Dynasty - Cuts & Stashes

Most leagues should be beyond the trading deadline by now. So now is the time to decide if you want to cut players on your roster bubble, or spend a keeper slot on them and carry them over to the next season.

Also, there may still be a few players on your waiver wire, who will have no relevance this season anymore, but may still be a good dynasty addition now, as they may be a lot more expensive once you can add them in 2022.

This list is by no means supposed to be conclusive, so please do add more players to this thread.

QUARTERBACK

I had recently post a thread on 2022 Dynasty QB Stashes, so I won’t address the potential stashes here once again. As for the cut candidates:

Ben Roethlisberger - CUT
There is little doubt that Big Ben will retire after this season. If you don’t need him this season anymore, now is a perfect time to cut him and add a QB prospect in his stead. Contrary to what I stated in my QB Stashes thread, I am not high on Dwayne Haskins anymore, who reportedly underwhelmed staff in Pittsburgh. The Steelers will likely look for an entirely new QB, so do not back Big Ben up with either Mason or Haskins.

Teddy Bridgewater - CUT
The 2022 starting QB for the Broncos will be named neither Teddy B. nor Drew Lock. There is a chance Teddy may land another starting gig elsewhere, but personally, I wouldn’t bet on it. He’s more likely to become a high-end backup, or a mentor for a rookie QB development project. In 2 QB leagues, I may consider holding on to him, but in all other leagues, he can be dropped.

Cam Newton - CUT
A lot of fantasy owners struggle to accept the fact that Newton’s career as an NFL QB is long over. Don’t be one of these owners and cut Cam now. There won’t be a week ever again where you’d want to start him with confidence.

Finally, a list of QBs you shouldn’t cut yet (at least not in 2 QB leagues), but that you may want to back up as you should not be sure you can still start them in 2022:

Matt Ryan will still be around in 2022, but the Falcons urgently need to address the QB position. I’d expect them to draft a top rookie QB, which means Matty Ice’s job security would start to become shaky.
Baker Mayfield is entering a contract year, which means the Browns need to make a decision. I’d expect this decision to be pro-Baker, but I wouldn’t bet the future of my fantasy team on it.
Matt Stafford has all the job security in the world, but his back is still a concern. Of course, you keep him, but make sure to roster a startable backup if he’s your QB1.
Jared Goff will remain the Lions’ QB for the foreseeable future, but don’t expect things to get a lot prettier from a fantasy point of view. If he’s a starter for your fantasy team, you need to address the QB position.

RUNNING BACK

Dontrell Hilliard - CUT
It was fun while it lasted, but it won’t carry over to next season. I don’t blame you for keeping him if you can spare the bench/keeper slot, but don’t hesitate to move on from Hilliard if you can roster a better prospect in his stead.

Mark Ingram - CUT
Ingram was an emergency solution. He’ll be 32 next year. That would be old even for a WR. For an RB, it’s the time when you should definitely consider moving on from him. And no, Tony Jones Jr. isn’t the answer for the Saints’ backfield, either.

Mike Davis - CUT
Obviously, you will cut him only if your fantasy season is over. But I do not see a reason to carry him over to 2022. He had a huge opportunity and didn’t capitalize on it.

Alex Collins - CUT
He was useful for a few weeks, but that is unlikely to repeat in 2022. You can stash him and play the landing spot lottery, but that would be a wide shot.

Ronald Jones - STASH
Jones will be a free agent after this season. He has a much better chance to find a decent landing spot. If he’s available, stash him.

WIDE RECEIVER

Emmanuel Sanders - CUT
The Bills only gave him a 1 year contract, and I don’t see them bringing him back for another one. I don’t blame you if you still keep him, just in case. But while he certainly did have his moments in 2021, he was still not startable. Do you expect that to change with him being 35 next year? Time to move on. I’d say the same about Cole Beasley, but at least he has another year left on his contract.

Antonio Brown - CUT
He had 5 starts this season, and yes, in 3 of them, he was a WR1. But then, the old AB flared up. His contract expires. He’ll be 34 next year. He’ll want a lot of money. The Bucs need to rejuvenate their roster. I don’t see him coming back in 2022.

Mecole Hardman - CUT
I drafted him as a rookie, and am holding on to him ever since. Not any longer. With Watkins out of town, he was in the perfect spot this year, and got outperformed by Byron Pringle. Mahomes doesn’t trust him. He doesn’t seem to have a ton of support in the locker room. So why keep him?

KJ Osborn - STASH
Thielen has another 3 years to his contract. But he’ll be 32 next year, and the age is beginning to show. Justin Jefferson is the clear #1 target for the Vikings, but Osborn performed admirably whenever his number was called. I’d expect it to be called a lot more often next year.

DJ Chark & Laviska Shenault - STASH
Here’s betting on the Jaguars giving Urban Meyer the well-deserved boot. If the Jags move on to a competent head coach and use their high draft picks on the desolate o-line, they might actually have a very potent passing attack in 2022. Chark and Shenault will probably not be on your waiver wire, but make for good offseason trade targets.

Gabriel Davis - STASH
I predicted a 2021 breakout, but that did not happen. But he’s only a sophomore. If the Bills indeed won’t bring back Sanders and/or Beasley, Davis could have a fantastic 2022 season.

Josh Palmer - STASH
This advice may come a little late, as he had a breakout game yesterday. But if you still have a chance to stash Palmer, do it. That performance was no fluke. Keenan Allen was out, and Palmer showed that he was capable of filling that gap. Mike Williams’ contract expires after the season, and the Chargers still need to decide if they want to bring him back. If not, Palmer would be the #2 target (or more) on a Justin-Herbert-powered offense next year.

TIGHT END
I don’t even want to talk about TEs here. So how about ending this post with a question: what do we do with Jonnu Smith? I have him in 1 league, where I also have Pat Freiermuth and Dalton Schultz. So I don’t really need him. Do I cut him? Do I try to trade him during the offseason? Or do I keep him, as he may actually be better than Schultz next year?

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I kind of disagree with you about Goff. I suspect the Lions may dump him during the offseason. At best, he gets re-signed to a cheaper contract, and then they draft a rookie QB to come in and replace him.

Also, I’m not sure about Chark. He seems injury prone, and the Jags may draft a better WR, or sign a veteran.

As for Jonnu, he has no real trade value, and you seem pretty set at TE. I’d cut him.

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The Lions are pretty much married to Goff throughout the 2022 season. They’d take a massive cap hit if they dumped him after this season already, and Goff has no incentive to sign a cheaper contract. Earliest they can jettison him is 2023, and even that comes with a $10m dead cap tag.

They may still draft a rookie QB, which certainly wouldn’t make Goff’s situation any prettier. I certainly wouldn’t recommend to plan any 2022 fantasy rosters around Goff, but as a backup in a 2 QB league, he may still have his uses in 2022.

Even worse: the Jags may give Urban Meyer another year. Khan worked years on installing Meyer as a HC. If he fired him now, he would concede to this being a tremendously stupid idea. I’m not sure if his ego will allow him to do that.

Chark and Shenault are risky options, but of both could play key roles in a revamped offense driven by Trevor Lawrence, I’d take that risk, presuming the price tag is cheap.

I was afraid you’d say that. Feels wrong to cut a player I reached for last year, but it seems the only way to go right now.

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As many mistakes as Meyer has had lately, do you think Khan wants another year of embarrassment? Even the most arrogant a-hole would want the constant drip-drip-drip of humiliation to end. Meyer is gone after this year.

I traded for him before the season. I cut him when I saw he wasn’t performing. Sometimes you have to rip off the bandaid.

It’s the old “chasing after sunk costs” investing problem. You put money into an investment, and then it struggles. Do you: sell it and cut your losses, or double down on it? Too often, investors take the latter option, when the first option might actually be the best choice. Obviously, there are times when the second option applies, but you always need to consider the first option. In your case, you have better options, so why struggle with Jonnu? He will likely never be better than what you already have.

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I was watching Cam this past weekend, and it occurred to me: He relies on his athletic ability to play more than his head. That sounds obvious, but it isn’t a recipe for success. Look at guys like Tom Brady, Mac Jones, and Patrick Mahomes, and you see them using their heads, making smart decisions on the field. Cam is just reacting to what he sees. Give him a false look, and he’ll fall for it. There were a couple of plays where the Falcons dropped sure int’s. They could have easily had 4-5 int’s.

Cam would be an ok backup QB. But that’s all. He’s not smart enough to start.

Agreed. I have him on my dynasty team, and fully plan to keep him into next year. He’s a decent flex option, with WR2 upside.

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I would certainly hope so! But Shad Khan didn’t strike me as the most competent of owners in recent years. He is one of these “billionaire without a football background” type of owners who use their money to play real-life fantasy football.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t blame them, might do the same if I had the money. But if often won’t work out for the franchise. David Tepper is another example for that. The Panthers haven’t exactly flourished since he took the franchise over.

As for Urban Meyer, Shad Khan has two options now: he can admit that the coach he wanted to have in Jacksonville for years and who was supposed to carry the new Jags legacy just doesn’t cut it. Or he can follow Meyer’s own narrative that there are many factors to blame for the lack of success, but Meyer isn’t one of them.

I wouldn’t bet all my money against the second option, though I don’t necessarily expect it.

I agree with your analysis, but I wouldn’t even want him as a backup QB. His floor is lower than that of many flex-type RBs, so I’d rather put one of those on my SFLEX.

Cam is a great guy, and I really like his personality. But he is a good example for the sad fact that QBs with high rushing upside won’t last longer than most RBs. When they reach their late 20ies, it’s time to trade them away.

That’s why I’d rather have Mac Jones or Justin Herbert than most young QB’s. They could easily give you a solid 15-20 years.

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Khan chose option #1. Meyer ist toast. Good for the team!