Every year, I find fantasy football to be increasingly “solved”. After years of playing, edges I once had, such as drafting rookies, targeting mobile quarterbacks, or even streaming defenses, have become en vogue and no longer offer the same level of advantage they once did. The fantasy community has thoroughly impressed me, and the game is more fun than ever as a result.
There is, however, an underdiscussed and underutilized strategy that allows us to bypass the single most limiting factor in fantasy football: roster size. That technique is known as the IR Stash.
Why Use the IR Stash?
Imagine a league with no maximum roster size. In this league, at the conclusion of our draft, we’re allowed to add an infinite number of players to our roster. We’d almost certainly win this league due to the value available on the waiver wire. On a smaller scale, we accomplish the same thing with an IR stash. We’re not guaranteeing our chance at waiver success, as in the previous example, but we are increasing it. With a roster size of 15, we can roster a 16th player. That’s a 7% increase in roster size, an incremental advantage, but one smart players take.
Of course, this isn’t an unconditional roster spot; we can only use it on IR-eligible players. To take full advantage, we’ll have to understand who is eligible for that spot and who our league settings allow to be placed in said spot.
Understanding League Settings
One reason I find this topic underdiscussed is the lack of uniformity in IR settings across leagues. Some leagues forgo the setting altogether. If that’s the case, it fundamentally changes the view on IR-eligible players, as it changes the opportunity cost. Without an IR spot, our opportunity cost is one of our precious roster spots, making these players far, far less valuable. In IR leagues, however, the opportunity cost is merely not being able to use our IR spot on other players. If one of our stars gets hurt, that becomes a concern, but if we’re entering the year with a healthy roster, that’s free real estate.
Upon confirming that your league does, in fact, have an IR spot, it’s essential to understand exactly how it will work in your league. ESPN and Yahoo both require a player to be listed as OUT or designated for the IR by their NFL team to be placed on your league’s IR. This is a meaningful distinction in some cases. When a team lists a player as Doubtful, we are unable to add them to our IR on these platforms, which in turn hinders our roster flexibility and increases our opportunity cost if they need to occupy a roster spot. This concern is lessened with the advent of the short-term IR, saving our players from the dreaded Doubtful tag. ESPN and Yahoo both allow you to search for IR-eligible players, though frustratingly, this functionality is only available on desktop for both sites and cannot be used on their respective mobile apps. I’ll include some players to target with your IR stash, but this is a useful resource for fantasy managers to have.
Sleeper works somewhat differently in terms of IR settings. That’s because Sleeper actually allows for customization with this particular setting. Sleeper allows toggles for the IR spot, with options to allow players with Doubtful or Suspended status to be placed in the IR spot. While uncommon, this setting radically alters the value of a player like Rashee Rice. As always, be sure to check your league’s settings.
Who to Stash
Advice is only advice when it’s actionable. You’re sold on the IR stash, but now you’re wondering who should be stashed. Luckily, there are many promising candidates for the early season.
It’s most useful to look at waiver pickups here, but in case your draft is last-minute or if they went undrafted in your league, let’s look at a few honorable mentions. Joe Mixon and Brandon Aiyuk are past fantasy producers who find themselves IR-eligible. Neither may meaningfully contribute to fantasy teams this year, but that’s why we’re only stashing them in IR leagues. It’s okay if these players end up not doing anything this year. We’re not relying on them; they’re simply a bonus addition that would otherwise be an unused roster spot.
Jalen Coker, WR – CAR
The hype in Carolina is all directed towards Tetairoa McMillan, and deservedly so; he’s an exciting player. That said, Jalen Coker’s exciting rookie season shouldn’t escape our gaze. Per PFF, Coker was 4th among rookies in Yards Per Routes Run (YPPR) last year, trailing only Brian Thomas Jr., Ladd McConkey, and Malik Nabers. Coker actually eclipsed players like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Xavier Worthy in the metric. Sure, the Panthers aren’t strongly invested in the former UDFA (Undrafted Free Agent), and the injury isn’t doing him any favors, but Coker is a productive player we can grab with a “free” roster spot. The departure of Adam Thielen to the Vikings only strengthens the potential for Coker to return as the Panthers’ top slot receiver when he returns from IR. Very exciting stuff!
Coker has been placed on IR with a designation to return, and according to Yahoo! Sports, Coker is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a quad injury.
Marshawn Lloyd, RB – GB
A point I want to drive home here, it’s okay (and somewhat expected) if these players don’t amount to anything. Marshawn Lloyd isn’t someone I’d typically be hyping up, but he is a 220 lb. back with 4.46 speed and 3rd round draft capital, on a good offense. Again, the opportunity costs with these players are extremely low, and for how little we’re investing in Lloyd, he’s enticing enough. It’s unclear who among Lloyd, Emmanuel Wilson, and Chris Brooks would emerge in the event of a Josh Jacobs injury, but it’s worth noting that Lloyd was a 3rd round draft choice, while Wilson and Brooks are both former UDFAs. This isn’t a guarantee that Lloyd would assume the largest workload, but it’s not uncommon for teams to remain anchored to their initial investment. An upside to the IR stash? If Lloyd is reinstated from the IR and it’s clear that Lloyd has no real role, we can simply drop him at no real cost to our team. If Jacobs were to sustain an injury in that span, however? We’ve picked up an exciting lottery ticket for an otherwise unused roster spot.
Lloyd has been placed on IR with the designation to return, with an unclear timetable to return, and is still dealing with the hamstring issue, originally reported by ESPN.
Taysom Hill, TE- NO
The state of the TE position routinely leaves us wanting, and for some, that occasionally means resorting to Taysom Hill. He’ll never catch 100 passes or do anything that a typical TE would do, but his unique role and his nose for the endzone have made him a sporadically useful fantasy TE in the past. Who knows? With the state of the New Orleans QB position, maybe Hill finds himself under center again. As we saw in 2020, a QB with eligibility at TE can be game-breaking. Of course, we saw fantasy platforms largely remove the TE designation after a few weeks of QB play. This again highlights the upside of the IR stash. Hill would not typically be worth rostering on this contingency alone, but with him not eating a core roster spot, this possibility becomes more intriguing. It’s also worth noting that, while sporadic, Hill is a capable fantasy producer even in his TE role. With Hill’s strange mix of redzone carries, receptions, and a handful of pass attempts, Hill was TE 4 in Half PPR points per game last season. He offers a potential, albeit strange, solution to fantasy’s scarcest position.
Hill is currently on the PUP list, and making progress towards recovering from the Torn ACL suffered last season via SaintsWire.
Photo by John Byrum | Adapted by Parker McDonald (@CarbonFoxGFX on Twitter/X)