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
Josh Allen – Allen moves up from QB 12 to QB7. In part, the move up for Allen is merely a reflection of other quarterbacks moving down. Jared Goff is struggling and is hard to trust as a starting fantasy quarterback. Matthew Stafford is dealing with a back injury that adds some uncertainty to his long-term future. Carson Wentz hasn’t been getting it done. However, the move up is also a reflection of how well Allen has been playing. He ranks Top-5 in fantasy PPG through 11 weeks. He has also gone a long way to establishing his franchise quarterback bona fides for Buffalo, leading the Bills to a 7-3 record.
Jimmy Garoppolo – The San Francisco passer moves up to QB11. Like Allen, he benefits from the recent struggles of so many of the mid-tier quarterbacks ahead of him. The Week 11 comeback he led against Arizona was a key moment for the young starter after some struggles in a primetime against Seattle. The fantasy future of Garoppolo looks bright with a great offensive coaching staff, strong young offensive line, and the emergence of targets like Deebo Samuel.
Jared Goff – Goff Through 10 games, Goff has thrown 11 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. He is tough to trust in a starting lineup now and reason to be concerned about this Rams offense, in general, moving forward. A big part of the offensive success in recent years has been due to the offensive line. Left tackle Andrew Whitworth turns 38-years old soon. There are other holes along the line that will only be exacerbated by Whitworth’s imminent retirement. The Rams have no way to replace him with little cap space or draft capital moving forward.
Gardner Minshew - Minshew falls to QB29. There was always a risk that Minshew was merely keeping the seat warm for Nick Foles and that was how things played out. Foles was quickly named the starter coming out of the bye. Minshew showed enough to think he should earn another shot as a starter at some point, but it could end up being a while.
Hicks
Josh Allen - It would be nice if Buffalo were able to entrust their long-term future to Josh Allen, but he still has work to do. Right now, his fantasy numbers are taking a massive sugar hit by the seven rushing touchdowns he has accrued, but his passing numbers are honest and there is room for improvement in all aspects of his game. What gives hope for the future is that he has not had an interception in his last five games and recognition of his scrambling prowess gives him a bump in long term ratings.
Daniel Jones - The rookie has had an up and down rookie season, as expected, but is showing promise of being an elite signal-caller. Better weapons would help, or at least ones that can stay on the field. All his major weapons have missed significant time in 2019 and Daniel Jones has had two 300 yards, four-touchdown games with zero interceptions in the last three weeks. Add in a rushing threat the Giants haven't seen at quarterback for ages and Jones should get a significant spike in rankings.
Mason Rudolph - Lost in the brouhaha of Myles Garrett losing his mind, was the actual performance of Mason Rudolph against the Browns. Four interception games can happen to the best of them, but when under pressure and poor decisions are being made, you would have to question his long-term future. His best yardage performance as a starter is 251 yards and with the running game struggling, Rudolph must do better. The only choice is to move him down boards, but he has the rest of the season to prove to the Steelers that they shouldn’t be looking elsewhere for their long-term future.
Kirk Cousins - After an awful start to the 2019 season, Kirk Cousins has been sensational. He is the number two fantasy quarterback since week five and is only fractionally behind Lamar Jackson. This is with nothing coming from his legs. He has thrown 18 touchdowns to one interception in this time span and hasn’t thrown an interception for five weeks. All that is irrelevant to his future in Minnesota though. He must take this team all the way or his performance will be judged a failure. That is unfair. If after 2020 the ambition hasn’t been achieved. He will give another team a very good starting fantasy quarterback. Deserves to be rated higher.
Parsons
Kyler Murray - I was already well above the market on Kyler Murray as an NFL prospect. He has surpassed even my expectations through more than half his rookie season. Murray has protected the ball and paired that with big-play prowess as a pure passer. Add his mobility and he is off to a strong career start. I would expect a weapon added in the offseason and Kenyan Drake is a welcome sight over the second half of the season as well.
Dwayne Haskins - The two reasons for moving Haskins down are the organization and the player. On the field, Haskins lacks any consistency with his delivery. Also, it is tough to have any faith in Washington to get any part of his development right - from coaching to surrounding talent. Betting on Haskins is trusting a raw college profile is shaped by a quality organization to develop him. I am skeptical of both.
Running Backs
Hicks
David Johnson - If it isn’t obvious by now, David Johnson is having trouble fitting in under Kliff Kingsbury or is just too beaten up to contribute fully. We won’t really know until the offseason and what the team does with Johnson. His cap hit is going to be over $16 million so if and when he gets cut also remains a question. That drops to three million the year after. He will be 28 very soon but has life under another franchise if that occurs. If the Cardinals keep faith with him, then it becomes a problem. Chase Edmunds and now Kenyan Drake have performed well in his absence. He must move right down futures boards for now.
Sony Michel - After his three touchdown games against the Jets, it looked like Sony Michel had woken from a slumber and was poised to get back to his 2018 form. Unfortunately, since then he is continuing to barely register three yards a carry, isn’t involved in the passing game and has no touchdowns. Whether the weekly matchups have been wrong, Michel is playing injured or the Patriots don’t trust him I’m not sure. What I am sure about though is that he has to take a significant dive down rankings.
Devonta Freeman - What once looked like a promising career is being derailed with injuries and potential future coaching changes. His future with the Falcons remains in limbo as his contract situation means he could either be cut or kept, depending on available options. Once a 28-year-old back hits the market, his future value is severely curtailed. Not every back walks into a Mark Ingram situation. He has the potential to stay a Falcon if he gets back this year and plays well, but for now, he must be moved down.
Miles Sanders - Miles Sanders was and remains one of the most interesting rookies of 2019. He has flashed pro bowl talent numerous times and at others looked in over his head. Whether this is all part of the learning process and he explodes in 2020 or he is a committee back remains to be seen. Good coaching, improvements in the offensive line and stability in the organization all should portend to the explosion in 2020, but he is a player I still remain unsure about. He gets a slight rise in value but will be watched carefully over the remainder of the season
Parsons
Josh Jacobs - The 21-year-old Round 1 pick impresses by the week with his workhorse role in Oakland. It is hard to keep Jacobs out of the top-5 running backs in dynasty and the first-round startup draft discussion with his career start. Jacobs' profile pointed to pass-centric production in the NFL, but his receiving production has actually lagged behind his strong rushing to-date, pointing to even more upside going forward.
Devonta Freeman - The older back is missing a prime opportunity to produce in 2019. If betting, I expect Atlanta to draft or sign a back of note in the offseason, applying strong pressure on Freeman at a minimum or forcing a swift committee. Freeman is a low-level bridge back at best.
Hindery
Marlon Mack – Mack moves up from RB24 to RB16. The hand injury is a bummer, but Mack has proved to be a capable starter behind one of the league’s best offensive lines. At only 23-years old and with multiple years left on his rookie deal, I’m feeling more confident about his medium-term outlook.
Devin Singletary – The rookie moves up five spots to RB17. While there are still some questions if he is explosive enough to earn a featured role long-term, he has shown enough to provide optimism. Plus, we are reaching that point of the season where the young backs deservedly start to rise and the backs who are in their late 20s start their inevitable slide down the rankings.
Kareem Hunt - Hunt has had a much bigger role than I expected since returning from suspension with 10 carries and 17 targets in two games. Even with Nick Chubb leading the Browns backfield, Hunt surprisingly has stand-alone value in PPR leagues. His strong return has also revived hope that Hunt will again have a chance to be a lead back in a year or two.
Kenyan Drake – Drake has surprisingly emerged as a workhorse back for what could be one of the league’s most exciting offenses in Arizona. The big question will be whether he will be brought back next season. Drake is still just 25-years old and has had fewer touches than most backs his age. He could rise further if he finishes the season on a high note and wins a role in this offense moving forward.
LeVeon Bell – Bell falls to RB19. It is clear Adam Gase doesn’t know how to use him to his fullest potential and we are seeing one of Bell’s few remaining prime seasons mostly wasted. Bell played just over half of the snaps last week and has not come close to receiving the workload he had in Pittsburgh. He hasn’t had more than 18 carries since Week 2 and has only had more than five targets in a game just once in his last six.
David Johnson – Johnson has probably seen the biggest drop in dynasty value of any player this season. There is always a danger when running backs hit their late 20s, but nobody could have foreseen how far Johnson would fall. He has been completely phased out in favor of Kenyan Drake and seems to have fallen out of favor with the new coaching staff in Arizona. Johnson will turn 29-years old next month and it is far from a lock he will ever return to a leading backfield role.
Wide Receivers
Parsons
Michael Gallup - While not a threat to supplant Amari Cooper, Gallup has been impressive with his Year 2 development, emerging with strong short and intermediate routes in addition to his deep-threat ability. Gallup is a decent bet for 1,000 yards this season despite missing two games earlier in the season and has 20+ PPR points in 3-of-8 games.
D.J. Moore - Moore continues to build his profile, nearing 100 targets through 10 games and on pace for more than 1,200 yards. Moore's missing piece is touchdowns with just one on the season on a Christian McCaffrey-centric Carolina offense. However, touchdowns are one of the bigger regression tendencies in football for central offensive figures like Moore. Whether it is later this season or more for 2020, once Moore's touchdowns rise, his production will matchup his elite prospect (and now early-NFL career arc) profile.
Hindery
Tyreek Hill – Hill moves up to WR2. When Hill and Patrick Mahomes II are both healthy, the only wide receiver I’d rather have in my lineup is Michael Thomas. Hill is only 25-years old, a few years younger than DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham. He also signed an extension in Kansas City, so the medium-term future looks very bright.
D.J. Chark – Chark moves all the way up to WR15 after yet another monster game. The 23-year old is the fantasy WR5 this season and has looked good doing it. If he finished the season on a high note, we might be discussing Chark as one of the top dynasty receivers this offseason.
Christian Kirk – Kirk moves up from WR31 to WR21. For those of us who were excited about the potential of this Arizona offense and Kirk’s fantasy potential as the top target, the last few weeks have been very encouraging. Kirk broke out with 138 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in Week 10. He might have had another big game in Week 11 if Richard Sherman hadn’t tackled him on a pair of deep balls.
Deebo Samuel – The rookie moves up to WR25. He has emerged in a big way over the last two weeks. Dante Pettis has clearly fallen out of favor, which has helped Samuel solidify his spot atop the wide receiver depth chart. He could be a star in Kyle Shanahan’s fantasy-friendly offense moving forward.
Brandin Cooks – He makes another big fall down the rankings. Not only has Cooks been unproductive in the Rams offense this season but we also have to worry about his long-term future due to yet another concussion.
Corey Davis – Davis tumbles further down the rankings. Draft pedigree only carries weight for so long. There is a small receiving pie in Tennessee, and we have seen little to suggest Davis is going to dominate targets so much that he will be truly fantasy relevant any time soon.
Hicks
D.J. Chark - A lot of us have been cautious about what D.J. Chark has done this season, but it is obvious that he is on track to smash the 1000-yard mark this season and get double-digit touchdowns to boot. Chark has done it with two different quarterbacks and on a team that is supposed to be playing smash-mouth football. He isn’t a reliable week to week contributor, but he has now multiple two-touchdown, 100-yard games. You must play him and when he is on it is elite production. A massive jump in rankings is deserved.
JuJu Smith-Schuster - As a multiple league manager of JuJu Smith-Schuster, it pains me to see that what was promised after two great seasons has not eventuated. Whether this is because of the Ben Roethlisberger injury, the loss of Antonio Brown or the opinion that he is a better number two receiver is still debatable. There are so many intangibles at play here that it is hard to keep a high rating of Smith-Schuster despite his relatively young age and potential for future stardom.
Deebo Samuel - Back to back eight reception 100-yard games put Deebo Samuel firmly on the fast track to becoming a starting fantasy receiver. With a slew of high draft picks by the 49ers at the position it was a matter of which one was able to stay healthy, learn and perform. Samuel has grabbed that and run with it. Jimmy Garoppolo has developed a nice connection and while two-game wonders happen in the NFL, it is hard not to be excited about his long-term prospects. Deserves a rise in rankings.
Brandin Cooks - Brandin Cooks entered the season as one of three wide receivers to have been a fantasy WR1 for the last four years. What made it even more amazing was that he achieved this on three separate teams, unlike Julio Jones and Antonio Brown who had the same units surrounding them. On this basis, it was easy to forecast Cooks as a sure-fire performer in 2019. The first four weeks of this season were great and now it’s all gone up in smoke. A significant concussion issue is only creating more uncertainty. Cooks is only 26-years old and has plenty of seasons ahead to re-establish himself, but for now, he must be rated with caution.
Tight Ends
Hindery
Hunter Henry moves up to TE3. The top tier of tight ends looks deep right now and Henry’s strong return from injury pushes him near the top of that tier. Henry has averaged 8.0 targets per game since returning in Week 6.
Irv Smith moves up to TE12. Even that may be slightly too low. Smith didn’t turn 21-years old until just prior to the season, which makes his productive rookie season at such a difficult position especially noteworthy. As with all young tight ends, it is going to take some patience, but Smith looks like he has future star potential.
O.J. Howard got benched after making a costly mistake early in Week 11. Things are bad for him in Tampa Bay and only getting worse. Howard has always been more potential than production and needs to start making good on his physical talents.
Hicks
Ryan Griffin - Ryan Griffin is your typical tight end journeyman who finds fantasy success late in his career. Regardless of whether it is next week, next month or next season his run will come to an end shortly and the best situation should see you trying to move him while he is at the peak of his value, if possible. He could be that bonus player who carries teams to success in the fantasy playoffs or simply never has another good game. Must jump in rankings, but it’s a short-lived hit.
O.J. Howard - Like a former high pick for the Buccaneers in Austin Seferian-Jenkins, O.J. Howard is struggling to keep his place in the NFL. Both displayed all-world ability but the intense demands of the position make it hard to please everybody. A new coaching group was probably the worst thing for Howards’ long-term potential as Bruce Arians does have a history of struggling to utilize the position as a receiver in the past. With the right coach and the right system, Howard can still be a fantasy star, but until we see where and when that happens, he must be shuffled down the boards considerably.
Parsons
Irv Smith - Smith continues to make plays despite Kyle Rudolph being the starter (for now) in Minnesota. Smith has 24 targets over the last five games and is already on the streaming radar even with Rudolph healthy. Signs point to Rudolph moving on in 2020 based on his contract and lack of production as Smith will be a trendy breakout candidate.
Dallas Goedert - The situation is not ideal for Goedert to reach his ultimate ceiling anytime soon in Philadelphia (outside of a significant Zach Ertz injury), but Goedert is quietly producing even as the secondary option. Goedert has four touchdowns over nine games this season and has filled some of the void created by the Eagles' wide receiver shortcomings and injuries. Goedert is a deserved top-12 tight end in dynasty terms even if patience is required for his target upside to rise in Philadelphia or somewhere eventually.
If you would like to review our most recent Dynasty rankings, here is a link.
