Tre McBride has climbed the ranks of Titans’ WRs this preseason
George Kritikos provides dynasty league risers and fallers following Week 4 of the preseason.
This piece is part of our article program that features quality content from experts exclusively at FantasyPros. For more from George head to Dynasty League Football.
As Dynasty owners, our valuations of players are constantly evolving, whether talking about a rookie who has yet to tap their full potential, or a veteran on a new team carving out a role for himself.
We watch, and dissect every bit of information about these players in an effort to assign a value to their services. Be it “draft, auction, trade or waiver” – value, it is imperative that we quantify their worth, and avoid making costly mistakes with our limited capital and transaction windows.
Through this “Risers & Fallers” Series, we will do our part to help illustrate the players are on the verge of making noise in the Dynasty world who could strengthen your team, and separate the ones who aren’t worth the headaches and anxiety.
Some weeks these assessments will be based on the players own production in recent games, other times, it may be the poor play of those around them, leading to an overall slide in their output. Perhaps the starter ahead of them on the depth chart is in decline, opening the door for a lesser known player to make his mark. Or maybe the offensive line has been ravaged by injuries, turning a weekly stud into a sitting duck, whose output is sure to suffer.
In any case, the goal here is to keep you ahead of the curve, and give you an edge on your league-mates when building your Dynasty roster, and ultimately- in the “WIN” column.
So, without further adieu, here are the Risers & Fallers for Preseason Week 4.
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Derrick Henry (RB – TEN): RISER
This may be cheating since Henry has been winning all through the preseason. Week 4 was more of a punctuation (7 carries, 62 yards, 8.9 yards per carry) on an outstanding preseason (24 for 142, 5.9). Henry showed his dominance run after run, but questions still remain on his ability to contribute in the passing game with just two short receptions this preseason.
Heading into the season, Henry will share time with DeMarco Murray, who also excelled the last four weeks. With an offensive line featuring two first-round tackles in Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin along with Chance Warmack and new addition from Houston Ben Jones, the running lanes will be open all season. The jokes about Exotic Smashmouth are starting to fade as the potential for success is looking bright.
Terrell Watson (RB – FA): FALLER
A metrics darling, Watson started well enough with 4.9 yards per carry in the first two preseason games for the Browns. Unfortunately, he ended with a thud, managing just 2.0 yards per carry in weeks three and four on just seven carries. That led to his release from the team on Sunday and ended the very brief hype train that surfaced this offseason.
Given how recent the release was, he was unsigned as of this article. Watson’s fans have noted his size (6’1”, 242 lbs) and speed (4.56 forty yard dash) along with his dominant college career. It is likely Watson gets another chance given the dearth of running back options remaining on the waiver wire and early injuries at the position. He is an end of bench option in deep leagues with some upside if the landing spot is right.
Jordan Howard (RB – CHI): RISER
Howard ran hot and cold this preseason but finished it strong with a 16-carry, 107-yard performance in Week 4. Earlier in the preseason, he fell behind Ka’Deem Carey, but this performance may have re-opened the committee conversation.
The sixth-round selection was praised for his power running style and was seen by the Bears as a potential complement to Jeremy Langford. The Bears also recently added former Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton, who should help with Howard’s interior running lanes. Howard will be less valuable in PPR leagues given his inability to catch the ball and Langford should still be the primary back. That said, Howard could poach the red zone work, leading to some good touchdown numbers.
D.J. Foster (RB – NE): RISER
One of the more unlikely running backs in New England, Foster put up a huge game, especially receiving, to maintain his status on the roster. The 9 catches, 110 yards made up for the lackluster running (9 carries, 22 yards) in Week 4. This came after a three-catch performance in Week 4, his first action in the preseason.
For those unfamiliar with Foster, he played running back up until his senior season, managing a 1,000 yard rushing campaign his junior year. He converted to wide receiver for his senior year and played mostly in the slot. With Joey Iosefa and Tyler Gaffney both cut, Foster’s only competition early in the season for receptions out of the backfield is James White. Foster’s versatility makes him a worthwhile stash in deep dynasty formats.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE – TB): FALLER
The fact ASJ played in Week 4 should not be taken as a positive sign, especially when Cameron Brate did not. Seferian-Jenkins has had some troubling behavioral issues with the coaching staff and a two-catch, 22-yard game was not the dominant performance he needed. With just two receptions for more than 10 yards this preseason, he failed to put up the big plays that lifted his 2015 season.
It is easy to see Seferian-Jenkin’s appeal with the size/speed combination in addition to young stud Jameis Winston at quarterback. Too bad the on-field talent has been marred by the aforementioned behavior problems. That has opened the door to Cameron Brate getting the starting nod with ASJ clinging to a timeshare at this point. Lucky for Seferian-Jenkins, the wide receiver depth chart in Tampa Bay is thin, which may lead to a fair number of two tight end sets.
Tre McBride (WR – TEN): RISER
The Titans’ roster has been in upheaval this offseason and wide receiver is the poster boy of movement. Gone is Dorial Green-Beckham via trade and now Justin Hunter has been cut. The latter can be partly explained by Tre McBride’s emergence this preseason, in particular his Week 4 (5 catches, 67 yards) performance. This is a big leap from the second-year receiver who spent nearly all of last year on the practice squad.
McBride was well liked by film watchers going into the 2015 draft due to his sharp routes and high-level catch technique. Supposed ego issues led to him falling to the seventh round and the deep but mediocre Titans’ receiving group left him without a role. Now, the receiving group is being overhauled and McBride could carve out a role as an outside receiver in three or four wide receiver sets. The deepest of dynasty stashes.
Sammie Coates (WR – PIT): FALLER
Another second-year receiver, Coates has been sliding in the opposite direction this entire preseason. It truly culminated in his Week 4 performance of zero catches and one rush for zero yards. He did have a 58-yard catch in Week 3, showing off that deep speed, but the inconsistency was there too.
Coates came out of Auburn with a lot of speed, unrefined hands, and a penchant for concentration lapses. He was stuck behind a talented receiving group in 2015, which led to just one reception for the season. It was expected that he would be the Martavis Bryant replacement post-suspension. Now, after the preseason, he is stuck behind Markus Wheaton and Eli Rogers with the type of chance to succeed you would expect from Coates: a hail mary.
Bilal Powell (RB – NYJ): RISER
Powell did not even play in Week 4. Let’s get that out of the way. So how did he win? Well, the two main running backs who played, Khiry Robinson and Antone Smith, have both been cut. Neither managed more than three yards per carry in Week 4 as the entire offense faltered.
Powell last year was a PPR dynamo with 47 receptions in just 11 games. He re-signed with the Jets and saw Matt Forte join the team as well. Both Forte and Powell excel in the passing game but with the depth chart now thinner, Forte will be handling much of the rushing load. This will leave Powell to rotate in mostly on passing downs to ensure the team gets the most out of both running backs.
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