Football is a violent, unpredictable sport where anything can happen. Injuries can derail a player’s season and dash any hopes you may have had for your fantasy football squad. The best way to protect yourself is always to have a plan B. That can be through acquiring your rostered players’ “handcuff” or backup or having deep stashes on your bench in an emergency.
Heading into Week 1, three WRs and two TEs are likely floating around on your waiver wire that could keep your benches deep and your playoff runs even deeper.
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WR & TE Handcuffs & Stashes (2023 Fantasy Football)
Josh Downs (WR – IND)
Sure, the situation in Indianapolis isn’t ideal. The team is sporting a new head coach and a rookie QB, and their eccentric owner is at war with their star RB, Jonathan Taylor. The instability and newness of the Colts’ offense have scared many fantasy football managers away from rostering anything related to this team. However, rookie WR Josh Downs has some potential to be a key piece of your roster at a very reasonable price.
While it’s true Downs will start 2023 buried behind WRs Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce, that won’t be the case as the season heats up. The Colts currently have four WRs on their depth chart, with veteran journeyman Isaiah McKenzie rounding out the room. Furthermore, second-year TE Jelani Woods is starting the season on IR. Given the lack of depth at every position, Downs should figure to get going in the Indy offense quickly. In his senior season at North Carolina, Downs caught 81 percent of his targets, which is impressive at any level.
If you want an inexpensive WR that has a path to significant volume, Downs is your ticket. Of course, he is far from a sure thing in 2023, but at his current cost of WR88, you can afford to stash him in your deeper leagues and see what happens.
Braxton Berrios (WR – MIA)
We all wanted Braxton Berrios to carve out a more significant role in New York last season. The talent is undeniable, and for those who stashed him deep on our fantasy football rosters, it would have been the ultimate vindication. However, it wasn’t meant to be, as the Jets fumbled through the 2022 season with atrocious QB play and finished at the bottom of the AFC East.
With the massive changing of the guard in New York this season, Berrios has found himself with a new home in Miami. While his primary usage will be as a return specialist, he will also play a pivotal role as a depth piece for the Dolphins’ receiving corps. While he is likely to see up to two to three targets a game. However, should star WRs Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle miss time due to injury, the savvy veteran WR is next in line to see an increase in volume, even if it is only for a week or two.
Devin Duvernay (WR – BAL)
Ravens WR Devin Duvernay was a fantasy football savior at points in 2022. With a slew of injuries and bust-worthy weeks from stalwarts on our rosters, Duvernay turned in a handful of week-saving performances. It makes you believe his fantasy stock should be higher in 2023, especially with the addition of new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
It’s no secret that Monken is shifting the Baltimore offense from a run-heavy attack to a more balanced approach. In-kind, the team brought in veteran WR Odell Beckham Jr. and used a first-round draft pick to acquire rookie WR Zay Flowers. With incumbent WR Rashod Bateman back and healthy, Duvernay finds himself fourth on the team’s receiving corps depth chart.
While Duvernay won’t likely see an opportunity to be a featured receiver in the Ravens offense, there is still fantasy value to be had. Should one of Bateman, Beckham Jr. or Flowers get injured or drastically underperform, Duvernay will step into an immediate role. Given the injury histories of Bateman and Beckham Jr., there is a good chance that will happen.
Isaiah Likely (TE – BAL)
The hype for the new-look Ravens offense is real. Moving from a run-heavy approach to a hybrid of the vaunted Air Raid offense, fantasy managers want in on all the pass-catching talent in Baltimore. One of those players is second-year TE Isaiah Likely.
While there will be an increase in passing volume this season, the Ravens also loaded up on receiving talent this offseason, signing Beckham Jr. and veteran WR Nelson Agholor. There’s also the case of fellow TE Mark Andrews, the clear-cut TE1 in Baltimore when healthy. However, last season, Likely showed he had stand-alone value at times, exceeding 10 fantasy points three times.
If you’re an Andrews manager and he misses any time, Likely could have a TE1-tier ceiling in those weeks and keep you from disaster. In addition, with the new offensive scheme in Baltimore, he could become a regular target for Jackson throughout the season. Given that he is going largely undrafted, Likely is a steal for what his fantasy value could be by the end of the season.
Adam Trautman (TE – DEN)
The Denver Broncos are one of the most intriguing teams in the NFL heading into Week 1. New head coach Sean Payton has championed a culture shift in the Mile High City, and part of that has been bringing in familiar faces from his days in New Orleans. One of those faces is veteran TE Adam Trautman, who spent the first three seasons of his career with the Saints.
The Broncos are loaded at TE, and it’s assumed that second-year TE Greg Dulcich will be the team’s TE1. However, Trautman has familiarity with Payton’s offensive system and had his best season under Payton in 2021. Between Weeks 8 and 11 that season, he averaged 6.8 targets per game, culminating in a 16.8-point performance before getting injured and missing four of the final seven games.
It’s well-known that Payton likes to use TEs down the field, and he is a fan of Trautman. He is a reliable receiving option and an elite blocker, which will keep him on the field more often. While he isn’t likely to jump him on the depth chart, there are durability concerns with Dulcich, who missed seven games in his rookie campaign. If you are a Dulcich manager, you can grab Trautman off waivers as insurance. If you’re just looking for a deep bench stash with potential upside, he also fits the bill there.
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Nate Polvogt is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Nate, check out his archive and follow him @NatePolvogt.