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
Grant
Terrelle Pryor – It’s pretty obvious that Oakland is going to go in a different direction next season. That means Pryor is a backup at best, and not much value to your fantasy team. That being said, backup QBS have a way of coming back to life at some point, so I wouldn’t completely abandon ship on Pryor just yet. But he’s definitely not a guy that you’re going to look at as anything more than a QB3 for your team.
Harstad
Russell Wilson - I'm a big believer in betting on talent and assuming the numbers will eventually follow. This season, Russell Wilson has convinced me that he, not Andrew Luck, might just be the most talented young quarterback in the league. With his mobility, it's not hard to imagine plenty of top-5 fantasy finishes in his future.
Robert Griffin III III - I'm as big of a Robert Griffin III III fan as you'll find, and until recently I had him as high as QB3 in my dynasty rankings. I think that Washington is simply a dysfunctional situation right now, and I don't read too much into his benching. At the same time, injury or no, if he was playing as well as Russell Wilson there's no way anyone could have benched him. I always say that you have to price the risk, and this latest situation reveals some risks that didn't exist a month ago. Those risks have to be priced, so Griffin gets a small downgrade.
Tefertiller
Robert Griffin III III – Griffin took a tumble down the rankings. I had him too high all year for his level of play on the field. While I still think the young passer can turn things around in his career, there will be plenty of change in Washington this offseason. I am expecting the organization to have a new coaching staff and possibly install a different offense.
Colin Kaepernick – At this point, I do not think Kaepernick can be relied upon as a fantasy starting quarterback. His inconsistency has left fantasy owners wanting more. Yes, Michael Crabtree is back in the lineup, but the athletic Kaepernick does not run enough to be a top-end fantasy quarterback in the conservative 49ers offense.
Running Back
Harstad
Ryan Mathews - In the midst of his second breakout season at age 26, Mathews now has a personal best 58 carries over his last two games and has his second career 1,000 yard season. Every week, he looks more and more like the workhorse San Diego always hoped he could become.
Montee Ball - He's been playing well enough over the past month to help Denver envision a future without Knowshon Moreno in 2014.
Tefertiller
Trent Richardson – I finally moved him down and probably should have done so earlier. I still like Richardson's chances of putting it all together in Indianapolis, however the adjustment has not been easy. It will likely take Richardson the offseason to gain confidence in what he is doing.
Shane Vereen – Since coming back from injury, Vereen has played a prominent role in the Patriots offense. Still young, the pass-catching back has plenty of upside as coach Belichick finds ways to get Vereen the ball in space.
Andre Ellington – Even though he is splitting touches with Rahard Mendenhall, Ellington looks like a real play-maker, a back who can score any time he touches the ball. This timeshare with Mendenhall only makes the price reasonable to acquire the quick Ellington.
Grant
Chris Johnson – CJ2K seems to be slowing down. He’s averaging just 3.7 yards per carry and it seems as if he only does damage when he has the ball in open space. When it comes to making those hard carries or grinding it out, he’s stuffed and held in check. Maybe it’s the Titans as a whole but at this point, I don’t think it’s worth the risk. Time to look elsewhere.
Darren McFadden – DMAC just can’t stay healthy. It’s time to face facts. He’s a back with limited potential and he will spend more time on your bench than in your starting lineup. A back that you can’t count on is just a guy taking up space, no matter what his upside potential is. Let someone else have the headache. The fact that you need to carry additional running backs to cover him makes him a huge liability.
Shane Vereen – This week’s performance against Miami aside, Vereen looks like the closest thing to a ‘solid’ running back option in the New England backfield. Stephen Ridley may get his carries from time to time, but Vereen looks like the back that you want at this point. After his poor performance this week, you might even consider him a ‘buy low’ candidate.
Wide Receiver
Tefertiller
Josh Gordon – I had him very high before the explosion over the past five weeks, but moved all the way to WR5 this week. Gordon is putting up monster numbers with Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden, and Jason Campbell throwing the ball. Any upgrade at the quarterback position could vault Gordon into the A.J. Green/Julio Jones class. Hard to deny his talent for making big plays.
Alshon Jeffery – Jeffrey has exploded onto the scene this season. The past few weeks have seen him outproduce Brandon Marshall, even with Josh McCown at the helm. Jeffrey excels in the red zone and should only improve with time. The mentoring of Marshall has helped the youngster step up his consistency.
Cordarrelle Patterson – The Minnesota Vikings have finally started trying to get the ball into the hands of the former first round pick. Patterson has enjoyed a solid month, making plays as a returner and receiver. Thought to be raw coming out of college, Minnesota is using Patterson on screen passes and other simple ways to get him the ball in the open field.
Grant
Antonio Brown – I personally am not a fan of this pick, but the numbers can’t be ignored any longer. Brown is going to easily pass the 100 reception mark this season, and could end up with 1500 yards receiving. He has twice the offensive stats as the next closest WR for the Steelers and it’s a good bet that the Steelers won’t be adding another receiver this off-season. Brown looks like the real deal and he should be a solid WR1 going forward.
Kendall Wright – He hasn’t reached the end zone this season, but it’s pretty obvious that Wright is going to be the top receiver on this team moving forward. He’s still a little streaky this season, but he’s already over 1000 yards receiving for the season, and has an outside shot to crack 100 receptions. He’s a solid WR2 in most fantasy leagues and if the Titans can square away their quarterback situation….
James Jones – This season, the loss of Aaron Rodgers makes projecting any wide receiver beyond this season a gamble at best. However, with Randall Cobb on the sidelines, Jarrett Boykin has really emerged as a legitimate NFL receiver. He’ll definitely push for more offensive time next season, and it will be at the expense of Jones. Where Jones really had the opportunity to emerge as a consistent performer for your fantasy team this season, he looks more like the same guy – a WR3 with some upside potential.
Harstad
Antonio Brown - It's so easy to overlook Antonio Brown amidst all of the all pros and phenomenal young talents at the position, but Brown is playing at a legitimate All Pro level, destroying the league as the undisputed top option in Pittsburgh's passing game. He's young, he has a great track record of success, and he looks like a star. It's time he started getting his due.
Wes Welker - On the wrong side of 30, on a short-term contract, and with concussion issues starting to plague him, suddenly there is uncertainty about how much career Wes Welker has left in front of him.
Tight End
Grant
Tony Gonzalez – Gonzalez barely came back for this season, in the hopes that the Falcons would make it to the playoffs, and maybe the Superbowl. Instead, they are one of the many disappointments this season and Gonzalez is sure to retire after the end of the season.
Dennis Pitta – Pitta has returned from IR at just the right moment. He might be the exact thing that the Ravens need to make another Super Bowl run. Pitta will take some time to get back to 100%, but by this time next season, he could easily be a top fantasy tight end like he was projected to be this season.
Harstad
Jordan Reed - As of December 16th, Jordan Reed was still getting headaches from a concussion he suffered over a month ago. This is a major, major red flag. Concussions have ended several NFL careers. This is a huge risk that needs to be priced.
Tony Gonzalez - I've taken him off my board entirely. At this point, either you own him and are in the championship, or you're past your trade deadline and can't trade him to someone in the championship. Gonzalez has had an amazing career, but I'll be absolutely shocked if he plays another season.
Tefertiller
Charles Clay – Clay has played very well this season. His role increased after the Dustin Keller injury. Now, the tight end looks to be a vital part in the Miami passing game.
Tony Gonzalez – I took Gonzalez off the rankings with his impending retirement in just a couple of weeks. What an amazing career the veteran has enjoyed.
Jared Cook – After the big week-one outburst against the Arizona Cardinals, Cook has struggled to get open and make plays in the Rams offense. He cannot be considered a fantasy starter and there are several younger players at the position with more upside.
