Most Added Players In Dynasty Fantasy Football: Jacob Cowing Rises, Parker Washington Falls

Every dynasty fantasy football league has its own ecosystem—its own unique set of managers, rules, nuances, and tendencies. You tend to measure everything you hear against your "league of record". Even so, it's helpful to take off the blinders and get a sense of what the general community is doing and how they feel about certain players.

Using Sleeper's "Trending Up" and "Trending Down" features, here are the most added and dropped dynasty players this week.

Most Added Players in Dynasty

Jacob Cowing - WR, 49ers

You'll see a significant trend with each of these rising players, and it primarily has to do with age.

Second-year wideout Jacob Cowing came in as the WR20 in our 2024 Rookie WR Model and had a largely forgettable rookie campaign with the 49ers.

Actually, it was entirely forgettable—he finished with four total receptions on the year.

So why is he the top-added dynasty player? Well, that's the question.

With OTAs up and running, recent practice news is about all we have to go on, and it just so happens that Cowing has been seeing first-team reps. Deebo Samuel is with the Commanders, Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is still working his way back, and Ricky Pearsall (hamstring) is already banged up, so that has left the door open for Cowing to earn some primary reps.

We'll see if this turns into anything fantasy-relevant, but I can understand the frantic urge to stash Cowing in early June. The 49ers have had a historically fantasy-friendly offense, and with Brock Purdy under contract and the pass-catching room poised to look a bit different, I don't mind stashing Cowing where you can.

Jaylin Lane - WR, Commanders

Lane is a rookie who actually has some merit to his ascension.

The Commanders selected Jaylin Lane in Round 4 this spring, and he steps into an offense that's looking to take another step forward under Jayden Daniels.

Lane might be an older prospect (23 years old), but his speed (4.34) immediately makes him an intriguing stash in all dynasty formats.

He also checked in as the WR17 in our Rookie WR Model and had a pretty average profile, all things considered.

Behind veterans Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel, there's no clear-cut WR3. Lane will compete with guys like Michael Gallup, Noah Brown, K.J. Osborn, and Luke McCaffrey for the third spot. Lane has as good a chance as anyone to add that pivotal deep threat to the Commander's aerial attack.

Jalin Conyers - TE, Dolphins

Here's a name you might not be very familiar with.

Jalin Conyers went undrafted this spring but recently signed with the Miami Dolphins. In his four-year career between Arizona State and Texas Tech, he amassed a total of 1,166 receiving yards and just 11 TDs. He was used as a rusher as well, so he offers some dual-threat/chess-piece capabilities.

Conyers has prototypical size (6'4"/265 lbs) and has strong athleticism, but he's already 23 years old and was barely productive in college. It also doesn't help that he went undrafted.

On our end, he clocks in at No. 19 in our Rookie TE Model.

Candidly, I'm not sure what the relative excitement is surrounding someone who is going to have to push to make the active roster. I suppose the Dolphins don't have much TE depth behind Jonnu Smith, but let's be real, how many "backup" TEs do you know besides Isaiah Likely?

I'm fine staying away from Conyers outside of the deepest of dynasty leagues.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt - RB, Commanders

A second Commander on this list, the team also added to their RB room when they snagged Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the seventh round.

On paper, Croskey-Merritt has an … interesting profile.

In 2023, he played in 12 games and tallied almost 1,200 rushing yards and scored 17 times on the ground. Then, in 2024, he played in just one game.

He played just 13 career collegiate games. Talk about a small sample size.

Croskey-Merritt is also a 24-year-old rookie.

With that in mind, what's all the excitement about? It all comes down to talent and opportunity.

Despite the limited body of work, he's a talented player who pops on film. He also finds himself behind an aging Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson on the depth chart. Assuming he locks down the RB3 job and makes the final roster, all it takes is an opportunity for him to find his way onto the field.

It will be up to him to make the most of that chance should it present itself.

For dynasty managers, he's a fine stash. Despite being the RB28 in our Rookie RB Model, his potential in a sneaky-good situation is worthy of a bench slot.

Chimere Dike - WR, Titans

I understand why we use cut-offs when it comes to differentiating between different players in fantasy football, but I can't help but look at players who are on the fringe.

For example, we know Day 2 picks (Rounds 2-3) have a higher chance of success than Day 3 picks (Rounds 4-7), but what if someone was the FIRST pick of Round 4?

That's Chimere Dike, whom the Titans drafted to kick off Day 3 of the NFL Draft.

After four years in Wisconsin and one in Florida, Dike's profile isn't anything special. He never topped 50 receptions, 800 receiving yards, or six TDs in a single season.

Even so, if Cam Ward turns into the type of player Tennessee hopes he can be, there's little depth behind veterans Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett. Dike is also an excellent athlete, as highlighted by his 4.34 speed.

In our Rookie WR Model, he turned in a somewhat-surprising ranking of WR15.

For a fringe-Day 2 selection, I don't mind getting in on cheap pieces of the Titans' offense, despite the fact that they still aren't likely to be very good this year.

Most Dropped Players in Dynasty

Parker Washington - WR, Jaguars

As certain players rise in the charts, they do so at the expense of others.

This first one stings a bit because I definitely bought in too hard on a small sample size from a few years back.

The drafting of Brian Thomas last season and Travis Hunter this spring have all but crushed any hope that Parker Washington had at a fantasy-relevant role.

Washington has just 48 receptions across his first two NFL seasons. I'm fine dropping him for someone with a greater opportunity.

Gabe Davis - WR, FA

I find it challenging to justify rostering players who are currently unemployed. It's not a knock on them as players or people, but if the business that is the National Football League hasn't found a spot for them, I'm not sure why they should have a spot on my roster.

Sorry, Gabe Davis. You're only 26 years old, but you'll forever be remembered for your insane performance as a Buffalo Bill against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ja'Lynn Polk - WR, Patriots

As a rookie, second-round pick Ja'Lynn Polk had about as bad of an inaugural season as you could imagine for the 37th overall selection.

He appeared in 15 games for the Patriots and finished with just 12 receptions.

Polk is currently recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and is expected to be ready for Week 1. The expected growth of Drake Maye and relatively open WR room means anyone can step up into a larger role this season, but managers would have liked to have seen more from Polk in Year 1.

I don't mind letting him go at this point, but this offense is one that I am closely monitoring in the coming weeks and months.

Cam Akers - RB, FA

The same rationale that I hit on with Davis applies to Cam Akers. Despite being just 25 years old, he remains unsigned as of this writing. However, I would be shocked if he entered the season without landing somewhere. Injuries could force a team to bolster its lineup before long.

Jalen Tolbert - WR, Cowboys

In his third season, Jalen Tolbert turned seven of his 49 receptions into TDs.

He'll need to keep up that same pace if he wants to remain fantasy relevant this season (and beyond).

The Cowboys added George Pickens to pair with CeeDee Lamb. Toss in Jake Ferguson, who will command his share of targets, and there won't be much left for Tolbert to be a consistent fantasy producer.

I'm a bit more hesitant to drop Tolbert relative to the others on this list because I'm expecting a bounce-back season from Dak Prescott, but I understand the rationale behind his place on this list.

Players Mentioned in this Article

Most Added Players In Dynasty Fantasy Football: Jacob Cowing Rises, Parker Washington Falls