Dynasty Fantasy Football Strategy Mailbag: Where To Value Chase Brown Long-Term
Dynasty

Dynasty Fantasy Football Strategy Mailbag: Where To Value Chase Brown Long-Term

Jake Trowbridge surveys the Fantasy Life Discord to field the biggest dynasty fantasy football strategy questions on managers' minds.

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Has your dynasty fantasy football league awoken after a quiet offseason? Hopefully you’ve been reading this column all along (stay ready so you don’t have to get ready and all that), but if this is your first time popping in, WELCOME!

And consider joining the Fantasy Life Community Discord so you can get your fantasy questions answered any time!

Let’s dive right in …

Dynasty Fantasy Football Strategy Mailbag - Aug 25th

Been working on a rebuild and wondering how you feel about buying any Year 2 players and where you rank them?

I’ve acquired sophomore players by the boatload this offseason. Here’s my list of second-year targets, ranked by priority:

  1. Emeka Egbuka - Could very well be the next Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
  2. Tyler Warren - Cheaper than his TE classmate (see below) with an even better opportunity to become the top target earner.
  3. Colston Loveland - The only piece of the Bears offense I really trust. But you’ll have to pay top dollar.
  4. Matthew Golden - Best hands in his class and should take a huge (Lambeau) leap in a more aggressive Packers passing attack.
  5. Woody Marks - Best pass-catching back from his class on a team that desperately needs to utilize him in that role.
  6. Tory Horton - More of a flier, but the dude flashed like a strobe light at a Moby concert in the few opportunities he got before his injury.

Which players do you feel you can still “buy low” on?

Most of the names listed above qualify, but the biggest opportunity remains getting in at the basement level on Garrett Wilson. I don’t know how many times I need to say/scream it, but the man is being treated like gum on a shoe when he should be valued like a golden watch. Send away any future 1st and enjoy the reward.

Where do you see Chase Brown's dynasty value? 

I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop with Chase Brown for a while now, but sometimes you just have to ride the wave. Do I think he’ll be the Bengals' lead back in two years? Probably not, but I said the same thing a couple of years ago.

It’s why I typically view the running back position through a redraft-centric lens in dynasty. Why pay up for Ashton Jeanty when I can get Brown for half that? I’d like to think Jeanty will blossom into a locked-in top-three running back, but the dynasty streets are littered with coulda-shoulda-wouldas at the position. Brown is a solid value.

At what point in a startup draft do you decide if you want to prioritize winning Year 1 vs Year 2 and 3? 

I’ve never once entered a startup draft thinking, “I’ll happily throw away my league fee this year for a better chance down the road.” Because so much can change in a year. Injuries happen. A LOT. Coaches and coordinators and offensive schemes change. Some rookie draft classes disappoint. Heck, sometimes dynasty leagues fizzle out after a few years (or less). 

Plus, the dirty little industry secret is that rusty old veterans are massively undervalued in most startups. Rather than using age as a tiebreaker, a lot of folks use it as their ONLY criteria. A few years ago, Mike Evans was being drafted well after Treylon Burks and Rashod Bateman, purely because of age.

Don’t get caught in that trap. Play to win now while keeping one eye on the future.

What are we doing with Brandon Aiyuk if you’re a contender? 

I’m doing my best Doctor Strange impersonation, but still can’t see even one version of the future that involves Aiyuk as a legitimate fantasy asset. He’s nearing the end of his prime and hasn’t played football in two years. He never looked like a true WR1 but clearly fancies himself as that type of player. Stefon Diggs took away his most reasonable landing spot.

You can hold out hope that Aiyuk will eventually sign SOMEWHERE (Vegas?), at which point he could net you a second-round rookie pick in a trade. But the clock’s ticking and those waiver darlings wait for no one.

I have an overload of TEs. Can I drop Oronde Gadsden or should I look for a trade partner?

I know the future looks hazy for Gadsden. The Chargers overhauled the offense with a new coordinator and two veteran additions at tight end. But I think we’re overreacting a bit here. As much as I’ve loved watching David Njoku play, it’s quite likely his best days are behind him. Charlie Kolar has spent four years in the league and tallied just 30 catches. 

Gadsden had an up-and-down rookie season (I believe partially due to the o-line shuffling), but there was plenty to like. I still see a bright future while he’s attached to Justin Herbert. 

If you had to draft the Fantasy Life staff for your dynasty team, who would you put at each position?

Look, I’m obviously putting Matthew Berry at quarterback (#CompanyMan). But after that, we’re gonna have to host tryouts. (Editor's note: WTF?!)

Players Mentioned in this Article

  1. Emeka Egbuka
    EmekaEgbukaQ
    WRTBTB
    PPG
    9.5
    Proj
    182.7
  2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba
    JaxonSmith-Njigba
    WRSEASEA
    PPG
    16.8
    Proj
    255.8
  3. Tyler Warren
    TylerWarren
    TEINDIND
    PPG
    8.7
    Proj
    155.8
  4. ColstonLoveland
    TECHICHI
    PPG
    9.0
    Proj
    176.9

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