Taxi squads are like a box of chocolates: You never know which one you’re going to bite into and be like “Oh sh*t that’s surprisingly good! Hell yeah. What is that, nougat … ?”

The best thing about taxi squad players is that we have no ambitions of them entering our starting lineups anytime soon. They just have to sit there and look pretty, and hopefully, one day increase in value. Upside is really all that matters with these guys.

The five players I’m writing about could easily fall outside the third round of your rookie draft and possibly go undrafted altogether. 

Or, sure, they could get drafted early in your league. People have wildly varying opinions on this draft class, after all. Anything is possible. So please save your smug “LOLs” and “LMAOs” and “WTFs” and “SMHs” if that’s the case with one of these players in your super smart league.

All right, enough scoldin’. Let’s get to stashin’ ...

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Dynasty Fantasy Football Stashes For Your Taxi Squad

Justin Joly | TE | DEN

Joly had the highest Production Rating of any tight end in this class, but was pretty lackluster as a blocker in college. That last part might be a bigger issue if he hadn’t landed with Sean Payton’s Broncos. Payton has long been obsessed with finding players that fit his versatile Joker role, which he once described as "a running back or tight end with exceptional ball skills” who allows the offense to better exploit particular matchups.

Let’s compare that to what Dwain McFarland said about Joly and his place in the Rookie Super Model:

“...We are aiming for receiving upside in fantasy, so this is the type of profile that can pay dividends when we get it right, versus a less productive player that is a better blocker.”

Sounds like a great offensive fit. Granted, Payton has tried to shoehorn a bunch of different players into this role during his short time in Denver. First, it was Greg Dulcich, then it was Evan Engram, and most recently, it was RJ Harvey. Success has varied greatly. But if he’s going to keep going back to that well, it’s probably worth following him, especially at such a low cost.

Cyrus Allen | WR | KC

Pretty interesting that the only additions to the Chiefs' wide receiver room this offseason were Allen and a bunch of undrafted free agents. Outside of Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce, who’s got quite a few rings around the ol’ trunk, Kansas City doesn’t have much for proven pass catchers. So there’s certainly an opportunity for Allen to squeeze his way into the rotation.

“Talk about him not getting drafted until Day 3!” you scream while wearing your I Heart Big Draft Capital t-shirt. Fine, I’ll admit that receivers drafted in the fifth round don’t have a very good hit rate. But let me throw out some random names of players who fit that criteria. Kayshon Boutte. Parker Washington. Puka Nacua.

That’s right, I’m pulling the Nacua card. And while there’s an extremely slim chance that Allen ascends to anywhere near the level of a Nacua or a Tyreek Hill (also a fifth-rounder), any receiver that’s tied to Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid is always capable of getting caught up in the hype machine and seeing some corresponding value bumps. 

If nothing else, maybe you’ll have a nice window to trade Allen away for a profit after his first training camp montage hits social media.

Bryce Lance | WR | NO

Is there a spot on the Saints for a productive WR3 behind Chris Olave and first-round pick Jordyn Tyson? If so, Lance shouldn’t have much trouble earning it.

First, the bad news: According to Pro Football Reference, only four receivers from North Dakota State have ever played in an NFL game. And only Christian Watson could possibly be considered a success for fantasy. Which is fitting, because Lance could fill a similar role on the Saints as Watson did for the Packers early on, draft capital be damned.

Watson is 6-foot-4 and ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Lance is 6-foot-3 and clocked in at 4.34 seconds. Neither were the sharpest route runners at NDSU, but both excelled as deep-threat playmakers. That skill set should pair well with his new QB, Tyler Shough, who threw some of the prettiest deep balls in the league his rookie season.

And while I wish Olave nothing but health, wealth, and happiness, it sounds like a contract extension is slow-going, perhaps because of his well-documented concussion history. If that causes any disruptions in Olave’s playing time, in the short or long term, Lance might get to show off what he can do in a bigger role.

Matthew Hibner | TE | BAL

Half of all NFL teams drafted at least one tight end this year. But the Ravens traded up 21 spots while also giving up next year’s sixth-round pick to make sure they landed Hibner. That’s doubly important considering that Baltimore let a couple of pretty important tight ends leave in free agency this offseason.

I could talk about vacated targets, but the truth is, it doesn’t matter how the Ravens have utilized tight ends in the past. There’s a new coaching staff in town, and all that matters is how THEY plan to utilize Mark Andrews and the rest of their tight ends.

To that point, is it relevant that Hibner played at Michigan the same time his new head coach, Jesse Minter, was the Wolverines’ defensive coordinator? Probably not. Different sides of the ball and all that. Is it pertinent that Hibner’s new offensive coordinator, Declan Doyle, spent time as the Broncos’ tight ends coach? Possibly. Though a good OC features the best personnel he has, regardless of position.

All of this together gives us enough green flags to be cautiously optimistic that Hibner could be a strong presence in the Ravens' offense one day.

Adam Randall | RB | BAL

I swear I’m not a Baltimore stan. I’ve never even had a crab cake. Hell, I had to look up whether “crab cake” was one word or two! But the Ravens drafted a super interesting mix of rookies that are flying too far under the radar for my liking.

And let’s get this out of the way while we’re at it: I am NOT rooting for the demise of Derrick Henry. I’d like King Henry to continue stiff-arming defenders out of their cleats well into his 40s. But the guy has the most career touches of any active running back by far (nearly 600 touches more than the next guy down the list). So maybe the new coaching staff should consider giving him an occasional breather.

Enter Randall, a converted wide receiver who looks nothing like what that description usually brings to mind. He’s 6-foot-3, 232 pounds, and was only a split second behind Jadarian Price when running the 40-yard dash.

Keaton Mitchell was an electric change-of-pace back for the Ravens when healthy, but he’s now a Charger. Justice Hill is currently the primary pass catcher out of the backfield, but it’s not as if he’s a made man. Randall might step into a solid complementary role soon and could handle a significant workload if something sidelines Henry. That’s what the taxi squad is all about.

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