Its not necessarily what hes leveled to but what the max overall is if he was fully leveled. Normally just throw a 1 or 2 star player into the dh position to make my franchise player plays the game
Normally you only get 1-2 days where that card version will give extra club points. I would only hold onto a player afterwards if they are highest max overall for that position or its a really cool graphic. If a player isn't high enough to make your roster I would trade him in for some xp