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
None of note.
Running Backs
Ty Johnson (NYJ) — Sure, it took for Frank Gore to get banged up to force Adam Gase to use Johnson, but we’ll take it. Johnson ran for 104 yards on 22 carries, and caught 3 passes for 13 yards.
Wide Receivers
Quintez Cephus (Det) — With the release of Marvin Hall, the Lions opened up more snaps for younger receivers like Cephus. The 5th-rounder ran 20 routes, catching 3 passes for 63 yards and a TD. He’s received at least 2 targets in five straight games, but last week’s usage and production was a noticeable bump.
Collin Johnson (Jax) — Even with D.J. Chark back in Week 13, Johnson’s role remained steady, catching 4-of-6 targets for 66 yards. He’s now seen 14 targets in his last two games, putting together some decent tape for the future GM to consider.
Donovan Peoples-Jones (Cle) — While spending most of his rookie season buried on the depth chart, Peoples-Jones found some snaps in Week 13 with KhaDarel Hodge inactive. DPJ turned his 3 targets into 2 catches for 92 yards and a TD. It’s the third time he’s seen at least 2 targets, and his 2nd TD of the year. Peoples-Jones is also active in the return game.
Cameron Batson (Ten) — Batson caught 3-of-3 targets for 14 yards and a TD. He also added 1 rushing attempt along with 83 yards returning kicks. He’s still just a gadget player for Tennessee, but he’s worth a look as a best ball option and possibly a player whose role will continue to evolve. He’s seen his role grow (albeit slightly) since Week 9. With Adam Humphries hitting the IR, we could be seeing more of Batson over the next few weeks.
KeeSean Johnson (Ari) — After popping on the fantasy radar in Week 3 with a 7-target game, Johnson had gone silent. But with Larry Fitzgerald out, the Cardinals are involving Johnson more. In Week 13, Johnson caught all 4 of his targets for 27 yards. It’s a brief glimpse into a post-Fitzgerald receiving corps.
Tight Ends
Cole Kmet (Chi) — Kmet has usurped veteran Jimmy Graham as the #1 TE in Chicago. Kmet was taken in the 2nd round and we’re starting to see the plan they had for him come to fruition. The rookie tight end turned 7 targets into 5 grabs for 37 yards and a TD.
Dan Arnold (Ari) — Arnold received a boatload of preseason hype (who doesn’t these days but when it’s for a tight end, we’ll take anything we can get), but had mostly been a non-factor. Over the past four weeks however, Arnold has 3 TDs on 12 targets, and hit a season-high of 61 yards in Week 13. Those looking to stash dynasty picks for next season should consider Arnold.
