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) Evan Engram, TE NYG
We typically don’t see rookie tight ends perform at a high level, but Giants first-round pick Evan Engram, who is essentially a wideout with a tight end designation, is making an immediate impact on fantasy teams. Through four games, Engram is sporting weekly fantasy finishes of TE14, TE9, TE14 and TE8. Free agent signee WR Brandon Marshall has been a slight disappointment, offering more weekly opportunity for Engram. Considering the current state of dynasty TE value, Engram’s stock is quickly rising and he could be valued as high as a top five TE very soon.
2) Devin Funchess, WR CAR
With few options left in their offense, the Panthers have increased the usage for ever-promising WR Devin Funchess and he is finally responding with long overdue production. After previous ranks of WR 47 and WR34, Funchess played the best game of his career, hanging a 7/70/2 line on the defenseless Patriots to finish as the WR2 on the week. Due to his disappointing first two seasons, many dynasty players have completely given up hope of Funchess succeeding, but it is important to remember he fully converted to WR after being listed as a TE at the University of Michigan. There is certainly still a window for Funchess to be a fantasy factor.
3) DeVante Parker, WR MIA
The loss of Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill and the subsequent arrival of veteran Jay Cutler actually drew fantasy players closer to WR DeVante Parker as a possible breakout star after some ups and downs through his first two seasons. After an unscheduled Week One bye, Parker has logged fantasy ranks of WR28, WR14 and WR27 despite the Dolphins playing terribly after their Week Two opener. Garbage time has been kind to Parker, who has racked up fourth quarter targets from Cutler in the past two weeks. While WR Jarvis Landry is acting as the security blanket in this offense, while Cutler is continually looking for Parker for the big play. As the Dolphins play from behind, those downfield opportunities should be routinely available.
4) Juju Smith-Schuster, WR PIT
It hasn’t taken long for rookie WR Juju Smith-Schuster, the league’s youngest player, to earn some serious playing time for the Steelers. After failing to draw a target in Week One, his playing time has increased each week and he has clearly relegated WR Eli Rogers to the bench. In Week Four, Smith-Schuster caught his second touchdown of the season and finished as the WR22. While he will remain difficult to start in fantasy leagues given he’s playing behind Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant, he clearly has a role and is giving us a glimpse of what’s to come. His dynasty value will only be climbing from here.
5) Jared Goff, QB LAR
Starting the final seven games during his rookie year of 2016, the best fantasy performance Rams QB Jared Goff could muster was QB22 on two different occasions. With the obvious improvements created by new HC Sean McVay, Goff has three games within the top 15 weekly fantasy finishers through four game this season. The second-year QB currently leads the NFL’s highest-scoring offense, so there is reason to believe his fantasy exploits continue throughout the season. Goff is another player fantasy owners were ready to throw in the towel on after less than half a season under one of the league’s worst head coaches. Oh, how a year can change things. Goff should be considered a top 15 QB in dynasty leagues moving forward.
Other players considered: Deshaun Watson, Alex Smith, Dak Prescott, Alvin Kamara, Duke Johnson, Todd Gurley, Andre Ellington, Wayne Gallman, Aaron Jones, Jaron Brown, Chris Hogan, Stefon Diggs, Zach Ertz, Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce, Alex Collins, Charles Clay, Cooper Kupp, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Leonard Fournette
Cold List:
1) Derek Carr, QB OAK
Raiders QB Derek Carr began the season well, posting a pair of top eight weekly finishes as the Oakland offense was humming. Once the team met up with Washington in Week Three though, the feels fell off. His top two wideouts, Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper combined for just two receptions and Carr finished QB31 on the week. The inconsistent offense had some dynasty players thinking 2016 was a fluke for Carr. In Week Four, things got worse as Carr was sandwiched by a pair of defenders, suffering a back injury that could keep him out of the lineup for up to six weeks. If Carr misses a month, the hole may be too much to climb out of in an effort to reach the playoffs in the competitive AFC West. Carr was once thought to be closing in on the top tier of dynasty QBs, alongside other young signal callers like Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston, but that might be a stretch.
2) Jamison Crowder, WR WAS
The Redskins receiver corps saw as much turnover as any team this offseason, losing a pair of 1,000 yard receivers in Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson, while adding former Browns WR Terrelle Pryor. The constant for the Redskins was underrated slot WR Jamison Crowder, who finished as the WR31 a year ago. With QB Kirk Cousins in a perineal contract year, expectations were high that Crowder could continue to improve in 2017. That has not been the case. While the entire Redskins offense has struggled, Crowder might be feeling it the worst, posting weekly fantasy ranks of WR84, WR47, WR53 and WR110 in the first four games. While Crowder’s dynasty value was slow to grow a year ago when he was a consistent weekly WR3, it is quickly fading as his struggles continue.
3) Jordan Matthews, WR BUF
Another player to suffer an injury in Week Four was Bills WR Jordan Matthews, who will require thumb surgery that will sideline him at least a month, according to a Bills beat reporter. While Matthews is considered Buffalo’s WR1, that is really in title only, as Matthews has just ten receptions through four games. Matthews is another former WR2 who has fallen off the map, giving fantasy players weekly finishes of WR49, WR66, WR54 and WR43. With Matthews now on the shelf for several weeks, his value has nowhere to go but down. At some point, he will be a good buy low target as we’ve seen him produce in recent years.
4) Martavis Bryant, WR PIT
The reinstatement of Steelers WR Martavis Bryant was one of the biggest stories of the offseason for dynasty players. Before his suspension was announced over a year ago, Bryant had reached the top 20 in dynasty ADP and was trending up, but his value came crashing down with a year-long suspension and true concern he would never play again. Once he proved he was ready for the grind of the NFL though, his ban was lifted and expectations of dynasty players shot through the roof. Instantly valued like a starting fantasy WR, Bryant became a prime target in the majority of dynasty leagues. The first quarter of the season has been rough for Bryant, sporting just one week inside the top 50 receivers, back in Week Two when he finished as WR12. Bryant will almost always be a low-floor and high-ceiling player and we just have to value him as such, while focus on projecting when that high ceiling will be reached.
5) Marshawn Lynch, RB OAK
Yet another return to the field that had fantasy owners hyped this offseason was the announcement that Beast Mode, RB Marshawn Lynch, would indeed un-retire and suit up for his hometown Oakland Raiders. This led to a great deal of debate about what to expect from the veteran RB and so far, he hasn’t been all that impressive. Like the previously mentioned QB Carr, the entire Raiders offense seems to have hit the wall after Week Three. Lynch began with two games in the low RB2 range, finishing as RB27 and RB23 in the first two games. Since then, he’s fallen to RB59 and RB83 the past two games. I didn’t even realize 83 RBs played on a weekly basis.
Other players considered: DeShone Kizer, Dalvin Cook, Chris Carson, Jay Ajayi, Isaiah Crowell, Paul Perkins, Zay Jones, Breshad Perriman, Martellus Bennett, Kyle Rudolph, Eric Ebron, Coby Fleener, Samaje Perine, Marlon Mack, Jack Doyle, Amari Cooper, Hunter Henry, Shane Vereen, Jeremy Hill, Tyler Eifert, Kenny Britt, Cole Beasley
