Dynasty Bargain Bin

Dynasty Bargain Bin

If you’re a Dynasty player, and your goal is victory, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’re looking for discounted players that you can get for peanuts (pour one out for Mr. Peanut. What a weird commercial). And do remember, this is the Bargain Bin. We have a bin full of cheap players all scattered about for you to rifle through. All of these guys are gonna feel a little icky. But fortune favors the brave and the bold, so let’s do this.

Quarterbacks:

Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina Panthers

Teddy Bridgewater has had almost as tough a time as Westworld’s Teddy Flood to start his career. Now, at last, Teddy gets a break. When we last saw him on the field, he was piloting the Saints offense in relief of Drew Brees. From week 3 to week 7, when he was the starter, he was the QB12. He leaves behind the Saints offensive system in New Orleans to go to the Saints offensive system in Carolina; the Panthers brought in Joe Brady, the guy who turned so-so Joe Burrow into the Bog Monster. There isn’t much of a degradation in his weapons, either. CMC is certainly not a step down from Alvin Kamara, and what he loses in Michael Thomas gets distributed into DJ Moore, Curtis Samuel, and Robby Anderson. Teddy Bridge is ranked outside the top 20 in most rankings I could find. There is an opportunity here to get really solid value.

Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders

Derek Carr is gonna be in his 30s, and there will still be rumors that Gruden is going to trade him. Could he get traded? Of course! But until he does, he’s still captain of this ship. He’s ranked outside the top 24 in most rankings I’ve found, and I find it hard to believe he finishes that low. It was 2016 when he last had weapons like he has now, and in 2016, he finished as the QB8. This is also Carr’s first time getting to year 3 in the same offensive system. His deep ball accuracy is solid despite constant doubt, and he has never had a weapon like Ruggs that he could throw deep to. Plus, Ruggs did most of his damage on short/intermediate throws, which is a foundation of the West Coast offense. Add in a couple more weapons in the draft and the second year for Waller, Williams, and Renfrow, along with their attempts to get Josh Jacobs more involved in the passing game, and you’ve got a recipe for value. Don’t hear what I’m not saying. I’m not calling for him to finish top 5 or anything. But if you are looking for a discount, you got one right here. (And if he does get traded or lose his job to Mariota, just pretend I said Mariota all along).

Running Backs:

Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings

Even the beloved Alexander Hamilton spent a couple years backing up George Washington. Dalvin Cook’s contract is nearing its end, and there hasn’t been a lot of recent success in re-signing expensive running backs. Whether or not that is influenced by the strength of the running back crop in the past 4-6 years, the hesitation may exist for the Vikings. If Cook fails to re-sign long term Mattison likely gets his shot at some point. In his rookie year, he averaged 4.62 yards per carry on a mathematically convenient 100 carries, he had 5 targets in week 12, catching 4 for 51 yards, and in games where he got over 10 carries he still averaged a respectable 4.32 yards per carry. Worst case scenario, Cook stays, and you get the backup to a previously injury prone RB in a run first offense. 

Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears

Am I the only dummy who missed the fact that “Chicken Salad” had over 100 targets last year? (Also, don’t ask me about the nickname “Chicken Salad”, I have no idea). Whatever you believe about the QB situation in Chicago, it isn’t great, and that affects the offense overall. Also, David Montgomery is in line to be the main guy in the backfield. All of this bad news is baked into the price tag of Tarik The Dinosaur Hunter (shout out to you, Footballers). Cohen finished just outside of RB2 territory in 2019, and could see some positive regression on his efficiency catching the ball (5.8 yards per catch on 104 targets in 2019). Remember, we’re talking about the Bargain Bin.

Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams

Cam Akers is coming to town, and that is a huge blow to the salivating Darrell Henderson owners/buyers hoping to have the next Todd Gurley. Let’s not mince words, it is definitely a disaster for his upside. But owners might be ready to jump ship, and let’s not forget that this same front office gave up two picks to move up and take him in the third, and he wasn’t a total disaster when he saw the field (he averaged a slightly ho-hum 3.77 yards per carry on 39 carries, but the offensive line for the Rams left a lot of yards on the table). Also, the Rams have been saying they want to go to a committee and feature multiple guys. I’m not super sold on “Hendy” being a steal, but Akers is still an unproven rookie, and Darrell will be nearly free.

Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks

Draft capital is a pretty strong indicator for success, but is clearly not flawless. The former 1st rounder has struggled to take control of the Seattle backfield, but not for a lack of trying. He’s shown great efficiency, averaging 5.3 yards per carry in his career, and has put up a handful of big games here and there. 2020 did not see Seattle taking a running back with high draft capital, and Chris Carson is an unrestricted free agent after the 2020 season. Carson was a 7th rounder who, credit to him, has battled his way into being the guy, but they drafted Penny in the first round the year after they got Carson. If Carson walks, Penny could get that backfield all to himself. Or at least be the next guy we wish was Marshawn.

Wide Receivers:

Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans

It’s been said by people who’ve been doing this longer than I, “Some guys just aren’t Alpha X WR1s.” Don’t ask where I heard it (I heard it on the internet). Maybe Corey Davis just isn’t a WR1. With AJ Brown and Derrick Henry taking more of the attention of the defense, Davis is suddenly the third most intimidating weapon on the field. Look at the talent, the capital, the big blow up games! Plus, with free agency around the corner, a change of scenery could be just what he needs. Sure, the Corey Davis experience has been brutal, and the floor is quite low. Really, alarmingly low. But the upside is there, and he can’t get much cheaper. 

Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders

Oh man. Sometimes, the heart knows what it wants. Hunter Renfrow saw a steady growth in involvement over the course of the 2019 season, punctured his lung, then came back and put up back to back 9 target, +100 yard, and 1 TD games to finish the season. Derek Carr plays with trust, and “3rd & Renfrow” earned his way onto Derek’s Christmas card list. Add in Henry Ruggs to take the top off of the defense, and there will be extra space to work with. He finished at WR55, is ranked at WR69 (nice) right now, and the trends show progress. Look at the toes in week 8 against the Lions. This is my dude, I love this guy. And no, I am not worried about Nelson Agholor, nor are any defensive coordinators in the league.

Curtis Samuel, Carolina Panthers

Reddit’s 2019 breakout darling didn’t quite break all the way out. Despite the numerous posts and facts and figures and data in his support, he just never got it together, amassing 54 catches for 627 yards on a sizable 105 targets (6 touchdowns is nothing to scoff at). Of course, the QB play was a big problem for Carolina last year, and I think that’ll be better this year. The Panthers also signed Robby Anderson to a 2-year-deal. Could Curtis finally achieve his breakout with more accurate QB play in 2020? Sure. But the real value is jumping on him the year before he hits free agency. This is a talented guy, and if he finds the right situation, you could be holding onto a lot of properly converted air yards. 

Emmanuel Sanders, New Orleans Saints

This dude played for two different offenses last year and still managed to put up big games while finishing in the top 30. Not a super high bar, but when you consider he’s being ranked as MDF’s consensus WR60 that’s a huge gap. He’s heading to New Orleans, where they notably have only one guy out there catching passes. The Saints added only a single wide receiver in free agency (Sanders), and drafted exactly 0 wide receivers in the draft. Sanders screams flex hero, chunking freebies from the league’s most accurate QB while the entire defense forms a friendship circle around Michael Thomas.

Tight Ends:

David Njoku, Cleveland Browns

Hear me when I say this isn’t about his 2019 performance on the field. Or about his 2020 performance on the field. The big signing of Austin Hooper all but guarantees that Njoku is done in Cleveland. But Njoku was a first round pick, and an athletic specimen to boot. And he’s set to hit the free agency after this year. I’m sure you’ve noticed a theme, here. Thinking one year ahead, could Njoku get signed somewhere to be their next big time tight end? Even if you don’t believe in his talent, think back to the Coby Fleener to New Orleans deal, or Trey Burton to Chicago, or the Hayden Hurst to Atlanta trade. All examples of big value spikes and a chance to sell if you want to get out. Again, he may not be a stud, but if you have bench space, he could be, at worst, a quick little value play.

Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers

I feel like Eric Ebron is always teetering on the edge of being a stud and being out of the league. Another highly drafted TE, Ebron goes to Pittsburg where they’ve sorely missed Heath Miller. Don’t let the disastrous horror show that is the Steelers Offense in 2019 distract you from the fact that the Steelers are always trying to be a high powered offense. We still don’t know if Juju can be the number 1 guy, and the massive gaping chasm left by AB has yet to be filled. Those targets are going somewhere, and it was only a season ago that Ebron finished at TE4 with over 100 targets and 13 touchdowns.

Final Thoughts:

Remember, this is Dynasty, which means there are two kinds of bargains. This is still a yearly game, and having the youngest, sexiest roster doesn’t come with a trophy. You still gotta win one week, one year at a time. On the other hand, this is a long term game we play, so seeing into the future and trying to get in on a player before his value spikes is the best way to consistently elevate your team. Depending on what your team needs, some of these buys may be more applicable to you than others. Or maybe none of them are, what do I know. You’re a grown-up, I trust you.

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