Week 1 Dynasty Notebook: Players to Patch Your Contending Dynasty Team
Jake Trowbridge highlights four players with the potential to help strengthen your dynasty team if you're contending for the title this season.
There are essentially two phases to a dynasty season. Phase 1 occurs in the offseason, where we try to accrue as much value as possible, regardless of positional need. It doesn’t matter if your “starting lineup” looks like a Jackson Pollock painting, because having to set an actual lineup is a purely hypothetical thing. Phase 2 occurs just before the start of the season, when you realize you’re not allowed to put your sixth-best WR in your RB slot.
And folks, Phase 2 starts now. To paraphrase the great Roddy Piper, I play in dynasty leagues to bide my time and win championships. And I’m all out of time. (Sorry, that sounded a lot cooler in my head.)
As you start setting those Week 1 lineups, you might notice some gaps or cracks at a particular position. Whether it’s due to suspensions, injuries, or just good old-fashioned procrastination on your part, consider this article your fantasy spackle. So pick up your proverbial putty knife and let’s get to work filling in those crevices with the players listed below.
Note: If your team has a lot of gaps, you’re probably not a contender this year and should consider rebuilding. Spackle can only cover so much, and sometimes you need to fix the whole damn foundation. Not sure how to honestly evaluate your team’s chances? Sam Wallace has you covered.
Javonte Williams, RB - Cowboys
Maybe you’re like me and punted the running back position during a startup draft in May and then forgot to make any trades and now need somebody—anybody—who could see 15 touches a game. Enter Javonte Williams, who looks set to lead the Cowboys' backfield in Week 1 (and hopefully beyond).
While we don’t know what kind of split to expect between Williams, Miles Sanders, and rookie Jaydon Blue, our projections have Williams leading the backfield in rushing attempts and targets. It’s telling that Dallas kept Williams on the sidelines the entire preseason after giving him most of the first-team reps in practice. Both Sanders and (You’re My Boy!) Blue were dealing with injuries, and it’s likely Williams will see the majority of snaps early in the season because of that.
If the fifth-year veteran can come close to his rookie year production that made him such a tantalizing dynasty asset back in 2021, this trade is a solid long-term move for your dynasty team. And hey, if Rico Dowdle can post a 1,000-yard rushing season on this offense last year…why not Javonte?
Granted, the Cowboys have a tough matchup in Week 1 against the Eagles (in Philly, no less), but that could mean Williams absorbs a bunch of dump-off passes while Dallas is playing from behind. Keep in mind that he hit a career high in targets last season with the Broncos (70), and Dak Prescott doesn’t shy away from his running backs on 3rd down.
Recommended trade offer: Two rookie 3rds, or a high-risk/high-upside receiver (Marvin Mims, Rashid Shaheed).
Cade Otton, TE - Buccaneers
With Chris Godwin expected to miss the first few weeks of the season and Jalen McMillan on IR, we’re obviously excited for rookie Emeka Egbuka to step in and crush it out of the gate. But this also opens up more opportunities for Cade Otton, who had a mini-breakout in Year 3, notching a career-high 87 targets and 600 yards.
He’s not a sexy name, but once you get past the obvious studs at tight end (Brock Bowers, George Kittle, Trey McBride), we’re mostly throwing darts and hoping not to hit someone in the eye.
From Weeks 8 through 15—when Godwin was sidelined and Otton was healthy—the Bucs' TE had the 8th-highest Utilization Score among all tight ends. During that stretch, pretty much every important metric pointed to Otton being a trusted part of the offense:
- 88% Routes Run (4th-highest among qualifying TEs)
- 20% Targets Per Route Run (15th, tied with Kittle)
- 18% of his team’s Air Yards (9th)
- 40% of the End Zone Targets (3rd)
Those are stud-adjacent numbers, folks!
While I hope Godwin bounces back from his injuries and that Mike Evans has plenty left in the tank, it’s worth giving some thought to what the Tampa Bay offense looks like in their wake. If Otton continues his ascension, he could become a bigger focal point in the years to come.
Recommended trade offer: One rookie 3rd + 4th, or a low-ceiling running back (Austin Ekeler, Jerome Ford).
Davante Adams, WR - Rams
I know you’re scared. I get it. Davante Adams is 32 years old, on his third team in two years, and playing with a quarterback who has to be thawed out before every game like a Thanksgiving turkey. But those are the same reasons it’s now the easiest it’s ever been to get Adams onto your dynasty roster, and the payoff could be magnificent!
If you’ve got a locked-in WR1 and WR2 but need proven depth behind them, Adams is arguably the best low-cost/high-reward option on the market.
Despite switching teams midseason and only playing 14 games total, Adams put up 1,000+ yards and eight touchdowns. His underlying metrics were great, and much like my uncle Bill who thinks bath soap is a government conspiracy to shrink your DNA, Adams didn’t look washed whatsoever. He’s our consensus WR16 in Week 1 and has a legitimate path to finishing the year as a top 12 guy, even while playing alongside Puka Nacua.
Recommended trade offer: One rookie 2nd + an aging running back (Aaron Jones, Nick Chubb).
Joe Flacco, QB - Browns
WAIT, I SWEAR I’M NOT CRAZY, PLEASE DON’T CLOSE OUT THIS TAB YET!
If you had concerns about Davante, I can only imagine what flashed through your head when you saw Joe Flacco’s name in a dynasty article. But hear me out. This is only for those in deep Superflex leagues or with very questionable quarterbacks in a 1QB league.
Flacco won the starting job in Cleveland for now, but will no doubt be replaced by one of the rookie QBs by the end of the season. That’s fine. We just need him to get off to a hot start with whatever time he has left as a starter. Over the last two seasons, Flacco has started 11 games and put up 300+ passing yards in six of them. For context, Patrick Mahomes only did that three times in 16 games last year. Flacco also threw for an absurd 23 touchdowns in those games!
The Browns' backfield is a mess. Flacco has three quality targets in Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and his best pal David Njoku. And in Week 1, Cleveland gets to square off against arguably the most favorable defense in all of fantasy football: the Cincinnati Bengals. Things are lining up nicely for Flacco to ride off into the sunset as a fantasy superstar.
Recommended trade offer: One rookie 3rd, or whatever end-of-bench stash your leaguemate values the highest.
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