There are a number of different receiver profiles that made this list, from an impending free agent and a failed breakout candidate to three rookie receivers who finished strong during a period when many fantasy owners had already checked out of their leagues due to being eliminated from contention for or from the actual playoffs. Using the end of your bench for high-upside stashes can be a difference-maker in dynasty leagues, and every manager should be scouring their league’s wire for potential gold mines the instant their fantasy season comes to an end. This applies to those who found themselves out of the running in Week 10 as well as those who went on to become their leagues champion.

To identify a high upside stash, a dynasty league owner should be looking for one of three things. One of the most common indicators of a potential breakout candidate is a player who came on strong down the stretch, whether it be for a four- or five-week period or simply during the most important three week period of the year, also known as the fantasy playoffs.

Another way to identify a potential high upside stash is to identify players who may have been dropped after the start of the season due to being a ‘victim of circumstance.’ Some players, for example, may have been rendered ineffective due to a change in offensive philosophy while others may have experienced a season-ending injury to their signal caller.

Another way to identify a high-upside stash is to take a look at the NFL’s free-agent-to-be list to discern which players would most benefit from a change of scenery and the increased usage that would come with a larger role on a new team.

DaeSean Hamilton (DEN) Available in 67 percent of Yahoo leagues
One of the hidden gems of the 2018 NFL Draft, Hamilton came on strong for fantasy owners during the playoff weeks, finishing as the WR17 in both average and total fantasy points. Hamilton saw a noteworthy 23 percent target share during the playoffs, a time period that he ranked ninth among receivers with 28 targets and 10th witb 19 receptions.

Hamilton currently makes his living on short, intermediate and horizontal routes, but is capable of winning consistently with a full route tree when given the opportunity. One of the best route runners in the 2018 draft class Hamilton put his wares on display averaging 3.7, 3.5, and 3.6 yards of separation in Weeks 14-16.

A receiver with sticky hands who is capable of making highlight-reel catches, Hamilton is sporting a respectable 67.6 catch rate on the season. Hamilton looks ready to take off for dynasty owners in the 2019 season especially when, as per PlayerProfiler.com, his NFL leading 119 percent true catch rate is taken into context.

With an offseason quarterback upgrade looming and with 32-year-old Emmanuel Sanders looking all but certain to begin the 2019 season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, Hamilton should be locked into the high leverage slot role when the Broncos go three wide. While teammate Courtland Sutton gets all of the hype due to his size and skill set, as far as fantasy is concerned, and especially PPR formats, Hamilton may just prove to be the more valuable dynasty league asset.

Dante Pettis (SF) Available in 50 percent of Yahoo leagues
One of the more impressive players down the stretch of the fantasy season, Pettis may go overlooked by some dynasty managers due to the slow start to his rookie campaign. The overall WR11 since Week 12, Pettis put up an impressive 359 receiving yards over the five-week stretch for an attention-grabbing 71.8 yards per game. Even more impressive is the fact that Pettis is the only receiver to top 350 yards in that timeframe with a target share under 20 percent.

Pettis is a crafty route runner who, thanks to his sparkling 3.4 yards of average separation, has amassed a 113.8 passer rating when targeted despite having to contend with a literal carousel at the quarterback position. Pettis simply ‘gets it’ when it comes to route running as he seems to get good separation on most of his routes; an area where he already looks like one of the NFL’s best. A route technician who knows when to stem his route, Pettis leads the NFL with 2.38 yards of average target separation.

With Jimmy Garoppolo expected back under center for the 2019 campaign, a player who can consistently get open and who also ranks sixth in the NFL with 17.3 yards per reception and 10th with 10.4 yards per target looks to be primed for a WR3 season at the very minimum. When one considers that Pettis is second among all receivers, behind only the speedy D.J. Moore, with 7.93 yards after catch per reception, it becomes evident that Pettis may actually have WR2 upside for the upcoming fantasy season.

Though Pettis is seeing only about 25 percent of his snaps in the slot in recent weeks, he will likely see increased usage there next year as the 49ers are expected to add a bigger bodied, outside receiver in free agency or the draft. In this potential scenario, Pettis could be on his way to becoming a potential PPR dynamo due to the fortune of playing with a QB who witnessed first hand the benefits of working from the inside out.

Robert Foster (BUF) Available in 64 percent of Yahoo leagues
An undrafted free agent from Alabama, Foster was cut early in the season and signed to the Buffalo Bills practice squad where he languished for 23 days. However, Foster himself opined that being cut was something that was needed for his career as it forced him to work on his craft harder than ever and to become aware that his 4.41 speed alone was not enough to make a difference in the NFL.

Foster responded by posting a 105-yard effort in his first game back with the team, a number more than double his highest single-game total as a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide. In fact, Foster’s 539 receiving yards in his last six games is over 100 yards more than Foster managed in his entire four-year college career.

Foster came on strong for fantasy owners down the stretch of the season (Weeks 12-16), placing as the WR19 in total fantasy points despite seeing a minuscule 16 percent target share. With a 23.1 yard average depth of target, Foster placed higher than any receiver with over 12 targets in that timeframe, and it’s a period where Foster also ranked 10th in the NFL with 554 air yards and 14th with 343 receiving yards. If that is not enough to get your juices flowing, Foster actually cranked it up during the fantasy playoffs where he finished as the WR15 in both total (47.4) and average fantasy points (15.8) per game.

As one of the rare deep threats with route running savvy, Foster saw 2.9, 3.0, and 3.5 yards of average separation during the fantasy playoffs suggesting Foster could be in line for more consistency once Josh Allen strengthens his rapport with his rookie receiver. Foster has quite simply been exceptional this season as he is currently the NFL leader in yards per reception with 22.6 and in yards per target with a 13.3 mark. Perhaps even more indicative of his potential for a true breakout in 2019 is the fact that Foster ranks third in the NFL with 3.16 yards per pass route. To further illuminate Foster’s emergence as a potential difference-maker, consider that the rookie has secured a 109.7 passer rating when targeted; a number which is even more impressive when one realizes rookie QB Josh Allen is sitting at a 62.3 rating on the season.

Foster can truly take off next season once the coaching staff has a chance to scheme to his talents more efficiently as the solid route running, downfield threat also excels with the ball in his hands. This is indicated by him being eighth among receivers with an average of 6.61 yards after the catch and an average of three yards above expectation in the fantasy playoffs (the only weeks he was charted).  

Marquise Goodwin (SF) Available in 65 percent of Yahoo leagues
Blessed with 4.27 speed, fresh off of a strong 2017 stretch run that saw Goodwin finish as the WR9 in total fantasy points following Jimmy Garoppolo being inserted under center, the former Olympian was drafted, on average, as the 28th receiver off of the board in 2018 fantasy football drafts. The breakout appeal of a receiver who finished the season with 962 receiving yards and was set to see a full season with Jimmy G under center was palpable.

Goodwin has seen his 2018 campaign marred by a litany of injuries and has also had to contend with shaky quarterback play this season, but for dynasty purposes we are projecting his production with Jimmy G. In Garoppolo’s five 2017 starts Goodwin hauled in 29 of his 43 targets for 384 receiving yards (76.6 per game) and two touchdowns. Goodwin was relatively quiet in his two starts with Garoppolo this season posting just a 3-30-1 line but we can attribute some of that to Goodwin seeing only 59 total snaps against two of the tougher corners in the league in Xavier Rhodes and Casey Hayward in Weeks 1 & 3 (for reference purposes Goodwin surpassed that number twice this season).

Goodwin has still been getting open this season as evidenced by his three yards of average separation as well as his 1.88-yard target separation average that places him fourth among receivers. Unfortunately, Goodwin has seen just 43 targets in eleven contests, good for a waiver wire like 3.9 targets per game.

Goodwin looks to have upside WR3 value for the 2019 campaign as he has still put up good efficiency numbers this season sitting eighth in the NFL with 17.2 yards per reception as well as eighth with an average of two yards after the catch above expectation. With Dante Pettis and George Kittle now around to keep defenses honest Goodwin should continue to get open for Garoppolo next season and is in line for a true breakout campaign if both can make it through the season healthy.

John Brown (BAL) Available in 51 percent of Yahoo leagues
Brown is an intriguing dynasty stash. As a 2019 free agent, he looks all but assured to be freed from the Ravens’ run-dominant offense and could see a major value boost depending on where he lands.

While Brown has all but disappeared with Lamar Jackson under center, if we extrapolate his first-half numbers, Brown was trending towards a career-high 1,172 receiving yards and eight touchdowns this season. The WR20 in total fantasy points over the first eight weeks of the fantasy game Brown could finally realize his potential if he lands on a team with a good quarterback.

Projecting Brown for the 2019 season is a little tougher due to the uncertainty of where he may land, but as arguably be the top deep threat on the market (since Robby Anderson is an RFA) the 4.34 speed Brown will have no shortage of suitors in the offseason. Coming off a strong season in the metrics department but a disappointing season overall for one of the offseason’s most popular sleepers, Brown still managed to place sixth in the NFL with 17.3 yards per reception while also posting a solid 3.8 yards after catch per reception.

Watching film on Brown suggests that he can function as more than just the deep threat some may have him pegged as. The 28-year-old receiver has shown considerable ability in the short and intermediate game this season where has routinely made himself open through crisp route running. Brown has displayed a surprising feel for a larger route tree than some may expect and posted a solid 2.4 yards of average separation throughout the fantasy season giving the receiver considerable stash upside heading into the offseason.

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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @RajuByfield.