Is it just me or did the fantasy football world/NFL get collectively healthier this week? After seven weeks of football, this felt like the first week I wasn’t left scratching my head over a bizarre turn of events throughout the day. Even so, many storylines and performances stand out, some of which impact the dynasty landscape.
Let’s check in on the latest dynasty risers and fallers after week 7.
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Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers & Fallers
Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers
London is where rookie quarterbacks go to thrive. After Caleb Williams did so last week, Drake Maye took a trip across the pond and threw for 276 yards and two scores. Despite taking the loss, the Patriots rookie completed 70% of his passes and posted 20.84 fantasy points, the third-most among quarterbacks through Sunday’s game. Maye looked sharp for the second week in a row, but unlike last week, he didn’t turn the ball over on Sunday. The offense as a whole struggled in the second and third quarters, but Maye continued to show he belonged by evading rushers and showing off his arm talent.
Zach Charbonnet out-snapped Kenneth Walker on Sunday, but that was due to the blowout and Walker suffering from an illness. Despite his lower snap share, Walker tallied 23.3 fantasy points with 93 total yards and two touchdowns. He’s now topped 20 points in three of his five games, with his lowest output at 14.6. His 22.3 points per game (PPG) average puts him at the RB2 through seven weeks. Many expected an uptick in Charbonnet’s workload this season, but new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said he wanted to get Walker more involved in the passing game. That’s been enough to propel Walker into RB1 status, and it should keep him there.
David Njoku (TE – CLE) & Cedric Tillman (WR – CLE)
With Amari Cooper packing his parka for Buffalo, David Njoku expects to benefit from an extra bundle of targets. He wasted no time on that venture, securing 10 of a team-high 14 targets on Sunday en route to 76 yards and a touchdown. His 23.6 fantasy points are good for the TE1 this week, pending Monday night. Njoku has missed three games and parts of two others this season, so his health alone is a boost. If he becomes a target hog in this offense, look out.
After Njoku, Cedric Tillman was the next beneficiary of Cooper’s absence. Many thought Jerry Jeudy would become a go-to target in the offense, but Tillman stepped into a full-time role and saw 12 targets, catching eight for 81. With Deshaun Watson‘s injury, I’m more optimistic about Browns offensive players if Jameis Winston takes over as opposed to Dorian Thompson-Robinson, but both of these guys are risers regardless.
After a down season last year and a bevy of missed games, Tee Higgins entered this season in a contract dispute and what felt like a suppressed fantasy market. Again, Higgins suffered an injury that sidelined him for the first two weeks. It felt like quite some time since we saw Tee Higgins doing Tee Higgins things, but he’s back. He went four for 82 with a touchdown on Sunday, finishing with 18.2 fantasy points. After being eased into action in Week 3, the sixth-year pro has seen 39 targets over the last four games. His 16.2 PPG put him at WR10 and he should be valued as a high-end WR2 once again when making fantasy start sit decisions.
Brian Robinson has been extremely consistent this season with a high of 20.3 fantasy points and a low of 10, despite missing the second half of Week 5. On Sunday, he landed at 13.3 fantasy points after rushing 12 times for 71 yards and a touchdown. The Commanders’ offense has been a revelation and Robinson will cede some work to Austin Ekeler, but there are no more questions about whose backfield this is. If Robinson ever gets the full allotment of touches, he has RB1 upside.
What a difference a quarterback who throws the ball downfield makes, huh? It doesn’t necessarily have to be a good quarterback, but it’s a pleasure to see Russell Wilson put some air under the football and let George Pickens make some plays. Pending Monday Night Football, Pickens is the week’s WR2 after catching five passes for 111 yards and a score. His 22.1 fantasy points are the most of his season as he was able to find the end zone for the first time this year. Pickens showed the value he brings by winning contested catches throughout Sunday night’s contest, which provided a major boost to the Steelers’ offense. I can’t see them putting that genie back in the bottle.
With James Cook sidelined in Week 6, Ray Davis got the start and rolled to 97 rushing yards, 55 receiving yards and 18.2 fantasy points. As the backup on Sunday, Davis remained productive with 41 yards and a touchdown on five carries. He didn’t eat into Cook’s workload a ton, but Davis is a riser either way. This is a situation to monitor.
With tight end such a shallow position, rookie Ja’Tavion Sanders’ six grabs for 61 yards is worth a boost, especially after coming off five catches for 49 yards the week prior. It’s worth noting that these two games came with Tommy Tremble sidelined, but Sanders led the Panthers in targets, receptions and yards. He may see his role expand.
We’re starting to see Troy Franklin develop into his role after a slow start to the season. In Week 6, he caught two passes for 31 yards and a touchdown and went five for 50 on Thursday night. He’s led the team in targets and receptions over the last two weeks since Josh Reynolds was placed on injured reserve (IR). The offense needs a turbo button for Franklin to become startable, but he’s on the come-up.
Dynasty Fantasy Football Fallers
I like seeing Kirk Cousins swag and surf, so I’d like to see it work out for him in Atlanta. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t been right this season. Outside of his 500-yard passing effort, Cousins has failed to reach 20 points and has only cleared 15 in one other game. Sunday represented his third outing below 10 points. If things don’t get better soon, the noise for Michael Penix Jr. is going to get louder and louder.
Another quarterback on the downturn, Daniel Jones, formerly known as Danny Dimes, hit a new low on Sunday. He recorded just 5.96 points, throwing for 99 yards and rushing for 20. Coach Brian Daboll stated Jones is the team’s starter, despite bringing Drew Lock into the game facing a 25-point deficit. You have to wonder how long Jones’ leash is at this point.
After dominating the tight end landscape for the past few years, Travis Kelce’s run may be coming to an end. He caught four passes for just 17 yards on Sunday and, surprisingly, that is only his second-lowest yardage total this season. Through six games, Kelce’s recorded 245 yards, good for 40 per game, which would be the lowest mark of his career, and he has yet to find the end zone.
Once thought of as a mid-tier TE1, the new weaponry in Houston has pushed Dalton Schultz far below that range, even with Nico Collins sidelined. Schultz caught one pass for 28 yards on Sunday. His two best outings of the season were his 34-yard games in Weeks 4 and 5. He’s struggling to maintain TE2 status at this point.
They say you can’t lose your job to injury, but don’t tell that to Devin Singletary. During his two-week absence, Tyrone Tracy stole the show and Singletary’s job. While Singletary returned on Sunday, he was outsnapped 39 to 12 by Tracy. It only resulted in six carries for Tracy compared to five for Singletary, but the former ran 21 more routes than the latter.
Much like his counterpart, Calvin Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins has seen his value crumble in Tennessee this season. He’s topped 10 fantasy points just once and managed to go for -2 yards on Sunday. It’s unfair to say this offense is going nowhere — they’re sinking and Hopkins has been unable to find a life raft.
There was speculation this summer that Ty Chandler would have a role alongside Aaron Jones in a timeshare. His 82 yards rushing in Week 2 seemed to provide some evidence of that, but he’s been wildly inefficient since then. He carried the ball just twice against the Lions this week while Jones scampered his way to 20.6 fantasy points on 17 touches. The Vikings recently traded for Cam Akers, which can’t be a great sign for Chandler. This backfield belongs to Jones, and the backup role is no longer guaranteed for Chandler.
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