chance to become relevant in 2024. Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are gone. Those two accounted for nearly 2,000 receiving yards last season on 241 targets. Of course, those looks will be distributed across a number of guys in the offense, but with no established alpha, there is a real opportunity for someone to step up and be a serious fantasy contributor.
Why not Khalil Shakir? He finished out the 2023 season strong with 20 receptions on 22 targets over his last four games (including playoffs). He scored two touchdowns in the postseason and he had 105 receiving yards against the Dolphins in the regular season finale. On the season, Shakir led all NFL wide receivers in catch rate (86.7%), while accounting for the highest passer rating when targeted, and finishing No. 16 in receiving EPA (FantasyPros).
In our rookie guide at Yards Per Fantasy back in 2022, I called Shakir “one of the hidden gems in the class.” I think we will see that come to fruition in 2024. He is now poised to take on a prominent role in the Josh Allen passing attack. He’s likely to start in two wide receiver sets opposite rookie Keon Coleman while sharing slot duties with free agent signee Curtis Samuel. Shakir has been almost exclusively a slot guy in the NFL, but if we look back at his Boise State days, we can see he has the versatility to win outside as well. That will only enhance his fantasy scoring potential.
Not only am I not ready to give up on Khalil Shakir in dynasty, I will be actively targeting him in trades and drafting him in redraft leagues this summer.
Trey Palmer, WR, Buccaneers
Trey Palmer had a mostly quiet rookie season after the Bucs drafted him in the sixth round of the 2023 draft. However, he did flash a bit late in the season with a WR20 finish in Week 17 which he followed up with a 56-yard touchdown in Tampa’s playoff win over the Eagles. I liked Palmer coming into the league last year after he finished his college career with a record-setting season at Nebraska. However, it was obvious that he would take a bit of time to develop into a consistent contributor. After sitting behind studs at LSU for multiple seasons, Palmer didn’t get a chance to play much until his one season at Nebraska. With a year of NFL experience under his belt, maybe now is the time we see Palmer take the next step.
With Chris Godwin expected to move back into the slot in 2024, that opens up an opportunity at Z in the Bucs offense. It’s expected that Palmer and third round rookie Jalen McMillan will compete for that job in training camp. This is an offense that ran 11-personnel about 75% of the time in 2023 so one of these guys is going to get on the field quite a bit. Palmer adds an element that McMillan doesn’t—speed.
Remember, Palmer—a former special teams ace—ran a blazing 4.33 at the 2024 NFL Combine. So even if McMillan is the “starting Z,” the Bucs will likely want to rotate Palmer in for the added speed. That opens the door for some spike weeks that make Palmer appealing, particularly late in best ball formats. If he develops into a more well-rounded wide receiver and beats out McMillan altogether, we could get a second-year breakout from Trey Palmer.
Jalen Tolbert, WR, Cowboys
Jalen Tolbert has given us two years of mostly nothing in terms of production. After the Cowboys drafted him in the third round in 2022, Tolbert played just 89 snaps as a rookie. He did take a significant jump in that category in 2023, improving to 477 snaps while playing in all 17 games and collecting seven starts.
But the slow start to his career really wasn’t a surprise, despite the third round draft capital. I even noted this in my analysis of Tolbert in the Yards Per Fantasy rookie guide back in 2022. I said, “[Tolbert] will likely take some time before he gets on the field in a full-time capacity…don’t expect to get an immediate return on your investment.” That is exactly how things have played out so far. But I also expressed optimism that Tolbert would develop into a fantasy contributor over time. I liked him coming out. He’s a fast, versatile athlete who dominated over his last two seasons at Southern Alabama. Now the door is wide open for a third-year breakout.
Michael Gallup is gone and the Cowboys didn’t add any wide receiver of consequence in free agency or the draft (get out of here with Ryan Flournoy). Not only is Tolbert in the driver’s seat for the WR3 position, but Dallas’ No. 2, Brandin Cooks, appeared to take a step back in 2024 and will turn 31 in September. Don’t even get me started on what could happen if CeeDee Lamb were to miss time.
Antonio Gibson, RB, Patriots
I will never quit Antonio Gibson. There are not many running backs who have gotten more hate from the fantasy football community over the last few years than Gibson. Yet, we’re quick to forget how productive he was over his first two seasons in the NFL. He combined for over 1,000 yards from scrimmage as a rookie and ran for another 1,000+ in his second season while scoring double-digit touchdowns in each. The emergence of Brian Robinson and distrust from the Ron Riveira coaching staff led to Gibson’s downfall over his last two years in Washington.
Now in New England and still only 26 years old, Gibson has a chance to resurrect his career. He’s behind one of the NFL’s most overrated running backs in Rhamondre Stevenson with an opportunity to at least seize a pass-catching role. Gibson was highly productive in the receiving game in Washington after converting from wide receiver to running back in college. He caught 172 passes for 1,283 yards in his four seasons. It’s also not crazy to think that Gibson could eventually overtake Stevenson atop the depth chart if he proves ineffective or if the coaching staff prefers the more explosive traits that Gibson brings to the table.
And despite the limited role in 2024, Gibson’s efficiency numbers were still good. He averaged over eight yards per reception with an 81.4% catch rate. Both numbers were top-12 among running backs, per PlayerProfiler.com. He was also No. 4 in yards per touch, No. 12 in evaded tackles per touch, No. 2 in evaded tackles per touch, and sixth in fantasy points per opportunity (PlayerProfiler). Remember, Gibson is not a little scat back. He’s a big 228-pound running back with 4.39 speed. If he gets an opportunity to lead a backfield again, Gibson has all the upside. Even in a shared backfield with Stevenson, Gibson will provide value to your fantasy team this season.
Evan Hull, RB, Colts
I liked Evan Hull coming out of Northwestern last year. Unfortunately, an early season injury killed his rookie campaign after two touches. He’s back for 2024, though, and is expected to be the Colts’ No. 2 running back behind Jonathan Taylor. That’s a role that Zack Moss thrived in last season and ultimately propelled him to a nice free agent contract with the Bengals. But that opens the door for Hull to reclaim that spot. As we saw with Moss, it’s a very fantasy friendly opportunity. If anything were to happen to Taylor, Hull would be starting in a lot of lineups.
Hull is a good athlete at 209 lbs with 4.47 speed. He runs well between the tackles but was especially celebrated for his pass-catching skills coming out of college. He caught 88 passes over his last two seasons at Northwestern and he possesses reliable hands and a healthy route tree. Hull will add value as the team’s third down back with plenty of upside as a high-end handcuff. Yet, it feels like the fantasy football community has forgotten about him. His Underdog ADP is in the 18th round and he’s being valued as the dynasty RB71 on KeepTradeCut. I’m taking advantage of these prices while they last.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens
I know. I’m crazy. But I’m still leaving the light on for Rashod Bateman. Bateman was an exceptional prospect coming out of Minnesota. He was a pure alpha in college and checked a ton of boxes. However, injuries and a number of other factors have led to a disappointing first three seasons. He is finally healthy and is primed to be the No. 2 wide receiver in Baltimore in 2024. He will start in two wide receiver sets across from last year’s first rounder Zay Flowers. While a fourth-year breakout is unlikely, it’s not unprecedented. He could be the next DeVante Parker who did very little until year five and then gave us multiple fantasy relevant seasons, including a WR14 finish in 2019.
It’s crazy, but it’s not that crazy. It has to be somewhat encouraging that the Ravens just gave him a two-year extension. They still believe in him, so why shouldn’t we?
Who are some players you’re not ready to give up on in dynasty? Join us on Discord and let’s discuss!
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