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
Hindery
Lamar Jackson – He may be the biggest winner of the first two weeks, leaping all the way up from QB12 to QB3. He has made major strides as a passer and still is incredibly dangerous as a runner. I even considered bumping Jackson ahead of Deshaun Watson but want to see him do it against a defense that isn’t amongst the worst in the NFL first.
Dak Prescott - Prescott moves up seven spots from QB11 to QB4. He has been fantastic in his first two weeks under new coordinator Kellen Moore. The addition of Amari Cooper and the emergence of Michael Gallup gives Prescott a chance to put up big numbers through the air in addition to what he brings with his legs.
Gardner Minshew – The rookie goes from preseason QB50 to QB32. He has looked like he belongs in nearly two full games of action. The problem for Minshew is that the Jaguars made a big financial commitment to Nick Foles and he will have to perform extremely well over the next two months to push Foles to the bench when he returns.
Mason Rudolph – Rudolph jumps up 17 spots in my QB rankings, from 48th to 31st. He will have 14 games to prove he can be a long-term answer at quarterback for the Steelers. The early returns were promising, as Rudolph nearly led a second-half comeback against Seattle.
Cam Newton – Newton falls seven spots from 6 to 13. The accuracy issues are concerning but from a fantasy perspective, the even bigger problem is that Newton isn’t running. Through two games, Newton has rushed 5 times for -2 and 2 fumbles. He has always put up average at best numbers as a passer but added 5+ PPG as a runner, which has helped him to five high-end QB1 fantasy seasons. Something isn’t right (shoulder?) and Newton could fall much further if he doesn’t turn it around soon.
Ben Roethlisberger – The veteran drops 10 spots from 20 to 30. We are in strange territory when it comes to aging quarterbacks. Tom Brady has broken the curve so much it can be easy to forget that age 37 is really getting up there even at the quarterback position. Natural decline combined with an increased injury risk can close the door on careers quickly. Roethlisberger will miss the season with elbow surgery and will face serious questions about his ability to return heading into next season when he will be 38-years old.
Tefertiller
Cam Newton – Newton has not looked like a viable fantasy option this year. His arm does not have the same strength and pop and the veteran quarterback has not looked to run. This is a deadly combination for dynasty players. The foot injury could keep him out a while, but the arm and lack of running will inhibit fantasy success.
Ben Roethlisberger – Roethlisberger has a UCL injury which will keep him out the remainder of the season. The passer will be 38 years of age before he attempts another NFL pass. He has been in decline and the high volume of pass attempts has clouded the fantasy viewpoint. The door is now open for Mason Rudolph.
Mason Rudolph – Rudolph has a golden opportunity to shine with Roethlisberger out of action. The trade for Fitzpatrick indicates that the team believes in its young quarterback.
Lamar Jackson – The combination of his improvement and the Baltimore play-callers putting him in a position to succeed has been wow-inspiring. Jackson has been incredible. Can he continue the pace? Probably not, but he looks like an elite fantasy option.
Running Back
Tefertiller
Devonta Freeman – Freeman has looked slow and lacking burst compared to prior years. The loss of Tevin Coleman has placed more impetus on Freeman, and he has wilted. We fully expect Atlanta to draft a running back on the second day of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Melvin Gordon – Gordon knows that the Chargers will not hand him a big bag of money. This is why he is content to sit out half the season. But fantasy players need to consider that Gordon’s 2020 team will likely offer him less of a chance for big production. The teams offering a tailback big money in free agency are rarely the ones to wisely build a strong roster.
Latavius Murray – Murray was expected to fill the void left by the departed Mark Ingram. Well, he has not been given many opportunities and done little with what he has been given. Yes, there is hope for a rebound, but it might take a Kamara injury for Murray to get enough touches for fantasy relevance.
Hindery
Josh Jacobs - I was bullish on Jacobs before the season, ranking him as the RB 13 but he jumps up five more spots to RB8. In part, Jacobs rises because he has looked the part of a first-round running back. He also rises simply because so many of the guys ranked just above him to start the season are off to such tough starts. Jacobs is one of the few running backs right now who looks like a good bet to maintain value over the long term.
Austin Ekeler – Ekeler jumps up 15 spots from RB33 to RB18. Yes, there is concern about what his role will be the second half of the season when Melvin Gordon returns. However, Ekeler is an elite option until that time. He has also shown enough to increase the odds that the Chargers start 2020 with Ekeler in the lead role.
Devin Singletary – The rookie jumps 10 spots from RB34 to RB24. Frank Gore is going to limit Singletary’s fantasy upside this season, but Singletary has shown well enough in the early part of the season to feel like he is eventually going to get his shot as a lead back.
Matt Breida – Breida moves up 16 spots from RB47 to RB31. The upside is limited because Kyle Shanahan looks committed to an RBBC approach but Breida has shown he can be a fantasy RB2 with 12-15 touches per game.
James Conner – Conner falls from RB9 to RB13. The value of the whole Steelers offense is down after an awful start. Conner is also losing more snaps than expected.
Devonta Freeman – Freeman falls from RB19 to RB26 and his value overall takes an even bigger hit than the relatively modest drop in positional rank would indicate. There is no way to sugarcoat the fact he is averaging 20.5 rushing yards per game early in the season.
Wide Receiver
Hindery
Marquise Brown – Brown moves from WR38 to WR15 after a monster start to his rookie season. Through two games, he has 12 receptions for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns and looks the part of a true No. 1 receiver in what could be an excellent Ravens offense. It feels a little bit reactionary to jump him up this high, but in leagues where I have Brown, it would take this type of return for me to consider trading him at this point.
Terry McLaurin - McLaurin leaps from WR58 to WR25 after a monster start to his career. Through two games, he has 10 catches for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns. There were mixed opinions about the talent level of this rookie wide receiver class, but we are seeing some big numbers early from some of these guys. McLaurin could see even more targets whenever his former college teammate Dwayne Haskins takes over the starting job
John Ross – Ross goes from WR77 to WR33. He leads the NFL in receiving yards heading into the Monday night games of Week 2. There is some reason for skepticism as Ross has three long touchdowns and can’t keep up that pace. He is also going to see a decrease in targets once A.J. Green returns. Still, he has his career back on track and has loads of natural talent.
Michael Gallup – Gallup goes from WR48 to WR27 after living up to the preseason hype and then some. He had 226 yards in less than two games before suffering a knee injury that will keep him out until early October. Gallup will return as the 1B in what looks like a potent Dallas passing offense.
D.J. Chark – Chark soars up to WR44 from WR86 after an incredibly hot start to his second season. We are seeing a trend here. Young receivers with elite deep speed are making plays downfield and breaking out as top targets. NFL offenses are focused on stressing defenses horizontally and Chark has the skill set that every team is looking for.
John Brown – Brown moves up from WR 61 to WR49 after a hot start to the season. He looks the clear top target for Josh Allen and has the perfect skill set to take advantage of Allen’s huge arm.
NKeal Harry – The first-round pick falls from WR24 to WR35. Maybe there’s a buy-low opportunity here but the Patriots offense has moved on without Harry and he is going to have a ton of competition for targets whenever he does return. Combined with his rough training camp, Harry’s value is clearly down.
Corey Davis – Davis falls from WR36 to WR45. I was already lower than most on Davis and have seen nothing to get me excited about the fantasy potential of Davis in this boring Tennessee offense. Plus, A.J. Brown might be the better player already.
Tefertiller
A.J. Brown – Of the Titans receivers, Brown has stood out as a rising star. He is getting open and making plays after the catch. The quarterback play is all that is holding him back from fantasy stardom.
John Brown – Brown has impressed with the Bills. He is the unquestioned WR1 for the team and Josh Allen targets him at all levels of the field. Brown is not getting the buzz warranted by his start.
John Ross – Ross is one of the top fantasy scorers on the short year. The imminent return of A.J. Green might temper his upside, but coach Zac Taylor has found a way to scheme quality targets for the speedster.
Terry McLaurin – McLaurin has emerged to be Washington’s top receiver, even before college teammate Dwayne Haskins plays a snap. McLaurin shows savvy route running combined with blazing speed. He is a dynasty buy.
Tight End
Tefertiller
Darren Waller – Waller has seen his role in the Raiders offense increase after the Antonio Brown release. His stardom has been predicted all summer.
O.J. Howard – Howard has failed to live up to both fantasy and real-life football expectations. Coach Arians called him out late last week after the Thursday night game. We expect him to rebound some but still fall short of expectations.
Jordan Reed – Reed has missed the first two games of the season with a concussion. Given his history for concussions, we hope for his long-term health. Vernon Davis has filled in nicely. Yes, the team could use Reed, but we are more concerned with his ability to function in a few years. He cannot be counted on in fantasy circles.
Hindery
Darren Waller – Waller shoots up from TE19 to TE12 and might end up being underrated even after the move up. He is a freaky athlete and is going to be one of the go-to targets in a decent Raiders offense.
Mark Andrews – Andrews moves up from TE11 to TE5 after a huge start to his second season. As with a lot of these young Baltimore playmakers, excitement is warranted but he will have to prove it against some better defenses to maintain the momentum. He tore up a bad Arizona defense that was torched by T.J. Hockenson in Week 1 and lit up a lifeless Miami defense in Week 1.
O.J. Howard – Howard falls from TE4 to TE8 but that doesn’t capture how much his dynasty trade value has collapsed after the first couple weeks. While other young tight ends are putting up huge numbers, Howard doesn’t look like he is anywhere near breaking out.
Jared Cook – Cook falls from TE16 to TE22 after a slow start (4-62-0 through two weeks). At age 32, all of Cook’s value is short term and he might not even be a starting-caliber fantasy option the rest of the season. The move from Oakland to New Orleans might actually be a net negative due to the massive increase in competition for targets.