Geoff Lambert gives his post-hype dynasty targets for 2019.
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Kenyan Drake (RB – MIA)
2018 Preseason Dynasty Rank: RB22/56th overall
In 2017, Drake shared a backfield with Damian Williams for most of the season, but a shoulder injury to Williams in Week 12 opened the door for Drake to step into a lead role — and he seized the opportunity. Over the last five weeks of the season, Drake was the RB8, averaging 17.7 FPG during that stretch and getting double-digit carries in every game.
It was those five games that had everyone excited about Drake coming into 2018 and he was being drafted as a solid RB2 with upside. Drake did, in fact, end up as an RB2, and all-in-all he had a pretty solid season. However, if you owned Drake in dynasty, you know it could have been so much better. After receiving double-digit carries in his final five games of 2017, Drake finished 2018 with a total of five such games, despite playing in all 16.
Now that former HC Adam Gase is gone from Miami, taking his puzzling use of RBs to New York, Drake owners hope he gets his shot to shine in 2019. If you can find an owner that was frustrated by Drake all season, you might be able to pry him away with a solid trade offer and reap the benefits of what could be his breakout season.
Mike Gesicki (TE – MIA)
2018 Preseason Dynasty Rank: TE16/147 overall
Dynasty owners always get so excited about their rookies and sometimes forget the learning curve that comes with going pro. Excluding the quarterback position, that learning curve is the steepest for tight ends. Rarely do we see a year-one TE make an impact in fantasy and sometimes it might take three years before you can reap the benefits.
Gesicki was no exception to this rule, in fact, one could argue he was downright terrible. He was likely drafted as the No. 1 or No. 2 TE in all rookie drafts, and some owners expected big things from him. However, he disappointed owners with a mere 22 catches for 202 yards and zero TDs. He finished the season as the TE49 with guys like Jason Croom and Luke Stocker getting more fantasy points on the season despite playing two fewer games.
His stock is as low as it will ever be, and now is the time to buy. Gesicki is an athletic freak, has some of the best hands at the position, and should have a better handle on the position coming into his second year. He is primed and ready for a much better 2019 season, and you can likely get him for pennies on the dollar.
Tyrell Williams (WR – LAC)
2018 Preseason Dynasty Rank: WR77/170 overall
If I told you that Williams was going to have 119 targets, 69 receptions for 1,059 yards and seven TDs, and you could get him on the cheap, you would make that trade, right? Well, those are his exact numbers from his 2016 season when he was the No. 1 WR in San Diego when Keenan Allen went down in the first game of the season. That is his potential — potential that he was unable to reach in an offense that included target monster Keenan Allen and a guy by the name of Melvin Gordon in the backfield.
Well, that is all about to change for him. Williams is about to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent and will be one of, if not the top WR in this year’s crop of free agents. Whether he goes to a team to be their No. 1 WR or if he goes to a team like the Colts where he would be the No. 2 option, they are both better situations then what he currently has in L.A. — splitting time and targets with fellow WR Mike Williams. With the uncertainty of where he will land, Willaims’ owners might be willing to part with him for less than his market value. It would be a risk to trade for him, but one that could pay off if he lands in the right situation.
Marqise Lee (WR – JAC)
2018 Preseason Dynasty Rank: WR97/226 overall**
Lee’s 2018 season ended before it even started. In fact, it ended so soon, I wasn’t able to find any rankings for him “pre-injury.” As with any player coming off a major injury, Lee will have plenty of questions marks: “Is he fully healthy?” or “Can he stay healthy for an entire season?” The biggest question, however, might be, “who will be his quarterback?”
Will the Jags go out and try to sign a guy like Nick Foles or Teddy Bridgewater, or maybe they draft a rookie like Dwayne Haskins or Kyler Murray? Whatever they decide to do, Blake Bortles is all but gone in Jacksonville and that is good news for Lee. Because Lee was injured so early last year, he has had plenty of time to fully recover from his injury and should be able to participate in all of the offseason activities, including OTAs and minicamps. This will give him time to build chemistry with whoever his QB ends up being.
Instead of trying to put him back on his active roster, the Lee owner in your league might be willing to trade away a guy that sat in his IR spot for all of 2018. If that’s the case, then I would be looking to buy low on Lee and hope that he can bounce back to what everyone thought he was going to be in 2018.
**Post-knee injury ranking
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