Welcome back for this week’s edition of The Wire as we prepare for our Week 3 matchups. In this article series, I will review three to five players each week that you should target on the waiver wire for your Dynasty teams. To keep the information in this series consistent, I will only refer to players with an ownership percentage of less than 50%, according to Sleeper Dynasty leagues. I’ll do my best to provide you with players that have a more long-term upside rather than a one-week ceiling, seeing that this is a Dynasty series and not Redraft. So sit back, relax, and let me find you some diamonds in the rough!
Durham Smythe | TE | Miami Dolphins
33% Rostered
Durham Smythe may not be a name you would even recognize before this year, but the Notre Dame alum is already in his sixth season. Smythe was in the same draft class as former Miami teammate Mike Gesicki, who went two rounds ahead of him in the 2018 NFL Draft. Smythe had to sit behind Gesicki for the first five seasons of his career, but with Gesicki signing with New England this offseason, Smythe has finally found himself in a starting role for the Dolphins.
While Smythe hasn’t shown anything to excite you to start him on your fantasy team, there are some promising underlying numbers here. Smythe has compiled ten targets and six receptions through the first two contests for 67 total yards, but what stands out here is the snap percentage and route participation. Smythe played 100% of the snaps in Week 1, followed by 97% in Week 2.
He’s locked in as the TE1 for Miami, with no serious competition below him. We know Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will receive the lion’s share of the targets in this offense, but at least Smythe is running every route with them. That’s half the battle. Hell, he’s running more routes and has scored more fantasy points than Kyle Pitts thus far.
Salvon Ahmed | RB | Miami Dolphins
31% Rostered
I have another Dolphins player for you all, and this one appears to be more than just a handcuff RB, provided he’s healthy. Salvon Ahmed saw his role expand versus New England on Sunday night, finishing with 24 rush yards on six attempts (4.0 YPA) and three receptions for 28 yards on six total targets in just one half of play. Unfortunately, Ahmed suffered a groin injury in the second quarter, so his status for Week 3 and beyond is unknown. After leaving for the locker room, Ahmed was seen on the sidelines with a heating pad and helmet in hand, which is promising.
If Ahmed were to miss any time, Devon Achane would likely be thrust into that RB2 role for Miami. If this were to occur and Achane shines as a backup, Ahmed could move down the depth chart, but he did look great in Week 2. He has blazing speed, as does Achane, and is a more than competent passing down back. In his career, Mostert has never been known as a pass catcher and finished with just one reception on one target in this contest, so he likely won’t be the 3rd down back for Miami this year. My money is on Salvon Ahmed, as he was heavily involved before the groin injury and was pacing for a really impressive statistical performance. And remember, Raheem Mostert is 31 with a long history of injuries. The RB1 role in Miami may be open for the taking at some point due to a Mostert injury.
The elephant in the room here is Jeff Wilson. The 5-year veteran appears to be rehabbing well and is expected to return by Week 5, despite some earlier reports that he may be done for the year. HC Mike McDaniel is very familiar with Wilson, working with him in San Francisco as the Run Game Coordinator and Offensive Coordinator from 2018-21. Miami traded for Wilson midseason last year, and Wilson split time with Mostert. If Wilson returns Week 5 and is 100%, Achane and Ahmed may have no role whatsoever. But, like Mostert, Wilson is an older back (27) with injury concerns and doesn’t catch the ball much. I think the passing down role is open in Miami regardless of Jeff Wilson, and it seems McDaniel prefers Ahmed over Achane there. In deeper leagues, I’m looking to add Ahmed and stash him on my bench while I monitor this Miami backfield weekly.
Kylen Granson | TE | Indianapolis Colts
26% Rostered
If you read last week’s article, you know I had Granson listed as a “must-add” prior to Week 2. Well, according to Sleeper, Granson went from just 22% to 26% ownership this past week. I see this number increasing weekly, at least until Jelani Woods returns from the IR. Granson continues to impress in Indianapolis, finishing with 10.6 PPR points in Week 2. While the volume wasn’t there per se (four targets, three receptions, 16 yards), Granson did catch a touchdown ball from QB Gardner Minshew right before the half, stretching for the pylon to put the Colts up three scores.
Granson also showed good rapport with rookie QB Anthony Richardson in Week 1, who left early due to a concussion this past Sunday. While Year 2 TE Jelani Woods did show some promise as a rookie, I don’t believe he’s done enough to assume the TE1 role in Indy as soon as he’s healthy. Granson has been reliable and continues to stay involved. His snap percentage jumped from 61% to 65% in Week 2, so hopefully, we will see that number continue to rise and production follows. With the tight end position being a wasteland in fantasy football, it doesn’t hurt to take a shot on a young TE like Granson. He’s free, and the ceiling is there for him to be a top 24 TE in the near future.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you got some valuable information you can use for your fantasy team! If you’d like additional insight into Dynasty Football news and analysis, please follow me on Twitter at @jim_DFF. Until next time, keep grinding out there, DFF family! #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
