Dynasty Market Movers: Week 7 Report

by Steve Smith · Dynasty Leagues

Week 7 saw several of the players featured in the Dynasty Market Movers watchlist put forth impressive performances.

For instance, Browns TE Harrison Bryant took advantage of his 75.5-percent Snap Share, scoring a pair of touchdowns and logging 56 yards on four receptions. He out-snapped and outproduced veteran David Njoku on National Tight Ends Day. Da Bears made it a point to get Darnell Mooney involved with a season-high seven targets under the primetime Monday night lights. The speedster led all Chicago pass-catchers in targets, and his early career involvement is promising. With a depleted WR corps, Marquez Callaway was handed a significant role against Carolina and responded with a solid outing. The UDFA had team-high totals with eight receptions and 74 yards prior to leaving the contest late with a minor ankle injury.

It’s safe to say that the advanced stats and metrics have not failed in identifying players to watch. Hopefully, these watchlist candidates are safely stashed on dynasty benches and taxi squads. Here’s the market price check for Week 7.

Market Follow-Up

D’Andre Swift‘s dynasty stock continued to ascend in Week 7 versus the struggling Atlanta Falcons. Swift led the Lions backfield with a season-high 45.6-percent Snap Share, recording nine carries and five targets for 48 yards and a score. He saw three red zone carries. Adrian Peterson had 11 carries but only saw one in the red zone.

With Zach Ertz placed on the injured reserve, Richard Rodgers filled in in a big way, catching six of his eight targets for 85 yards. The solid day by a third-string TE and imminent return of Dallas Goedert do not bode well for Ertz’s fading stock in Philadephia.

Week 6 Market Watchlist candidate Cole Kmet earned another two targets in Week 7. He used his 262-pound frame to make an impressive contested catch on a 38-yard gain. The second-round pick added another seven-yard reception en route to a season-high 45 yards. If Coach Nagy follows through on his post-game speak, expect Kmet’s playing time to increase moving forward.

Stock Trending Up – Brandon Aiyuk

Six games into his rookie season, Brandon Aiyuk is establishing himself as the alpha in San Francisco. Week 7 brought his best receiving performance of the season with 115 yards on six catches. On the year, he has 20 receptions for 280 yards, 69 rushing yards and three total touchdowns. The 49ers first-round selection has logged an 87.3-percent (No. 20 among qualified wide receivers) Snap Share, running a route on 97.5-percent (No. 15) of the team’s passing plays. As advertised, he has 140 (No. 24) Yards After Catch. However, unlike teammate Deebo Samuel, short pass and run targets have not just been Aiyuk’s game. He is being deployed in a variety of ways, with a 10.4 (No. 52) Average Target Distance mark and 27.0-percent (No. 35) Air Yards Share compared to Samuel’s 2.8 (No. 105) Average Target Distance and 7.3-percent (No. 104) Air Yards Share.

Despite some spotty quarterback play, Aiyuk is third amongst rookie WRs with 2.28 (No. 17) Fantasy Points per Target. His 12.2 (No. 40) Fantasy Points per Game ranks him at fifth in the 2020 WR class. Through six career games, he has also outperformed Samuel from a fantasy perspective on both a total and game-by-game basis. Aiyuk has 72.9 total fantasy points to this point in his career, whereas Samuel had 50.2 points. With Deebo out for at least the next couple of games due to a hamstring injury, look for Air Aiyuk’s dynasty stock to hit new heights.

Stock Trending Down – Cam Akers

For the second consecutive week, Los Angeles Rams second round rookie RB Cam Akers barely saw the field. His snap count did triple in Week 7, but receiving three snaps instead of one won’t move the needle. To make matters worse, a penalty negated his lone carry versus the Bears. Akers returned from injury in Week 5 and led the LA rushing attack with 61 yards on nine attempts. Since that game versus the Football Team, he’s become a distant third option to Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown. Puzzling, to say the least. Regardless of all the speculation for this lack of usage, it’s negatively impacting his dynasty stock. He has slid outside the top 10 on PlayerProfiler’s dynasty RB rankings.

Check out Cam Akers on PlayerProfiler’s Updated Dynasty Rankings and Projections:

Before activating any panic buttons, let’s refresh ourselves on Akers’ prospect profile. At 5-10, 217-pounds, he owns a 39.8-percent (89th-percentile) College Dominator Rating, 10.4-percent (78th-percentile) College Target Share, and a 108.7 (89th-percentile) Speed Score. Yes, he has a three-down profile. 

Those who invested a first-round pick on Akers in dynasty rookie drafts are probably frustrated; especially if he was drafted ahead of D’Andre Swift. However, the dynasty game is not just about the short-term. It’s easy to become nearsighted and reactionary with the week-to-week events of the NFL season. Keep in mind that Henderson’s use during his rookie season was also limited, seeing no more than 11 carries in a game and 39 total for the season. Brown is 27-years old and an unrestricted free agent in 2021. At this point, Akers is a hold for those who have him in dynasty. Stay patient. Hopefully, he’s not being relied on as a weekly fantasy starter. Those presented with the opportunity to buy this talented profile at value may be wise to take advantage.

Market Watchlist – Eno Benjamin

The Arizona Cardinals used a 2020 seventh-round pick (No. 222 overall) to select late-round steal Eno Benjamin. At  5-9, 207-pounds, Benjamin has a 37.4-percent (85th-percentile) College Dominator Rating and best-in-class 14.4-percent (92nd-percentile) College Target Share. He rushed for 1,642 yards on 300 attempts and had 35 receptions for 263 yards for his 2018 breakout season at Arizona State. Benjamin’s 4.57 (56th-percentile) 40-yard dash is somewhat underwhelming, but his 11.22 (71st-percentile) Agility Score is the second-best among rookie RBs. He also has an impressive 127.3 Burst Score, which registers at the 87th-percentile.

Although Benjamin has been inactive to this point of the season, he did receive positive reviews in training camp. With Kenyan Drake expected to miss time with an ankle injury, the door is open for the rookie to see some opportunity. With Arizona off on bye in Week 8, now is the perfect time to stash him in dynasty leagues.