Dallas Cowboys RB Deuce Vaughn’s dynasty value is minimal, at best. After an unimpactful rookie season, should fantasy football managers expect Vaughn to take a step forward in his sophomore season? How should dynasty managers value Vaughn?
Deuce Vaughn’s Dynasty Outlook
There’s not much to take away from Vaughn’s rookie season. With Tony Pollard locked in as the RB1 and Rico Dowdle as the RB2, Vaughn barely played.
Vaughn appeared in a total of eight games and carried the ball a mere 23 times. We can’t necessarily draw conclusions based on 23 carries and seven total receptions, but Vaughn averaging 1.7 yards per carry certainly isn’t great.
The Cowboys selected Vaughn in the sixth round of last year’s NFL Draft. At 5’6”, 179 pounds, he is the smallest running back in the NFL. It’s a bit of a minor miracle he was even drafted, given he only ran a 4.61-second 40-yard dash time at his size.
Guys that look like Vaughn typically have blazing speed or are incredibly shifty; Vaughn has above-average agility, but he’s not exactly the second coming of Tarik Cohen.
The saving grace for Vaughn’s dynasty value remains his college production. Vaughn totaled 284 and 335 touches in his last two seasons at Kansas State, respectively. He proved capable of handling a heavy workload.
It’s extremely unlikely Vaughn will ever handle more than a couple of carries per game consistently in the NFL, though. His best path to fantasy value would be as a satellite back.
Vaughn’s college target shares were 15.5%, 21.5%, and 15.7%. There’s a world where he works his way into a receiving-back role.
Vaughn’s Dynasty Ranking
Where does Vaughn land in the dynasty RB landscape going into the 2024 offseason? Here are Katz’s latest rankings, featuring where Vaughn lands in comparison to other top names at the position.
Jason Katz’s Top 60 Dynasty RB Rankings
1) Breece Hall | NYJ
2) Bijan Robinson | ATL
3) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET
4) Christian McCaffrey | SF
5) Jonathan Taylor | IND
6) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX
7) De’Von Achane | MIA
8) Saquon Barkley | NYG
9) Rachaad White | TB
10) Isiah Pacheco | KC
11) Kenneth Walker III | SEA
12) Josh Jacobs | LV
13) Kyren Williams | LAR
14) James Cook | BUF
15) D’Andre Swift | PHI
16) Javonte Williams | DEN
17) Tony Pollard | DAL
18) Tyjae Spears | TEN
19) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
20) Joe Mixon | CIN
21) Alvin Kamara | NO
22) David Montgomery | DET
23) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS
24) Derrick Henry | TEN
25) Austin Ekeler | LAC
26) Najee Harris | PIT
27) Jaylen Warren | PIT
28) Zach Charbonnet | SEA
29) Nick Chubb | CLE
30) Aaron Jones | GB
31) Roschon Johnson | CHI
32) Jerome Ford | CLE
33) James Conner | ARI
34) Raheem Mostert | MIA
35) Khalil Herbert | CHI
36) Chuba Hubbard | CAR
37) Keaton Mitchell | BAL
38) Kendre Miller | NO
39) Devin Singletary | HOU
40) Tyler Allgeier | ATL
41) Antonio Gibson | WAS
42) Chase Brown | CIN
43) Ty Chandler | MIN
44) Zamir White | LV
45) AJ Dillon | GB
46) Alexander Mattison | MIN
47) Gus Edwards | BAL
48) J.K. Dobbins | BAL
49) Zack Moss | IND
50) Miles Sanders | CAR
51) Tank Bigsby | JAX
52) Elijah Mitchell | SF
53) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI
54) Ezekiel Elliott | NE
55) Samaje Perine | DEN
56) Kareem Hunt | CLE
57) D’Onta Foreman | CHI
58) Jamaal Williams | NO
59) Israel Abanikanda | NYJ
60) Jeff Wilson Jr. | MIA
Should You Trade Vaughn in Dynasty?
Are you considering trading Vaughn? Our free PFN Trade Analyzer allows you to find the best trades to make in seconds!
Vaughn is just 22 years old. He has time to learn and improve his craft. However, the shelf life of running backs is short, and guys who don’t show something in their first two seasons rarely pan out. The 2024 season is shaping up to be a make-or-break one for the now-sophomore running back.
MORE: Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Value Chart
Fantasy managers who took Vaughn with the last pick in their 2023 dynasty rookie drafts don’t really have any incentive to get rid of him. He’s also not going to have any value in a trade. You might as well hold and see if he can do anything in 2024. If not, you can just drop him after the season with no harm done.
