The Hot Sheet looks at which top prospects are excelling and which ones are struggling on a week-to-week basis. The consensus top-flight players may not always appear on this list because we are trying to help you find the next group of breakout players before your leaguemates do.
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) Stefon Diggs, WR MIN
Much was made this past offseason about the Vikings decision to move their top weapon, Diggs, out of the slot, where he ran nearly 63% of his snaps in 2016. That decision has already paid off just one week into the season. Diggs, QB Sam Bradford and the entire Minnesota offense dominated the Saints on Monday Night Football. Diggs ended with seven receptions for 93 yards and a pair of touchdowns, hitting cruise control in the second half. Through his first two seasons, Diggs has continued to improve and surprise fantasy players, yet he continues to be relatively undervalued. That may not be the case any longer. After a WR2 finish in the season opener, Diggs is firmly on everyone’s radar and could soon be valued as a top ten dynasty receiver.
2) Corey Davis, WR TEN
One of the top rookies of the season entered Week One with many questions. Davis, the Titans first-rounder and the choice of many as the 1.01 rookie pick in offseason dynasty drafts, missed much of the preseason with hamstring issues and some were actually beginning to doubt he would even have an impact this entire season. While there were fears of Davis turning into the next Josh Doctson or Kevin White, former high-profile rookies who had their rookie seasons cut short, I chose to remember Odell Beckham in 2014 as he missed the first few games before making his debut and instantly becoming a force. David might not be the next OBJ, but he got off to a nice start in Week One, finishing with six receptions for 69 yards and was QB Marcus Mariota’s most-targeted receiver.
3) Leonard Fournette, RB JAX
If Davis wasn’t the top pick in your rookie draft, it was probably Jaguars RB Fournette, the former LSU star back. As is the case with most rookies, we had many reasons to doubt the impact Fournette might have. First of all, he missed much of his final college season with a foot injury and then missed some preseason action with a similar issue. The Jags coaching staff actually seemed hesitant to even name him as the starter for Week One, despite the absence of T.J. Yeldon. With Jacksonville surprisingly dominating the Texans, Fournette was a workhorse, carrying the ball 26 times for exactly 100 yards. He was even the team’s second-leading receiver, which was another issue fantasy owners questioned about the fourth overall draft pick. With some RBs struggling out of the gate, dynasty owners will waste no time in moving Fournette and his fellow rookie RBs up the ranks.
4) Evan Engram, TE NYG
Lost in the disaster that was the Giants Week One offense without start WR Odell Beckham was the impressive debut of rookie TE Evan Engram, who caught four of his five targets for 44 yards. In a down week for TE fantasy scoring, that was almost enough to finish as a TE1 on the week, and although he didn’t meet that standard, his role offered fantasy players hope for a productive season. Typically, we have to wait multiple seasons before TEs make a real fantasy impact. Even last year when Chargers TE Hunter Henry tied for the league lead in touchdowns at the position, he still managed just a TE19 finish on the season. While it is still early, Engram should continue to play a major role for QB Eli Manning and the G-Men and could easily outperform Henry’s rookie season from a year ago. The dynasty TE ranks are painfully thin right now and Engram, along with O.J. Howard and David Njoku, could end the season as inside the top ten dynasty options at the positon.
5) Tarik Cohen, RB CHI
Dynasty players expected big things from the previously discussed rookies, but the surprise and delight offered by Bears PPR specialist Cohen in his debut was the talk of the dynasty community following Week One. On the field only due to an injury to backup Benny Cunningham, Cohen rushing, received and returned his way to nearly 160 total yards and an RB2 finish on the week. The question going forward of course, relates to Cohen’s role in the hurting Bears offense. After already losing top WR Cameron Meredith in the preseason, WR Kevin White suffered another serious injury that will keep him out of action for an extended time. The team has few options left to make plays and Cohen led the Bears in targets in Week One and should continue to see a huge opportunity as a receiver out of the backfield, which will only continue to increase his value, especially in PPR leagues.
Other players considered: Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill, Alex Smith, Nelson Agholor, Carson Wentz, Golden Tate, Kenny Golladay, Charles Clay, DeShone Kizer, C.J. Anderson, Cooper Kupp, Ty Montgomery, Randall Cobb, Carlos Hyde, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle
Cold List:
1) Adrian Peterson, RB NOS
Playing in a uniform other than the Vikings for the first time in his NFL career, the veteran Peterson probably expected a much different outcome than he endured Monday night in his return to Minnesota. Not only did his new team, the Saints, get drubbed, but Peterson barely played as he saw just nine snaps, far behind the pace of Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara. Peterson was spotted showing his frustration with HC Sean Payton in the first half and saw little action after that. Sitting behind both of the younger backs, it is difficult to see a path in which Peterson can become a reliable fantasy asset this season and at age 32, Peterson may not have any dynasty value left.
2) Hunter Henry, TE LAC
Following his impressive rookie season a year ago, Chargers TE Henry became one of the trendy players dynasty owners chased all offseason. In fact, Henry reached a high dynasty ADP of TE4, being draft ahead of players like Tyler Eifert and Greg Olsen, among other. While some looked at those league-leading eight touchdowns and saw certain regression, others simply looked at his age, paired with the age of veteran Antonio Gates, who is potentially playing in his final season, and saw stars. It’s one thing to say Henry got off to a slow start, but it’s another thing entirely when you realize he didn’t earn a single target in Week One. The Chargers are nearly at full strength with WR Keenan Allen back on the field, paired with 2016 breakout star WR Tyrell Williams and the two TEs, not to mention the imminent debut of rookie Mike Williams. With so many mouths to feed in this offense, there will be more frustrating days ahead for Henry dynasty owners.
3) Paul Perkins, RB NYG
The Giants offense was putrid in nearly every aspect in their Week One face off against division-rival Dallas. While there are many reasons to expect improvement, namely the return of WR Odell Beckham, there is almost no hope for the New York running game, which has been in shambles for years now. The Giants invested mid-round draft picks in back-to-back drafts in Paul Perkins and Wayne Gallman. The rookie Gallman didn’t see a touch and Perkins managed just 16 yards on seven carries. The star of the backfield is clearly Shane Vereen, but he is not a strong threat to carry the ball out of the backfield, but rather a pass-catching specialist who saw ten targets in Week One. I would advise dynasty owners to sell Perkins, but it is almost certainly too late to get any type of return for the Giants starter.
4) Eddie Lacy, RB SEA
Another crowded backfield can be found in Seattle and the Seahawks were nearly as bad as the Giants committee. With Thomas Rawls out for Week One, it was announced that veteran Eddie Lacy, facing his former team Green Bay, and rookie Chris Carson would both see early touches. It was actually Carson who drew the first carry, but running behind a poor offensive line, none of the back, including speedy C.J. Prosise saw much success. Carson did break a long 30-yard run, but finished with just 39 total rushing yards, while QB Russell Wilson led the team in rushing. On a tough day for the entire Seattle backfield, perhaps Lacy had the worst showing, rushing for three yards on five carries. With Rawls set to return soon, we could see even less of Lacy, whose dynasty value was already nearing rock bottom after two frustrating years with the Packers.
5) Ameer Abdullah, RB DET
After a sluggish start, the Lions offense started to click and QB Matthew Stafford got nearly everyone involved. Not included in that group was RB Ameer Abdullah, who totaled just 30 yards on 15 carries. As expected, RB Theo Riddick was highly involved in the passing game, but the touches given to second-year RB Dwayne Washington near the goal line have to be concerning for Abdullah owners. Although his main roadblock has always been his health, we have to begin to question if Abdullah can really be a valuable dynasty asset.
Other players considered: Laquon Treadwell, Rob Kelley, Samaje Perine, DeMarco Murray, Bilal Powell, Zay Jones, Curtis Samuel, Kendall Wright, Andy Dalton, Jeremy Hill, Martavis Bryant, Kenny Britt, Isaiah Crowell, Donte Moncrief, Tavon Austin, Cam Newton, Brandon Marshall, Dez Bryant, Deshaun Watson, Allen Robinson, Danny Woodhead, Kevin White
