We’re days away from most fantasy drafts and the rankings are in constant flux. From players surprising us in training camp to those disappointing us with their pre-season usage, there is a lot of movement to monitor. Below are a few examples of players moving up and down the expert consensus rankings (ECR) this week.

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Fantasy Football Players Trending Up & Down

Fantasy Football Players Trending Up

Will Levis (QB – TEN) | Current ECR: QB23

Entering the 2023 NFL season, it’s fair to say Will Levis’ stock was dropping. He had been projected as a potential top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft only to slide out of the first round. The Titans did move up to take him but he was slated to start his NFL career on the bench, playing behind Titans starter Ryan Tannehill, who had won two division titles during his time in Tennessee.

But things changed quickly for Levis and the Titans. It wasn’t even the mid-way point of the 2023 season when Levis started his first game. He ended up starting in nine of them, throwing for 1,808 yards and eight touchdowns and running for another 185 yards and a score. If you look at Weeks 8-15, Levs was a top-20 quarterback when it came to fantasy scoring.

Levis’ fantasy outlook was already looking up after he’d had an entire offseason to prepare. But the Titans went out and got him a ton of help. The biggest pressure point was the offensive line where the Titans signed Lloyd Cushenberry to play center. They then signed running back Tony Pollard to complement the promising Tyjae Spears in the backfield. To top it off, they signed receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd to go with DeAndre Hopkins to give Levis a good, if not great, receiving corps. And if the first preseason game is any indication, Levis could have a big year. He led touchdown drives on both series he played, including a goal-line sneak for the Titans’ first touchdown.

To their credit, Tennessee may not have originally planned on Levis being their starting quarterback in 2024, but he’s there now, and the Titans have done everything they can to give him a good supporting cast. If Levis can progress, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be a low-end QB1 in your fantasy league.

Sam Darnold (QB – MIN) | Current ECR: QB32

Now on to his fourth NFL team in seven seasons, Sam Darnold is the quintessential journeyman. Drafted third overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, Darnold was exposed as something less than a franchise quarterback before his tenure in New York was over. But he’s bounced around specifically to be a backup/placeholder capable of keeping a team afloat. To wit, Minnesota signed him to a one-year, $10 million contract to replace Kirk Cousins. When the Vikings selected J.J. McCarthy in the first round a few weeks later, Darnold’s role shifted to mentor.

Initially, Darnold was expected to start the season before it was determined McCarthy would be ready. But barely into the preseason, McCarthy is now going to miss the entire 2024 season thanks to a torn meniscus, which makes Darnold the starter.

What can we expect from Darnold over a full year’s worth of games? Let’s start with the Vikings situation. Last season, post-Cousins injury, three quarterbacks started games: Jaren Hall, Joshua Dobbs and Nick Mullens. Collectively, they threw for over 2,300 yards, 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Extrapolated over a full season and it’s a respectable 4,600 yards and 24 touchdowns (to go along with 28 interceptions). Still, it’s not the worst stat line for fantasy purposes and, arguably, Darnold is better than any of those quarterbacks who started for the Vikings last season. He could certainly finish as a top-20 fantasy quarterback.

Fantasy Football Players Trending Down

MarShawn Lloyd (RB – GB) | Current ECR: RB50

MarShawn Lloyd was an early rookie running back darling and a target for Zero RB strategists. Drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, he was thought to immediately replace veteran AJ Dillon as the primary backup to the newly signed Josh Jacobs. It was an enviable position as not only do the Packers utilize multiple running backs often under coach Matt LaFleur but Jacobs is coming off a season where he missed a month due to injury and is now a year older. Lloyd started training camp well, impressing coaches and media alike, and only improving his ascending fantasy stock.

Then the injuries started. He missed a few days of camp due to a hip injury. He then hurt his hamstring in the Packers’ preseason opener. Combined, Lloyd is missing valuable time if he is going to gain the favor of the powers that be. Couple that with a resurgent Dillon, who the Packers know and trust, and things are trending in the wrong direction for Lloyd.

Jahan Dotson (WR – WAS) | Current ECR: WR61

Jahan Dotson has gotten off to a disappointing start to his career. The former 16th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft barely has 1,000 receiving yards over the last two seasons and has failed to crack the top 40 when it comes to fantasy scoring amongst receivers.

But there was hope that his standing would improve with the additions Washington made this offseason. First, Kliff Kingsbury was hired as offensive coordinator. That was followed by the drafting of Heisman Trophy Winner Jayden Daniels as the franchise quarterback. Between those two things, it was thought Dotson would be one of the biggest beneficiaries.

Alas, it doesn’t appear Dotson has made any headway. New head coach Dan Quinn recently stated the Commanders have no WR2 (Dotson’s role) and Dotson ended up playing well into the first half of their first preseason game, a role typically reserved for backups and players on the roster bubble. And while it’s unlikely Dotson will lose his roster spot, it’s becoming clear he won’t be as involved in the offense as previously thought.

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