The Hot Sheet looks at which top players are excelling and which ones are struggling on a week-to-week basis. Following the latest on-field trends can make our weekly lineup decisions easier, while allowing dynasty players to always understand the current value of players around the league.
The value of the players mentioned on the Hot List is rising, thanks to their performance on the field. On the other hand, Cold List players are struggling, and losing dynasty value as a result.
Hot List:
1) Julio Jones, WR ATL
Past Four Weekly Fantasy Finishes:
Week Nine- WR13
Week 10- WR37
Week 11- WR31
Week 12- WR1
Through the season’s first 11 weeks, Falcons WR Julio Jones was a slightly disappointing WR15 with only one WR1 week to his name. It only took one monster game to turn his season around. Following Jones’ Week 12 performance in which he posted a 12/253/2 line, Jones moved all the way up to WR4 on the season. The same concerns are there for Jones, including his red zone efficiency and seemingly constant injuries, but these types of games are reminders of how talented Jones is and how valuable he can be to dynasty teams.
2) Devin Funchess, WR CAR
Past Four Weekly Fantasy Finishes:
Week Eight- WR67
Week Nine- WR23
Week 10- WR3
Week 12- WR15
We have an admittedly small sample size of just two games since the Panthers surprisingly dealt WR Kelvin Benjamin to the Buffalo Bills. In those two games though, default WR1 for Carolina, WR Devin Funchess has been the productive, high-upside wideout that dynasty owners have been envisioning since his time at the University of Michigan. In those two games, Funchess is averaging 22 fantasy points per game. With veteran TE Greg Olsen still bothered by his early-season foot injury, Funchess should continue to be the top option for QB Cam Newton, growing his dynasty value by the week.
3) Alvin Kamara, RB NO
Past Four Weekly Fantasy Finishes:
Week Nine- RB1
Week 10- RB4
Week 11- RB1
Week 12- RB1
I’ve tried to avoid including Saints rookie RB Alvin Kamara as one of the featured players on this weekly Hot List. After all, he has been deserving of an appearance nearly every week this season, but after his sixth consecutive RB1 performance, including three out of the past four games as the overall top scorer at the position, I couldn’t resist. Kamara is now the RB3 on the season and his hot streak dates back to the Saints bye week when the team traded away veteran RB Adrian Peterson. Since Week Six, Kamara is the top-scoring back, averaging over 23 points a game and doing it while sharing snaps and touches with starting RB Mark Ingram. Kamara has gained more dynasty value than any other player this year and can now be considered as a strong contender to be a first-round dynasty startup pick this off-season.
4) Ben Roethlisberger, QB PIT
Past Four Weekly Fantasy Finishes:
Week Eight- QB13
Week 10- QB10
Week 11- QB2
Week 12- QB1
After six weeks of the NFL season, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was just the QB19 and his doubters, of which there were many, were pointing to Big Ben’s thoughts of retirement as a sign he was finished. Since Week Seven though, Roethlisberger has come alive, ranking as the QB3, averaging over 25 fantasy points per game. With possibly the strong supporting cast in the league, including current WR1 Antonio Brown and current RB2 Le’Veon Bell, along with talented WRs Juju Smith-Schuster and Martavis Bryant, there is no reason to expect Big Ben to slow down, though it is fair to be concerned he could act on his consideration to hang up his cleats, which has clearly impacted his dynasty value.
5) Jared Goff, QB LAR
Past Four Weekly Fantasy Finishes:
Week Nine- QB1
Week 10- QB3
Week 11- QB21
Week 12- QB11
After enduring a terrible rookie season, Rams QB Jared Goff might be the favorite for NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Goff is currently the QB8, headed by seven games finishing as the QB14 or higher this season. The departure of former HC Jeff Fisher, paired with the addition of WRs Cooper Kupp, Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods has given life to the Rams offense. Goff’s dynasty value has steadily climbed all season and even in a crowded top tier of dynasty QBs, Goff has a strong case to be among the top ten at his position.
Other players considered: DeAndre Hopkins, Tevin Coleman, Mohamed Sanu, Carson Wentz, Brandin Cooks, Robby Anderson, Isaiah Crowell, Jimmy Graham, Dede Westbrook, Ricky Seals-Jones, Ted Ginn, Cooper Kupp, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, Marvin Jones, Adam Thielen, Latavius Murray, Keenan Allen
Cold List:
1) Michael Crabtree, WR OAK
Past Four Weekly Fantasy Finishes:
Week Eight- WR17
Week Nine- WR48
Week 11- WR26
Week 12- WR N/A (no stats)
Lost in the criticism and frustration with Raiders WR Amari Cooper’s disappointing season is veteran WR Michael Crabtree, who has taken a step back as well. In fact, the entire Raiders offense has failed to capitalize on their impressive 2016 campaign. Over the past six weeks, Crabtree is just the WR44, making him a questionable weekly starter, especially when he let’s his emotions get the best of him. In a crucial division game last week against the Broncos, Crabtree earned an ejection for fighting and was even suspended for two more games (later reduced to one.) These actions hurt fantasy players and clearly hurts his own team even more. With the fantasy playoffs around the corner, Crabtree won’t even be an option this week.
2) C.J. Anderson, RB DEN
Past Four Weekly Fantasy Finishes:
Week Nine- RB61
Week 10- RB44
Week 11- RB23
Week 12- RB74
Now twelve weeks into the NFL season, Broncos starting RB C.J. Anderson still has just one game finishing inside the top 20 fantasy backs, though it was a good one- an RB1 game in Week Two. Since that game, Anderson is the RB50, with only two games with double-digit fantasy points. Not only should Anderson not even be considered in weekly fantasy lineups, but Anderson may not even be worthy of a roster spots in shallow dynasty leagues. The Broncos have major questions about their quarterback and running back positions moving forward.
3) Alex Smith, QB KC
Past Four Weekly Fantasy Finishes:
Week Eight- QB14
Week Nine- QB12
Week 11- QB25
Week 12- QB22
After the season’s first seven weeks, Chiefs QB Alex Smith was enjoying a career-year and the entire Kansas City offense was humming. Smith was the QB2, behind only Eagles QB Carson Wentz and he was making everyone around him better, boosting RB Kareem Hunt and WR Tyreek Hill, among others. Since that time though, the Chiefs have hit a wall and Smith has been steadily declining. Over the past month, Smith is just the QB24. As the season continues, it seems that the version we saw of Smith earlier in the year was just a mirage.
4) Jay Ajayi, RB PHI
Past Four Weekly Fantasy Finishes:
Week Eight- RB33
Week Nine- RB14
Week 11- RB27
Week 12- RB55
After a slow start to the season, the Dolphins surprisingly dealt RB Jay Ajayi to the RB needy Eagles. Through eight weeks, Ajayi was just the RB35 on the season, but once he was shipped to the City of Brotherly Love, dynasty owners got their hopes up that Ajayi’s production and dynasty value could spike. Instead, he’s still only the RB35 in his three games with the Eagles as he’s just one part of the backfield committee including veteran RB LeGarrette Blount and rookie RB Corey Clement. Along with the lack of production, there remains a long-term concern about Ajayi’s health, which was reportedly a part of the Dolphins’ motivation for trading him at the deadline.
5) DeVante Parker, WR MIA
Past Four Weekly Fantasy Finishes:
Week Nine- WR25
Week 10- WR30
Week 11- WR56
Week 12- WR108
One of the top breakout candidates of the season was Dolphins WR DeVante Parker, especially after QB Ryan Tannehill suffered a season-ending injury, leaving Miami to turn to veteran QB Jay Cutler, who reportedly favored Parker. That hasn’t exactly been the case and Parker’s best finish of the season is a WR14 finish in Week Three. Over the past month, Parker is just the WR44, including a WR108 finish in Week 12, when he caught just one pass.
Other players considered: Joe Flacco, Vernon Davis, Jeremy Maclin, Doug Martin, Mike Evans, Mitchell Trubisky, James White, David Njoku, Marcus Mariota, Donte Moncrief, Eric Decker, Kareem Hunt, Paxton Lynch, Emmanuel Sanders, Leonard Fournette, Willie Snead, Jordy Nelson, Ameer Abdullah
