This week, we’ll be taking a look at players whose value should rise after this coming season. With this, I wanted to avoid a few obvious candidates, so I used the following criteria for this list:
<20th ranked QB on KeepTradeCut
<32 ranked RB on KeepTradeCut
<50 ranked WR on KeepTradeCut
<20 ranked TE on KeepTradeCut
Excluded rookies, as we should expect their value to either rise or maintain throughout the season
QB: Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
KTC Rank: QB20
You wouldn’t expect the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft to be eligible, but Bryce Young’s rookie season was that bad. Last year, Young finished the season with just 2877 yards passing and 11 touchdowns in 16 games. It would be hard to rebound from this, but I’m a big fan of the offseason the Panthers have had on the offensive side of the ball.
First, they brought in Dave Canales as their head coach, who is one of the best up-and-coming offensive minds in the NFL who revived the careers of Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield. Also, after having the core of their skill position players be Miles Sanders, Adam Thielen, Jonathan Mingo, DJ Chark, and Hayden Hurst, they completely rehauled the group this year by adding Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette, Jonathon Brooks, and Ja’Tavion Sanders. They also bulked up their offensive line by investing in Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis.
There will definitely be some growing pains with a new coach and all the players working to get on the same page. However, Bryce Young’s current supporting cast is so much better than where it was last year when the Panthers left him out to fend for himself. I’m not sure if Young will rise to a top 10 QB this coming year, but I would be surprised if KeepTradeCut has him outside the top 15 after the season.
QB: Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
KTC: QB23
Will Levis had a fate similar to Bryce Young last year. Levis was put on a roster in need of a talent overhaul and tried his best but only managed to throw for 1792 yards and scored a total of 9 touchdowns in 8 games. Just like the Panthers, the Tennessee Titans are doing what they can to give Levis a chance to succeed this year.
The Tennessee Titans brought in offensive-minded Brian Callahan as their head coach and Bill Callahan, who has repaired NFL offensive lines throughout his career. Also, they went out and got Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd to take the weight off of DeAndre Hopkins and provide more capable targets, with Treylon Burks continuing to struggle with his health and drops. Also, they bolstered the offensive line with the additions of JC Latham and Lloyd Cushenberry. The Titans also brought in Tony Pollard to provide another back in addition to Tyjae Spears, who can run the ball and make catches out of the backfield.
There were a few areas I would have still liked to have seen the Tennessee Titans address, but this is a good start to getting Will Levis some support. I think the Titans have a good mix of veterans and young players that should develop this coming year to have a much-improved offense compared to last year. By proxy, I expect Levis to benefit from this improvement and have the chance to show why he was considered a gunslinger coming out of school. Like Bryce Young, I don’t know if he will become valued as a top 10 QB after the season, but he will definitely raise his value and could become a very strong QB2 for a team.
RB: Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints
KTC: RB33
A lot of people considered Kendre Miller a disappointment last year, but I’m not sure what some of these people were expecting. The moment Alvin Kamara’s suspension got reduced to 4 games, it should have been obvious that this was destined to be more of a redshirt year, with the team also signing Jamaal Williams in the previous offseason. This season, I expect the scale to tip more in Miller’s favor.
With Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams both turning 29 this season, I expect at least one of them to lose a significant step, opening the door to Kendre Miller getting more playing time. Also, Miller proved last year that he is capable of being productive when given playing time as he rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries in the season finale against Atlanta with Kamara sitting. He also caught 10 of his 11 targets throughout the season, showing that his great hands from the preseason are still there.
Kendre Miller laying out for the catch on the Wheel route and follows it up with a strong run (with some really nice double-teams up front) for the TD. pic.twitter.com/LcHDgfJSZ0
The plan when the New Orleans Saints drafted Kendre Miller seemed to be for year two. The Saints didn’t seem to show any signs that they are moving away from him with how they handled the draft and free agency. I don’t expect Miller to get the bulk of the work right away and may not even get the bulk of the work at all this season. However, with Kamara and Williams getting older and both potential cut candidates next year, it feels like it’s nearly Miller Time (not a sponsored article).
RB: Devin Singletary, New York Giants
KTC: RB42
I didn’t want this entire article to just be about second-year players, so I want to talk about one of the most underrated running backs in the NFL, Devin Singletary. Every year, it feels like we forget how good Singletary is, and then he puts up some solid finishes some weeks. I certainly don’t love him landing with the New York Giants, but there is a big opportunity with the departure of Saquon Barkley.
Right now, Singletary’s best competition for touches is 2024 fifth-round receiver-running back convert Tryone Tracy Jr. and 2023 fifth-round pick Eric Gray. Neither are overly imposing and very beatable for Singletary to get the bulk of touches. Saquon Barkley likely garnered targets with his great receiving ability, but the New York GiantsGiants have an unproven receiver room, with Malik Nabers seeming like the safest bet. So, it’s not out of the question that the Giants feed their backs a lot of targets again and could bring up finishes for whichever back gets the majority of playing time.
I certainly don’t expect Singletary to rise up and be an RB1, but I could see some really nice finishes for him and someone who could see his value rise in the season. For contenders, he could be a really nice flex piece to help fill a lineup. For rebuilders, he could be a nice piece to flip for a younger player or a pick. Either way, he can provide some nice value at his price.
WR: Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders
KTC: WR55
Jahan Dotson was expected to be an ascending player last year going into his second year, with Sam Howell taking over. Unfortunately, Dotson fell well short and was running cardio for some weeks. Though the past season soured a lot of people’s outlook on him, I think we were all just a year too early.
In general, I think both the addition of Jayden Daniels and the exit of Eric Bieniemy will elevate the Washington Commanders’ offense. Bieniemy and Sam Howell both had a difficult time getting the ball to the offense’s best players, but this is something that Daniels excelled at in college. Also, Daniels will be a nice pairing with Jahan Dotson as Dotson’s route tree overlaps really closely with Malik Nabers, whom Daniels had a lot of success going to in college.
I think there are much brighter days ahead for Jahan Dotson. Though he will have as big of a season since he has more competition, there is a lot going in his direction to have a similar breakout as Nico Collins had last year when he finally got a good quarterback that could get him the ball. If you’re looking for a cheap potential WR2 that is young and has upside, it might be time to consider putting together a package for Dotson.
WR: Josh Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers
KTC: WR72
The disrespect for Josh Palmer just needs to stop. The Los Angeles Chargers had a mass exodus of talent moving on from Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. They also only brought in 2024 second-round pick Ladd McConkey, 2024 seventh-round pick Brenden Rice, and DJ Chark and replacements, which seems to put Palmer in a great position to be the third receiver on the team at worst with a chance to be second or even top receiver for the team. We have a receiver who has performed well in the past and is paired with a great quarterback, Justin Herbert. So, how is Palmer even eligible for this?
I understand the concerns that Ladd McConkey will take a lot of the targets vacated by Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and that the Los Angeles Chargers will run more with Jim Harbaugh as the coach. However, a whopping 370 targets were vacated last year. So, even if we remove 100 with the team having more of an emphasis on the run game and give McConkey 125 targets (which is how many Justin Jefferson got in his rookie year if we want to aim high), that still leaves 145 available targets.
It feels hard to imagine a scenario where Josh Palmer doesn’t outperform where he’s currently valued and isn’t a low-end WR2/high-end WR3 this year with a good floor. That might not sound exciting, but that is more of a conservative expectation, and with Palmer in a contract year, he might have his sights on a bigger year. So, let’s stop doubting Palmer and give him some credit.
TE: Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
KTC: TE25
Greg Dulcich had a promising rookie season that got derailed due to a hamstring injury. Then he received a lot of hype last offseason, with Sean Payton even mentioning how he saw Dulcich as being capable of playing the “joker” position for his offense that is moved around the field to exploit mismatches. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury derailed his season again in week one. So, it can’t happen a third time, right!?
Instead of targeting tight ends in free agency or the draft, they passed on the opportunity and kept their tight end room the same. There was a lot of talk about how Adam Trautman was Payton’s man, and while it’s hard to tell with the limited regular season time, they were both healthy. I think this was exaggerated. Greg Dulcich got injured in week one and ended up getting hurt right at the end of the half. Despite this, Dulcich still played 33% of the snaps that game. While we are obviously projecting, it isn’t unreasonable to expect that Dulcich would have played over 50% of snaps, which makes it clear that he wasn’t playing backup snaps.
When looking at the tight ends that are eligible for this article, very few have the combination of ball skills, athleticism, or hands that Greg Dulcich has. Dulcich obviously has major health concerns, but this will help keep him at a discount if you’re looking to make a play. With a lot of other tight-end options being overvalued right now, Dulcich is a good low-risk, high-reward target.
TE: Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
KTC: TE24
Now, I said that there aren’t a lot of players in this area of KeepTradeCut that have the combination of ball skills, athleticism, or hands that Greg Dulcich has. However, Chigoziem Okonkwo gives him a good run for his money. Chigoziem was also a tight end who entered last season with a lot of hype because the Tennessee Titans made minimal moves at receiver and tight end. Unfortunately, the offense massively underperformed, but there is hope for this year.
The Tennessee Titans brought in Calvin Ridley but essentially ignored drafting receivers or tight ends in the draft. So, Chigoziem Okonkwo, in theory, has a similar opportunity as last year but hopefully should have one on a much more functional offense, as I mentioned in Will Levis’ section. With the offense knowing the ball will be going to DeAndre Hopkins and Ridley, it may create openings for Okonkwo to be a safety net for Levis and use his YAC skills.
Like Greg Dulcich, Chigoziem Okonkwo is a good low-risk, high-reward target after disappointing last year. There won’t be many options with his athleticism and opportunity at his age for his price. So, if you didn’t subscribe to Chigonomics last offseason, now might be the time to get Chiggy with it.
