Welcome to the Dynasty Three & Out, where each week we’ll focus on three players gaining value and three others losing dynasty value based on the latest news and performances on the field.
Note: Any dynasty ADP or dynasty trades referenced in this article can be found at dynastyleaguefootball.com
Risers:
Robby Anderson, WR NYJ
Over the past four weeks, underrated Jets WR Robby Anderson is the WR4, averaging over 17 fantasy points per game. Anderson has become the go-to option for veteran QB Josh McCown, a role he should’ve had all season, if we’re being honest. Anderson has scored in four straight contests along with drawing at least five targets per game. In fact, he’s seen five targets in every game this season other than Week Two. Anderson’s weekly positional ranks have seemingly gone unnoticed by many fantasy players, but are quite impressive.
After beginning the season with finishes of WR60, WR78, WR20, WR44 and WR71, Anderson has posted weeks of WR31, WR21, WR5, WR20 and WR14, pending Monday Night Football, over the past five games. Anderson’s ADP has certainly not caught up to his production, which is shameful considering the Anderson breakout began last season and dynasty players largely ignored it, despite the departure of veteran WRs Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall. Anderson’s current dynasty ADP is a very inexpensive 117 overall, barely inside the top ten rounds. For those in the midst or prepping for a playoff run, Anderson would be a logical trade target.
Tevin Coleman, RB ATL
Sometimes players simply earn their bumps in dynasty value and other times, the value increase just happens. After his impressive touchdown production a season ago, we all expected a decline for Falcons backup RB Tevin Coleman and that has been the case. In fact, the entire Atlanta offense is well off their pace of last year. Even with that dip, Coleman has still been a solid RB2 option, finishing inside the top 30 fantasy backs in eight of nine games this season. That includes his most recent season-best of RB8 (pending Monday Night Football.) Coleman rushed for a new season-high of 83 yards and scored his second rushing touchdown of the year. Those numbers were a product of the concussion to starter Devonta Freeman, who has already been ruled out for Week Eleven. While there have been no official reports, there is some concern that this could be a multi-week absence for Freeman. Coleman has only played one game in his career without Freeman, back in Week Eleven of 2015 when he rushed for a career-high 111 yards on 18 carries.
After his 2016 breakout, Coleman’s dynasty ADP steadily climbed throughout last season, hitting a high point oddly enough in May of this year, coming in at 51. Coleman was also a popular pick in the sixth to eighth round range of seasonal drafts, showing how high expectations were for his 2017 season. Since then, Coleman’s solid but unspectacular performances have caused his ADP to slide back, currently at a more reasonable 65 overall.
Robert Woods, WR LAR
After playing second fiddle to WR Sammy Watkins in Buffalo for years, WR Robert Woods must have been excited to changes coasts after signing with the Rams as a free agent last off-season. Woods was just part of the Rams overhaul and surprisingly, that also included a trade for Watkins late in the off-season. A new team and new roles have greatly affected the dynasty value of both former Bills wideouts though and over the past month, Woods is a top three fantasy receiver, including a current rank of WR1 this week prior to the final game of Week 10. As noted by our own Rich Hribar, Woods was mired in a touchdown streak, but he abolished that with consecutive two-touchdown games against the Giants and Texans in the past two contests. Woods also set a new career-high with 171 receiving yards against the Texans this week.
Like Anderson, dynasty owners have been slow to come around on Woods as a valuable asset. His dynasty ADP has been outside of the top 150 for the majority of the past two years before the move to the Rams pushed him up to 146 in mid-summer. Once the team acquired Watkins though, it was another free fall down to 216 overall, barely worthy of a roster spot. Now, he’s climbing back up and currently ranks 172 overall, which doesn’t come close to representing the value he is offering fantasy players in recent weeks. He’s another player to target for the home stretch.
Fallers:
Keenan Allen, WR LAC
Chargers WR Keenan Allen is a rare case. The star receiver, who suffered serious, season-ending injuries in back-to-back seasons somehow maintained his dynasty value through both setbacks, sticking in the second-round of startup drafts. Now that he is finally on the field and healthy, his value continues to stay in the same range, currently with an ADP of 19 overall.
Allen began the season well, posting WR10 and WR7 weeks in the season’s first month. Since then though, he has not been helping fantasy teams, with weekly finishes of WR31, WR39, WR46, WR32, WR38, pending Monday Night Football. With so many options on the offense, this could be expected. In addition to Allen’s return, the Chargers also drafted rookie WR Mike Williams with their first-round pick, adding to the group of pass catchers from last season, WRs Tyrell Williams and Travis Benjamin and TEs Hunter Henry and Antonio Gates. Most would agree that Allen is the most talented pass-catcher on the Chargers roster, but his production simply hasn’t been there in recent weeks. Through the first ten weeks, QB Philip Rivers has thrown 45 fewer passes this season than he did a year ago, so simply pass volume could be part of the dynamic. I’m still betting on Allen’s talent and suggest pursuing buy low opportunities in all dynasty leagues.
Brandin Cooks, WR NE
One of the strangest happenings of the past off-season, if you follow dynasty ADP, is the fact that WR Brandin Cooks dynasty value didn’t change at all, despite his pre-NFL Draft trade from the Saints to the Patriots. It seems that although all analysts and fantasy players recognized and agreed that Cooks was sure to see less volume this season than he did a year ago. Through nine games in 2016, Cooks had seen 77 targets from QB Drew Brees. This year, that number is down to 65 playing with QB Tom Brady. It’s not that Cooks has been a complete bust, but he is not living up to his pre-season value.
As a mainstay in the late first round/early second range for the past two years, Cooks value didn’t change until the season began and he began to slowly move down the ranks. Cooks current dynasty ADP of 20 is his lowest mark since January of 2016. That is partially based on his inconsistent weekly finishes. Cooks has four top 24 WR weekly finishes this season through nine game, but good luck projecting when those might happen. For the record, Cooks weekly ranks in chronological order: WR31, WR60, WR3, WR61, WR23, WR23, WR16, WR11, WR38, WR25, pending Monday Night Football.
C.J. Prosise, RB SEA
After missing four of the Seahawks first eight games, second-year RB C.J. Prosise returned to action in Week 10, but didn’t last long. Prosise injured his ankle and was unable to return. HC Pete Carroll mentioned this injury was not an aggravation of the injury that kept him out of action in Weeks Eight and Nine, but a new issue with the other ankle. Prosise has flashed talent and put up some impressive numbers, especially last season in Week Seven and Nine, when he totaled 256 yards before suffering yet another injury. In his time as a pro, less than two full season, Prosise has missed practice or game time with injuries to his hamstring, hand, scapula, groin, hip and now two ankle injuries this season. No matter the talent he possesses, fantasy owners (and the Seahawks) simply can’t trust Prosise to stay on the field.
Prosise has suited up in five games this season, positing fantasy ranks of RB71, RB47, RB30 and RB72, pending Monday Night Football. His November dynasty ADP has dipped to 135 overall, another sign that his value is fading quickly. The most frustrating aspect of this is the opportunity that is there for the taking when it comes to the Seahawks backfield. With Prosise in and out of the lineup, along with a serious injury to rookie RB Chris Carson, the Seahawks have been left with Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls, who have missed time due to injuries of their own.
