Welcome to the Dynasty Watch. For those of you playing in deep dynasty leagues, this is where we’ll help you keep track of some bench stashes. These are players who have a small chance of becoming regular contributors, but for the few that do, we’ll try and help you beat your league-mates to the punch.
We’ll chronicle any upticks in usage or production each week, so be sure to read the previous Dynasty Watch articles to get a season-long picture.
Quarterbacks
Taysom Hill (NO) — If you've been on Twitter over the last 48 hours, you’re likely aware of “Taysom Time.” With Drew Brees out, Hill started over Jameis Winston and threw for 233 yards, adding 10/51 on the ground with two TDs. Brees looks to be out for a while longer, and if Week 11 was any indication, the Saints might truly have their QB of the future once Brees hangs it up.
P.J. Walker (Car) — With Teddy Bridgewater not able to go in Week 11, Walker completed 24-of-34 passes for 258 yards and a TD in a spot start. He also threw 2 INTs, but got the all-important W. While his XFL career gets a lot of love (and deservedly so), it’s likely more important that Walker played college ball at Temple under Matt Rhule (his current HC). Walker seemed comfortable running Rhule’s offense, a sign that he might have a shot at the starting job down the post-Bridgewater road.
Running Backs
Ty Johnson (NYJ) — With Lamical Perine suffering a high-ankle sprain, the Jets will likely use this time to evaluate Johnson. Johnson brings some juice and versatility, and got looks in the passing game last week. While Frank Gore will always be involved, Johnson - a 2019 6th-round pick by Detroit - should get plenty of reps going forward to try and prove he belongs in the Jets’ future plans.
Wide Receivers
Keke Coutee (Hou) — Well, it took Randall Cobb (toe) and Kenny Stills (quad) to go down with injuries for us to see Coutee make a catchee, but he in fact had 2 catches for 10 yards and a TD. He also returned a punt for 14 yards. Cobb’s toe injury might be a multi-week one, so Coutee should see more action over the coming weeks. WIth Texans CEO Cal McNair recently seeking Deshaun Watson’s opinions on their next HC and GM, Coutee could use this opportunity to cement his spot on future Houston rosters.
Steven Sims (Was) — After catching all 3 of his targets for 13 yards and a TD in Week 11, Sims now has 8 catches on 9 targets over the past two weeks. He’s still not playing a ton of snaps (16, 40, and 20 since the Week 8 bye) but the targets behind Terry McLaurin remain an open competition.
Malcolm Perry (Mia) — With Preston Williams missing time due to a knee injury, Perry has been active. The 7th-rounder now has 5 catches on 7 targets for 44 yards (and 1 rush for 6 yards) over the last two weeks. He’s still playing behind Jakeem Grant, but he’s doing something with his limited opportunity.
Antonio Callaway (Mia) — It’s not just Malcolm Perry who has benefitted from the Preston Williams injury, but a blast-from-the-past is getting his shot as well. Callaway flashed an impressive-yet-inconsistent skill set with Cleveland before 2 suspensions and a knee injury sent him to football obscurity. The former 4th-rounder caught his lone target for 13 yards in Week 11.
James Proche (Bal) — Throughout his prolific career at SMU, Proche proved to be excellent at contested catches, producing 111 grabs as a senior. The Ravens traded up in the 6th round to snag him in the draft and have been using him mostly as a punt returner. However, he did log his first catch in Week 11 for 14 yards.
Tyron Johnson (LAC) — This dude can straight up fly. Johnson has just 3 catches on the season, but they’ve gone for 53, 50, and 54 yards. Justin Herbert has routinely displayed a beautiful deep ball, and they take shots like this each week (with either Johnson or Jalen Guyton). Besides being a weekly DFS dart throw, Johnson may earn a larger role if he keeps hauling these bombs in.
Christian Blake (Atl) — After barely playing for much of the season, Blake now has at least 2 catches in three straight games, including targets of 2, 3, and 4 respectively. It’s not much, but with Julio Jones failing to stay healthy and not much behind Calvin Ridley, Blake is worth keeping an eye on.
Tight Ends
Chris Herndon (NYJ) — After starting the season with 16 targets in his first three games, Herndon disappeared, catching just 3 passes since then. Coming out of the Week 10 bye, Herndon unhinged his coffin and caught 2 of his 3 targets for 13 yards and a TD. Perhaps the Jets used the bye to reinstall Herndon into the offense. But it also may be just a reminder that Herndon could be useful for the next Jets head coach.
Jake Sternberger (GB) — Sternberger caught all 3 of his targets for 23 yards in Week 11. Often it takes a few years for a TE to fully develop in the NFL, and this is effectively his first season (the 2019 3rd-rounder missed most of his rookie season with an ankle injury before returning late and catching a TD in the NFC Championship game).
Jordan Akins (Hou) — Usually good for 2-3 catches per game, Akins was targeted 6 times in Week 11, catching 5/83. Akins also had a 7-catch game back in Week 2. With Houston involving three tight ends, Akins is hard to rely on in redraft but he’s the favorite should any TE eventually pull away from the pack and become a consistent piece of the offense.
