Each week, Footballguys staff members will share the big movers in their respective Dynasty Rankings. Since the contributors will rotate, please check in weekly. The focus of this article will be on the “why” more than the movement itself. Dynasty Rankings are fluid and we hope that sharing the rationale will help you in your quest to create dynasties with all your teams. The diversity of rankings will result in a variety of opinions weekly.
Quarterback
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Patrick Mahomes II II - Mahomes' start to the season is historic, and the film shows a confident, aggressive, and poised passer that uses every player at his disposal. It's impossible not to consider him a top-5 asset at the position right now given his age versus the other elite producers.
Baker Mayfield - It's only 3/4ths of a football game, but his poise and obvious leadership qualities are enough to push him into the top 25 in what's a very fluid tier of backup fantasy quarterbacks.
Matt Ryan - Ryan vaults back into the top 10 thanks in part to his own productivity but also the quick emergence of Calvin Ridley.
Jimmy Garoppolo - The bloom is off the rose on Garoppolo. He wasn't playing particularly well before tearing his ACL, and the 49ers have a lot of questions after an offseason of over-exuberance on our parts.
Dak Prescott - Prescott's star continues to fall with each passing game of indecision and inaccuracy. There are questions about the supporting talent, but not enough to completely dismiss his poor play. He's no longer worthy of a top-20 ranking until he turns his play around.
Tom Brady - Brady is still a commodity, but his age and the Patriots abysmal play through three weeks reminded me that we don't have many seasons left of Brady as an elite producer. He falls slightly out of the top 10 in favor of a few younger passers.
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Baker Mayfield - It is tough to be anything by optimistic for the Browns offense and Mayfield himself after his near-perfect relief appearance and a comeback win against the Jets. The Browns offense came to life after Tyrod Taylor ran it into the ground for two and a half games. Mayfield has a quality collection of weapons and the look of a potential Drew Brees-type signal-caller for the Browns offense.
Marcus Mariota - I continue to be disappointed with Mariota. The Titans offense was a massive underachiever last season and looks to be headed down the same track in 2018. This is bad news for Corey Davis, who looks to be progressing nicely, but also a warning sign for anointing young quarterbacks too soon in their development before proving with multiple strong seasons.
Tefertiller
Baker Mayfield – After the strong preseason showing, the former Heisman winner played well in relief of Tyrod Taylor in the upset victory over the Jets on Thursday night. Mayfield has the weapons and talent to be an every-week fantasy starter and will improve over time … which should scare the rest of the league.
Patrick Mahomes II II – Mahomes now has 13 passing touchdowns through the first three games of the season. He has spread the ball around to the cache of weapons the Chiefs have on offense. Sure, he cannot keep up this pace, Mahomes has proven doubters wrong so far.
Running Back
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Matt Breida - Breida continues to look like the best 49ers running back. Jerick McKinnon is gone for the season and no reinforcements are coming. Breida is not a true foundation back but has the strong explosiveness to maximize his touches in a Chris Thompson or Austin Ekeler-type fashion with 10-15 looks per game. Breida is a strong RB2/3 play for contenders the rest of the season and looks to be instrumental through the bye week stretch and for GMs with injuries or missing studs at the position.
Aaron Jones - Jones saw his 2018 season debut this week and already looks more explosive than Jamaal Williams. Ty Montgomery looks like a hindrance to Jones' potential use on third downs or as a hurry-up back, but Jones is on track to pass Williams in the coming weeks for 1A duties.
Adrian Peterson - How old is Peterson again? He continues to put up big numbers on foundation back touches and this week was no exception. Alex Smith optimizes the offense and Peterson is getting regular red zone opportunities. Who knows if Peterson can keep this up for the entire season, but until another GM is willing to give at least a future first-round pick, contending dynasty teams should ride Peterson as one of the highest floor backs in the league.
Kerryon Johnson – Slowly, but surely, Johnson is rising in prominence within Detroit's suddenly viable run game. Johnson offers a sustaining element for the Lions they have not had since Joique Bell. With Johnson's two-way ability and three strong receivers, there is balance on offense finally and Johnson is on track to be a weekly fantasy starter for owners right around the bye week gauntlet.
Tefertiller
Austin Ekeler – Ekeler has carved out a role even with Melvin Gordon having a productive season. Ekeler should be considered a fantasy flex even with Gordon healthy.
Matt Breida – Breida had an injury scare on Sunday but came back into the game to finish strong. He was the league rushing leader coming into Week 3 and will be needed more with the injury to Jimmy Garoppolo.
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Isaiah Crowell - Outside the top 30, the rankings are hyper-fluid at running back so take Crowell's jump with a grain of salt. For now, he's been a productive runner and isn't splitting value with Bilal Powell. If he keeps this up he has a chance to move even higher as a potential multi-year fantasy RB2.
Matt Breida - Jimmy Garoppolo's torn ACL likely caps the 49ers offense for the rest of 2018, but Breida has looked good in place of Jerick McKinnon. If he plays well with C. J. Beathard under center, Breida will become a valuable commodity particularly for teams looking at 2019 and beyond.
Kerryon Johnson - Johnson is already a top-30 fantasy back without scoring a touchdown in Detroit and is coming off a 100-yard rushing game. He seems poised to become the focal point of the Lions balanced offense and, in doing so, will command a significantly higher price in a few weeks.
Rashaad Penny - I was much higher on Penny than consensus and it's time to bring his long-term outlook in-line with my colleagues. He's looked terrible, the Seahawks offense is struggling, the coaching staff is questionable, and Chris Carson is coming off a monster game.
Jamaal Williams - I don't know if Aaron Jones is the guy, but I've seen enough of Jamaal Williams to know he's not. The Packers inability to run the ball is maddening, and Williams may get another chance or two to win the job, but the film doesn't give me hope for a turnaround.
Tarik Cohen - Cohen seems like a forgotten man in Chicago under Matt Nagy's watch. It's hard to get excited about his future since Nagy is in his first year and Jordan Howard is young and signed long term.
Wide Receiver
Tefertiller
Tyler Boyd – Boyd moved up the ranks with a pair of strong outings the last two weeks. Quarterback Andy Dalton has raved about Boyd and the receiver has taken over the starting role opposite A. J. Green, not John Ross like most predicted.
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Tyler Boyd - I completely missed on Boyd after getting caught up in the John Ross hype late in the preseason. Boyd's back-to-back monster games have everyone on notice, and he warrants a massive move up my rankings.
Kenny Golladay - I considered myself a Golladay fan but my rankings didn't reflect that viewpoint as he stood outside the top 50 at the position. Matthew Stafford is targeting Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, and Golladay, but the most consistent player through three games is the second-year man. It's hard to imagine he's not the 1a or 1b next year and beyond, with either Tate or Jones (or both) relegated to lesser roles.
Kenny Stills - Stills is making the most of his opportunity to replace Jarvis Landry as the top target, and he's showing a broader skill set this year versus the vertical threat he was known as in prior seasons. With Ryan Tannehill healthy and playing at a high level, Stills could be a WR2 for years to come.
Calvin Ridley - Ridley has four touchdowns in the last two weeks and is outplaying Julio Jones. While that's unlikely to continue, Ridley is already established as Matt Ryan's No. 2 option. He's squarely in the conversation as a top 20 fantasy asset.
John Ross - Tyler Boyd's gain is Ross' loss, as the Olympic-class speedster has failed to build off a strong preseason. Ross has played like a vertical threat with iffy hands, while Boyd has looked like a do-everything go-to target.
Robby Anderson - Sam Darnold has no chemistry with Anderson, and his role has been reduced to a deep threat and decoy. It would be one thing if Quincy Enunwa was the only other Jets receiver making plays, but Jermaine Kearse was better in Week 3 (when he returned to the field), too. It's concerning.
Michael Gallup - I was sure Gallup would be the best rookie receiver, but that's a hard position to stand by given the Cowboys offensive woes. It's not as though other Cowboys receivers are lighting up the box score, but Gallup isn't being targeted. He needs snaps and targets, then he needs to produce, and then he can figure back into the mix as a dynasty asset.
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Sammy Watkins - Watkins continues to progress within the Chiefs' explosive passing game. Watkins, not Tyreek Hill, could end up as the more consistent weekly option. Watkins was paid like a No. 1 receiver and he has back-to-back games of 18+ PPR points and should push for 1,000 or more yards and eight or more touchdowns on the season.
Calvin Ridley - I was one the biggest Calvin Ridley skeptics out there during the draft process but landing in Atlanta has yielded early returns as Ridley feasted on ancillary cornerbacks in Week 3 to a monster game (7-146-3). While it remains to be seen if Ridley is a future No. 1 option, Ridley is already on the WR3/4 lineup decision zone as a rookie in the opening weeks of the season.
Tight End
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Will Dissly - Described as a blocker by his own coaches, Dissly has delivered top 10 fantasy value through three weeks. He's touchdown dependent, but so are most fantasy tight ends.
Jesse James - The Vance McDonald experiment died before it got started, and James has been the Steelers most productive short- and intermediate receiver in LeVeon Bell's absence.
Hunter Henry - Henry is out for the year with a torn ACL but moves up by virtue of how unimpressive most of the league's tight ends have been. At this pace, Henry is close to a must-have asset for anyone looking at 2019 and beyond.
Cameron Brate - Brate has zero catches through two games, which wouldn't be a death knell until we consider Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for 800+ yards already. O.J. Howard is emerging, and Brate may be looking at a backup role this year, and a new locale next year.
Trey Burton - Burton looks like "just another guy" through three games. He's still a borderline fantasy TE1, but not someone worth paying a premium to acquire.
Rob Gronkowski - Gronkowski falls below Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz because he seems more likely to end his career after this season or next. In redraft leagues, he's still No. 1, but in dynasty formats, the other two have a far more assured value in 2019 and beyond.
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Mark Andrews - It will be interesting to see what Baltimore does when Hayden Hurst returns to the lineup, but Andrews has done nothing but impress with his early-season opportunities. Andrews is a polished route runner with strong hands, seeing success down the seam again in Week 3. Ideally, Baltimore runs plenty of formations with Hurst and Andrews on the field in lieu of a third receiver.
George Kittle - There have been numerous missed opportunities for Kittle early in the season from glaring drops to Jimmy Garoppolo missing Kittle on open targets. Through it all, Kittle is still TE11 in PPR PPG and would be top-6 if he capitalized on even half the missed chances. Jimmy Garoppolo likely out with an ACL will temper Kittle's projection for the rest of the season, but the tools are there for Kittle to be a focal point of the offense.