Dynasty Rankings Movement, Week 2

Photo: USA Today Sports

Week one, the first major reveal of the fantasy football season, is in the books. Quarterbacks answered questions following offseason movement, backfield usage gained clarity, and breakout wide receivers showed hints of utility. Weekly Footballguys staff will share the reasons behind movement within their dynasty rankings. The staff will also answer questions to help build strategy within your league.

Quarterbacks

Andy Hicks

Dak Prescott - I had ranked Dak Prescott higher as a dynasty option than most, but with an injury and a Dallas offense likely to struggle when he returns, he needs to be reevaluated and moved below players with more upside. Maybe the Cowboys miss him more, and he can come back and finish 2022 strong, but until that happens, he drops significantly.

Davis Mills - After an entire offseason as the known starter, Davis Mills started his second season with promise. He lacks receivers or a strong running game, but he makes good decisions and still has progression to make. As a dynasty option, he is a definite buy-low long-term investment and should be usable at stages this year. He moves up a few spots over older guys like Matt Ryan, who may be more useful in 2022, but beyond that, Mills is a guy to look at hard.

Will Grant

Carson Wentz - One good week against a bad team doesn't turn Carson Wentz into a dynasty stud, but his performance last week can't be denied. Over 300 yards passing, four touchdowns, and eight different receivers targeted. He gets Detroit next week, and the Lions gave up many fantasy points to Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, so Wentz should be off to a good start. Most people (including me) had him ranked around 30 for fantasy quarterbacks. That will change if he has another solid game against the Lions this week.

Dak Prescott - The hand injury doesn't help, and Tampa Bay has a pretty tough defense, but the Dallas offense, in general, looks like it's ready to come apart. That's more a function of the offensive line than it is Prescott, but missing the next 6 to 8 weeks will put the Cowboys in a huge hole. Another disappointing season is in store for Dallas, which could bring long-term changes to the coaching staff and their commitment to Prescott. I love Prescott as a fan and was rooting for him to have a great season. But missing half of it will be hard enough without thinking of the long-term prospects as the Dallas quarterback.

Justin Fields - Yes, they were playing in a Monsoon - but Fields didn't complete a pass to a wide receiver or a tight end in the first half of the game. His first completion was the 52-yard bomb to Dante Pettis didn't have a defender within 30 yards of him. The Bears looked terrible on offense up to that point, with conservative play calling and several 'give up' drives where they ran the ball on 3rd and long. Even with two touchdown passes, Fields barely registered on the 'fantasy relevant' chart last week. It will be a long season for Chicago, and Fields will probably have several games where he puts up minimal fantasy points.

Jason Wood

Dak Prescott - As Andy notes, Prescott is one of the big disappointments of the first week. While his hand injury isn't going to keep him out for long, supposedly, it does add to an alarming injury tally. And the Cowboys offense didn't look good before Prescott's injury. With the offensive line as unsettled as it's been in a decade and the coaching staff on the hot seat, the days of viewing Prescott as a high-end multi-year starting quarterback may be numbered.

Mac Jones - Could last year have been a false flag? The Patriots' offense was effective with Jones as a rookie starter, but every drum beat since is concerning. Neither Jones nor the offense as a whole did well in camp. Josh McDaniels is gone. And Bill Belichick is desperate to prove how smart he is again by having not one but two failed NFL head coaches -- Joe Judge and Matt Patricia -- handling the offense even though they have little to no experience on that side of the ball.

Dan Hindery

Jalen Hurts - Hurts moves up to QB7 in my rankings. This rise is a combination of two things. First, Hurts looked good in Week 1. Hurts reportedly had a strong camp and has shown that he has improved his game. The arrival of A.J. Brown is a big bonus, as well. Second, some of the other quarterbacks ranked around Hurts (Dak Prescott and Trey Lance) struggled in Week 1, which opened the door for Hurts to move up a few spots.

Kirk Cousins - The new scheme under head coach Kevin O'Connell looks like an excellent fit for Cousins, who had a strong start to the season. It felt like the Vikings were biding their time with Cousins for a couple of years while quickly looking to replace him. Cousins seems more secure in his starting role now, and this scheme should allow him to put up some strong fantasy numbers. He moves up to QB15.

Running Backs

Dan Hindery

Cam Akers - After a dreadful Week 1 performance, Akers drops to RB30 in my rankings. He is difficult to rank because he is so young, and there is an obvious upside if he puts it all together and returns to his pre-injury form. However, that all seems like a longer shot than it did a month ago. I would instead roll the dice on some of the second-tier rookies like Brian Robinson Jr or James Cook at this point.

A.J. Dillon - Dillon has a strong combination of short-term value and long-term upside. The short-term value gets a boost after we saw Dillon get a big chunk of the receiving market share (five catches for 46 yards) and the goal line work. Dillon is also almost four years younger than Aaron Jones, so there is clear potential for him to take on an even more significant chunk of the Packers' backfield touches in future years. He moves up to RB15 in my rankings.

Tony Pollard - Pollard falls to RB38 in my rankings. This Dallas offense does not look like it will be good enough to support two fantasy-relevant running backs this season, and Ezekiel Elliott is ahead of Pollard in the pecking order. Despite trailing the entire game, Pollard had just eight touches in the opener. While Pollard is two years younger than Elliott, there is not a clear path to Pollard taking on a lead role anytime soon. At this point, almost all of his medium-term value is injury-dependent.

Jason Wood

Breece Hall - The draft capital and pedigree argue for success. Hall was the consensus No. 1 pick in most rookie drafts; he looked like the one sure-fire workhorse starter in the draft class. But he entered the season not only in a timeshare with incumbent Michael Carter; he's the backup. Carter looked better in camp and had a more significant role in Week 1. One week doesn't condemn Hall to failure, but his inability to displace Carter is a red flag and raises the risk that he won't turn into a premiere every-week starter.

James Robinson - Robinson was a cornerstone of several of my dynasty teams during his dramatic debut as a rookie star. From undrafted rookie free agent to every-down dynamo. But then he tore his Achilles, and history has been punishingly unkind to tailbacks following that outcome. On top of the Achilles, the Jaguars got a new coaching staff who owed Robinson no debt of loyalty. And Travis Etienne, who missed his rookie season, is healthy and presumably poised to be a vital part of the offense for years to come. But then Week 1 happened. Robinson not only played -- months earlier than most expected -- but he looked better than Etienne in every facet of the game.

Cam Akers - Now the other side of Achilles injuries. Akers returned to the field for the playoffs last year, but perhaps we didn't focus enough on how poorly he looked (under 3 yards per rush) during the Super Bowl push. And we then assumed he would be the starter when Darrell Henderson won the job. If Akers were in a committee, we could tell ourselves it was still part of his natural progression back from the injury. But neither he nor the coaches portray the situation in that way. It's more about his effort and talent, not matching Henderson's.

Will Grant

Khalil Herbert - Herbert was much more effective at running the ball against the stingy San Francisco defense - even with the lousy weather. He finished the game with ten touches, but his 5.0 YPC was significantly better than David Montgomery's 17 carries for just 26 yards. Montgomery is still the primary back in Chicago, but Herbert will push for more time and could end up with better stats by the end of the season.

Javonte Williams - Melvin Gordon may be considered the starter in Denver, but it was Javonte Williams was the guy who put up significantly better fantasy numbers. Gordon has 12 carries to Williams's 7, but Williams has a better YPC (6.1 vs. Gordon's 4.8). The significant upside for Williams was that he was targeted 12 times in the short passing game, hauling in 11 receptions for 65 yards. That's not going to be the norm for Williams, but his upside already looks better than Gordon's, and it's only week 1.

James Robinson - Robinson showed no signs of slowing down to his Achilles injury last season. Most people, including me, figured Travis Etienne would be the feature back to roster from Jacksonville this season. That wasn't the case after week 1. Robinson has twice as many touches as Etienne did against the Commanders, and 6.0 YPC was pretty impressive. Bump Robinson back up to RB3/Flex status now.

Andy Hicks

Cam Akers - The evidence was there during the playoffs, but many still gave the benefit of the doubt to Cam Akers after his Achilles injury. Three carries for zero yards and looking utterly ineffective against the Bills should ring alarm bells. It is easy to overreact to week one performances and results, but in the case of Akers, it is hard to see how he can be effective. A strong move downwards.

James Robinson - No matter what obstacles get put in his way, James Robinson always seems to overcome them. Undrafted in his rookie year and with his third head coach and offense in three years, plus a torn Achilles, Robinson looked as good as he ever had against the Commanders. With Travis Etienne finding his feet in the NFL, as some of us predicted, Robinson should see the bulk of carries and takes his annual move up the dynasty rankings.

David Montgomery - There were many signs that David Montgomery wasn't going to be a good fit in the new offense in Chicago. Seventeen carries is a good start. Twenty-five yards on those carries is not. Khalil Herbert was much more effective, and while conditions were atrocious, Montgomery has never looked so awful. Given his standing, you would not like to give up so quickly, but he takes a heavy fall after the first week. His future is clouded in the last year of his rookie deal, and he may have to work his way back from backup duties on his next roster.

Question of the Week

How do you handle rookie picks who pass through waivers and land on practice squads or are healthy inactive in week 1?