My dynasty league opens up its waiver wire this time of year. There's not a lot out there, with our rookie draft having been completed, and with 26-player rosters. But there are a few guys I'd like to find the roster room for. Because you never know.
I don't know if any of these guys are available in your leagues, of course, and the fact that they're not among the 312 players rostered already makes them longshots. But perhaps they're available in yours, or this list will at least give a sense of the kind of players you could be considering in deep dynasty leagues.
1. Malik Davis, Cowboys. Ezekiel Elliott is gone (at least for now). Tony Pollard is coming off a significant ankle injury -- expected to be fine, but surgery is surgery. Otherwise Dallas has tiny rookie Deuce Vaughn, Rico Dowdle and Ronald Jones on its roster. Barring an Elliott re-signing, Davis (pictured) is going to be the No. 2 here, and they probably won't want to overwork Pollard even assuming he's fully healthy.
2. Cameron Latu, 49ers. This is the first guy I'd pick up, and because I've mentioned him here perhaps I should, just in case someone in my league stumbles upon this article. San Francisco drafted this tight end out of Alabama in the third round, and doesn't otherwise have much behind George Kittle. The 49ers have made a recent habit of throwing away third- and fourth-round picks on players that didn't amount to anything, and Latu was not a big producer in college. But draft capital and the position he plays on the 49ers speak favorably of him.
3. D'Ernest Johnson, Jaguars. Everyone is all excited about rookie Tank Bigsby, which is fine. But Johnson has actually played and played well in the NFL, averaging 5.3 yards per attempt and catching 19 passes the one year he got a decent amount of playing time, in 2021. Assuming that Bigsby beats out Johnson for the No. 2 job this season might be a mistake. He could easily have to wait a year, while Johnson is the No. 2 in a tandem backfield (what Jacksonville started out with last year, before the team soured on James Robinson).
4. Jake Moody, 49ers. I don't roster kickers this time of year, preferring to stash some nobody third-string running back I'll most likely cut on the eve of the season to pick up a kicker. But if you do roster a kicker now, Moody needs to be on a short list. San Francisco drafted him in the third round for some reason, so he's probably going to be their kicker (as noted, they blow third-round picks every year, so it's not certain). Robbie Gould finished 5th at the position last year.
5. Keaton Mitchell, Ravens. The East Carolina back wasn't drafted, but he put up 1,704 total yards last year, rushing for 1,452 and 14 touchdowns (over 7 yards per attempt) and catching 27 passes. The other running backs currently on Baltimore's roster are J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill. I believe there's something of an injury history associated with those guys. Mitchell is small (5-8, 179) which is probably why there's minimal interest, but Baltimore's big guys haven't proven too durable.
6. Ty Montgomery, Patriots. Yes, he's still in the league. The most fearsome thing to those who love Rhamondre Stevenson was the Patriots talking up Montgomery as a possible third-down back last week. He's 30 years old, but the Patriots don't care. If they find someone who can handle their pass protection schemes and catch easy balls thrown his way, they'll stick him on the field on third downs and in all hurry up situations. Truthfully, no, I would not actually pick up a 30-year-old running back in my dynasty league. But he also can't be dismissed as a possible PPR option if he's catching 5-6 passes for 30-40 yards a game.
7. Tre Tucker, Raiders. The third-round wideout didn't put up big numbers at Cincinnati, and played second fiddle to Tyler Scott (who was selected by the Bears a round later). Most likely, he'll be a factor on returns, at most, this season. But Las Vegas has a motley crew of receivers behind semi-disgruntled Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers; even if we include Hunter Renfrow, who might be a short-timer, there's otherwise a bunch of guys who have bounced around the league and won't necessarily be with the team for long.
8. Trayveon Williams, Bengals. Cincinnati has been talking him up, which for the most part I don't believe. He's entering his fifth season; by this time, running backs have either long ago broken out or are out of the league. Williams has primarily been a special teams player. But with Samaje Perine gone, Joe Mixon having some potential off-field issues, and Chris Evans not showing too much, there's a non-zero chance that Williams is at least the No. 2 in Cincinnati.
If you've got your own favorite nobody, feel free to mention him below.
--Andy Richardson