Cutting Through the Noise, Week 7

Photo: USA Today Sports

Each week in Cutting Through the Noise, we will take an objective look at one of the most polarizing players in Dynasty Fantasy Football as decided by the Footballguys Dynasty Discord. We will use the Footballguys consensus rankings to gauge where the player is currently valued.

Christian McCaffrey

RB4 and Overall No. 12

In 2017 Christian McCaffrey was one of the most polarizing players in college football. He racked up a respectable 3922 yards rushing and 1206 yards receiving but scored just 21 touchdowns in three years. Two of which he was starting. Perhaps his most important counting stat was his 92 receptions over his final two seasons, as a high catch total is typically a strong indicator of fantasy success for running backs.

The NFL valued McCaffrey enough to draft him in the top 10, but Dynasty managers were hesitant to take him second overall in rookie drafts. This had less to do with McCaffrey and more to do with one of the more prolific rookie drafts we have ever seen. At the time, McCaffrey’s primary competition for draft capital was Corey Davis, Leonard Fournette, and Mike Williams. Soon after the draft, the competition grew. This class ended up producing the likes of Cooper Kupp, Joe Mixon, Dalvin Cook, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Patrick Mahomes II, and Deshaun Watson, to name a few. Despite the early showing of this historic class, McCaffrey quickly paid off for the managers who drafted him.

Even with a lack of rushing production in his first season, he managed 80 receptions on 113 targets. Since 2017 he has put together an impressive portfolio that includes one of the NFL’s best statistical years in 2019. Unfortunately, he has battled injury the past two seasons. This year he’s been the RB4 in PPR through six games and has just been traded to the San Francisco 49ers.

The Good