It’s been a rough start to Keaton Mitchell’s career. Yet, it speaks volumes about his talent that he’s still seen as a worthy piece of the Ravens roster despite his UDFA status and amidst all the injuries. Mitchell has flashed enough talent to make us believe he could be a useful fantasy RB3 if he found himself in the Justice Hill role. At this point, it’s far too early to predict that he will overtake Hill for the passing down back role behind Derrick Henry in 2025. However, the potential is there. When stashing players, that’s all we can ask for.
The fourth-rounder did absolutely nothing in his rookie season, but was also behind Saquon Barkley and Kenneth Gainwell. Shipley ending up as a player worthy of being on fantasy rosters following a nothing rookie season wouldn’t be unprecedented. Particularly at the running back position, we’ve seen players barely play as rookies and then end up having roles in year two or three. Obviously, Shipley has no chance at fantasy value while Barkley is around. However, Gainwell is an unrestricted free agent in 2025. If the Eagles let him walk, Shipley could enter 2025 as the primary backup to Barkley, putting him one injury away from fantasy relevance.
The Jets are a disaster of a franchise and years away from competing. Yet, they managed to draft two capable running backs after already possessing Breece Hall, one of the most talented backs in the league. Hall isn’t going anywhere. That means you probably need to sit on Isaiah Davis for at least another year to get any value out of him. But in dynasty, we must focus on talent. Davis was able to get on the field regularly while playing alongside Hall and Braelon Allen. That’s something 2023 fifth-rounder Israel Abanikanda couldn’t do, which speaks to Davis’ talent. Throw him on the end of your bench and see what happens in 2025.
After one year, Malik Washington has already proven to be more productive than a typical sixth-round wide receiver. He only caught 22 passes for 175 yards as a rookie, but showed promise over the final month of the season, primarily with Jaylen Waddle missing time with a knee injury. Tyreek Hill will be 31 years old in 2025. There’s a chance this is the year he falls off. There’s a chance the Dolphins trade him. Even if he’s back and fully healthy along with Waddle, Washington still has value in dynasty leagues as the Dolphins presumptive WR3.
This was a pretty strong sixth round, all things considered. Jordan Whittington wasn’t even a lock to make the Rams roster when he was drafted. Not only did he make the team, he was a weekly fantasy starter for a stretch of time when both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp were out. In Weeks 4 and 5, Whittington posted games of 12.2 and 15.9 fantasy points. He saw 18 targets over those two weeks, catching a total of 13 passes for 151 yards. The Rams lack a clear WR3 behind Nacua and Kupp. Additionally, Kupp will be 32 years old next year. At the very least, Whittington is worth a spot on fantasy benches.
We can’t apply typical progression to John Metchie III. After all, he lost his entire first year in the NFL due to a bout with leukemia that, thankfully, he won. It’s incredible that Metchie is even a capable NFL player, let alone someone we should consider in fantasy. Consider the state of the Texans WR corps. Nico Collins is locked in as the alpha WR1. But what’s behind him? Stefon Diggs will turn 32 years old next season and is coming off a torn ACL. Tank Dell may legitimately never play football again. Obviously, Metchie hasn’t done much in his young career. If he did, he would be on more dynasty rosters. However, he did flash some upside. In Week 10, Metchie caught five passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. In Week 17, the game after Dell destroyed his knee, Metchie caught five passes for 48 yards. There’s a world where Metchie has a strong offseason and enters the 2025 season as the Texans WR2.
Perhaps Jalen Coker is a bit too good to be a dynasty stash. If so, forgive me. Nevertheless, we’re talking about a UDFA from an FCS school. Coker isn’t exactly the type of wide receiver who often sees success at the NFL level. With 416 yards through Week 17, it’s unlikely Coker reached 525 receiving yards as a rookie. However, since he was a UDFA, the failure to reach that threshold isn’t really a death sentence. Coker showed enough that it wouldn’t be a total surprise if he was the Panthers WR1 next season. At the bare minimum, he’s a better player than Xavier Legette.
Oct 27, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans tight end Cade Stover (87) makes a reception during the game against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Not every tight end is Sam LaPorta or Brock Bowers. Historically, it takes these players a couple of years to emerge into productive NFL players. Look at Trey McBride, and he was the TE1 of the 2022 class. The Texans did not select Cade Stover until the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. As a Day 3 pick, of course, the most likely outcome is he never matters. But isn’t that the case with all of the players on this list? They are merely stashes for a reason. Stover is a good athlete who managed 36 and 41 receptions in his final two seasons at Ohio State while playing alongside a bunch of future NFL wide receivers. He managed 15 receptions for 133 yards and one touchdown as a rookie. If the Texans decide to move on from Dalton Schultz, Stover could get an opportunity to be the team’s primary tight end in 2025.
