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 referenced in this article can be found at dynastyleaguefootball.com
Risers:
Sammie Coates, WR PIT
When you rely on WR Sammie Coates, you have to know there will be ups and downs. This includes both fantasy football players and the Steelers themselves. The sophomore wideout made sure both sides were on display in Week Five as he hauled in two touchdown passes, but also had five dropped passes, including at least two that could’ve been scores for the Steelers.
In the end, it will be the big plays fantasy owners remember and Coates has his share of those, including making a 40+ yard reception in every game this season. These big plays have dynasty owners taking notice as his most recent ADP is up nearly two round to 103 for October.
Coates has not only taken advantage of QB Ben Roethlisberger’s strong arm, but also the absence of WR Martavis Bryant, who is serving a season-long suspension, and the disappointing play of WR Markus Wheaton. Bryant’s future with the team, or even the league, is unclear, so Coates could be putting himself in a position to make Pittsburgh forget all about Bryant.
Tyrell Williams, WR SD
There have been an inordinate amount of injuries already this season and while those season-ending injuries hurt the NFL team and our fantasy teams as well, there can be some good that comes from that, namely the opportunity for other players to show off their ability. In the case of the Chargers, WR Keenan Allen and WR Tyrell Williams, this is just what has happened. Since Allen went down with a torn ACL in the season opener, Williams has been a fantasy relevant player in three of the past four games. He has twice finished as the WR29 on the week and had his best performance in Week Five against the division rival Raiders, catching five passes for 117 yards and a touchdown and finishing as the WR11 in PPR leagues, pending Monday Night Football. That marks Williams’ first career 100-yard game and the way he has been playing in recent weeks, I don’t think it will be his last.
Williams was almost completely off the radar this off-season, even in deeper dynasty leagues, but his most recent in-season dynasty ADP is up to 138 and climbing. While Williams will have down weeks, as he did in Week Four, he can be considered a weekly WR3 or flex option in all league formats. While former Browns WR Travis Benjamin is also there to share targets with, I think Williams actually has more long-term upside and could end up as the WR2 in San Diego alongside Allen beyond this season.
Jordan Howard, RB CHI
Bears rookie RB Jordan Howard is the first player to get a second mention in the short life of this series, but it is certainly well deserved. After playing sparingly early in the season, Howard was thrust into the limelight thanks to the struggles and subsequent ankle injury of RB Jeremy Langford. While it has been just two games, Howard isn’t looking back.
For the second week in a row, the Bears offense was centered around Howard, who carried the ball 16 times for 188 yards and barely came off the field, even with veteran Ka’Deem Carey back in action after missing time with an injury. Howard was also again very active in the passing game, catching three passes for 45 yards and a touchdown, the first of his career.
Howard is quickly winning over dynasty players who already had Langford on a short leash. Howard’s dynasty ADP is up to 87 after just a couple of games, which is in the same range as running backs like Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard and Ameer Abdullah. If Howard keeps this up, his value will truly spike as we saw with Langford and Thomas Rawls a season ago, then it might be time to sell high on the former Indiana Hoosier.
Fallers:
Josh Doctson, WR WAS
Redskins rookie WR Josh Doctson, the team’s first round pick, missed his third consecutive game this past weekend and according to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, Washington expects Doctson to miss a “few more weeks.”
In the two games he has suited up, Doctson has just two receptions, with one of those going for 57 yards. It appears Doctson won’t be much help for the Redskins or the dynasty players who spent a very early rookie pick on the former TCU wideout.
The good news for those dynasty owners is that rookies very rarely lose much dynasty value from year one to year two, even when they don’t even see the field. In fact, WRs like Breshad Perriman and Kevin White actually saw their value increase despite missing their entire rookie season with injuries. At this point, it would not be a surprise if the Redskins chose to pull the plug on Doctson this season in an effort to make sure he is ready for 2017. Whether that happens or not, Doctson’s overall value should remain in the same range. Over the past few months, he has essentially dropped from a late third round pick to a late fourth rounder, which is not bad considering he has given his dynasty owners very little early return on their investment.
Jerick McKinnon, RB MIN
When superstar RB Adrian Peterson went down with a serious knee injury, dynasty owners saw potential for the long-awaited breakout for young RB Jerick McKinnon, the metrics freak who has been only a player stashed on benches and waiting for his chance behind the future Hall of Fame back.
Since that time though, McKinnon has failed to flourish and has even shared time with the Purple Sloth, touchdown vulture Matt Asiata. McKinnon did finish as the RB12 in Week Four, but his other two games have found him as RB39 (Week Three) and RB35 (Week Five). This is simply not the consistent production that fantasy owners can count on. With Peterson’s injury and massive contract in 2017, there is a good chance the Vikings choose to simply move on from him. Prior to this season, most would have assumed this would clear the way for McKinnon to be the team’s starter, but that does not seem likely anymore, especially for a team built to win now.
Alshon Jeffery, WR CHI
This one is getting weird. Even with teammate Kevin White missing and out for the season, veteran WR Alshon Jeffery still didn’t enjoy the big game in Week Five that we have all become so accustomed to. He did finish as the WR30 on the week, thanks to five grabs for 77 yards, but he saw fewer targets than both WR Cameron Meredith and TE Zach Miller. In fact, Jeffery has only led the Bears in targets one time this season.
Jeffery started reasonably well this year, catching four passes for 105 yards in Week One and then posting a 5/96 line in Week Two. In Week Three though, backup Brian Hoyer took over and for some reason, he hasn’t been utilizing the player most feel is the team’s best weapon.
Jeffery is set to be a free agent following this season and the Bears will almost certainly be looking for a new quarterback. It will be an interesting off-season storyline to follow what they do with their star wideout. The team could choose to place the franchise tag on Jeffery, locking him into the Windy City for another season. It appears that if Jeffery has his choice, he will be playing for a new team in 2017.
