Dynasty Waivers of the Future: Week 16

My colleague Jeff Blaylock and I gaze into our crystal football each week to find players who may become popular waiver targets in the future so that you can pick them up now for next to nothing.

JOSH: We are fully in playoff mode, which means many of us are in full-on preparing-for-next-year mode, lamenting the end of another season. The beauty of dynasty leagues, though, is that they're never really over. Within a day of being eliminated from playoff contention last week, I made a big trade while standing in the middle of an aisle at Costco. A couple of days later in the same league? Another big trade while standing in the middle of an aisle at Home Depot. My leaguemates' takeaway from that was that if you catch me out running errands, I might trade away my whole team, but my takeaway - and hopefully yours - is that dynasty never stops. The moment you are eliminated, the next season begins. So those of you who find yourselves out of the playoffs this morning, whether you were recently bounced or never invited to the dance, take heart that next season is right around the corner.

Two weeks ago, as the regular season was winding down, I took a look at a few rookies whose ownership had dropped since the spring. We're going to take another look at rookies this week with the playoffs in full swing. At this point, you have four, six, maybe eight teams still chasing a title. Those teams are in some variation of win-now mode, depending on how realistic they believe their chances to win it all to be, and could drop prospects for players who can help them immediately. Most dynasty leagues don't have a very robust waiver wire, but this time of year, you sometimes get a chance to grab a gem while half of the league is focused on a title run.

JEFF: We are charged with looking into the future, and we've reached the point in the season when the offseason is the future. My focus has shifted entirely to finding stashes that could pay off next season or in a future season. Right now, those are primarily going to the backups' backups, the guys who haven't seen the field much and likely won't the rest of this season. But they're all one good training camp away from gaining a firm grasp on their team's No. 2 role, which puts them first in line for fantasy relevance if those first-teamers miss time.

JOSH: Or lose their jobs.

JEFF: Or lose their jobs. Football is about results. Fantasy football is about the potential for results.

JOSH: And that potential starts with this week's priority targets.

PRIORITY TARGETS

WR Savion Williams, Green Bay (43% Rostered)

It's awfully tough to recommend any single Green Bay wide receiver to add to a starting lineup, but it's a little easier to recommend one as a stash. The offense in Green Bay tends to run greater than the sum of its parts, but Williams is an interesting weapon. I had him scored the same as players like Chimere Dike and Jaylin Lane in this year's rookie class, and Williams brings some interesting positional flexibility. He is capable of playing a little running back along with his more typical wide receiver role, as evidenced by the fact that he's caught 10 passes and rushed 9 times so far in his rookie season, while also returning 25 kicks on special teams. He entered the league with some gaps in his college production metrics, but he has great size and speed and the versatility that a crafty coach can use to create problems for defenses. Christian Watson is hurt again, Romeo Doubs is an unrestricted free agent after this season, and Dontayvion Wicks is an unrestricted free agent after 2026. Matthew Golden got all the hype in the spring, but Williams could also seize a role in this offense headed into next season.

TE Cade Stover, Houston (29% Rostered)

JEFF: A fourth-round pick in 2024, Stover played at least 40 percent of snaps in 9 of his last 11 games in his rookie season, during which he had 15 receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown. He was expected to take on a larger role with the offense this season, and indeed that initially appeared to be the case. He led the team in receptions for their Week 1 game against the Rams, but he broke his foot during the contest. He was placed on injured reserve and did not return until Week 11. His participation has increased since then, peaking last week at a 61 percent snap share. He's been targeted seven times and has caught five. 

The Texans are among the teams that have used multiple-TE formations the least this season, which makes Stover startable only if Dalton Schultz misses time. Schultz is under contract through 2027, so a larger role for Stover may be several seasons away. But the potential is there. Our Matt Waldman considered Stover one of the three most "pro-ready" tight ends of the 2024 class, possessing "star-caliber" receiving skills, but Matt expected it to take two or three years for Stover to earn a productive role. This was a typical timeline for dynasty managers' investments in the position until very recently, when players like Sam LaPorta, Trey McBride, and Brock Bowers became immediate playmakers. I'm not saying Stover rises to their level, but I can see him becoming a reliable fantasy TE1 as part of a potent offense in a few seasons.

DEEP DARTS