Hey everyone! Time again for another NFC North breakdown. If you’re interested in catching up on last edition’s NFC North nuggets check it out here! There is not a ton to unpack since our last edition, so I’ll give you the quick hitters of who has had notable increases and decreases in their dynasty stock since Week 6… the rest is still chalk.
Green Bay Packers
Marquez Valdes-Scantling: He may be turning the corner. MVS has had two very solid games in back to back weeks and may finally be earning the trust of his signal-caller in Green Bay. He is in his third year and has become a fairly reliable deep threat. If he can shake off the drops he could become a very dangerous receiving threat in Green Bay. I think he continues to be boom/bust for the rest of this year, but he could be a nice buy-low now for future seasons.
Equanimeous St. Brown: He has not done much of anything since returning from IR. He has been overtaken by MVS and will lose target opportunities once Allen Lazard returns from IR potentially this week. St. Brown is a sneaky athletic wide receiver but his lack of playing time over his first couple of years has led him to be buried on the depth chart. He has some promise but I’m not holding out hope.
Robert Tonyan: He had his coming-out party in Week 4 with 98 yards and three touchdowns. He has been relatively quiet since then. Tonyan is a fine player in a very shallow position but those expecting a massive line from him week in and week out will be disappointed. He projects as a mid-TE2 for the foreseeable future and will continue to be in the mix in a tight end round table that includes Jace Sternberger and Marcedes Lewis.
Detroit Lions
D’Andre Swift: Well, well, well, look who finally got the keys to the car. Swift has been an absolute monster to start the second half of the year for the Lions. He has been active in the run game as well as a receiver out of the backfield. He has been one of the best running backs in all of football over the last five weeks and projects to continue to ascend through the remainder of the year. Your buy-low window is completely gone and he is a hold in dynasty formats. You shouldn’t be selling Swift unless you get a monster offer.
T.J. Hockenson: Hockenson has been one of the nice surprises this fantasy season. In a shallow position, he has top-five upside for many years to come. He is a touchdown machine and has a great rapport with Matthew Stafford. Hockenson is another dynasty hold unless you get a big offer as he will be around for a long time and has Kittle-like upside.
Minnesota Vikings
Justin Jefferson: He has top ten upside in dynasty as a receiver. He is a little bit lower only due to the run-first approach of the Vikings. Jefferson is the leading rookie wide receiver for fantasy scoring and will likely continue to add to that. He is a hold in dynasty as he seems to have kept pace with an aging Adam Thielen and will be the focal point of the offense in 2021.
Adam Thielen: He had a nice two-touchdown night in Week 10 but prior to that he had been pretty quiet. If you’re not in the mix for a championship this season he is a big-time sell. He will continue to be a sell all offseason for me as he is on the wrong side of 30. He should finish this season as a WR1 which will hopefully keep his trade value afloat despite his age.
Irv Smith Jr.: He hasn’t done much of anything this year with the exception of a two-touchdown game in Week 9. Smith is a bit of an enigma for me in dynasty formats. He will inevitably be given the starting role soon with an aging and fairly inefficient Kyle Rudolph likely to depart one way or another. However, on a team that does not throw much, I wonder how much he will be used. I think if you can get a decent price for Smith I’d be selling right now with the hopes of obtaining one of the big-time tight ends coming out in the 2021 class.
Chicago Bears
Mitch Trubisky / Nick Foles: Sell both, assuming that you aren’t relying on them as a big part of your lineup, if you can sell them, do it. Neither projects as a long-term starter for this or any franchise and by 2021 both seem likely headed for back-up duties. The bears could try to make amends for their fans for passing on multiple good quarterbacks by either trading for one or drafting one this offseason. Either way, the 2021 Bears offense should look markedly different than the 2020 version.
Every Running Back: I believe that every running back the Bears have is a sell. David Montgomery has been average all season but did not make the jump that many thought he would take from year one to year two. He is in jeopardy of losing touches next season if the bears go more to a running back by committee. I don’t feel comfortable with his long term outlook and would be looking to move him to upgrade that position. If you have the opportunity to sell Cordarrelle Patterson, do it. He is not worth much of anything in dynasty but whatever you can get for him I’d take it.
Darnell Mooney: One of the big-time bright spots on this Bears team is the emergence of rookie wide receiver Darnell Mooney. Despite the rough week ten showing, he appears to have usurped the WR2 role from Anthony Miller and looks to have a nice future ahead of him. Assuming the Bears make a quarterback upgrade this offseason, you can expect Mooney to take a nice jump in his sophomore year. Mooney is a player that I have been targeting in trades across all formats.
Thanks for reading! Catch me on Twitter @DFF_Ztrain and let me know who you’re targeting in dynasty trades this season!
