Now that the playoffs have started, many of our dynasty teams have packed up shop, and even if we are still in the playoffs, part of our minds should be looking ahead to our 2015 offseason roster management and players who could gain value in the coming months by generating buzz and trying to work themselves into their team’s future plans. I’ll run down QBs and TEs this week, RBs next week, and WRs in Week 16. We’ll separate the prospects into three tiers for leagues of all size: Snorkel, Scuba, and Submarine. Players that went in early rounds of the most recent fantasy draft won’t be included as they are assumed to still be owned.
Quarterback
Honestly, the pickins are slim, and you shouldn’t care anyway. Quarterback is the most fungible position in fantasy football. It is approaching kicker status in terms of replaceability. I made the playoffs in one 14-team dynasty league with waiver wire quarterbacks.
Snorkel
None
Scuba
None
Submarine
EJ Manuel, BUF - Manuel has the dual threat fantasy upside, although he’s never been that natural as a runner. He might not get another shot with Buffalo, but if Chip Kelly style offenses start to proliferate in the NFL, he could get a look elsewhere, and it’s too early to completely give up on him.
Tom Savage HOU - Savage is an example of the size/arm strength fetish in the NFL. I don’t believe in his ability to overcome flaws he showed on tape at Pitt, and he doesn’t have a high fantasy ceiling, but we might see him get a look late this year, and he’ll have a theoretical shot to compete for the job next year.
Ryan Nassib NYG - Ever since Nassib plummeted after some sage draft minds had him in the first round (even the top 10), things have been quiet. He has at least developed enough for the Giants to hang onto him as their sole backup QB. The Ben McAdoo offense might be well-suited to his quick throw game from Syracuse, and Nassib could also be coveted by another team at the end of his rookie deal in 2016.
Tight end
Basketball converts are all the rage, and they should be. The basketball skillset has created some of the best receiving tight ends of all time.
Snorkel
Ladarius Green, SD - I know, I know after the hype coming into this year, he’s likely owned everywhere. Still, he might have been dropped without you noticing. Just double check that an impatient owner didn’t drop him.
Dion Sims, MIA - Sims has a huge frame, good hands, a basketball background, and the starter ahead of him is a free agent. He has middle class Dwayne Allen upside, and he’s in an offense that throws mostly close to the line of scrimmage.
Tim Wright, NE - Wright is a WR/TE tweener, and with a year in the Patriots system, he could play a bigger role next year. If you still buy the Rob Gronkowski is injury prone narrative, he has injury upside too.
Demetrius Harris, KC - Harris is another straight from basketball convert that earned the developmental attention of an NFL team on athletic upside alone. He ran a 4.52 with a 36.5” vertical at 6’5” 237. Kansas City isn’t an inspiring pass offense, but it is also one without any good long-term prospects outside of Travis Kelce.
Scuba
Erik Swoope, IND - A pure basketball convert from Miami, Swoope caught the Colts eye enough for them to sign him and put him on the practice squad. You have to love the idea of playing with Andrew Luck for fantasy. Yes, the Colts are set at tight end right now, but if Swoope can ball, he’ll carve out a spot in this offense. Watch the offseason news closely to see if he has accelerated his development.
Crockett Gillmore, BAL - Gillmore isn’t going to be a playmaker, but he’s in an offense that focuses on the tight end and doesn’t have a long-term option ahead of him. He’s a functional, competent receiver, and was Owen Daniels really more than that during his TE1 reign in Houston under Gary Kubiak? Like Daniels, Gillmore was a fourth-round pick.
Brandon Bostick, GB - This was the year for Bostick to emerge. The basketball convert had no real competition to start and a couple of time got on the field, but practice issues and injuries tripped him up all year and then landed him on IR. The window might be closed in this great pass offense, but Bostick still matches the profile of a good receiving tight end and he had a few moments in 2013 when he got on the field at the end of the year.
Submarine
Ryan Griffin, CJ Fiedorowicz, HOU - Garrett Graham is nothing special, so either one of these two could be bucking to start in 2015. Griffin is the better receiver, while Fiedorowicz is the better two-way player, and was chosen by this regime.
Josh Hill, NO - Hill is a pure receiving TE, a big target with good all-around athleticism. He is stuck behind Jimmy Graham in New Orleans, but his role could grow in time, and he’s also exactly the kind of player that another team might be scouting for a role in their offense a la New England and Tim Wright. He could get a bigger opportunity on his second team and flash in limited duty in New Orleans in the meantime.
Trey Burton, PHI - Burton is more of an H-back, but his speed and quickness combined with a strong receiving performance won him a roster spot in training camp. He’s on our radar partially because the Eagles offense can amplify production out of any players it puts in the spotlight.
