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
Tefertiller
Justin Herbert – Herbert moves way up the rankings this week. The rookie has looked great, even without a full supporting cast. The Chargers have been unlucky in recent losses, but the young passer continues to impress with his strong arm, making plays off-script.
Daniel Jones – Jones has not been able to make plays and his propensity for turning the ball over will not win him accolades with the coaching staff. The excuses for Jones this past offseason included injuries to his weapons and that trend has continued. Sterling Shepard and Saquon Barkley are on injured reserve, but the former is expected back soon.
McNamara
Ryan Tannehill - I was skeptical entering the season on Ryan Tannehill. He was buoyed by an unsustainably high touchdown rate and yards per attempt in 2019 before earning a contract extension in the offseason. Through the early part of 2020, Tannehill has regressed some, but his touchdown rate of 7.5% and his 7.9 yards per attempt are more sustainable. Tannehill has also elevated those around him, including A.J. Brown, Corey Davis, and Jonnu Smith, a good sign for his future. Tannehill is another beneficiary of leaving Adam Gase’s orbit, an exodus that has proven lucrative for a growing population of players.
Grant
Dak Prescott – I still maintain that Prescott would have thrown for 5000 yards this season, but with the catastrophic injury that he sustained against the Giants, he has to drop a few pegs. The contract issues with Dallas are well known, and the fact that Prescott did not get an extension now works against him. Dallas would be insane to let him go, but the uncertainty around him and his future warrant moving him down a couple of pegs. That being said, I am still not trading him in any of my leagues and would be happy to have him as my #1 quarterback in a draft from scratch.
Dwayne Haskins – Haskins was benched after just four games this season, and the NFC East is putrid enough to let a 1-5 team be competitive, Haskins doesn’t appear to be the guy who is going to lead them this season. Not only did Haskins lose his job to Kyle Allen, but he was relegated to the team’s 3rd quarterback and inactive for the last two games. Unless something drastic happens, Haskins is done for this season and will need to catch on somewhere else to be relevant to your fantasy team.
Running Back
Grant
Chris Carson – I confess that I’ve never been a big fan of Chris Carson, but he’s clearly proving me wrong this season. Carson is off to his best start and should easily set career-best numbers in total yards, touches, and touchdowns. The Seahawks are an offensive powerhouse and Carson is a big part of their spark. He had a tough game against the Vikings this week, but he still managed almost 80 yards from scrimmage and had a touchdown. Ask Clyde Edwards-Helaire owners if they’d take those stats over what he’s posting. Carson is a rock and he’s worth RB1 consideration at this point.
Antonio Gibson – He’s only averaging 3.8 yards per carry, but if you’re going to have a running back from Washington, Gibson is the guy to consider. He’s chipping in 4-5 receptions per game as well. J.D. McKissic still limits Gibson’s top end, but I like what I’m seeing and he’s definitely worth a roster slot. As NFL teams head into the bye weeks, the fact that Gibson and Washington play multiple games against the soft NFL East makes him an interesting play from week to week. This team is going to go through some changes, but Gibson seems like a guy who will have a spot going forward.
Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II – These guys are going in opposite directions. Jones was named as the feature back before the season started, but many felt that when Tampa Bay signed Leonard Fournette, Jones would eventually take a back seat. Instead, Jones has proven he can be the feature back. He’s had over 100 yards rushing for the last three games and posted two rushing touchdowns against the Packers this weekend in a big bounce-back game after a tough loss to Chicago. Contrast that with Fournette who is battling an ankle injury and hasn’t touched the ball in that same timeframe. This smacks of what happened in Jacksonville where Fournette couldn’t stay healthy enough to provide any consistency for fantasy owners. He has limited fantasy value, but he’s not a guy you can trust more than a week or two at a time.
McNamara
Ronald Jones II - Jones warranted a significant uptick in my rankings. I was concerned entering the season that KeShawn Vaughn would form a committee with Jones. Jones passed that test. I was then concerned Leonard Fournette would take his job. Jones has also passed that test while Fournette has been out with an injury. Jones is playing the best football of his career and has shown significant growth and maturity since entering the NFL. He is on pace for a career-high 64 targets and over 20 opportunities (rushes + targets) per game. Even when Fournette returns, I think he is little more than a glorified one injury away back.
Mike Davis - Four months ago, few could name Christian McCaffrey’s backup. After securing the job over Reggie Bonnafon, Davis was still on waiver wires in 28-man rosters as late as early September. Since the McCaffrey injury, Davis has been nothing short of outstanding. In weeks three through six, Davis is the RB1 in total points, and a top-five running back in points per game. That is a meaningful and difference-making performance in a short sample size where he has a start rate north of 90% translating to an adjusted-wins-over-replacement (aWORP) figure of .54, the 5th highest output of the season at running back. Davis is a free agent in the offseason and is playing well enough to earn a shot to lead a backfield or settle into one of the best one injury away running backs in the league.
Tefertiller
Nick Chubb – Chubb was having a strong season before getting hurt. He should be back in the next few weeks and will be immediate fantasy RB1. Now is the time to acquire the stud runner while he is sidelined. The Browns new coaching staff knows how to run the football and take advantage of Chubb’s skills.
Melvin Gordon – Gordon is less effective than hoped in Denver and looks more like fantasy RB2 than an RB1. Also, the Broncos do not score enough touchdowns to have a weekly high ceiling. With Phillip Lindsay back healthy, a full-blown committee is afoot when Gordon comes back to the lineup.
LeVeon Bell – Just playing in a better offense vaults Bell up the rankings. Sure, his talent is declining, but the opportunities will be ample in Kansas City. In a corresponding move, Clyde Edwards-Helaire moved down a few spots in the rankings. This, too, looks like a committee to the fantasy managers who are seeking a bellcow tailback.
Wide Receiver
McNamara
Will Fuller - The only question I’ve ever had about Will Fuller has been his health. When Will Fuller has been healthy, he has been elite. The problem? He has truly been healthy in about one-third of his career games. One-third of the way through the 2020 season, he has been healthy, and he is a WR1. If Fuller is healthy, he is a high-end unpriced difference-maker. In a game with a series of one-week contests, that is extremely valuable.
Justin Jefferson - Justin Jefferson was disrespected in the 2020 draft class. He had similar or superior production profiles than Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, and Jalen Reagor, but was treated as a second-tier wide receiver. He is showing why that is a mistake. Jefferson has a 21% market share of targets, the best number in the class and Top 30 in the league, which is a great sign early in his career, especially considering he has Adam Thielen, the fourth-highest wide receiver in target share on the other side of the offense. Jefferson is a riser, in a wide receiver marketplace that has a lot of other darlings, setting up to make him a value in startup drafts in the offseason.
Tefertiller
Terry McLaurin – McLaurin has shown enough to pass several of the top receivers and be considered a top-10 player at his position. He has excelled even with poor quarterback play. The time to acquire is before Washington upgrades the quarterback position.
CeeDee Lamb – Lamb is ascending fast than any could have expected. There are few receivers worth more in fantasy football. The loss of Dak Prescott could limit the 2020 production, but that is a short-term issue for a player with a long, productive career in front of him.
Robby Anderson – Anderson leaving New York and reuniting with Matt Ruhle was the best thing for his career. Anderson’s college coach knows how to use his talents and the receiver is flourishing.
Julio Jones – The injury aside, Jones is slowing down and has ceded the WR1 role to Calvin Ridley. With so many superstar youngsters, there is no reason to rank Jones above them. The Falcons are a mess and could hit the reset button in the offseason, further clouding his Atlanta future.
Grant
DeAndre Hopkins – Hopkins had only two catches against the Cowboys this week, but he still totaled 73 yards receiving and the Cardinals absolutely blew out the Cowboys, downplaying the need for Hopkins in the offense. He’s acclimated to the Cardinal offense well and has returned to his top spot as a fantasy wide receiver. With the Cardinals burning up the league with their high-powered offense, look for Hopkins to continue to post top fantasy numbers for the rest of the season and the next several years. If you’re going to build a fantasy team around a receiver, Hopkins is a guy you can start with.
JuJu Smith-Schuster – With Ben Roethlisberger back under center, the Steelers are one of the only undefeated teams in the NFL. Their offense is solid and they put the Browns down hard this week, winning 38-7, but JuJu Smith-Schuster wasn’t involved in the game. He hasn’t been involved much this season, posting just 10 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown over the last three games combined. He is the best receiver on the Steelers, and he possesses the talent of a top NFL receiver. But his stats are very pedestrian, and the Steelers have multiple weapons to choose from. He is still a guy you will want on your fantasy team, but it’s hard to count on him from week to week.
Cooper Kupp – The Rams feel like a team that is still trying to find their identity. Although they lost a tough game this week, they are still 4-2 and one of the better teams in the NFC. Kupp appears to have fully recovered his injuries and is ready to take his place as one of the top receivers in the league. As the Rams figure out who they are, expect to see Kupp emerge as one of the league’s best receivers. He’s definitely on the upswing and could be one of the best by the end of the season.
Jalen Reagor – Reagor has been on IR since early in the season, but he wasn’t posting great numbers even before he was hurt. The Eagles are pulling people off of the street to catch the ball, and they are struggling to do anything on offense. All the while Reagor sits on the sidelines, he falls farther and farther out of relevance with the Eagle offense. When he returns, what will his role be? What will the Eagles offense look like? Will they even be competitive? That remains to be seen. For now, though, Reagor needs to be on your fantasy bench, and his immediate future is on pause.
Tight End
Tefertiller
Zach Ertz – With Dallas Goedert out of action, many expected Ertz to step up and excel. This expectation has been unfulfilled, and the youngster is due back in the next few weeks. Ertz is a name-value-only player and we prefer the younger, producing tight ends. His injury only confirms the decision to move him down the rankings.
Robert Tonyan Jr – The Packers are using 12 and 13 personnel often to compensate for the lack of playmakers at the wide receiver position. Tonyan is building a rapport with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his future seems bright.
Trey Burton – When healthy, Burton has been the top tight end in Indianapolis. Yes, he has missed games due to injury, and it is a concern, but he has outproduced Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox when the trio have been healthy. Burton is finding a career resurgence after reuniting with coach Frank Reich.
Grant
Evan Engram – The Giants got their first win this week, and nearly beat the Cowboys in a shoot-out the week before. Yet their best, most consistent receiver has just 12 receptions for a little more than 100 yards over the last four weeks. The Giants offense is terrible, and Engram has little chance of being anything more than a deep backup in any fantasy league.
McNamara
Rob Gronkowski - Rob Gronkowski may be playing his final year, but he is trending in a positive direction. He found the end zone this week, his first touchdown in nearly two calendar years, and the trends are setting up well. Gronkowski has been north of 80% snap share since week three with 14 targets the past two weeks. Without O.J. Howard, the depth chart clears for Gronkowski to consolidate his role in the offense down the stretch this season for contending teams.
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