With the NFL draft now behind us and rookie minicamps at hand, we here at Dynasty Nerds will be submitting a series of articles that detail veteran profiles for the upcoming 2024 season. Oftentimes, these veterans can be big-time winners or losers based on how their teams handled the draft. Each season it is important to assess our rosters and identify how our veteran players on our roster look heading into the season and their potential outlook down the road. With that in mind let us go ahead and jump into our latest installment of 2024 Veteran Profiles.
The Player
Zack Moss entered the NFL as a 2020 third-round pick of the Buffalo Bills. The former University of Utah star had enjoyed a prolific career in the college ranks. Moss left Salt Lake City as the all-time leader in both rushing yards and TDs. His career stats reveal an extremely well-rounded RB.
Moss had the look of a potential workhorse at the NFL level. He had overcome the knee injury that had cut short his Junior season. His swan song at Utah saw him set career bests in a number of categories. Moss also earned 1st Team All-Pac 12 honors and Pac 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors.
NFL Career
To say that Moss has been a dynasty disappointment to this point in his career would be accurate. The Buffalo Bills were allegedly looking for a power back to help ease the load on their previous starter, Devin Singletary. Moss Initially showed some nice potential as a rookie. Then, he struggled through a sophomore slump that he never emerged from. By his third year, Moss was an afterthought in the offense. This situation reached a head when he was shipped along with a late draft pick to the Colts in exchange for Nyheim Hines.
Just when it seemed his career was anything other than a low-value handcuff Moss saw an opportunity knock. Starting RB Jonathan Taylor went down with an injury, and Moss put some really nice tape on film carrying the load for the Colts down the stretch in 2022.
Then in 2023, the door swung wide open again as Taylor held out to start the season. Moss managed to put together the best stretch of his career. In fact, he played well enough to keep a decent role in the offense even after Taylor came back to the team on a massive new deal. Moss had the best year of his career as he entered free agency.
The Team
At the end of the 2023 season, the Cincinnati Bengals seemed as if they would bring back long-time starter Joe Mixon. The veteran leader had helped carry the load for the Bengals through a difficult year as they dealt with numerous injuries to their franchise QB, Joe Burrow. The story slowly began to change, and it was eventually announced that the team would cut the long-time starter. However, before the ink was dry on his release, the Houston Texans jumped into the mix, pun intended, and gave the Bengals a seventh-round pick and extended the talented runner.
Following the trade of Mixon, the Bengals were left with only former mid-round pick Chase Brown on their roster. The team sought to add some depth by giving Moss a two-year $8-million contract.
Dynasty Value
Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bengals seemed to be a sure bet to add an early-round running back. Despite the potential fit for a rookie, the team chose to stand firm with their current stable and avoided the position altogether. Moss is the current favorite in the clubhouse to begin the year as the starter.
Moss showed last season that he is more than capable of leading an NFL franchise’s running attack. Still only 26, Moss remains in his prime physical years. He will face some competition from Chase Brown. The more likely scenario is that Moss acts as the early down and goalline hammer while Brown offers a speedy complement and third-down option.
Despite being a winner in the NFL draft, Moss’s price remains somewhat low. There has been very little movement on the trade front. According to our trade browser in the Dynasty GM, the most recent trade on Sleeper occurred on 1/1/2024 for a lone third-round pick.
Despite the lack of trade information, we know that his value remains depressed by the major rankings. Here at Dynasty Nerds, we have Moss ranked as the RB37. Over at Fantasypros, he has a composite ranking of RB41! These rankings tell me that his value has risen very little in the immediate aftermath of the NFL draft. Now may just be an excellent time to obtain the current Bengals’ starting RB.
Final Thoughts
While I do not believe that Moss will ever be an RB1, he still provides excellent value for your dynasty squads. The former Utah star showed last season in his extended playing time that he still possessed the skill that had earned him collegiate honors all those years ago.
The Cincinnati Bengals are just a few years removed from being in the Super Bowl. They still have an excellent core of players that will help take some of the pressure off of Moss. The talented runner will not be asked to be the centerpiece of the offense. Instead, he will find himself supporting a dynamic passing attack led by Burrow and superstar WR Ja’Marr Chase. Moss should enjoy some nice TD upside with the Cincinnati system putting him in a position to succeed.
The time is now or never for Moss, as he will never have a better opportunity to stake his claim to a starting NFL RB job. He has the pedigree and talent to succeed, given the right circumstances. He has some prime years left in the tank and can be a really nice and affordable RB2 or, better yet, flex for your Dynasty squads. Just check out some of his highlights from last year and make up your own mind.
Zack Moss was balling out for the Colts late last season. In his four games as the primary ball carrier, he rushed the ball 69 times for 331 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and one touchdown.
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) January 29, 2023
He also had 9 rushes over 10 yards during that stretch: pic.twitter.com/nLAuI5LXvj
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