As we all set our sights on the upcoming season and who can dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs from winning a third straight Super Bowl, keeping track of all the player movement is key for Dynasty managers.
With both NFL free agency and the NFL Draft now in the books, we sit here in early June with most of the prime offseason opportunities for player movement behind us. From this point until kickoff, we’ll have some player news, but now is the time to look at which NFL quarterbacks saw their Dynasty stock rise, as well as those whose values have suffered. More often than not, quarterbacks in today’s NFL ultimately determine team success. With that in mind, let’s look at my picks for those who, at this point of the offseason, I’d consider winners and losers to date.
Winners
Daniel Jones
Before the NFL Draft, rumors were swirling that the New York Giants were looking to find Daniel Jones‘s replacement and select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Instead, they gave him a huge vote of confidence by selecting LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick. Nabers has all the makings to join the superstar wide receivers and might even surpass Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who was selected fourth by the Arizona Cardinals ahead of him. Many talent evaluators believe Nabers could be the best wide receiver in this year’s class, and early in OTA’s, he’s quickly proven that he looks like an elite playmaker.
Jones now enters his sixth pro season with the experience and the most help he’s ever had around him. In addition, earlier in the offseason, the Giants invested in the offensive line by adding guards Aaron Stinnie, Jon Runyan, and Austin Scholttmann. Even though they lost Saquon Barkley, they replaced him with a proven productive player in Devin Singletary while choosing to invest in multiple areas of the team. Now Jones, returning from a torn ACL, enters the second season of a four-year contract. His deal only has one more year of guaranteed money left, meaning there are no more excuses, and 2024 will most likely be a make-or-break year. Jones enters 2024 without a young quarterback looking over his shoulder, and we’ll soon find out if the team made the correct decision to roll the dice and keep their faith in him. If successful, Jones can win back his long-term job security rather than being labeled in the upcoming 2025 offseason as a lock to be released.
Will Levis
Like Jones, the younger Levis has received all signs of support from his team. The Titans have dramatically improved their offense around him in terms of the offensive line and skill position playmakers in what appears to be setting him up for success this upcoming season. The additions from free agency and the draft include selecting left tackle JC Latham to supplement the offensive line and adding weapons around him with Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, and Tyler Boyd to go with DeAndre Hopkins and Tyjae Spears. In addition, the team brought in a new voice to lead them in Brian Callahan, son of former legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan, who comes over from the Cincinnati Bengals. Callahan has experience working with fellow top quarterback Joe Burrow, which should only further help the development of a young quarterback like Levis. Also, the change in philosophy moving from a defensive belief under Mike Vrabel to an offensive mind in Callahan typically does wonders for a young quarterback.
The Titans have now built a strong wide receiver room and improved all aspects of the offense to support what they hope to be their franchise quarterback. Now is the time for Levis to show us whether he’ll be a starting-caliber NFL quarterback or another middle-of-the-road backup around the league.
Losers
Kirk Cousins / Michael Penix Jr.
With the number eight pick in the NFL Draft, Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot will have to justify taking Michael Penix Jr. Using that selection on a future quarterback doesn’t help the team’s immediate needs after signing free agent Kirk Cousins to a massive four-year one hundred and eighty million dollar deal earlier in the offseason. For a team with playoff aspirations and maybe more, the puzzling move created a possible quarterback controversy and will be the talk around Atlanta and throughout the league if things do not go well in 2024.
With the Penix selection, the Falcons passed on using a top draft pick to help the team this upcoming season by adding an impact defender or pass catcher for Cousins. Their headlining offensive addition during free agency came with Darnell Mooney, who’s a nice player but not exactly your prototypical number-two wide receiver on a true contending team. However, Cousins addressed the situation post-draft and acknowledged that there’s no “beef” with the Falcons’s choice with their first-round selection. Even though Cousins seems to be taking the high road here, the Falcons could have used that pick on a player like receiver Rome Odunze, an elite offensive line prospect, or some defensive help for first-year head coach Raheem Morris. Now, Cousins has his replacement looking over his shoulder, especially if he struggles, which puts both quarterbacks in a tough spot. Everything could work out, but instead of drafting a player to immediately contribute this season while filling a need and appeasing their new star quarterback, the Falcons decided to look toward the future.
Josh Allen
It’s hard to figure out what the Buffalo Bills are doing, but not adding a highly touted or more significant pass-catching option for Josh Allen is at the top of the list. They badly needed a wide receiver after trading Stefon Diggs earlier this offseason, and so far, the team has not come close to replacing him with a player near his level. In free agency, the Bills added Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Curtis Samual, and journeyman Chase Claypool, giving Allen multiple options but none that are proven stars.
Leading up to the draft, there was buzz within league circles that the Bills might trade up for one of the top receivers. Instead, Keon Coleman was selected with their top pick in the second round after multiple trade backs to acquire more picks as other teams kept grabbing wide receivers in front of them. They even traded back in a stunning move with the Chiefs, allowing them to select Xavier Worthy. It looks like the number one wide receiver on this team is Khalil Shakir, who has had two years of limited experience and only forty-nine career receptions. As of right now, it’s looking like do-it-all star tight end Dalton Kincaid will possibly line up all over the field and lead the Bills in targets and receptions.
At this point of the offseason, as we head towards training camps and the pre-season shortly after, Allen still sorely needs a top playmaking wide receiver. This has many around the league questioning General Manager Brandon Beane.
In Conclusion
There is still time until kickoff to the NFL regular season, as everything begins in September. With most of the main players already on their respective teams, it’s important to keep in mind these quarterbacks who’ve gained value or seen their value drop. It can be an opportunity to either buy or sell these respective quarterbacks in your Dynasty leagues and help yourself add to your league trophy shelf.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you gained some valuable information. If you have any questions or you’d like additional insight and analysis, please follow me on Twitter/X at @MonicasHubby. #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
