Welcome back to the “Fantasy Stock Up, Stock Down” series (offseason edition). Us Dynasty Managers need to be constantly researching ways we can bolster our rosters. Do you need advice on who to trade for? Maybe you’re looking for players to trade away. Do you have enough young talent to ensure your roster is set for years to come? Maybe you’re going all in and need a couple of pieces to sharpen your team. During this series, we dive deep into one player whose dynasty stock is increasing and one player whose dynasty stock is decreasing. As always, we will break down each NFL team one by one. Today is all about the New Orleans Saints.
STOCK UP – ADAM TRAUTMAN
| Year | Team | Games Played | Targets | Receptions | Yards | Yards/Catch | TDs |
| 2020 | NO | 15 | 16 | 15 | 171 | 11.4 | 1 |
| 2021 | NO | 13 | 43 | 27 | 263 | 9.7 | 2 |
It takes tight ends a while to adjust to the NFL game. Most excel as run-blockers before they see substantial growth in production as pass-catchers. For instance, Dalton Schultz didn’t surpass 600 receiving yards in a season until his third year in the league (2020), and he countered that with a TE3 finish last season (fourth year) in PPR formats. Dawson Knox is another prime example here. During his first two seasons in the league, he never topped 400 receiving yards, 30 receptions, or three receiving touchdowns. His best finish was as the TE32 before last season’s TE11 finish. Those are just a few examples, but the point is that you shouldn’t give up on Trautman just yet. He’s entering his third season as a pro with a better supporting cast surrounding him and a quarterback he’s somewhat familiar with.
If you think about it, Trautman has already caught passes from five different quarterbacks. He had the privilege to start his career hauling in passes from Drew Brees. Last season alone, four different signal-callers started a game for New Orleans – James Winston (7), Taysom Hill (5), Trevor Siemian (4), and Ian Book (1). You could say he’s most familiar with Winston, as he hauled in 25 of his 27 receptions during the first seven games of the season when Winston was healthy. During those seven games, Trautman was the fourth-leading receiver with 241 receiving yards, but the three ahead of him weren’t far ahead. Alvin Kamara (256), Deonte Harris (271), and Marquez Callaway (284) slightly outproduced him during those seven games with Winston under center.
The offense is going to look a lot different in 2022 with Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Chris Olave hauling in passes from Winston now. Those three should diminish Callaway’s and Harris’ production, but they could benefit Trautman’s. Less focus will be on the third-year pro. On top of that, he’s already developed chemistry with Winston. Thomas is somewhat familiar, but both Landry and Olave have yet to haul in a single pass from him on the big stage. Also, take a look at the other tight ends on this roster. Outside of a 31-year-old multi-position player in Hill, no one else poses a threat to Trautman, especially long-term. Nick Vannett, Lucas Kroll, J.P. Holtz, and Kahale Warring round out the rest of the group. Trautman has two years left on his rookie deal, chemistry with Winston, and an opportunity to flourish as one of the young, long-term pieces in New Orleans’ new regime.
Other Notables: Jameis Winston, Michael Thomas
STOCK DOWN – MARQUEZ CALLAWAY
| Year | Team | Games Played | Targets | Receptions | Yards | Yards/Catch | TDs |
| 2020 | NO | 11 | 27 | 21 | 213 | 10.1 | 0 |
| 2021 | NO | 17 | 84 | 46 | 698 | 15.2 | 6 |
As mentioned above, Callaway should be negatively affected by the additions of Landry and Olave. On top of that, Thomas is returning to the team after missing the entire 2021 season. Going into the 2022 season, Callaway is projected as the team’s WR4. He’s only 24 years old, but he’s a former undrafted player who’s going into his final season under contract. He showed spurts of fantasy relevance as the team’s WR1 last season, but he didn’t do enough to warrant a long-term spot on this team. The two-year pro finished the 2021 season with the 13th-lowest catch percentage in the entire league (54.8%).
Callaway ended the 2021 season as the WR43, but he only averaged 8.9 PPR points per game. Here at DFF, we have ranked as our WR84 in SF/TEP formats. Landry (WR78), Thomas (WR37), and Olave (WR28) are clearly more valuable at this point. If you have any Callaway shares, the best thing that could happen is that he finds himself on a different team next year with a bigger role. Even that is far-fetched, given the fact that so much talent is added at wide receiver every year from the draft. There shouldn’t be a team that signs Callaway to become their WR3 or better in the future. He’s a fine player, but he’s not worth rostering at this point. Maybe you can get someone to bite if you throw them a measly offer. Fingers crossed.
Other Notables: Tre’Quan Smith, Taysom Hill
Teams Broken Down Already: Bears, Bengals, Bills, Broncos, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Chargers, Chiefs, Colts, Cowboys, Dolphins, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Giants, Jaguars, Jets, Lions, Packers, Panthers, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, Ravens
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