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As a rule, when I do these Dynasty mailbags I try to choose questions that are not necessarily player-specific. It's the broader questions that I find more interesting, and I think they apply to more people. But the response today left no question that this was going to be a mailbag dominated by wide receiver questions. I chose three of them and added a tight end for good measure. But first, let's talk a little more startup strategy.

Win-now in a startup

Okay, so I have no doubt I said something like this, but I feel the need to clarify. There are a lot of reasons to draft to win in Year 1, most notably that we're better at predicting Year 1 than we are any other season. And this is the cheapest time to acquire a bunch of short-term elite players.

As far as the volatility of leagues as it relates to Dynasty leagues, I'm not sure how much the needle has moved on that. The increase in popularity probably does mean it's easier than ever to fill vacancies, but I think how close-knit the group is a bigger factor in the long-term prognosis of the league.

I do think the more important thing is that you shouldn't decide whether you're drafting for the short term or the long term until you see how your startup is going. In our most recent mock I started with D'Andre Swift and J.K. Dobbins. That told me I had a 3-4 year window with my top two players most likely. So I took Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes in the next two rounds and went fully win-now with later picks of Brandin Cooks, Odell Beckham (oops), Adam Thielen, and Kenny Golladay.

One more thing, in that universe, I'd be shopping my 2022 rookie picks for more veterans or at least veteran upgrades. I do not want to sacrifice the future for the now and then come up short.

What to do with Michael Thomas

I really appreciate that you guys not only sent in a bunch of player questions but also chose one of the more impossible players to analyze. Thomas has a ceiling of the best wide receiver in football and almost no floor right now. 

In the January update of my Dynasty wide receiver rankings, I had Thomas at WR32 and the No. 74 overall player. In the mock I referenced above, Thomas went to Jacob Gibbs with pick 69. 

For the most part, I think I'm holding on Thomas assuming you can't get a first-round pick for him. But there's a significant risk to a rebuilding team that Thomas' value is never this high again, so I wouldn't blame anyone for shopping him for a first-round pick. If I'm a true contender, I'd be willing to give up a late first for Thomas on the off chance that he turns back into a superstar. 

What the Saints do at quarterback this offseason could provide a temporary boost in his value, but if they go into the season with Taysom Hill and Ian Book, you might be in trouble.

Odell Beckham's value post-injury

In terms of Dynasty value, this one is devastating. Beckham had been outstanding in the playoffs and got off to a very good start in the Super Bowl. The speculation was that he would stay in Los Angeles and I really think if he'd topped 100 yards and won a Super Bowl his value would be going through the roof. Instead, he's a tough player for anyone to justify acquiring.

Beckham is 29 years old and may very well turn 30 before he's back at 100%. Since the 2016 season, he's only topped 1,000 yards twice and that's not just injuries, he's only topped eight yards per target once in that same stretch. Now he's coming off another major injury.

Before the injury I had Beckham ranked outside my top 40 at receiver in Dynasty and when I update the rankings next week he may not be in the top 60. Contenders have no use for him yet because we have no idea when he'll be ready for 2022 or what his role will be when he's back. 

Conventional wisdom would start rebuilders don't have much need either, but this might be a place where you could acquire Beckham for a late second-round pick (or less) during this year's rookie draft then wait it out for him to return. It's possible a big game or two in the middle of the 2022 season could cause a temporary value boost that you could turn into a better pick in 2023. 

That's about the only case I can make for acquiring him, it would be surprising to me if he's ever a top-20 wide receiver over a full season again.

Is the Gabriel Davis steam slowing down?

It was fun to watch the Davis hype the week after that four-score game and I hope at least some of you were able to capitalize on the trade market. As much as we all know it, those moments still create sell windows (much like Kadarius Toney's monster game earlier this year) and in most cases, you're better off if you seize the moment. 

In our most recent mock, Davis went 82nd overall to Dave Richard. The next four wide receivers taken were Courtland Sutton, Mike Williams, Michael Gallup, and Allen Robinson. I'm not sure Davis is going before any of those guys a month ago, so there's definitely still some steam there, but it's lessening.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see another boost in Davis' value around redraft draft season, as he gets hyped as everyone's favorite breakout candidate, and it does make some sense. He doesn't turn 23 until April 1st and he'll be entering his third year in 2022, likely with less competition for targets.

In other words, there's still some upside at Davis' current cost, but maybe not for long.

Albert Okwuegbunam ranked too high?

At first, this question may seem the most obscure, but there is a point to including it. As a point of reference, I had Okwuegbunam at TE17 in the most recent update to my Dynasty tight end rankings. And Nick isn't wrong, that does seem a bit high as things stand now. But it's also firmly in the "maybes with upside" portion of the tight end rankings, and I do think he belongs there. 

The Broncos' second-string tight end has a very unique combination of size and speed that gives him more upside than the traditional backup tight end. He's also caught 80% of his targets in his first two seasons in the league. 

While I don't currently see a non-injury path to him being a starting tight end in Fantasy this season, I do believe he's the kind of guy who could leap into the top 10 if something happens to Noah Fant, or if the Broncos let Fant walk. 

This is also a product of the Dynasty rankings struggle. On a contending roster, there are certainly more than 16 tight ends I'd rather roster this season. And I wouldn't be surprised if he falls a little in the next update when I start to incorporate 2022 projections. But also, this is exactly the type of player I want on a rebuilding roster or any team with a deep bench.