Dynasty Fantasy Football Players to Watch: AFC South Edition | Anthony Richardson or C.J. Stroud, Plus Travis Ettiene, Will Levis and More
Taking a look at the best dynasty fantasy football offensive players from each AFC South team.
We have just two divisions to go in our fantasy football series on best dynasty players on each NFL roster!
Here’s a look back at the divisions/teams we’ve already covered: AFC - East, West, North; NFC - North, West, East. We’ll tackle the AFC South next.
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Houston Texans
The Texans have a number of young, promising players, beginning with quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Stroud had a fantastic rookie season, has a stacked offense around him and is just 22 years old. That adds up to a top-five dynasty ranking for most, with many having Stroud behind just Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. Stroud will cost you an early pick, but he’s someone you can plug and play for the next decade-plus, and that’s hard to beat.
Joe Mixon still has a little gas left in the tank, so he’s a top-20 dynasty option for most. He is 28 years old, so I’d only want to roster him if I was a contender - otherwise, sell him while he’s got some value yet.
Dameon Pierce saw his dynasty value take a nosedive after a weak 2023 season. At 24 years old, and as the top backup to Mixon, he’s got a little dynasty value for the season, but won’t be a starting asset maybe ever again unless there’s injuries ahead of him.
Nico Collins and Tank Dell are two good dynasty wide receivers, while Stefon Diggs is also fairly solid.
Collins leads the way being the team’s No. 1 wideout and only 25 years old. He should remain a No. 1 or 2 option for the team/or another team for several more seasons. He typically ranks around 20th on dynasty ranking lists.
Dell is usually after Collins but inside the top 25 still. He’s only 24 years old and had a great season when he was healthy. Injury concerns and having Collins and Diggs around him hold Dell back from being even higher on lists.
Diggs is usually ranked around 35th for most. He’s 30 years old, and has been trending more downward than upward the past couple seasons. He’s a dynasty player to roster for contending teams, but otherwise sell before his value tanks. I think he’s got a few more good seasons in him, even if he isn’t a No. 1 option any more.
I think John Metchie III is also a player to keep an eye on in dynasties. He might not be a huge asset this season with the talent in front of him, but at some point, he could get a chance and turn into a top 50 player. He’s just 24 years old and has shown flashes of greatness in his brief career.
Xavier Hutchinson deserves a mention too being only 24 years old. If things break his way, he too could become a decent dynasty option for somebody.
Dalton Schultz is the top dynasty TE in Houston, but is already 28. He’s got a couple solid seasons in him, but really is more of a depth option than a starting one, and probably should be on contending teams only.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence is still a top-15 dynasty option despite not living up to expectations yet.
He’s done some good things in his career, but also hasn’t progressed as much as some would have liked. Lawrence is a backup option in one-QB formats and a decent starting option in deeper formats. He’s only 24 years old, so there’s still room to grow and become one of the better dynasty QBs in the game.
Travis Etienne Jr. is a borderline top-five dynasty running back. He’s only 25 years old, and while he hasn’t jumped off the page in his career, has been a starting option every week. I think there’s a better chance he drops on ranking lists than moves up, but he should be a weekly starting option for at least a couple more seasons.
Tank Bigsby is worth mentioning as the top backup and being only 23 years old, but he’ll likely only play in Jacksonville if Etienne is injured/out. Still, he’s worth rostering just in case.
Brian Thomas Jr. is the top dynasty wideout in Jacksonville and is embarking on his rookie season. He’s 21 years old and should immediately start. His dynasty outlook is tied to Lawrence and how he develops, but Thomas is a top-30 or so dynasty option, with room to skyrocket up or down lists depending on how his first season goes.
Christian Kirk is likely the team’s top fantasy wideout this season, and is 27 years old, so he’s got a couple more good seasons in him. I see him ranked around 40th most often, and that’s likely to keep going down as he ages. He’s a player for contenders to roster, otherwise I’d trade him while his value is high.
Gabe Davis is still just 25, but is more just a depth option than someone to rely on for the next several seasons. He’s a boom-or-bust fantasy player, and I’d rather have some consistency in my lineup - Davis is a fine fill-in starter here and there though.
Evan Engram is a top-10 or so dynasty tight end despite being 30 years old. He had a monster 2023 season, so now is the perfect time to sell high on him. Engram should be rostered by contending teams.
Indianapolis Colts
There’s a number of good dynasty options in Indy, starting with quarterback Anthony Richardson.
His rookie season was cut short by injuries, but he flashed fantasy greatness when on the field. Richardson has top-five dynasty upside at the position, but he’ll have to prove injuries won’t hold him back before ranking that highly. If you have Richardson, I’d make sure to have some kind of backup plan in case things go sideways with his career.
Jonathan Taylor is a top-five fantasy back in dynasties at just 25 years old. He’s dealt with injuries as well, which holds him back from being ranked even higher. Hopefully having Richardson alongside Taylor opens some things up, while also preserving his health a bit for the long run.
Michael Pittman is the team’s No. 1 wideout and he’s also the top dynasty option for now. He’s a top-20 receiver on most lists, and is just 26. I think there’s still some room to improve, and he should be around for several more seasons too, so he’s a good second fantasy receiver for dynasty teams.
Rookie Adonai Mitchell and second-year wideout Josh Downs are both ranked around 50th on dynasty lists. Mitchell is 21 and has the potential to someday overtake Pittman as WR1. Downs looks more like a No. 2 wideout, but could still be fantasy relevant if the Colts’ offense can put it all together.
Rookie Anthony Gould is another name to track, as is Alec Pierce because he’s only 24 years old. They likely only get big playing time this season if one of the top three is out an extended period, but they could latch on to another team and find some fantasy success.
Tennessee Titans
There’s some interesting dynasty options on the Titans’ roster.
Will Levis is the quarterback, and could shoot way up ranking lists with a big season. He’s only 25 and is entering his first season as the top starter. Levis showed some nice things in his rookie season, but also struggled mightily at times. He’s one to stash this season just in case he pops off and becomes a franchise QB.
Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are both top-30 dynasty backs on most lists, but neither have a great amount of dynasty value.
Pollard is already 27, so he should only be rostered by contending teams. He’ll probably only be around a couple more seasons. Spears is just 23, so there’s some hope with him, but his team didn’t give him the RB1 role (instead signing Pollard), so that is a big indication on what the Titans think of him. Spears is worth rostering too, and should have a little role (at least) this season.
Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins are the team’s top two dynasty wideouts, which isn’t a good thing considering they are 29 and 32 years old, respectively. They are players for contending teams to roster, but really are depth options instead of every-week starters, at least to begin the season.
Treylon Burks (24) and Tyler Boyd (29) are other options, but again, just deep depth guys right now. Maybe rookie Jha'Quan Jackson (24) can surprise and become a decent dynasty option.
Chigoziem Okonkwo is the starting tight end and top dynasty option for the team at the position. He’s only 24 years old, but he also hasn’t taken off as a pass catcher yet. He could fly up the rankings with a big season, so he’s worth rostering in some deeper dynasties.
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