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.
Quarterbacks
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Josh Allen - Allen moves up ten spots from QB21 to QB11 after an impressive opening week against the Jets. While this may seem like a dramatic move, it merely puts him back to where he was before the offseason began, and I became fearful his not-so-hot camp was a sign of regression. He also swore he wouldn't run as much, but clearly, he's going to be the same free-wheeling player he was in 2019, and if the Bills can win a lot of game, he's more likely to land an extension and secure 4-5 more years as a starter than I feared a few months ago.
Hicks
Gardner Minshew - There is something about Gardner Minshew. From his impressive unexpected debut season, charisma, and development right through to his start to the 2020 season, dragging an on paper bad Jacksonville team across the line against the Colts. He was highly efficient and productive. He deserves consideration as a QB2 and maybe more moving forward. One to watch very closely.
Cam Newton - The good news was that Cam Newton looked fit and strong to open the season. The bad news is that one game doesn’t equal 16 and the rapport with his receivers is a work in progress. That said, Newton is the clear number one option for the Patriots and becomes a borderline starting option for the foreseeable future. This ranking could fly in all directions given the potential volatility, but for now, he moves up.
Parsons
Aaron Rodgers - Some were writing off Rodgers this past offseason with the drafting of Jordan Love in Round 1 plus Rodgers pedestrian (by his standards) touchdown production of the past two seasons. Rodgers sizzled Minnesota in Week 1 and found viable ancillary targets to Davante Adams in Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. While on the older side, Rodgers still has top-5 upside in a given week or season.
Running Back
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Alvin Kamara - Kamara hasn’t rushed for a 1,000-yard season in any of his first three years in the NFL and 2020 didn’t get off to a great start running the ball. Despite all that he was still able to please his fantasy managers with a double touchdown performance. The fact Latavius Murray looked much better running the ball has me worried and despite Kamara’s new contract, his usage may become better targeted and less frequent minimizing his fantasy value. He moves down the rankings.
Jerick McKinnon - After almost 1,000 days since his last NFL appearance, Jerick McKinnon finally returned and played his first snap for the San Francisco 49ers. It’s early days and his upside is limited, but it is very conceivable that he could be the number two back with a prominent third-down role. Rosterable in deeper leagues and he moves into that borderline flex territory.
Malcolm Brown - Cam Akers looked flat, Darrell Henderson was invisible and Malcolm Brown as the most experienced back got the chocolates against the Cowboys. My gut feel is this role alternates all season and it is a fantasy mess, but for now Brown deserves to be rated higher and at least be in the conversation for starting consideration in the short term.
Parsons
Mark Ingram - Ingram snap share in Week 1 was alarming and J.K. Dobbins saw two short touchdowns amidst his quality NFL debut. Ingram was already limited with his touchdown-or-bust profile for bigger games dating back to last season. If his lagging snap share continues and this is a full-blown committee, or worse, Ingram could devolve into a flex-at-best weekly play. At 30 years old, that profile would be a near value-less and a fraction of what it was in 2019 and the offseason.
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Nick Chubb - Chubb falls from RB6 to RB11. This drop isn't reflective of a loss of confidence in Chubb's talent, but more a reflection of the coaches' tendencies and the Browns inability to take a significant step forward until they part ways with Baker Mayfield. We saw in Week 1 that Kareem Hunt had more touches and was a far more substantial part of the passing game than Chubb. And the Browns also extended Hunt for several years, so Chubb will be stuck in a full-blown committee for the next few years, barring injury.
Joshua Kelley - Kelley jumps from RB42 to RB30. Although I was already a Kelley fan, I wasn't sure if he would get an opportunity to play a significant role for the next season or two because of Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson. But Jackson is already hurt, and Kelley stepped into the No. 2 role in Week 1 and ran for 60 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Head coach Anthony Lynn said they wouldn't have won the game without Kelley's ability to control the game flow in the second half. It now looks like Kelley could see a workload like the departed Melvin Gordon, which gives him a low-end RB1 ceiling and a top-25 floor.
Wide Receiver
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Will Fuller - Fuller is healthy and has a clear pathway to targets as the WR1 in Houston. His pairing with Deshaun Watson, plus a suspect defense, points to shootouts and a top-12 season on a per-game basis. Fuller's growth into a full-route-tree receiver during his career has gone largely unnoticed by the dynasty community-at-large. Fuller is a top-25 dynasty receiver.
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JuJu Smith-Schuster - He jumps from WR11 to WR7. Smith-Schuster is only 23 years old and came alive in Week 1 with Ben Roethlisberger back in the lineup. Even if you ascribe to the idea the Steelers are ready to move on from Smith-Schuster, he's likely to vault into the No. 1 role on another WR-needy team for massive free agent money in 2021. Whether he stays in Pittsburgh or not, we can now confidently discount 2019 as an anomaly.
Will Fuller - Fuller jumps from WR54 to WR34. Let's be honest, I was far lower on Fuller than most, but it would be disingenuous to keep him so low after acing the season opener. I’m still worried about his durability, but while healthy, he proved he’s more than capable of running a full route tree versus being a pure vertical threat. With 160+ targets up for grabs after DeAndre Hopkins’ departure, Fuller can be an every-week fantasy starter as long as he’s not in the trainer's room.
Hicks
Will Fuller - Part of season-long analysis is not overreacting to Week 1 curveballs or one-off performances. That said my preseason ranking of Will Fuller has to be re-evaluated. I had him well below other staffers for significant reasons. His awful injury history and reliable inconsistency. It was clear in the game against Kansas City that Fuller was the number one target. Maybe Brandin Cooks was hobbled by a quad injury and needs time to bed in, but for now, Fuller must be started until one of the two flaws I mentioned comes to light. If you are still skeptical like me, trading him for a high value is a good move.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling - It was assumed that Allen Lazard would be the number two option in Green Bay, but it was clear that Aaron Rodgers saw matchups he could exploit with Marquez Valdes-Scantling and the inexperienced Vikings secondary. At least two drops when he was wide open cost him a monster game and unfortunately, those drops are likely to happen in the future. If he can minimize them and be as productive as he was in Week 1, he is an easy riser in rankings with a watch for further improvement.
Russell Gage - In one of the more unexpected turns of Week 1, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley had competition for targets at wide receiver in Atlanta. The former sixth-round pick developed strongly in the final half of the 2019 season and continued that in the new year with a nine catch 100-yard game against the Seahawks. He could be on many waiver wires and must be snapped up immediately if so. Julio Jones is still at the top of his game but is well past 30 now and a slowdown should be expected.
Tight End
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Blake Jarwin – Jarwin drops from TE21 to TE28 after tearing his ACL in Week 1. While he still has a chance to return in 2021 as the Cowboys’ starter, the team doesn’t have a major financial commitment to him and could just as easily look elsewhere for a new building block. His excellent training camp warranted excitement, but his lack of a regular-season resume combined with a season-ending injury means he should be nothing more than roster depth on a competitive dynasty roster.
Hicks
Chris Herndon - I needed to be convinced that Chris Herndon was the starting tight end for the Jets and was focused on the 2020 season. Six catches for 37 yards isn’t the best game you will ever see, but it is enough for me to give him a significant rise in rankings. He was the only player at his position targeted by Sam Darnold and more productive games should be around the corner.
Logan Thomas - The tight end position was a weakness for the Washington football team. It still is, but Logan Thomas was the most targeted receiver for the team and while his production looked good on paper, he only caught half the balls thrown his way. He clears out from the other uninspiring options on the team and could be a good option for 2020 for fantasy teams lacking depth. Don’t get carried away for his long-term potential, but he at least warrants a position on most rosters.
Parsons
Dallas Goedert - The Eagles, smartly, ran plenty of two-tight end sets in Week 1. While their wide receivers are improved from a year ago with DeSean Jackson back and Jalen Reagor added of note, their two biggest mismatches presently are Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. While Ertz has been a high-level producer in recent years, Goedert still snuck into the top-12 of the position on a per-game basis in 2019. Goedert is a blue-chip talent at the position and Week 1 was the most recent example of collecting his warranted targets and his high weekly upside. Goedert has an argument to be in the top-6 dynasty tight ends.
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