Dynasty Leagues

With Mark Ingram out and Gus Edwards a restricted free agent, there’s a solid chance Justice Hill ends up the No. 2 in Baltimore behind starter J.K. Dobbins in 2021. With an elite 4.40 (97th-percentile among qualified running backs) 40-yard Dash and 133.0 (95th-percentile) Burst Score, Hill has the tools to be a great piece to the offense, even as the No. 2 back.

Though he wasn’t invited to the Combine and his player profile lacks workout metrics, Xavier Jones’ college production is noticeable. His 28.6-percent (63rd-percentile) College Dominator Rating is solid, while his 9.6-percent (71st-percentile) College Target Share is excellent. With Malcolm Brown a free agent, the Rams will rely on Darrell Henderson and Cam Akers to lead the backfield. Don’t count out Jones making some noise in 2021 as well.

Christian Kirk spent Week 17 on the reserve/COVID-19 list. This closed out a pedestrian season for the third year receiver. He surpassed 100 yards just once this season (Week 9), and had nine games with 50 receiving yards or less. He saw a Slot Rate of only 11.4-percent this year, a third of his 2019 usage. A potential Larry Fitzgerald retirement may help the Cardinals move Kirk back inside more.

With Hunter Henry on the reserve/COVID-19 list for the final two weeks of the season, XFL standout Donald Parham was handed increased opportunity. Logging Snap Shares of 84.9-percent and 57.6-percent in Weeks 16 and 17, The 6-8, 240-pound XFL standout produced a serviceable five receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. With Henry set to test free agency in 2021, the 23-year-old Parham makes for a decent bench stash.

With Jamaal Williams out and Aaron Jones hindered by a hip issue, A.J. Dillon got his chance to show what he’s capable of. He saw a season high 58.1-percent Snap Share and rushed 21 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 16 win against the Titans. With Williams and Jones scheduled for free agency this offseason, Dillon becomes an intriguing dynasty asset moving towards the NFL playoffs and offseason.

With Clyde Edwards-Helaire shelved due to a leg and hip injury, veteran Le’Veon Bell was not the answer for the Kansas City Chiefs running game. Bell has been an underwhelming addition to the Chiefs roster, topping out at 64 yards (Week 15) and 53.2-percent of snaps (Week 13). He has scored just one touchdown. He slides eight spots to move down from RB33 to RB41.

Tony Pollard made good on his shot at a lead role following Ezekiel Elliott’s surprise inactive designation in Week 15. Playing 92.9-percent of the snaps versus the 49ers, Pollard rushed a dozen times for 132 total yards and two touchdowns, going six of nine in the passing game. He was the fantasy RB1 on the week. He gained 22.81 Lifetime Value points to rise from RB37 to RB27 on the dynasty rankings.

With his ankle injury nagging and with high postseason hopes, the Saints opted to place Michael Thomas on injured reserve heading into Week 15. Obviously, this ends his availability for dynasty leagues in 2020. Hopefully a return to form in the post season can help to rejuvenate his dynasty stock. For now, the soon to be 28-year old is among the biggest losers Lifetime Value points, slipping from WR8 to WR11 on the rankings .

Todd Gurley’s phone isn’t the only thing falling into the toilet this week. His dynasty stock has also dropped 17.58 Lifetime Value points and five spots, moving outside the Top 30 to RB34 on the dynasty rankings. Recently landing on the injury report with a knee injury and forced to sit out in Week 12, Gurley hasn’t looked close to 100-percent. Here’s to hoping that he can clean it up and get back to scoring touchdowns.

On the season, Jonathan Taylor sits second in rushing yards for rookies behind James Robinson, but his receiving metrics have been equally impressive, if not more. He leads all qualified RBs with 9.2 Yards Per Reception and a 93.9-percent Catch Rate. Taylor is No. 12 at the position and fourth among rookie RBs with 286 receiving yards through Week 14. He gained 9.97 Lifetime Value points to move up four spots to RB4 on the dynasty rankings.

Corey Davis has had a lot to prove this season after the Tennessee Titans declined his fifth-year option. He’s done just that. Other than a catchless Week 9 performance versus the Bears, Davis has recorded double-digit fantasy points in every game played. He’s averaging 15.7 Fantasy Points per Game, which currently ranks No. 16 among qualified wide receivers. The 2017 fifth overall pick gained 17.85 Lifetime Value points to move from WR48 to WR38 on PlayerProfiler’s dynasty rankings.

Rookie running backs have been breaking out on a weekly basis lately, while Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s dynasty stock has been sliding. Edwards-Helaire has produced at RB12 or better in only four games this season, averaging 13.9 (No. 18) Fantasy Points per Game. Being the first RB off the draft board last spring (in reality and often in fantasy), expectations were high. Dynasty managers have to be disappointed in what has largely been RB2 production.

Antonio Gibson tops all 2020 drafted RBs with a 122.8 (99th-percentile among qualified running backs) Speed Score; top 10 overall on PlayerProfiler.com. It’s no surprise that when he handed a larger workload in Week 12, he produced high-end RB1 numbers. The 22-year-old gains 19.79 Lifetime Value points, the most of all RBs, to move from RB14 to RB11 in the dynasty rankings.

In nine games, Matt Breida has 47 carries for 168 yards, averages 3.6 (No. 62) True Yards Per Carry, and has nine catches for 96 yards with no touchdowns. He now finds himself on the reserve/COVID-19 list. It’s unfortunate timing. The Dolphins are shorthanded in the backfield with Washington now sidelined by a hamstring injury. Breida’s stock continues to fall with his ranking dropping from RB65 to RB80 over the past two weeks.

Injuries have slowed down stud wide receiver Julio Jones and he’s now fallen outside of the Top 40 on PlayerProfiler’s dynasty rankings. Sadly, Jones lost 13.01 Lifetime Value points to drop seven spots to WR44, making him the biggest WR faller on the rankings. Still capable of producing big weeks, Jones has become a boom or bust option this season. He has three top 12 fantasy WR performances, but also has three weeks outside of the Top 60.

Featured as a market riser back in Week 2, Diontae Johnson’s dynasty stock would have hit WR1 levels long ago if not for a few injury hiccups. Johnson earned a season high 16 targets in Week 11 and has seen over 10 targets in every game that he hasn’t been hampered by injury. Johnson gained 26.14 Lifetime Value points and moved up eight spots to WR18, making him the biggest riser on the dynasty rankings.

At 15.6 (No. 16 among qualified wide receivers) Fantasy Points per Game, Tee Higgins leads all rookie wide receivers. His 603 (No. 19) receiving yards place him second in receiving on the Bengals and second to Justin Jefferson in the rookie race. Over the last two games, Higgins has seen 18 targets, which is three more than Tyler Boyd and eight more than fading A.J. Green. With Green set to hit free agency in 2021, the Joe Burrow-Tee Higgins combination is an exciting one for dynasty owners.

Philadelphia’s sixth-round free agent sensation Travis Fulgham saw double digit targets from Weeks 5-7. In Week 10, Fulgham caught only one of his five targets for eight yards. Way to dampen the hype. He’s now seen his targets decrease in two consecutive games. During this time, Jalen Reagor, Dallas Goedert and Alshon Jeffery all returned to the lineup. Fulgham sees the biggest Lifetime Value drop for wide receivers, moving outside the Top 50 at the position.

Heading into the 2020 season with Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor on the roster, Nyheim Hines had become the third wheel in the Colts backfield. Fast forward nine weeks and Hines has 28 receptions and 220 receiving yards (both good for No. 8 among qualified running backs) on a 32.5-percent (No. 63) Snap Share. His fantasy output on a week-to-week basis has been up and down, but Hines has produced boom weeks resulting in Top 5 running back performances.

Jonathan Taylor’s dynasty ranking has fallen and is teetering on the edge of the top 10. Since returning from bye, the much-hyped prospect has seen his Snap Share fall from 35.6-percent in Week 8 to 30.8-percent in Week 9. Taylor fumbled his way to a season-low six carries in Week 9. Sure it doesn’t look good right now given the high expectations, but it would be foolish to panic sell in dynasty at this point.