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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Justin Herbert - Herbert moves into the Top 10 after another stellar few weeks. What more does the rookie need to do in order to justify his long-term dynasty value? He’s making great decisions, has pocket awareness, and is a fearless but accurate downfield thrower. Barring injury, he may be a fixture in the Top 10 for years to come.
Teddy Bridgewater - Bridgewater moves up four spots to QB24. Although he’s been inconsistent, the Panthers offense has been much more productive than expected and that bodes well for subsequent years when the supporting cast gets fortified, Christian McCaffery returns, and everyone gets more familiar with the nuances of Joe Brady’s system.
Cam Newton - Newton falls eleven spots to QB21 after a dismal month. Whether Newton got hurt again or is having trouble recovering fully from COVID-19, he’s looked like a shadow of his former self after seeming to be in Pro Bowl form during the first few games. He’s been so bad the Patriots are now 2-4 and Newton was benched for Jarrett Stidham this weekend.
Hicks
Carson Wentz - There have been many critics of Carson Wentz this year. Some of the criticism may be justified, but on the depth chart to open the season he is currently relying on his eighth string wide receiver and third-string tight end to help him. Wentz willed his side to victory over the hapless Giants and took fantasy managers with him. If you can find a way to grab him from someone who only sees the here and now, it would be a good idea. Once he has some actual weapons to play with he will be a reliable starting option.
Sam Darnold - Whoever was put in charge of the decision to match Adam Gase with Sam Darnold should never be involved in the NFL again. Darnold has regressed as the Jets wander around aimlessly killing an NFL season. Until we see what happens with Darnold in the offseason, be it with the Jets or elsewhere he has to almost shuffled off any dynasty rankings. Whether he has the fortitude and luck to overcome his career start is a long-term project.
Joe Burrow - I’m not sure how many are seeing the same, but Joe Burrow reminds me of Matthew Stafford. Likely to be stuck on a bad side having to make miracles happen to win, with the high likelihood of several turnovers every game. If the Bengals can assemble a roster worthy of his talents, then maybe a different future can occur. For now, though he moves up in fantasy rankings as cheap numbers are on offer every week.
Parsons
Gardner Minshew - Minshew has been the classic 'high floor, low ceiling' fantasy quarterback in 2020. All but one of his weeks has been between QB10 and QB16. He is not moving the needle fantasy-wise and now is firmly on the weekly hot seat to be yanked on a poor Jacksonville team. They are highly likely to draft (or sign) a notable quarterback in the offseason and Minshew only offers value in a superflex format from a baseline-measuring perspective. With the cloud of not knowing how many more starts a dynasty GM will get from Minshew, his value is minimal.
Cam Newton - Newton bottomed out in Week 7, outside the top-25 quarterbacks with his finish. This after QB18 and QB29 finishes the previous two weeks. Newton has become a rushing-only viable fantasy quarterback, which is a fine line to dance for lineups if he goes for 50+ rushing yards and finds the end zone or not on the ground. Newton does have a poor collection of weapons but maintaining the battering ram mindset to survive with quality fantasy games on the back-half (being kind) zone of his career arc is a dicey bet. Getting a Round 2 pick back in a 1QB format could still be possible and even more in premium formats.
Running Back
Hicks
Antonio Gibson - Some of us were wary of the decision to hand the backfield in Washington over to a highly inexperienced running back. It looks like this may be one of the times the decision-makers in Washington knew what they were doing. Gibson has improved every week and was able to carry the team against the awful Cowboys. He won’t get Dallas on his schedule every week but is worth a rise in rankings.
Damien Harris - The good news is that Damien Harris is running the ball well and has feature back written all over him. The bad news is that it looks wasted on a New England side struggling to find its mojo. Harris is worth investing in and moves up in rankings, but until this side can stop the turnovers and pass the ball effectively his upside is limited.
LeVeon Bell - Bell saw his first action with the Chiefs and looked better than he has since his Pittsburgh days. The problem is going to be a lack of touches, but he will be more productive with them than the garbage system he was put through with Adam Gase. It’s tempting to give Bell a rise in rankings, but there is still too much unknown. He is however clearly still a talented back and at least the arrow starts pointing up again.
JaMycal Hasty - The latest in a seemingly long line of unheralded backs to look good in San Francisco is JaMycal Hasty. With Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman on the sidelines, with Jeff Wilson likely to join them, Hasty and Jerick McKinnon are likely to be it for at least one week. Hasty ran the ball well and against the Seahawks, he will likely have a bigger role. He has to move up rankings for now, but with Coleman expected back soon the situation remains fluid.
Parsons
Antonio Gibson - I go back and forth with Gibson for the macro dynasty action plan. Pre-draft (and post-draft), I was a huge advocate for Gibson especially at his price point. He has shown positive and negative (or needs development) aspects to his rushing profile to-date but the biggest change has been his dynasty market valuation. Round 3 running backs who log a top-24 season in Year 1 (Gibson is right around that line through Week 7 but should project inside the line on his current trajectory) are 75% historical bets to become an RB1 in their career and average 2.1 seasons of RB1 production. However, if Gibson misses the top-24, he falls into a dicey 13% historical grouping for future RB1 production. Gibson is a high variance play, but I am holding firm unless I can package up to a true core and blue-chip asset.
Kenyan Drake - Drake has been a massive disappointment in 2020 considering the breakout expectations in the offseason by the market at large. Drake has only one week, Week 6 against the dreadful Dallas defense, as RB16 or better in a week and now could be out for a stretch pending the update after exiting Week 7 with an ankle injury. Drake has been a disappointment despite the benefit of a rising Arizona offense, attachment to a mobile quarterback, and being the clear 1A over weekly-flashing Chase Edmonds on lower volume.
Wood
DAndre Swift - Swift jumps eleven spots to RB14. The first month gave us mixed signals, but Swift has started to emerge as the Lions top running back. Even though he’s still splitting snaps with Adrian Peterson, Swift is being put into high-leverage situations including the goal-line package and as a receiver in obvious passing downs. As Swift’s familiarity with the system grows, he should crest into the No. 1 role in the fantasy playoffs and should enter 2021 as the unchallenged workhorse.
Chris Carson - Carson falls five spots to RB19. When he’s on the field, he’s fantastic and the Seahawks offense provides him a lot of high-impact opportunities. But he’s dodged several injury-related bullets this year and it’s hard to confidently bank on Carson remaining the team’s workhorse beyond 2021, at the latest.
Myles Gaskin - Gaskin vaults 13 spots to RB33. If it weren’t for James Robinson’s emergence, Gaskin would be the most surprising breakout at the position. Most assumed the Dolphins were going to use a committee of Matt Breida and Jordan Howard, but halfway through the season and Gaskin has become the tried and true feature back. With the Dolphins being a season or two ahead of plan in their rebuild, Gaskin could be a No. 1 in an above-average offense as soon as 2021. In the meantime, he’s providing reliable RB2 production.
Raheem Mostert - Mostert falls to RB38 after landing on Injured Reserve. The 49ers have been snake-bitten this year and Mostert’s window to be a reliable fantasy contributor is closing fast. Kyle Shanahan has a proven, plug-and-play approach at the position, and Mostert’s age and durability weight heavily.
Wide Receiver
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Brandon Aiyuk - Aiyuk was one of my favorite prospects in 2020, both from a profile perspective and a bang-for-the-buck vantage point. Aiyuk was a strong metric prospect with Round 1 pedigree, but largely going in Round 2 of rookie drafts and behind some Day 2 receivers. Aiyuk has three games of 13+ PPR points in his first six NFL games. Aiyuk, not Deebo Samuel, is the 49ers receiver running and succeeding on traditional wide receiver routes and Aiyuk is doing it from early in his rookie season.
Mike Evans - I can sense the pitchforks coming for Evans' dynasty market value this week. Evans has 3-47-0 on a mere four targets combined the past two games. I would remind folks this is after a torrid five games with six touchdowns total over the stretch to open the season. Also, Evans is one of the most productive receivers in NFL history over his first six seasons. This is not a small sample size in assessing Evans' ability at this level. Antonio Brown is slated to join the team. The Buccaneers also have an all-star collection of skill-position talent. I get it. But all of this does not mean to fade Evans in the big picture because his target share looks more cloudy than usual for the rest of 2020 (assuming everyone is healthy). Evans was a value in 2020 startup drafts, and I would estimate an even bigger value in 2021 drafts. Buy the profile, sell the pitchforks.
Hicks
NKeal Harry - Harry appears to be the latest failure of the New England Patriots at drafting a wide receiver. There were early promising signs this season, but he looks lost on the field and struggles to find separation. There is still a glimmer of hope that something twigs and he can make a career for himself, but with his confidence at rock bottom, he is almost impossible to hold in anything but the deepest league.
Jakobi Meyers - If I was forced and told to pick a Patriot wide receiver, I land with Jakobi Meyers. He was the only New England receiver who was able to gain any separation and catch multiple balls against the 49ers. He moves ahead of Julian Edelman, NKeal Harry, and any other sorry wide receiver still playing in New England. Meyers is worth a significant rise in rankings, but until the Patriots figure out how to get production out of their passing game, he is worth a watch only.
Nelson Agholor - With four touchdowns in six games, former Eagle Nelson Agholor has been a surprise so far. For the first time this year, he managed to exceed five targets and receptions. A hundred-yard game was a bonus. He definitely at least deserves some respect, if not total fantasy reappraisal. A definite rise in rankings, with a watch for further consistency.
Mike Evans - The six touchdowns recorded by Mike Evans this year belies an ugly stat line. In four of his seven games, he has recorded only one or two catches and has only three receptions for 47 yards in his last two games. The good news is that he is still on the field, but three catches on 113 snaps are a worrying trend. He has to move behind Chris Godwin and several other receivers while his long term future is evaluated. His days as a fantasy WR1 may be over.
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Antonio Brown - Brown re-emerges at WR41 after signing a one-year deal with the Buccaneers. There are too many questions to treat Brown like an elite fantasy piece, but don’t be surprised if he rises steadily up the ranks as the second half of the season unfolds.
Mike Evans - Evans falls two spots to WR9. His 2020 value may have taken a bigger hit than the dynasty movement suggests, if Antonio Brown asserts himself as Tom Brady’s favorite target. But Evans’ long-term value remains enticing, even if it means he’ll be the new No. 1 on a different team in 2021.
JuJu Smith-Schuster – Smith-Schuster drops to WR20 and even that feels optimistic. Ben Roethlisberger is healthy, and the Steelers offense is humming, so it’s hard to justify Smith-Schuster’s lack of production. Whether it’s rookie Chase Claypool three games ago or Diontae Johnson last week or James Washington occasionally, Smith-Schuster is routinely out-targeted and outplayed by his receiving mates. It’s a fait accompli he’ll leave Pittsburgh next season, which is why he still has considerable value.
Odell Beckham - Beckham falls to WR28 after a torn ACL ended his season. Beckham hadn’t regained his All-Pro form from the Giants years, but he was happier and producing enough to think he could be a helpful piece to a dynasty puzzle for another few seasons. But another major injury and questions about his future as Kevin Stefanski puts his stamp on the roster, make it hard to value Beckham as more than a middling WR2 in 2021 and beyond.
Tee Higgins - Higgins jumps 13 spots to WR35. He’s played well and has chemistry with Joe Burrow, and with A.J. Green’s tenure all but over, Higgins should slide into the starting lineup alongside Tyler Boyd in 2021 and be the team’s leading target for many years to come.
Tight End
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Harrison Bryant - Bryant moves into the top 30 (TE29) after an Austin Hooper injury opened the door for a significant role. He capitalized with a two-touchdown game and could have seeded the idea of becoming the team’s starter in 2021 or 2022 depending on whether Hooper’s contract ages well.
Hicks
Albert Okwuegbunam - After being a favorite target of Drew Lock in college, rookie Albert Okwuegbunam was raved about during training camp. His coming-out party was against the Chiefs with seven targets and seven receptions. He looked much better than the more fancied Noah Fant and should be developed long term by fantasy managers.
Harrison Bryant - It will be easy to get carried away by the double touchdown effort of Harrison Bryant against the Bengals, but the short-term absence of Austin Hooper gave him a chance. Bryant has looked great for a rookie and has a definite future fantasy star written all over him. This year however I’d put on the brakes. As a dynasty option though he flies up the board.
Parsons
Albert Okwuegbunam – "Albert O" as I refer to Okwuegbunam on podcasts and in short form for written work – occasionally has been a revelation in his passing game involvement the past two weeks. Okwuegbunam saw a robust six targets in Week 6 with Noah Fant out of the lineup. A surprise, but understandable with Nick Vannett a ho-hum veteran option at tight end if Denver did not boost Albert O's usage. Albert O produced two big plays in said game but dropped three passes and could have easily logged multiple touchdowns. The usage was promising, the result was frustrating. Fast-forward to Week 7. Noah Fant was back in the lineup. Albert O actually rose in his targets with seven looks, going an efficient 7-60-0. Okwuegbunam has 105 yards in his first two NFL games and easily leads all rookie tight ends. Albert O was a metric marvel and was pushed down in rookie drafts due to his Day 3 NFL Draft pedigree and landing on the same depth chart as Noah Fant. The depth chart is murky for sure, but Albert O has shown early signs of not only sticking in the NFL but potentially thriving with a better situation in the future. Albert O is the perfect stash for dynasty teams not contending in 2020.
Will Dissly - Watching Dissly closely in recent weeks, he is looking good following an Achilles injury in 2019. Dissly had two straight seasons producing well despite missing most of the season. Seattle adds Greg Olsen in the offseason, but Dissly is in a firm committee with Olsen, rendering both tough fantasy starter projections any specific week without one missing time. At a minimum, Dissly is one of the best injury-away tight ends in the NFL and waiting until 2021 for a more defined setting to be a weekly starter.
If you would like to review our most recent Dynasty rankings, here is a link.