The fantasy playoffs are among us, but dynasty values are always changing. Following the latest usage and trends late in a season can often lead to an advantage for the next season when looking at potential breakouts and values.
Let’s look at this week’s dynasty risers and fallers.
- Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers & Fallers
Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers
As an undrafted rookie out of Holy Cross, Jalen Coker was generating some buzz before a quad injury sidelined him for the last four weeks, including three games and a bye week. Making his return on Sunday, Coker set a new season-high and career-high with 110 receiving yards while finding the end zone on four grabs.
Coker’s 21 fantasy points mark his third game with double-digit points in his eight career games. Coker’s early season success came with Adam Thielen out, and Thielen has been hot since returning and taking over Coker’s role. It’s extremely encouraging to see Coker return and take on a large role with Thielen in the lineup.
When Rashod Bateman was drafted, many saw a future No. 1 wide receiver. Instead, Bateman struggled and quickly became an afterthought. The reality lies somewhere in the middle. While his target share leaves a bit to be desired at just 17%, Bateman has become a downfield threat for the Ravens and is generating big plays for Lamar Jackson and company.
Bateman caught three passes for 80 yards and two scores on Sunday. This comes on the heels of posting a donut in Week 13, but it should be noted he was banged up before the bye week allowed him to heal. He’s now posted seven games of double-digit fantasy points and has cleared 20 points in two games.
When Evan Engram missed time this season, Brenton Strange stepped up. He’s flashed in a few games alongside Engram. With Engram placed on injured reserve (IR) this week, Strange was called upon for an increased role. He delivered the goods, snagging 11 of his 12 targets for 73 yards, all career highs for the second-year pro.
Despite starting just six games this season, Strange has topped double-digit fantasy points three times and has cleared nine in two others. With Engram on the shelf for the remainder of this season, Strange will see a few more opportunities to continue raising his stock.
Another young tight end, Stone Smartt has begun to make waves. After Will Dissly missed the second half of last week’s game, Smartt stepped in with three receptions for 53 yards. Drawing the start this week, Smartt looked the part again, catching five of his six targets for 50 yards.
An undrafted free agent in 2022, Smartt is in his third season and has generally been a rotational player, but Greg Roman and the Chargers love what he brings to the offense. I expect him to continue to see a role in the passing game.
Admittedly, I had Jalen McMillan as a faller after his 25-yard performance in Week 13. Since then, things seem to have clicked for the former Husky, who’s had the two best games of his rookie season since then. He scored twice in Week 14 on his four receptions for 59 yards before turning this week’s seven targets into six grabs for 75 yards and a touchdown.
McMillan has scored 40.4 fantasy points across the last two weeks while notching his highest receiving yardage total in each game. With Chris Godwin‘s contract expiring after the season and Mike Evans entering the final year of his deal, the door is open for McMillan to see his role expand and solidify for next season and beyond.
Jared Goff has had a few stinkers this year, but he’s mostly played at an MVP level with some monster games. His biggest one yet came on Sunday while trading haymakers with the heavyweight known as the Buffalo Bills. Goff aired it out 59 times and cashed in for 494 passing yards and five touchdowns.
Despite the Lions being known as a physical, run-first team, there are tons of playmakers for Goff to distribute the ball to. He is not afraid to let it fly when the time is right. It’s Goff’s second game this season with 50+ pass attempts and his third above 40. The only concern with Goff moving forward is the likely loss of Ben Johnson. It feels like everything the Lions touch turns to gold right now and there’s no reason to believe they won’t find another strong coordinator.
A 29-year-old running back on the risers list? I wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s warranted in this case. Like a fine wine, James Conner seems to get better as the game, and his career, age. He ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, adding five receptions for 28 yards.
Conner’s 30.8 fantasy points are the best of his season, and he’s now tallied 53 points across the last two weeks. He ranks ninth in the NFL in rushing yards. Additionally, Conner recently signed a two-year extension with the Cardinals that made him the seventh-highest paid running back in the NFL.
Dynasty Fantasy Football Fallers
Before being benched, Will Levis scored -4.44 fantasy points on Sunday. That should tell you all you need to know, but if it doesn’t, the quarterback known more for his love of mayonnaise than his spiral threw for three interceptions and lost a fumble before his third-quarter benching.
Levis finished 8-of-12 passing with 89 yards to go with the four turnovers. Levis has turned it over at an alarming rate all season while Mason Rudolph has given the offense a boost. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rudolph get the start next week. It seems unlikely Levis will be the Titans’ guy next season.
Unfortunately, just as it felt Nick Chubb was regaining his health, he was hit with another setback. Chubb suffered a broken foot on Sunday, which will end his season. The good news is that it will be a much easier recovery compared to his knee injury, but you have to wonder how much his body can take. Turning 29 in two weeks, Chubb will likely never return to anything more than a rotational back.
After a career-best 810 rushing yards and a 13-touchdown season last year with the Ravens, Gus Edwards was tabbed as the player to roster in the Chargers’ backfield. After all, there was no better pairing than Edwards, Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman. It hasn’t quite worked out that way but with J.K. Dobbins recently landing on IR, Edwards has had the opportunity to showcase his talent and physical running style.
Instead, Edwards has rushed for 3/0 yards per carry in the last four games and has failed to surpass 36 yards in any of those games. He’s been fortunate to fall into the end zone twice in that period but otherwise has looked slow. He ceded 35 snaps to Kimani Vidal on Sunday while playing just 14 himself.
Outside of a few big weeks early in the season, Deebo Samuel has been extremely quiet. With Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey missing, you’d expect an increase in production from Samuel but that has not been the case. Samuel caught three passes on Sunday, tallying just 16 receiving yards while carrying twice for three yards.
In his four games before Week 15, Samuel posted receiving yardage totals of 22, 21, 20 and 22. He’s rushed for just 15 yards in the last five weeks, which has been a big boost for Samuel in the past. With the 49ers’ financial situation, there’s a strong possibility Samuel is playing elsewhere next season.
With Noah Brown landing on IR over the team’s Week 14 bye, Luke McCaffrey found himself playing just 12 snaps for the Commanders on Sunday. We often see rookies get a boost following a bye week, especially when a starter goes down in front of them.
Instead, McCaffrey played the fewest snaps and ran the fewest routes of any receiver on the team. In Weeks 12 and 13, McCaffrey’s snap share fell below 30% for the first time this season, only to reach a new low of 15% this week. This offense is already thin at receiver outside of Terry McLaurin, so this is discouraging for a third-round draft pick.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
