10 great players to stash in your fantasy football keeper league

Your season may be over, but your work is not — who should you grab now to pay off big time dividends for 2018?

It’s fantasy football Super Bowl week, and that means most teams are eliminated and getting ready for a long eight months without fantasy football. But the job is not done! If you’re in a keeper league, this might be your last chance to get your roster set before the offseason.

Flush all the dead weight off of your roster — no need for a kicker or defense, and don’t bother keeping around handcuffs or old guys you’ll never keep. Instead, fill your roster with high potential upside. Load up on guys that could bust out if things break right this offseason with a key trade or injury or a big finish the next few weeks.

We’re not here to tell you to pick up the obvious injured guys. David Johnson, Odell Beckham, Deshaun Watson and Carson Wentz … those guys are all obviously great and are surely all on rosters in any respectable league. But don’t forget about some of the other injured names. Dalvin Cook is just as must-own as those guys. Andrew Luck is worth a stash. Julian Edelman should be owned in PPR leagues. Allen Robinson is a high-upside free agent. Jordan Reed and Tyler Eifert might be free agents in your tight end pool. Chris Carson is gone but not forgotten in Seattle.

But most of those names are probably owned in your league too. So let’s dig a little deeper and find ten names you’ll want to stash as we head into the fantasy football offseason.…

Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers

Handsome Jimmy is definitely the quarterback you want to stash, if he’s still available. Garoppolo is about to get paid this summer, and you have to believe San Francisco will keep him around. He’s won each of his three starts for the 49ers and thrown for over 1000 yards in them, and remember this is a guy that’s had like a month to learn Kyle Shanahan’s complicated offense. Matt Schaub led the NFL in passing yards in year two with Shanahan. Matt Ryan was the MVP in year two with an all-time season. Jimmy G is next year’s potential breakout quarterback.

Here are nine other QBs you might consider stashing…

Matt Breida, 49ers

While we’re here, go ahead and stash any and all parts of the 49ers offense starting with Garoppolo and Breida. Breida has more than a hundred touches as an undrafted free agent, and Carlos Hyde will be a free agent and doesn’t look like he’ll be back. Breida could get the first crack at the job, and Shanahan’s offense has turned guys like Alfred Morris and Devonta Freeman into fantasy stars. Rookie Joe Williams is a deeper stash, and receivers like Marquise Goodwin and Trent Taylor are worth owning too.

Marlon Mack, Colts

Mack might be my favorite guy on the list. The ageless Frank Gore has to run out of steam at some point, and the Colts should get a fresh start next year with Andrew Luck healthy (fingers crossed) and a new coaching staff. Mack has looked awesome this year but can’t seem to get touches. He’s had eight 20-yard plays in under a hundred touches, and his blazing speed makes him a touchdown threat every time he touches the ball.

Duke Johnson, Browns

As bad as the 0–14 Browns have been, Duke Johnson has been awesome. He’s matched his career-high 61 receptions and leads Cleveland with six touchdowns. And he’s done that despite sharing the backfield with Isaiah Crowell and playing without a real quarterback and with a banged up offensive line missing Hall of Fame lock Joe Thomas. Crowell is a free agent, so eliminate him from the picture, improve the line and the offense (it can hardly get worse), and Johnson could bust out. If he doubles his touches next year from 133 to 266, he would be on pace for a 1700-yard, 12-TD season.

Mike Gillislee, Patriots

Yes, Patriots. Yes, Mike Gillislee. The same Mike Gillislee that hasn’t even seen the field since October. Gillislee looked like one of the steals of the fantasy season when he found the end zone four times the first two games, but he didn’t catch a pass all season and fell out of the rushing rotation in favor of more rounded backs. Rex Burkhead, Dion Lewis, and Brandon Bolden are all free agents. Burkhead is hurt too, so Gillislee may get a chance to prove his mettle over the next few weeks. Wouldn’t be the first time someone has fallen out of favor with Bill Belichick but come back around later.

Here are some other RBs you need to keep your eye on…

Martavis Bryant, Steelers?

No one has ever questioned Martavis Bryant’s talent, but it’s the drops and the off field stuff that makes him so maddeningly inconsistent. The Antonio Brown injury means Bryant is sure to see the field a lot the next few weeks as the Steelers give their star a rest but still need production to make the playoffs. This could be the perfect chance for him to get back into the rotation or showcase himself for another team if Pittsburgh decides to move on. Bryant has scored 18 touchdowns on just 130 career touches, so there’s no questioning the talent if he can sort everything else out.

Corey Davis, Titans

Davis was the guy that never broke out this year for a Titans team that’s never quite pulled things together. Davis was the top receiver in the draft and was supposed to be Marcus Mariota’s go-to target, but he has just 28 catches on the season and has yet to find the end zone or flash the explosiveness he was drafted for. He’s also played much of the year injured. The path to becoming Tennessee’s WR1 is only Eric Decker and Rishard Matthews, and Decker is a free agent who probably won’t be back. With a whole offseason to mesh with Mariota, next year could be Davis’s big breakout campaign.

Terrelle Pryor, TBD

Remember him? Pryor was everyone’s favorite sleeper this year, but he never really clicked in Washington and surely won’t be back after signing a one-year make-good deal that he didn’t make good. But don’t forget that Pryor had a thousand yards just a year ago for the Browns in his first year as a receiver. If he finds the right team this offseason, he could be a WR1 and put himself right back into the top 15 breakout conversation for 2018.

Dede Westbrook, Jaguars

Does anyone know what to make of the Jags receivers at this point? Allen Robinson missed the entire season. Marqise Lee had some big games and looks like the WR1, but he and Robinson will be free agents. Rookie Keelan Cole has come on, and unknown Jaydon Mickens randomly had two TDs this week after entering the game with one catch in his career. But Dede Westbrook might be the guy to stash. Westbrook was one of the most talented receivers in the draft but slid due to off-field character issues. He’s taken a big number of Jacksonville targets down the stretch and looks worth hanging onto — especially if he gets a real quarterback next year.

Here are a bunch of other WRs you might want to consider rostering…

Trey Burton, Eagles?

If you’re looking for one long shot tight end that could break out, you might think about Trey Burton. Burton is a converted receiver who has become a big target for the Eagles, with five touchdowns on 22 catches this season. When Zach Ertz missed time this season, Burton filled in seamlessly with a couple big games and flashed big potential as a slot receiver that can make the play in the end zone. Burton is a free agent, so he could be the guy a team signs looking to add a bigger offensive emphasis at tight end, or he could stay in Philly and be valuable there too.

Here are a few other tight ends you might want to stash away…

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