Dynasty Weekly Report, NFL Week 12
It's week twelve of Fantasy Football Calculator's Dynasty Weekly Report. If you're new here, this is a weekly blog where we take a quick look around the dynasty fantasy landscape to answer burning questions, flag players to add or drop, and make very bad jokes. In week twelve's version, we look at some free agent-to-be running backs, check on QB injuries, force ourselves to talk Bears, and remember' Sam LaPorta's early season production.
Change of scenery?
With the trade deadline passing in most leagues it's another time to evaluate assets and begin looking to the future. The most volatile assets you have are likely going to be older running backs. And some big names are becoming free agents that might be on the move.
The first of note is Austin Ekeler. I think most plugged-in players saw this pretty damning clip of Ekeler getting chased down the sidelines. I don't think Ekeler is totally washed, but at 29, I'm not sure the Chargers, or any team, is going to shell out a big contract on a player with tread on his tires. Ekeler is likely too valuable to sell in the offseason but will be an interesting watch.
If you haven't gotten off Derrick Henry, this is probably his last gasp of true top-12 relevance. Given his advanced age and nearly 2,000 carries, it's unlikely he will have a feature role after this year unless he returns to the Titans on the cheap.
Someone who could use a change of scenery is Saquon Barkley. While injuries have hampered his production, he's never actually been featured in a competent offense. Barkley owners should be crossing their fingers that he moves on from the Giants and lands somewhere that allows him to shine.
Quarterbacks shelved
Some devastating losses at the quarterback position last week. The biggest news was Joe Burrow going down, effectively ending Cincinnati's season and decimating the upside of all their other skill-position players. That being said, it was a shock at how well Jake Browning played in his relief. It's highly unlikely that he will be able to support J'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins to their original value, but he's worth a speculative pickup in 2QB and Superflex leagues because of the talent around him and what he can do with his legs.
Deshaun Watson was also officially put on the shelf for the season due to his shoulder. Of note, Dorian Thompson-Robinson got the start over P.J. Walker. While he struggled, he also threw the ball a shocking 43 times as Cleveland used short passes to soften Pittsburgh's run defense. Thompson-Robinson is also worth an add due to his age and potential upside. Watson was pretty bad to begin with so will be interesting to see what DTR can do with the offense.
We can check on the Bears' offense I guess
The Bears showed a real pulse for 55 of the 60 minutes of their game against the Lions. Turns out maintaining that for all 60 minutes is pretty important #FireEberflus. But integral in that pulse was Justin Fields returning, which jump-started the pass offense and opened more room on the ground. With the Bears in line for the first overall pick, I think they may clean house and go with Caleb Williams. But Justin Fields is a hell of a lot better than quite a few quarterbacks in the league.
After failing to clear 58 yards with Tyson Bagent, DJ Moore returned to relevance with a nearly 100-yard game. Moore had 213 yards with Bagent in 4 games and has AVERAGED 152 yards in the last three games with Fields. As long as Fields is healthy, Moore is a WR1.
The running game remains a turnstile as Khalil Herbert returned and D'Onta Foreman picked up an injury. With Roschon Johnson firmly third fiddle, it's going to take injuries to make either player relevant. Herbert may be in line depending on Foreman's injury.
Slowing the Sam LaPorta hype train
Sam LaPorta was TE2 after week 5, and there was talk of him ascending to the number one overall tight end in all of fantasy. Well, since that point, he's averaged under 8 fantasy points per game. What changed? The Lions' offense evolved with the return of Jameson Williams and the growth of Jahmyr Gibbs. The Lions started taking more shots downfield and running more intermediate plays for Gibbs. These shifts ate directly into LaPorta's target share and involvement in the offense. LaPorta still projects as a top-tier dynasty asset but has come back to reality a bit later in the season.
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