Fantasy Football Stashes: DeMario Douglas, Adonai Mitchell, Cade Otton, Xavier Legette

As we head toward redraft fantasy football season it’s time to start mock drafting. If you’re not already using the FREE FantasyPros mock draft simulator then take this as your sign to start. In fantasy football mock drafts, you can often try different strategies and see who falls where. I love seeing who’s left at the end of my draft. Here are some players I’m targeting in fantasy football leagues I can stash on my bench in case they blow up early in the year. Here are top fantasy football bench stashes and players to consider adding as waiver wire pickups after your draft.

Redraft League Stashes

DeMario Douglas (WR – NE)

The Patriots are a mess this year, there’s no other way to put it. They are leaning hard into rebuild mode and their roster shows it. Rookie QB Drake Maye will be looking for someone to lean on, and I think that’ll be DeMario Douglas in 2024. Along with Maye, the team took two receivers in April’s rookie draft: Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. However, as the Patriots themselves have seen in recent years, rookie receivers are far from sure things. Douglas’ ECR of WR64 is the highest of the Patriots’ receivers, but it’s far from your starting lineup. That being said, he could end up being the No. 1 WR on his team and crack your Flex spots in some weeks, making him worth stashing.

Adonai Mitchell (WR – IND)

As previously stated, rookie receivers are far from sure things. However, getting snaps early in the season with a second-year quarterback isn’t a bad place to be. Colts WR Josh Downs could miss the first few weeks of the year, opening the door for rookie Adonai Mitchell to make a name for himself. QB Anthony Richardson will probably have a chip on his shoulder and fellow WR Michael Pittman should warrant plenty of defensive attention.

There’s a chance Mitchell outperforms his ECR of WR71. If nothing else, you should know what you have within the first few weeks. Meaning if he doesn’t put up numbers you can drop him for someone else. Either way, he’s worth a stash as we open the season. Sometimes that alone can be valuable as you decide who to select in the later rounds.

Xavier Legette (WR – CAR)

The last rookie on my list, and teammate to Sanders, is currently ranked at WR74 in ECR. Xavier Legette was a second-round draft pick and was expected to see the field early and often for the Panthers. He’s playing alongside veterans like Adam Thielen and Diontae Johnson, both of whom are very likely to miss some time. QB Bryce Young should be better than last year, too, or at least that’s the hope. All of this makes me very excited to see if Legette can be the team’s top wideout or not. Much like Mitchell, I love taking players like this with my last pick in redraft leagues. Low risk, high reward.

Cade Otton (TE – TB)

Tight end may be deeper than ever this year, letting a lot of fantasy managers wait at the position. I know in some leagues I even take two players past the top 12 at their position. This is right where Cade Otton fits in. I have no problem adding Otton, who is the TE20 in ECR, as my TE2 on deeper teams. He’s ranked right behind others like Tyler Conklin and Hunter Henry, but I believe he’s got way more top-12 upside than them. If you miss out on drafting one of the big boys, don’t worry, guys like Otton later on can help put your mind at ease.

NFL DeMario Douglas Drake Maye Ja’Lynn Polk Javon Baker Adonai Mitchell Josh Downs Anthony Richardson Michael Pittman Xavier Legette Adam Thielen Diontae Johnson Bryce Young Cade Otton Tyler Conklin Hunter Henry