It’s Dynasty rookie draft season! The NFL draft is over, and for us dynasty players, we are either in or about to start our rookie drafts. A time filled with hope and excitement. It’s also a time when trades happen. Those trades include picks, stars, and should also include some throw-in pieces. Sometimes those thrown-in pieces end up being the best player when we look back. Let’s talk about who you can stash now on your dynasty team that can pay off down the road. These dynasty deep stashes are low-end players you can find on waivers or get added into as a throw-in on trades. Here are April’s dynasty deep stashes
April Dynasty Deep Stashes
Keaton Mitchell: Running back- Baltimore Ravens
I waited on putting Keaton Mitchell in one of these because I knew this would be a deep running back class. I was worried that the Baltimore Ravens would select a guy, making Mitchell on the roster bubble. The Ravens didn’t draft a running back, which is shocking considering how deep the class was and that the Ravens ended up making 11 selections over the three-day draft. That’s a sign that they are confident in who they have on the roster. We all know that Derrick Henry is the leader of that backfield. It will fall to Mitchell, Justice Hill, and Rasheen Ali to be the backup.
2024 was all Justice Hill, but that could be because Mitchell dealt with injuries, and Ali was ineffective. Henry is 31 years old and seems to be winning the battle against Father Time right now. It’s a battle he can’t win forever. Hill is currently 27 and has never seen more than 84 carries in a game. Hill was mainly the passing down back last year with 51 targets. I believe Mitchell will step into a role this year and could supplant Hill as the main backup and possibly the pass-catching role. In college, Mitchell caught 60 passes over his three years. It’s not his greatest strength, but he has the speed to be valuable in the passing game. The fact that he remains on the roster as an undrafted free agent tells you a ton.
After this season, Henry will be a free agent. It would be hard for the Ravens to give a 32-year-old running back the contract he deserves. Mitchell will be a restricted free agent, so a much cheaper option and allow the Ravens to spend elsewhere. We have yet to see what Mitchell can be for this offense. An offense that is run first and run often. Some might be leaning towards Ali as the back to own, but given the fact he was inactive for the playoff game as a coach’s decision, it makes me believe they have lost faith in him. Keaton Mitchell should be a nice throw-in piece this time of year if you are making trades during your rookie draft.
Hendon Hooker: Quarterback- Detroit Lions
There is currently a logjam at quarterback in the NFL. With careers lasting longer and longer, we aren’t seeing the job openings we used to. That makes stashing a quarterback hard. There are only a limited number of roster spots on your dynasty team, and you need to have an assortment of other players who get snaps to flex into your lineup. So why should you stash Hendon Hooker right now? Let’s break it down.
First Hooker was very good his last two years in college. He threw for a combined 58 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. Compare that with this year’s first pick, Cam Ward, who threw 64 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in his final two years, or Caleb Williams, who threw 72 and 10. So Hooker is not that far off. He had a rough start to his college career before transferring, but that is why he slid to the 3rd round of the 2023 NFL draft. That and a leg injury would hinder him in his rookie season. Hooker also has a rushing upside. He ran for 1046 yards on 270 attempts and 10 touchdowns in his final two seasons with Tennessee. Compare that to Jayden Daniels, who ran for 2019 yards on 321 attempts and 21 touchdowns. Hooker isn’t at that level but not too far off.
Now Hooker sits as the clear back up on the Detroit Lions behind Jared Goff. Goff has been on a crazy three-year no-missed-game streak. It’s almost unheard of for a quarterback at ages 28-30 not miss any time. I’m not calling for an injury to Goff and don’t want to see it, but the odds aren’t good. So Hooker could easily see some playing time. If he does, he steps into an offense loaded with weapons. I think any quarterback can put up decent numbers on that team. The Lions run the ball well. They have four receiving candidates who can take any pass to the house. They can beat you deep or short over the middle. Their O-line is solid and has a defense that can hold opponents to under 30 points, taking pressure off the quarterback.
Hooker is in a great situation. He will probably never be a starter in the league, but he can give you plenty of value when he does play. He will be a free agent after next season, and I expect another team to take a chance on him as their backup if the Lions let him go. In Superflex leagues, a quarterback who is going to start games can fetch a 3rd round pick from a needy team. Stashing that on your roster now saves you from trying to get it later.
Erick All: Tight End- Cincinnati Bengals
We all know that the Cincinnati Bengals are a high-powered passing offense. They have Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, and Ja’Marr Chase locked up for the foreseeable future. While that trio is exciting, we have seen the Bengals struggle to get someone else clicking in that passing attack. They have drafted players like Andrei Iosivas, who has played well and is a touchdown magnet, but not dominating for targets. Jermaine Burton can barely make it to practice, let alone the field. Charlie Jones seems to be on the roster bubble. They didn’t draft anyone this year. They did make a move in free agency to re-sign tight end Mike Gesicki to a three-year deal. He had one of his best years last season with the Bengals, and that may turn you off from Erick All, but I’m here to tell you to stash All now.
First, All is dealing with an ACL injury that will cost him all of 2025. So you can stash him in an IR spot. That’s almost like a free taxi squad spot. All was being worked into the offense early last season as a rookie. In the first nine games of the season, All saw 22 targets compared to Gesicki, who saw 36. Not bad for a rookie learning things at the NFL level. Injuries have always been an issue for All, dating back to college, but when healthy, he is a solid option.
Gesicki did sign a three-year deal this offseason, but there is an opt-out after this year that would only cost the Bengals $4 million in dead cap. Compare that to paying Gesicki over $7.5 million at age 31. Letting Gesicki go could be a way to save money while they still have All on his rookie contract. Gesicki finished 2024 with 83 targets. That’s good for the 12th most. Considering he was splitting time with All for half the season and is the third option on that team, those are amazing numbers. If you can get that from All in 2026 for free right now, you will be very happy. Let’s not forget that All was a 4th-round selection for the Bengals, not just some dart throw late in the draft.
Adonai Mitchell: Wide Receiver- Indianapolis Colts
It’s hard to be super excited about the Indianapolis Colts’ offense, let alone passing attack, right now. They have the worst quarterback competition in history with Anthony Richardson battling Daniel Jones for the starting job. Neither instills a ton of confidence for fantasy managers. The wide receivers were a mess in 2024. With Richardson, we loved having Michael Pittman. When it was Joe Flacco, Josh Downs was the guy to have and start. So why Adonai Mitchell?
First, we have to start with roles in the offense. Michael Pittman is locked on the outside. Most likely as the X, split-end role. Not going into motion. 75% of his snaps were lined up outside in 2025. Josh Downs is locked in as the slot receiver. At his size, it makes sense. 84% of his snaps last season were from the slot. So, who will play the other outside role, the Z flanker position?
Last season, it was Alec Pierce. He played 82% of his snaps out wide. The issue with Peirce is that he never did much while he was on the field, other than catching short touchdowns as a jump-ball type of guy. He had seven touchdowns but only 69 targets and 824 yards. He was a deep threat play with a yards per target close to 12 yards. That is where I think Adonai Mithcell can excel as well. Mitchell ran 76% of his routes from out wide last year.
Mitchell was a one-year wonder in college, but that year he had 11 touchdowns. In his previous years, he was underutilized on stacked Georgia teams. The struggle in his rookie year was part learning the NFL and part the mess of an offense. Mitchell did have a great yards per catch number at 13.57 yards. It shows that he can be a downfield threat. He is a similar size to Peirce. Peirce is 6’3” 211 and Mitchell is 6’2” 205. Pierce is in the final year of his rookie deal, and his lack of production probably means he will be looking for a new team next offseason. The Colts need to figure something out, not only at quarterback but also as an offense as a whole. I believe that Adonai Mitchell will be part of the solution moving forward. They selected him in the 2nd round last year for a reason.
Roster Clogger
Roman Wilson: Wide Receiver- Pittsburgh Steelers
This pains me. As a Michigan fan, I wanted so badly for Roman Wilson to be a thing, but at this point, I don’t see it happening. Wilson missed his whole rookie season with multiple injuries, so we don’t have any NFL data, but there are signs as to why I think he is a roster clogger versus a stash.
First, we have to look at his college numbers. Wilson had 1 good year at Michigan in 2023. He finished with 12 touchdowns. He only had 789 yards, so that is worrisome. Before that, in his previous three years in the same offense only managed 8 touchdowns combined and under 1000 yards. Those are not good numbers. It’s more likely that 2023 was a fluke than it was a show of his future production.
Now let’s look at his NFL future. The coaching staff can come out and say they are excited about Wilson. They have to at this point, given that he didn’t play. He was a 3rd round pick for them. My issue is that if they believe he is such a weapon, why did they go out and trade for D.K. Metcalf? I know the two play different roles in the offense, but it’s never a good sign when they bring in someone who is heads and tails above you on the target depth chart. With George Pickens on the other side from Metcalf, what is left for Wilson?
This puts Wilson squarely in the slot receiver role. A place he ran 65% of his routes out of in 2023 at Michigan. That role on the Steelers in 2024 was held down by Calvin Austin III. A good young player, but only saw 58 targets. I don’t love that volume for a single guy, let alone splitting that between Wilson and Austin, and probably seeing less with Metcalf on the team.
Now we have to ask the big question. Who is throwing them the ball? The Steelers still haven’t found a solution at quarterback outside of Mason Rudolph. Do you want the third-best receiving option on a Mason Rudolph-led offense? The Steelers also have tight end Pat Freiermuth, who will bump Wilson down to fourth on the receiving depth chart. Between a poor quarterback, splitting time at slot, low volume, and low rank on target order, makes him a clear avoid for me. People love to stash young wide receivers for the upside, but this is the case where you can move on from Wilson. Find someone in your league who is willing to give you anything for him and unclog your roster.
