Dynasty Fantasy Football – Taxi Squad Players to Stash
Taxi squads are a staple of traditional dynasty fantasy football leagues. While taxi squads are optional, if you do have a dynasty squad, it’s very likely that you have a taxi. Or at the very least, you’ve heard of them before.
In short, the taxi squad allows you to stash players on your team while they develop. Additionally, in most formats, you cannot move a taxied player to your active roster without paying an extra fare. So, it’s important to identify who has the potential to make a leap down the road. Needless to say, if a taxi player hits immediately, you’ve got a free ride to fantastic value.
Overall, the limitations of a taxi squad are also part of the strategy when trying to populate it. Rules often limit the pool to younger players, typically just rookies and players headed into their second year. However, it is important to know your league’s settings to take full advantage of the taxi. On Sleeper, you can set your taxi squad to anyone from rookies to third-year NFL players.
With all of this in mind, here are some of my favorite rookies at each position to stash on your taxi squads in dynasty leagues for 2023.
Quarterbacks
Stetson Bennett, Los Angeles Rams
Stetson Bennett is a Georgia boy, through and through. He was born in Atlanta, graduated in Blackshear, and won back-to-back National Championships in Athens. But at just 5’11” and 190 pounds, he was overlooked in the 2023 NFL Draft. Now, the fourth-round pick is “turning heads” at the Rams minicamp according to the local beat.
Personally, I’m happy to stash Bennett given his plus athleticism and history of winning. Additionally, if Stafford again misses time with injury or contemplates retirement sooner rather than later, Bennett could quickly become the quarterback of the future in Los Angeles.
Clayton Tune, Arizona Cardinals
If Anthony Richardson hadn’t been the most athletic quarterback of all time at the NFL Combine, we’d be talking much more about Clayton Tune. Out of the University of Houston, Tune’s NFL Combine testing rivals Richardson’s. As much as anyone can, that is.
Furthermore, his college production has been just as impressive. Though the level of competition he’s faced is in question, his talent is not. Tune has the potential to challenge the perennially-mediocre Colt McCoy for immediate work if Kyler Murray needs more recovery time. And, he could turn some heads if he can manage to get on the field.
Running Backs
Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
Selected in the fifth round this year, Chase Brown was a popular late-round rookie pick post-NFL Draft. His talent and collegiate production are hard to dispute, but I’m more interested in stashing him based on his situation. Joe Mixon’s metrics are mediocre when compared to the rest of the league’s backs. However, his production for fantasy football purposes has been near-elite. Overall, Brown can win a chunk of the Bengals’ backfield work from the jump, especially if Mixon is cut or suspended.
Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I love Sean Tucker as a nearly-free stash in dynasty leagues. He’s gone to a backfield devoid of talent behind presumed workhorse Rachaad White. Surprisingly, due to health concerns, he went undrafted in April. However, the Buccaneers pounced on the highly-regarded back out of Syracuse, signing him quickly post-draft. Undoubtedly, he is a risk due to his lack of draft capital and health, but he could be a steal as a taxi squad stash.
Wide Receivers
Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns
The risk here is problematic with Tillman for a number of reasons. As a third-round selection at wide receiver, he doesn’t have elite draft capital. He came from a very friendly, scheme-dependant offense in Tennessee.
Additionally, he only played six games for the Volunteers last season. However, he wasn’t even close to keeping pace with teammate Jalin Hyatt’s per-game averages. On top of that, the wideout room in Cleveland is suddenly fairly crowded. However, I’m still a believer in Deshaun Watson, and Tillman could earn a starting role on the outside next season if the Browns move on from Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Nathanial “Tank” Dell, Houston Texans
At 5’10 and 165 pounds, Nathanial “Tank” Dell is anything but a tank. He ran a wildly underwhelming 4.49-second 40-yard dash at this year’s NFL Combine. Still, Dell went in the early third round, ahead of Tillman and plenty of others.
Furthermore, his tape is outstanding. On top of that, his insane 109-1,398-17 Senior year stat line backs up his claim to being one of the most talented wide receivers in this year’s draft class. It’s unlikely he becomes fantasy-relevant at the next level, but I’ll take the chance. In the end, stashing a player with this much talent and opportunity on the lowly Texans is a bet I’m willing to make.
Tight Ends
Luke Schoonmaker, Dallas Cowboys
I’ve liked what I’ve seen out of Dallas’s second-year tight end and presumed starter Jake Ferguson. However, Ferguson holds just mid-fourth round draft capital, so there is certainly an opportunity for the incoming tight end.
Schoonmaker was taken in the second round this April. This indicates that the Cowboys may value him as a cornerstone prospect over Ferguson. Additionally, Schoonmaker is an athletic freak at the position. Only Zach Kuntz and Darnell Washington posted a higher Relative Athletic Score for tight ends at the combine, so the Michigan product is well worth a stash.
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars
Another worthy stash is Brenton Strange, who finds himself in an excellent situation… In 2024. This year, incumbent breakout Evan Engram stands in his way. There is also a world where both Engram and Calvin Ridley aren’t on the team next year. Though that seems doubtful, the Jaguars moving on from Engram is possible after he inked a one-year deal this offseason.
Furthermore, second-round draft capital says that it won’t be crazy to see Strange take over as a full-time starter sooner rather than later. Even as the potential fourth option in the passing game, there’s room for him to grow in year two and dominate opportunities beyond 2024.
I have some of the players listed above stashed across my personal dynasty fantasy football leagues. However, the depth of your benches and league will depend on who’s available. If you see any of these rookies on your waiver wire, be sure to scoop them up before your league-mates do.
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