Quick Links: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End
It's time in dynasty leagues again to start stocking your bench with players who could pay off for you next season if you are not in the playoffs. Even in leagues with toilet bowls where you can improve your draft position, even win the #1 pick, you can afford to cut most of your depth players for players with future growth potential. For the next four weeks, I'll give you some players at each position to stash. Dynasty league roster and league sizes range from shallow to deep, so I'll break the lists in Snorkel, Scuba, and Submarine tiers to fit everyone's needs.
- Snorkel-level players are available in some leagues, especially ones with more shallow rosters.
- Scuba-level players are usually available unless your league has very deep rosters.
- Submarine-level players are often widely available, even in leagues with deep rosters.
This week is running back, which produces more rags-to-riches stories than any other position.
Snorkel
Brashard Smith (RB-KC) - Smith's rookie year might be seen as a disappointment after multiple moments of false hope against the backdrop of an underwhelming Chiefs backfield, but let's not lose the story here. He made the team and got snaps and touches most weeks as a seventh-round rookie. He's a wide receiver/running back tweener who might need more seasoning before the team trusts him. They are still high on Smith long-term, and he should have a chance to show what he can do next season.
Keaton Mitchell (RB-BAL) - Mitchell's top-end acceleration has returned in his second year removed from an ACL tear during his debut season. Why the Ravens don't make more use of such an explosive play is curious, but the 23-year-old's best football is ahead of him. We will get an idea of how much the Ravens - and maybe another team - value Mitchell when he becomes a restricted free agent next season.
Ray Davis (RB-BUF) - Davis flashed in his one rookie-season start and looked like a viable alternative to James Cook until Cook signed a long-term deal with the Bills. While Cook is entrenched as the starter going forward, Davis could still have significant value if Cook goes down with the Bills adopting a run-first mentality, and he's worth an offseason roster spot in all but the shortest bench leagues.
Jonathon Brooks (RB-CAR) - The Panthers have quite a nice problem at running back, where Rico Dowdle
"proved it" on a one-year deal, Chuba Hubbard has looked good again after a calf injury slowed him down, and fourth-round pick Trevor Etienne has looked like he belongs in limited action. Brooks should be fully recovered from his second right ACL tear from December 2024 by the time offseason activities roll around. Whether the team has re-signed Dowdle or not will be a good indicator of their confidence in Brooks. While the odds are against Brooks getting back to what he was at Texas, when he looked like a first-round quality every-down back, being able to hold him through the offseason for free is too good to pass up.
Emanuel Wilson (RB-GB) - The Packers drafted MarShawn Lloyd in the third round last year to be the next man up behind Josh Jacobs, but he has barely been on the field through two seasons. The 2023 UDFA Wilson, on the other hand, has been a reliable backup and complement to Jacobs, and he did a very good impression of Jacobs in a 28 carry, 107 yard, two touchdown performance in Week 12. Wilson will be a restricted free agent in 2026, and we should expect the Packers to tender him at a level to secure his services and discourage potential suitors. He's probably on a roster right now with Jacobs' injury worries popping up against this week.
Braelon Allen (RB-NYJ) - Allen was billed as the sidekick for Breece Hall when he immediately won over the Jets in 2024. The Aaron Glenn regime also seemed like Allen enough to consider him part of the picture at running back. With Hall asking for a trade publicly, we have to assume that he won't be returning to the Jets and project Allen as the Week 1 starter, with the possibility of the draft and free agency complicating the path to the job.
Jordan James (RB-SF) - James was having a good camp after the 49ers took him in the fifth round before a knee issue and then a broken finger slowed him down. The 49ers decided to trade for Brian Robinson Jr instead of trusting 2024 third-round pick Isaac Guerendo, who hasn't played a snap on offense this season. Robinson is a free agent next year. It's not a stretch to imagine James beating out Guerendo in camp to back up Christian McCaffrey in his age-30 season.