Tampa Bay Buccaneers
QB: Tom Brady, Blaine Gabbert, Ryan Griffin, and Josh Rosen
Brady has been better than expected for fantasy managers this year standing as the sixth overall quarterback through the last three weeks. Heading into the playoffs with him at the helm wouldn’t be the worst option, but looking past this season I am unsure if Brady returns. If the Bucs somehow manage to find their way to winning a championship, I can almost guarantee he rides off into the sunset with the trophy leaving Tampa to figure out another option because what they have behind him is nothing to be excited about. Rosen may be a darkhorse, but for being such a high pick, and being passed around from team to team it doesn’t look promising.
RB: Ronald Jones, Leonard Fournette, Ke’Shawn Vaughn
It is apparent that the Bucs will continue to just rotate this position, and I don’t know who is more frustrated between the Bucs’ coaching staff or fantasy managers. The Buccaneers are still searching for a pass-catching option out of the backfield while RoJo and Fournette drop passes regularly. We may see Vaughn get some work over the back half of the season seeing that Brady needs a reliable outlet in order to succeed. After RoJo’s big game, from a 98-yard touchdown, it looked like he may be taking over the 1A role but that is not the case. It is quite possible that the Bucs find an alternate option this coming offseason if RoJo and Fournette continue to struggle. It is simply too hard to pick which runningback will get the touchdown each week so if you have other options through the playoffs avoid this conundrum.
WR: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Tyler Johnson, Scotty Miller
Brady throws to whoever is open, and unfortunately for Evans, he excels at contested catches and downfield which seems to be Brady’s weak spot. Evans is still able to keep his point total afloat with touchdowns, but without scoring, you will be disappointed. Do not trade Evans away during the offseason because of one down year in yards he has been incredible to this point in his career. Antonio Brown joined this offense a few weeks ago, making Scotty Miller a bench piece, and has been decent for PPR formats, but hasn’t seen the endzone yet.
I would be putting Brown in the Flex expecting a decent floor from here on out seeing that he is getting acclimated to the offense. The expectation was that maybe Godwin would see a downtick in targets, but if anything the addition of Brown has somewhat alleviated the entire offense and has allowed for Godwin to see better opportunities. He has yet to have a 100-yard game, but for right now view both Godwin and AB as low-end WR2 Flex options for your team. As for Tyler Johnson stash him and hope he continues to develop since he has shown flashes throughout the season, and the Bucs won’t be able to keep all of their elite trio after this season.
TE: Rob Gronkowski, O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate
Imagine a tether from Gronk to Brady, if Brady goes so will Gronk, and that will be the story this offseason. The playoff success will be the determining factor for said story, but Brate has looked decent in Howard’s absence. Brate and Howard are still on contract for multiple years so a Gronk departure is likely despite being seventh in all tight end fantasy scoring. The entire offense will look different depending on how things go from here on out.
New Orleans Saints
QB: Drew Brees, Taysom Hill, Jameis Winston
I don’t think I could go back through the history of the NFL and find a team with three fantasy-relevant quarterbacks on the roster, but here we are. Brees is on IR with eleven rib fractures, and a foot out the door and into a commentary booth at this point. I am expecting this to be his last ride in the NFL after this injury, and if he comes back this season it’ll be too late for your fantasy team anyway.
Taysom received the start despite Jameis coming in for Brees the week prior, and Hill did not disappoint for fantasy managers. With this situation, I am almost certain the main benefactor to sitting Jameis is to keep his price down in the offseason for when Brees leaves. Hill is being paid plenty of money to take the snaps this season, but I believe the Saints are looking into the future, and with the cap situation they’re looking at next year. Expect some drastic changes going forward; this is just one of the first signs that the team is adapting.
RB: Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray
Kamara is one of three running backs this year that can single-handedly carry your team, and arguably the best of the bunch. On the season he has over a thousand yards from scrimmage with double-digit touchdowns, and he also is tied for seventh in total receptions, all with six weeks left in the season. With Taysom starting at QB the team should focus more on utilizing Kamara and the running game, so it should only get better over the back half of the season. Murray should get some more work going forward, and is a decent Flex option or bye week fill-in for your team, but should mainly be viewed as a highly valuable handcuff to Kamara.
WR: Michael Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Tre’Quan Smith, Deonte Harris
Thomas is back finally and showing us why he is thought of as the most consistent fantasy receiver. After a poor showing against the Bucs in his first game back from injury he turned a questionable game with a backup quarterback into a solid outing, proving he is a reliable option no matter who is throwing him the ball. Those who were able to acquire him during his absence are stoked currently seeing that a window like that only comes along once or twice for a player of that caliber.
As for Sanders, Smith, and Harris, none of them truly stepped up and filled the hole left by Thomas proving that they are unfortunately expendable pieces for your dynasty roster. Move them if you can, for what you can, but do not expect much out of them if you hold.
TE: Jared Cook, Adam Trautman
Cook has not been much of an asset for your team this season, and it doesn’t help now that Drew Brees is on IR. Cook has four touchdowns on the year at least, but hopefully is nothing more than a bye week filler for you. Trautman on the other hand has seen his snap percentage increase after the bye week and has some promise going into the future. Hopefully, he takes over for Cook and can blossom with whichever quarterback the saints choose to roll with after Drew’s departure. Try to get him for cheap before he is the starter at the position.
Carolina Panthers
QB: Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker
Bridgewater has been serviceable this season producing a quietly decent season and especially making himself relevant for Superflex leagues. Fortunately, he was able to avoid a season-ending injury but he wasn’t able to play this past week despite limited practice giving P.J. Walker the ability to showcase his abilities. Walker looked shaky, throwing two picks in the end zone, but also displayed good arm strength by making some impressive passes. He may be something down the road if he develops further, and if Bridgewater continues to be afflicted by injuries. Whoever is at the helm is set up to produce decent stat lines due to the weapons surrounding them.
RB: Christian McCaffrey, Mike Davis
Mike Davis continues to be a fantasy winner this season filling in nicely for CMC. It is starting to become more apparent that the Panthers may have to utilize him in a 1B role much like how the Saints use to use Ingram and Kamara. Davis just looks too good on the field making defenders miss with ease. McCaffery is making a case with recent injuries that he needs to be spelled more often, and pair that with the fact that the QB situation needs support from the run game to be successful. It all just points to the need for Davis to receive more touches so the entire offense can function without being marred by injury and fatigue.
If you’re a CMC owner I wouldn’t panic with the injuries this season, but I would try to get the handcuff if you haven’t already, and make sure to lower expectations when McCaffery does return while understanding that with the slight hit to production comes longevity and a healthier future for CMC.
WR: Robby Anderson, D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel
Well, D.J. Moore “Truthers” should start coming out of hiding any day now championing their hero after his last few games. Fifth in yards, but with fewer receptions than Curtis Samuel and Robby Anderson, I would still proceed with cautious optimism seeing as Walker peppered him this last game, and up to date, it’s been Anderson as the best option at the receiver position for this offense being fourth in receptions on the season. Needless to say, having either Anderson or D.J. Moore on your dynasty roster right now is gravy. No one expected this type of production from them, but I think we can definitely say Matt Rhule is succeeding so far with his system in the NFL. Curtis Samuel is a risky Flex option and a low-end WR used in gadget plays. If given more touches I could see him having fantasy relevance during bye weeks, but nothing further.
TE: Ian Thomas
Thomas has been a disappointment this season. Being touted as a possible breakout but becoming an absolute afterthought in this offense was not expected. Hold onto him in deep leagues obviously, but in leagues with no tight end premium, I assume you have found other options or you are committed to tanking. It does take tight ends longer to adjust to the NFL historically, but I don’t know how long I’d be willing to hold out hope for Thomas to produce. Greg Olsen isn’t on the team anymore, there shouldn’t be any more excuses.
Atlanta Falcons
QB: Matt Ryan
Just outside of QB1 range is not quite where we expected Matt Ryan to land at this time of year, but the consistent loss of wide receiver weapons isn’t helpful, and also isn’t unusual. Ryan is still a viable option going forward but isn’t a world-beater by any means. Ryan has had four games this season with zero passing touchdowns, which has been frustrating, to say the least. Hopefully, he stops being so streaky, but not having Julio or Ridley through certain games obviously affects his ability. Ryan’s future may be in doubt with the Falcons but some QB-needy team would quickly scoop him up since he has proven he is more than capable of playing at an elite level.
RB: Todd Gurley, Brian Hill, Ito Smith
Gurley looks worn down, but somehow is the ninth overall running back on the season. He continues to fall into the end zone keeping his numbers aloft but is losing more and more work to Brian Hill slowly but surely, while Ito Smith is being used in the passing game more often. If you didn’t get rid of Gurley while you could you are more than likely going to go down with the sinking ship, and if you need a reference for what that looks like then look no further than the predecessor in Devonta Freeman. Hill isn’t the long term solution either, and this team will probably be looking for another option next season.
WR: Calvin Ridley, Julio Jones, Russell Gage, Olamide Zaccheaus
Ridley is the dynasty asset to be had out of this group now. This season is the passing of the torch for sure and Ridley has excelled landing at ninth overall in fantasy points for wide receivers. It will be interesting to see him without Julio drawing so much attention, but that’s only if Julio retires. I personally think he stays since he is still able to produce, but it may be time that we expect stat lines comparable to that of Larry Fitzgerald rather than Julio of old. The 300-yard games are no more, but when healthy he still is an elite receiver that garners respect from opposing defenses. Gage and Zaccheaus look similar in play style and they both prove to be valuable PPR options for deeper dynasty leagues, but picking the right one to start between them and Hurst is nearly impossible each week.
TE: Hayden Hurst
I may be willing to label Hurst as the biggest disappointment this season. He was projected to be a top tight end and despite ranking tenth in tight end scoring, he has felt like a boom or bust play at the position relying on touchdowns or a big play to loft up his fantasy production. Perhaps moving forward into next season he will be capable of producing like a top 6 player at his position as we expected, but I don’t believe you can trust him through the fantasy playoffs. Due to the production at the position from other players however you really don’t have many options and may be stuck rolling the dice with Hurst unless you have one of the elite tight ends.
Hopefully, your dynasty teams are heading into the playoffs looking strong, if you need any advice on righting the ship or continuing your league domination leave questions or comments @DFF_MattBull and #AlwaysBeBuilding with dynastyfootballfactory.
