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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Cam Newton – Newton moves up 11 spots from QB22 to QB11 as it’s clear he’s finally healthy and has found a new home in New England. The Patriots look like they are contenders again, and Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels have seamlessly shifted the offense to support Newton’s power-rushing abilities. Expect Newton to sign a multi-year extension with the Patriots in the coming months and finish his career for an AFC contender.
Carson Wentz - Wentz plummets out of the Top 10 (from QB7 to QB13) after a horrendous start to the season. It’s not just about thinking less of Wentz; it’s a recognition that the team lacks the talent and depth to be the perennial NFC contender they were for a few seasons culminating in the Nick-Foles-led Super Bowl victory. All is not lost for Wentz, but the Eagles need to rebuild the offensive line and hit on a few young receivers before Wentz should be viewed as a key piece of dynasty championship-caliber rosters.
Hicks
Josh Allen - The transformation of Josh Allen this season is remarkable so far. In his first two years, he did not exceed 266 passing yards in any game. After the first three games of 2020, he has exceeded 310 passing yards in every game. His passing touchdowns barely exceeded an average of one per game in the first two seasons. He has 10 so far this year. Add in his continued ability to run the ball into the end zone and very few quarterbacks approach his ceiling. He moves into the upper echelon of fantasy quarterbacks.
Nick Mullens - Nick Mullens was an unexpected fantasy option in his 2018 rookie season once Jimmy Garoppolo went down. Mullens averaged almost 300 passing yards a game and managed 13 touchdowns in his eight games as a starter. Fast forward to 2020 and the same thing is occurring. Whether Mullens can usurp Garoppolo for the starting job depends on how long Garoppolo is out and how well Mullens continues to play. Even if Garoppolo resumes his starting role, the leash will be that much tighter, and it isn’t inconceivable that he is yanked for Mullens. Mullens is one to have on deeper rosters.
Parsons
Josh Allen - It is hard not to react to Allen's development as a passer (plus the valuable addition of Stefon Diggs) in 2020. Allen's rushing is still a pinnacle of his fantasy prowess but adding touch to his deep ball has been a game-changer. While the competition is high for the elite quarterback spots in 2020 through three weeks, Allen has top-3 upside for the season.
Sam Darnold - The Jets are in rough shape and Darnold has taken a big hit early in his career as a result. The weapons are him are arguably the worst in the NFL and Darnold's lone advanced statistic of at least NFL-average quality is his sack rate in 2020. Darnold is nearing his fifth-year option offseason with little reason for optimism a breakout suddenly appears in 2020 and his fantasy outlook is as rough, or rougher than his NFL outlook.
Running Back
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Alvin Kamara - After the first game of the season I didn’t like the way the team was using Alvin Kamara and this on top of his 2019 performance cast doubt about his future. With three weeks of the season now under our belt, it is pretty clear where his success lies. He only averages about 50-60 yards a game rushing. That hasn’t changed. He will top 80 receptions a season. The key variable is touchdowns. He already has as many touchdowns this year as he recorded for the whole of 2019. Kamara will continue to have a very high floor and that moves him back up my rankings,
James Robinson - Worthy of a longer discussion is why undrafted running backs tend to be more successful than guys taken in the later rounds of NFL drafts. The latest success story is James Robinson in Jacksonville. Only those in extremely deep leagues had him on their radar. Once Leonard Fournette was released it would have been wise to examine their roster to see who they had worth doing that for. As we have seen in his first three games, Robinson belongs as an NFL running back and needs to come from nowhere to a starting designation in future rankings.
Aaron Jones - Those of us who undervalued Aaron Jones heading into 2020 made a mistake. Second-round pick A.J. Dillon is not even third-string in Green Bay and Jones has merrily continued from his break-out 2019 season. It would fill me and other fantasy managers with more confidence in his long-term prognosis if the team offered him a new contract. He will be significantly elevated in my rankings due to his likely 2020 performance, but I still have concerns about 2021 onwards.
Parsons
Todd Gurley - Despite the Falcons offense excelling through the air, Gurley has generally been a tough watch as the central element of the ground game for Atlanta. Gurley has been absent from any receiving volume and he is touchdown-or-bust for posted even a decent fantasy performance. Considering this was a best-case outlook for Gurley, a one-year deal on a contender, Gurley's outlook beyond 2020 is even grimmer. In a few more weeks, returning even a Round 2 rookie pick and an upside player from the dynasty market for Gurley might drift away as an option.
James Robinson - Robinson had a career day in Week 3 and has been a polarizing dynasty subject since then. Robinson's lack of pedigree is a sticking point for many, myself included, as Robinson is now a relatively liquid dynasty trade asset where a future Round 1 pick is within the scope of outcomes for a trade. While I have moved Robinson up in my rankings since the beginning of the season, Robinson is a sell recommendation as betting on Robinson beyond this season, or even to maintain what he has done so far for the rest of the season, is betting on an outlier of an outlier outcome.
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James Robinson – The rookie jumps 19 spots from RB48 to RB29 after shocking the world by not only making the Jaguars roster but becoming their workhorse. Robinson isn’t merely a placeholder; he’s shown great vision, an ability to shed blockers, and a keen feel for short-yardage opportunities. His ability to deliver in both positive and negative game scripts solidifies his place as a dynasty building block. If he maintains his current level of play, he’ll push into the top-20 consideration in the coming months.
Saquon Barkley - Barkley falls four spots from RB2 to RB6. Barkley’s season is over after damaging multiple ligaments. Our injury expert – Dr. Jene Bramel – believes Barkley’s injuries are more severe than a clean ACL tear, and the timeline for his recovery will be 12+ months versus six to eight months. It’s also possible he’ll never regain his former peak abilities.
Darrell Henderson - Henderson vaults 11 spots to RB25 from RB36. An injury-laden preseason and talk of a three-back committee were enough to send shivers down fantasy managers’ spines. Still, Henderson has shaken off the concerns and emerged as the Rams' best overall back. It’s still a committee, and there are no guarantees rookie Cam Akers can’t reassert his claim to the No. 1 role when he’s healthy again, but Henderson looks like the explosive two-way back that got us excited a few seasons ago in rookie drafts.
Wide Receiver
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Justin Jefferson - Jefferson broke out in a massive way in Week 3 and is already on the WR3-Flex scope for fantasy lineups. A rookie receiver being lineup-relevant is a bonus considering the typical ramp-up for the position to fantasy viability, but the 2020 rookie class - including Jefferson - is already off to an optimistic start. Jefferson has already surged to the WR2 role in Minnesota and supplanting Adam Thielen as the WR1 may be coming this season.
John Ross - Ross has sunk to irrelevant on a loaded Bengals wide receiver depth chart. He is firmly on the reclamation path and needs a change of team. However, in moderate depth dynasty leagues, Ross' roster spot may be tough to hold through bye weeks and until the offseason. Ross is on the bust path or later-career track even if he hits down the line.
Hicks
JuJu Smith-Schuster - It seems like a mea culpa addition of my preseason rankings, but JuJu Smith-Schuster has to be elevated on what we have seen so far this year. I’m still not convinced he is a number one wide receiver and his 9.4 yards a catch so far this season is a worry. It is clear however that Ben Roethlisberger looks for him first, especially in the end zone. The depth of skill at the position in Pittsburgh means he may be more a fantasy WR2 and I would like to see the team place confidence in his long-term viability by signing to an extension, but he moves up significantly from where I had him.
DK Metcalf - I had DK Metcalf rated considerably higher as a dynasty prospect than most of my colleagues heading into the season. He has lived up to that potential and more so far this year as Russell Wilson lights up the scoreboard. Why then do I move him down in my rankings? Two major reasons; Tyler Lockett is simply the number one target and who Wilson looks to in key situations. The second one is more personal. I abhor the brain fade that cost his side a long touchdown. Maybe it’s a young man's mistake that he will learn and grow from. Fine. I need to see that proven. To me, it’s a major red flag that all the talent and ability cannot overcome. It’s a key reason he fell to the late second round of the NFL draft despite his high first-round measurables. If he matures, he will be an elite fantasy receiver. More of that poor decision making and he will be out of the league faster than you can say David Boston.
Braxton Berrios - Braxton Berrios is someone I have had on my radar since being drafted by the Patriots in 2018. His performances in training camp that year had him lined up as a potential successor to Julian Edelman. Injuries have unfortunately derailed his career to date and now with the Jets, he gets his opportunities with injuries to others. His upside is somewhat limited, but if his injury issues are behind him then he could make a useful depth option for fantasy managers.
Gabriel Davis - Rookie Gabriel Davis impressed during training camp and has found himself in the rotation with an injury to John Brown. He is more a long-term player to hold onto rather than a 2020 prospect, but if he continues to get opportunities and does well with them, then maybe not. He has good size and just requires development. With Josh Allen passing more this year and the team having several options in place, his future looks good. If you have the roster space to hold him past this season, do it.
Wood
Calvin Ridley - Ridley moves up six spots from WR11 to WR5. He’s arrived. While many expected Ridley to become a Pro Bowl-caliber No. 2 to Julio Jones this year, few expected Ridley to zoom past Jones as the Falcons best offensive player. Yet, that’s exactly what’s happened. Given Ridley’s age versus Jones, it’s high time we started valuing him over his legendary teammate.
Stefon Diggs - Diggs moves back into the Top 25, from WR36 to WR24. Diggs fell out of the Top 25 when he was traded to Buffalo, as the Bills offense doesn’t have the volume to support an elite fantasy receiver. Or so we thought. But the Bills have taken a step forward thanks to Josh Allen becoming a more confident vertical passer, and Diggs is now producing like a WR1.
Terry McLaurin - McLaurin moved up six spots to WR17 from WR23. McLaurin is the only reliable player on the WFT’s offense, and the fact he’s putting up top-20 fantasy value with zero supporting cast and bad quarterbacking is a testament to his transcendent talent. Assuming the team gradually improves at quarterback, McLaurin could have multiple WR1 seasons ahead.
Courtland Sutton - Sutton falls from WR33 to WR40. I wasn’t that high on Sutton anyway, but the season-ending ACL tear, and Jerry Jeudy’s immediate emergence, limit Sutton’s ceiling. He’s not worth forgetting about, but you missed your window of maximizing his trade value.
Tight End
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Evan Engram – Engram drops six spots to TE15 from TE9. Enough is enough. The Giants are desperate for reliable playmakers, and yet Engram still isn’t making a mark. If not, now, when?
Mo Alie-Cox – Alie-Cox skyrockets from TE50 to TE18. The former collegiate basketball player has been a fan-favorite “what if” project for a while, but Jack Doyle’s inability to stay on the field opened the door, and Allie-Cox rang the bell. Philip Rivers trusts him, and Allie-Cox is making downfield plays that no Colts receiver seems capable of doing.
Hicks
Will Dissly - After two highly promising and injury-interrupted seasons to begin his career I was anticipating a solid season for Will Dissly. I would be very reluctant to part with him as he was impressive in the past. This season however Seattle seems to prefer the ghost of Greg Olsen. Even Jacob Hollister is getting as much playing time. Maybe Dissly needs to work into fitness, but Olsen is a shadow of his former self and his aging skillset is noticeable to all who watch. If that is still better than Dissly, then it’s hard to be optimistic. Dissly moves down in rankings with a question mark.
Mo Alie-Cox - Mo Alie-Cox rewarded those who jumped on board following his 100-yard game in week two with a touchdown. Only three targets are a concern, but long-term Ali-Cox has the potential to be a consistent starter in this league. We know the coaching staff and Philip Rivers love using the position and maybe in more challenging games than against the Jets we get to see that high upside realized consistently. A huge leap in rankings.
Parsons
Evan Engram - I am certified as one of the biggest Engram supporters on the planet. However, the upside is not coming to fruition with the Giants. The offensive line is poor enough Engram is being asked to block and chip far too often for his athleticism and downfield skills to produce big plays. Plus, Daniel Jones remains a question mark at best. Away from the Giants is probably the best path for Engram to hit as an elite TE1, but that is a future variable.
Drew Sample - A former Round 2 NFL Draft selection, Sample now has a clear path to consistently strong snaps and routes run weekly with C.J. Uzomah out for the season. The Bengals are a likely high-volume passing attack and Sample, at a minimum, is a streamer consideration with TE1 upside any week for lineup decisions.
If you would like to review our most recent Dynasty rankings, here is a link.
