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 of your teams. The diversity of rankings will result in a variety of opinions weekly.
Quarterback
Harstad
Nick Foles - I had Nick Foles at QB12 in my last ranking update, simply because I wasn't yet 100% sure he'd locked up the starting job in Philadelphia long-term. I was musing on Twitter this Sunday that he'd almost certainly done enough, and that it was probably time to move him into the top 8. Sure enough, Chip Kelly came out and said Nick Foles was the starting QB “for the next 1,000 years”. That leaves us with a 24-year old starter having the greatest statistical season in modern NFL history and putting up top-5 fantasy numbers in the process. That QB is locked in as the long-term starter for the smartest offensive mind in the league today, in an offense that guarantees him an extra 10% offensive plays every year because of the tempo (which should translate to a 10% across-the-board increase in his stats). The question isn't why is he moving into my top 8. The question is, does that move go far enough?
Brock Osweiler / Ryan Mallett / Kirk Cousins - It's often hard to find roster space for backup QBs during the season when you're dealing with injuries and byes and need every available roster space. As the offseason approaches and teams get eliminated, that becomes less and less of an issue. Guys like these three are the perfect guys to stash for the offseason just to see what happens. Who knows, maybe some QB-needy team makes New England a Kevin Kolb-type offer for Mallett and he gets traded. Maybe Peyton Manning breaks every record, wins another SB, and decides to go out on top. Maybe Griffin suffers another, even more serious injury. Any change in the status quo could see these three guys rocket up the QB rankings. This year saw Nick Foles rise from backup to fantasy star. Last year gave us Colin Kaepernick. Before that, there was Aaron Rodgers, Matt Schaub, Tony Romo, Philip Rivers, Michael Vick, and more. If none of these QBs work out, you can easily drop them again next season one you need the roster spots again. In any case, unless you're actually starting them on a weekly basis, you're much better off rostering high-upside backups like these over mediocre starters like Alex Smith, Carson Palmer, or Josh McCown right now.
Grant
Robert Griffin III III – Not a big downgrade, but a little one. The fans in Washington are not pleased and it looks like this season is going to be a huge bust. With St. Louis holding Washington’s 1st round pick, it stings even more. The downgrade is for Washington’s overall team state – they are quickly looking like a team that is going to go into rebuilding mode for the next season or two and a coaching change might result in offensive changes that limit Griffin’s upside.
Nick Foles – Foles seems to have finally secured the starting job in Philadelphia and looks like he’ll be holding onto it for a while. It doesn’t hurt that Foles has managed to avoid throwing an interception in almost 200 passing attempts. Add in the fact that he’s now running the ball a little more and you have the makings of a solid fantasy QB in Philadelphia.
Running Back
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Eddie Lacy – The longer that Aaron Rodgers sits on the sidelines, the more the Packers lean on Lacy to get the job done. He struggled a bit this week against the Lions, but he has been performing pretty well outside of that game, and should see the bulk of the offensive carries the rest of the season. If he can stay healthy the rest of the way, he will be a guy that you can confidently draft as a low RB1 in most dynasty leagues.
Le'Veon Bell – I’m still not completely convinced that Bell is the long term answer in Pittsburgh, but he’s done enough over the last few games to warrant an upgrade. He’s averaged more than 22 touches over the last four games and appears to be holding up under the extra action. His learning curve is still pretty steep and the Steelers just might bring in another back this off-season, but for now at least, Bell looks like a solid pick for your second running back.
Ben Tate - The Houston offense is kind of a joke at this point, and Tate definitely has his ups and downs. But putting up 102 rushing yards on the Patriots this week is definitely something to be impressed about. One game isn’t going to make Tate an every week starter for your dynasty team, but he’s a solid option for an RB3 position with potential upside, depending on what happens to Arian Foster this off season.
Harstad
Montee Ball - He's looked much better running the ball recently, and there's a very good chance that Knowshon Moreno leaves Denver and Ball enters next year as the favorite to start and get the majority of the carries. Whether you believe in Ball or not, Moreno demonstrated this year that Denver's offense is so explosive that even a middling talent can be a fantasy star. That's worth a gamble.
Rashad Jennings - I dismissed him pretty quickly as just an old journeyman who spent most of his career as a backup, but he's pretty clearly the best RB in Oakland right now. He's a free agent after the season, and he just might be playing his way into a 1- or 2-year role as a starter somewhere (ideally back in Oakland again). Or, you know, maybe not. He's cheap enough that it's worth the gamble.
Wide Receiver
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Alshon Jeffery / Michael Floyd - Sometimes, it's hard to find room for players you like at the top of your rankings. I often joke that the problem with the top 20 receivers is that there can only be 20 of them. Either way, it's becoming increasingly clear by the week that I need to make much more of an effort to find a spot for these two fantastic talents near the top of my receiver board.
Jeremy Maclin - As the offseason approaches, it's time to start upgrading guys who are useless during the regular season, but who might see a major change in their value in the coming months. Rostering any player always carries an opportunity cost- that's a roster spot that you can no longer devote to someone else. Over the offseason, that opportunity cost is dramatically reduced, so it makes sense to roster impending free agents and see if you get lucky with the landing spot. If it doesn't work out, you can always cut them again as next season approaches to make room for players who will actually get you points on a weekly basis.
Grant
Josh Gordon – the trade rumors turned out to be just noise, and the Browns have made Gordon a big part of their passing offense. With almost 800 receiving yards and five TDS over their last five games, Gordon is one of the hottest WRS in the league right now. He’s proven that he’s a WR1 in fantasy leagues, and the fact that he’s only in his second season makes him a great dynasty pick to have on your team.
Alshon Jeffery – Jeffery is the other guy who has been on fire over the last few weeks. With Brandon Marshall drawing most of the double teams to his side of the field, Jeffery frequently faces single coverage against smaller defensive backs. It’s a match-up that Chicago is learning to exploit and Jeffery looked amazing this week against the Vikings. He has great size and physical skills, and his reach and leaping ability is impressive. He will also chip in with one or two offensive carries a game as well, only adding to his fantasy potential.
Keenan Allen – The San Diego passing offense was a mess earlier this year, but Allen has emerged as a legitimate fantasy WR over the last few weeks. With 17 receptions and 230 receiving yards over the last two weeks, he’s starting to show why the Chargers were so high on him when the season began. He still has a few down moments, and he could get into the end zone a little more often than he currently does, but Allen is definitely worth a look when you’re trying to round out your starting wide receiver / flex lineup. Think of him as a solid WR3 with upside.
Tight End
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Jason Witten – The opportunities are just slipping away for Witten as the weeks go by. Witten has just nine receptions over the last three games and despite two receiving touchdowns against the Giants, he has just four games this season with a touchdown reception. Is this more the case of a struggling Dallas team looking to push the ball down-field or a case of Witten finally starting to slow down. He’s still better than most tight ends from a fantasy prospective, but he’s definitely not someone to talk about in the top tier for tight ends anymore.
Jermichael Finley - Neck and spinal surgery is not something you want to hear about when talking about an NFL player. At this point, he is ‘hoping’ to play football again. If you have him on your roster, I wouldn’t drop him just yet. But you definitely need to start looking at other opportunities from the tight end position as Finley’s fantasy (and NFL) career are in serious question.
Harstad
Ladarius Green - The rare TE who doubles as a deep threat, Green averages a mind-bending 22 yards on his 16 receptions. Lest you think that's too heavily influenced by his 60-yard receiving touchdown, even if you take that catch off the books Green is still averaging 19.6 yards per reception. Green is a big play waiting to happen, and has performed as a top-5 fantasy TE in recent weeks as Gates has tailed off.