Ben Skowronek does not appear on FantasyPro’s dynasty ECR. Tutu Atwell is there. Lance McCutcheon is there. Skowronek is not.
In my eyes, that is a mistake.
Skowronek appeared on my radar last year already. Despite being only a late round selection, just a few picks away from becoming 2021’s Mr. Irrelevant, the Rams started using him in the second half of the season, including the playoffs.
If a team has Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr., Van Jefferson and Tyler Higbee available, but still targets a 7th round pick in key games, then it is safe to assume that they liked what they saw in practice. And if he gets 3 5 targets in the Super Bowl, it shows that they trust him.
This impression got stronger in 2022. He gets 4 targets per game now, so the Rams do want to get the ball in his hands. And Skowronek delivers, with a 75% catch rate and solid 11.7 yards per reception.
Allen Robinson looks like he is on his last legs. Van Jefferson is on IR. The stage appears set for Skowronek, who could establish himself as the team’s #3 target behind Cooper Kupp and Tyler Higbee.
Of course, that won’t elevate him into WR2 territory. But as a sleeper who could grow into a WR3/FLEX role, there are worse options who are traded much higher.
Skowronek reminds me of K.J. Osborn, who was also completely ignored by analysts, even after he started producing last year. Like Osborn was last year, Skowronek is still prominently absent from many analyst rankings, and is hardly rostered anywhere.
If you have a bench spot to spare in a deeper league, it would not be a mistake to add Skowronek now, before he has his first big game. I have him in both my dynasty leagues now, and intend to keep him for the moment, maybe even carry him over into 2023.