Dynasty Fantasy Football Players to Stash Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft: Aidan O'Connell, Rico Dowdle, Dontayvion Wicks and Donald Parham Jr.

I'm sitting on these four players in dynasty leagues ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft and hoping they come out unscathed as we inch closer to the regular season.

What's the recipe for a dynasty stash? Inquiring fantasy football minds want to know!

A heaping helping of talent, three cups of coaching, a tablespoon of upside, and just a pinch of luck. What we can never fully evaluate is what's between the ears. How bad does a guy want it?

So what do we know? Our evaluations, the stats, and an ability to infer who has a clear path to playing time.

Ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, what can look like a wide-open door can slam shut with an untimely draft pick? Well, untimely for you. One man's opportunity is another man's trip to the bench, or worse, a release.

Today, we're looking at a dynasty stash at each key fantasy football position that will emerge unscathed from this week's draft. In case you missed it last week, I covered four dynasty players I'm avoiding ahead of the draft.

For this exercise, I won't highlight players within the top 30 at quarterback, top 50 at running back, top 60 at wide receiver or top 30 at tight end.

Aidan O'Connell, QB, Las Vegas Raiders

Your gut may tell you that Gardner Minshew is the safer choice, and that's valid. Minshew has consistently shown us that he is an NFL starting quarterback. 

The disconnect is that we don't need an NFL starting quarterback. We need points. Starting quarterbacks certainly score more than backups, but we need to hunt for the upside of more than the performances of middling starters like Minshew.

Between Minshew and O'Connell, the 25-year-old has more upside. This isn't a dynasty "win-now" article. It's a dynasty stash article. If you have or acquire O'Connell, he will be your QB3 at best. Let the young man marinade on the bench.

You may be concerned about the Raiders drafting a quarterback. That's also valid. The margin is razor-thin for quarterbacks, who are the haves and the have-nots in the NFL. 

One minute, you're Russell Wilson, leading a franchise and sitting on potential millions and then you're not. Last year, maybe you were betting on Bailey Zappe and Sam Howell. A couple of years ago, maybe it was Drew Lock. You shoot your shot. You win some, you lose some, and some get rained out.

The appeal to O'Connell is he played relatively well when given an opportunity last year. In his last four games, he passed for 853 yards, tossing eight TDs and no interceptions. 

Part of that strong finish is the team rallied around then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce in the second half of the season.

I'm willing to stash the Raiders' young quarterback, who can be had cheaply via trade. And if Vegas decides to draft a first-round quarterback, then those are the breaks.

Honorable QB mentions: Jake Haener, Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Tannehill

Rico Dowdle, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Most people believe the Cowboys will draft a running back this year. I wouldn't argue against it, but Dowdle would be the team's guy, even if they did. The locker room likes him. The coaches like him. Jerry Jones likes him. That counts for just as much as anything you might see on tape.

That's not to say the tape is bad. I'm just implying that the team has his back, and you shouldn't underestimate that. The tape says he has a nice burst and good footwork through traffic, and when he needs to open up the throttle, he has enough speed to have visible gears to gallop for big gains.

Most agree that this is an underwhelming draft class for running backs, and almost every team will have to stick with the one that brought you. Even if Dallas adds one of the top backs in this class, this offense is potent enough to deliver an RB2 (RB13-24) and a flex (RB25-36) for fantasy managers.

Honorable RB mentions: Tank Bigsby, J.K. Dobbins, Cam Akers

Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Green Bay Packers

If I remember my internet history correctly, there's a theory popularized on Reddit that says the 525 Rule can help you determine whether a rookie wide receiver will have a good career.

What is the 525 Rule? It says receivers who eclipse 525 yards in their rookie season have a very good chance of being good pros later in their careers. And players who fall below that threshold are less likely to develop into a valuable asset.

What does this have to do with Wicks? Well, in his rookie year, he hauled in 581 receiving yards. But let's not pop that champagne bottle just yet.

The Packers WR room is crowded. You could argue that Jayden Reed or Christian Watson is the top receiver, but I'd argue that Romeo Doubs is the No. 1. Most believe Wicks is closer to the No. 4 behind Reed and Watson.

This is all to say I don't believe in Watson. The days of the big-bodied X receiver are over unless you are freakishly talented with crazy hands and body control. Watson is not that full package and is too inconsistent. The subject of the death of the X is something I'll tackle in another article. 

Succinctly, when paired with another positive step in Jordan Love's progression and Wicks' ability as an underneath receiver with scrappy instincts, the second-year WR is a safe stash.

Honorable WR mentions: Michael Wilson, Demario Douglas, Quentin Johnston

Donald Parham Jr., TE, Los Angeles Chargers

There are a lot of displaced targets on the Chargers. It's been one of the bigger player turnovers in many years for this franchise. Between Keenan Allen (150), Austin Ekeler (74), Gerald Everett (70), Mike Williams (26) and other miscellaneous players no longer rostered, that's about 350 targets!

So the question is whether Parham will remain the No. 1 TE. Last year, Everett played about 50% of snaps, and Parham was around 40%. But we have a new head coach, new coaching staff, new coordinators, new waterboys, and new everything. 

Back when Jim Harbaugh was head coach of the 49ers, how did his top tight ends perform? This only tells us a little because he inherited Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker, who were already very good players. 

Did Harbaugh make them better? Maybe a little, but that was more of a result of the offense being more efficient. We don't know how good Parham will be, but we know the opportunities in this offense are wide open for him or others to capitalize upon.

Honorable TE mentions: Mike Gesicki, Jelani Woods, Tyler Higbee

 

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