11 Personnel: KJ Hamler

Welcome to 11 Personnel, a series highlighting my favorite 2022 offseason trade targets! There’s something for everybody here. Many of these players are names you know but are undervalued. Whether you’re looking to add one more guy, trying to fix some depth woes or trying to rebuild with some low-risk, lottery tickets. This series will give you the jumpstart you need.

Today we’re discussing… WR KJ Hamler, Denver Broncos

Hamler is buried on the depth chart behind Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Tim Patrick. Plus, tight end Albert Okwuegbunam will be a factor. Coming back from a torn ACL, it just looks like there won’t be an opportunity for Hamler. But wait –  Russell Wilson hasn’t even had the opportunity to find his favorite targets yet.  We all assume Jeudy will be the #1, followed by Sutton, and then Patrick. Jeudy is a 1st rounder after all, and the team just paid Sutton and Patrick. But let’s take a closer look.  Do you think this team brought in a QB like Russ just to force him to target the guys they paid up for, even if he doesn’t favor them, merely to justify those investments?  The Sutton contract with a potential out after the 2023 season? The Patrick contract with a potential out after the 2022 season? Jeudy, who we all make excuses for because of the team’s poor quarterback play in recent years, but could actually be fools gold? Not to denigrate these guys, but I like Sutton and Patrick as players, and I believe in Jeudy to succeed. My point is that this competition is much more open than we think. Hamler, is going to be 23 going into the season. He is 2nd-round pick with 4.3 speed who can really go get the deep ball. The team, by all means, will get Hamler involved ahead of someone who is either more heralded or has a bigger paycheck. If Russ has a strong connection with Hamler, guess who has WR2 upside.

Moves I’ve made:

Here are some of the moves I’ve made for Hamler lately to illustrate what I’m willing to give up to acquire him. In one league I packaged Kadarius Toney along with Ronald Jones to get Hamler. Toney is a headcase and might never find a meaningful role in the NFL while RoJo is a fine depth piece but isn’t helping me win anything. In another deal, I moved Nico Collins and pick 3.01 in a rebuild for Hamler and pick 3.04. I was roasted for getting the “lesser” player and the later pick. But it’s the same thing, Collins and his fantasy WR4 upside isn’t winning me anything and the difference in draft capital is negligible. This wasn’t a move I made, but I wish. A friend of mine told me he was able to snag Hamler in the 5th round of one of his rookie drafts where unrostered veteran players could also be selected. Incredible value. A few things need to break right for Hamler to reach his upside. A major one is him and Russ finding chemistry. There’s a good chance of that happening. Don’t risk too much for Hamler, but definitely make an effort to go nab this relatively low-risk, high-reward lottery ticket. An early-mid 3rd with some lesser pieces to sweeten the deal as necessary should do the trick. You can find me on Twitter @thedevydirtbag and also on YouTube @thedevydirtbag _ Thanks for reading.