The Dynasty Aftermath: Week Four

Ken Kelly Posted On September 30, 2014

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Welcome to DLF’s Dynasty Aftermath. This Tuesday staple is our longest running signature piece as we have a little fun after a tough week at the Dynasty League Football office. You’ll find this article will review the week’s happenings in a variety of ways and help set you up for the coming weeks as we spin around the league in the way we know best – it’s really the only thing you can predict in this crazy NFL world at the moment.

Let’s take a look back at the week that was!

Week Four Fantasy MVP

The Panthers had to feel as if they were standing squarely on the railroad tracks with the Steve Smith freight train headed right for them last week. In the end, Smith predictably had his revenge, posting seven catches for 139 yards and two scores on his former team, leaving massive amounts of blood and guts all over the field.

The 35-year old Smith has had an unbelievable start to his Ravens career as he’s posted 25 catches for 429 yards and three touchdowns at the quarter pole – that puts him on target for 100 catches, 1,716 receiving yards and 12 scores this season. While he’s extremely unlikely to keep up this pace, he’s undoubtedly enjoying a career renaissance in Baltimore. When you consider he had just two 100-yard games in his final 25 contests as a Panther and now three out of four this season, it’s time to just sit back, put on your goggles and enjoy.

I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong on the expectations for Smith this season. I saw him as the third option on a run-first team, but the loss of Ray Rice and Dennis Pitta has made Smith nearly the entire offense so far this year and this level of production at his age is simply amazing.

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Week Four Fantasy LVP

Can someone find the real LeSean McCoy and insert him into fantasy lineups, please? I don’t believe in panicking this early in a season, but the offensive line for the Eagles has been awful and McCoy has posted just 39 rushing yards on 29 carries the past two weeks. He’ll face the stiff front seven of the Rams this week, so temper your expectations. However, I fully believe we’ll look back at the past two weeks and see they stick out as the odd ones when we review his season in December. In short, it’s not time to start selling low or benching McCoy. You’re free to worry, though.

Lineup Fun

The unbeatable lineup of the week…

QB Eli Manning NYG = 300 passing yards, four touchdowns, one interception
RB Jamaal Charles KC = 92 rushing yards, three catches, 16 receiving yards, three total touchdowns
RB DeMarco Murray DAL = 149 rushing yards, one catch, six receiving yards, two touchdowns
RB Frank Gore SF = 119 rushing yards, one catch, 55 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Steve Smith BAL = Seven catches, 139 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Jordy Nelson GB = Ten catches, 108 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Antonio Brown PIT = Seven catches, 131 receiving yards, two touchdowns
TE Larry Donnell NYG = Seven catches, 54 receiving yards, three touchdowns

The dominant underdog lineup of the week…

QB Mike Glennon TB = 302 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception
RB Matt Asiata MIN = 78 rushing yards, three catches, 22 receiving yards, three touchdowns
RB Justin Forsett BAL = 66 rushing yards, three catches, 31 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB Jerick McKinnon MIN = 135 rushing yards, one catch, 17 receiving yards
WR Eddie Royal SD = Five catches, 105 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Brandon LaFell NE = Six catches, 119 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Jarius Wright MIN = Eight catches, 132 receiving yards
TE Heath Miller PIT = Ten catches, 85 receiving yards, one touchdown

The unexpectedly horrible lineup of the week…

QB Nick Foles PHI = 195 passing yards, two interceptions
RB LeSean McCoy PHI = 17 rushing yards, no catches
RB Stevan Ridley NE = 28 rushing yards
RB Carlos Hyde SF = 26 rushing yards
WR DeSean Jackson WAS = One catch, nine receiving yards
WR Justin Hunter TEN = One catch, 12 receiving yards
WR Calvin Johnson DET = Two catches, 12 receiving yards
TE Vernon Davis SF = Two catches, eight receiving yards

Gut Checks

I’d be worried if I had Tom Brady as my QB1. While it’s easy (and accurate) to blame the franchise for not surrounding him with talented skill players, it’s just as easy to see he’s just not playing very well right now.

I’d be worried if I think I have this whole backfield of the Ravens thing figured out.

Ditto for the Panthers.

And the Patriots.

I’d be worried if I’m counting on Cecil Shorts for production this season. He’s quickly becoming a boat anchor on a roster because of his nagging injuries.

I’d be worried if I was counting on Devin Hester to keep this up. It’s doubtful he gets touches consistently enough to make that one big play each week.

I’d be worried if I was ignoring how well Lamar Miller has been playing lately,

I’d be worried if I had overpaid for Lance Dunbar stock this off-season.

Ditto on Ladarius Green.

I’d be worried if I owned Justin Hunter. It’s just not happening at the moment.

I’d be worried if I underestimated just what kind of numbers DeMarco Murray can put up IF he stays healthy.

I’d be worried if I owned Arian Foster. That hamstring just isn’t cooperating.

I’d be worried if I expected three touchdowns per week from Larry Donnell. However, he’s playing great football right now.

I’d be worried if I’m not truly talking about Jordy Nelson and Antonio Brown as elite receivers in PPR leagues.

I’d be worried if I owned Toby Gerhart. He’s just not playing well at all right now and may start losing snaps.

I’d be worried if I hadn’t been following the steady progression of Travis Kelce.

I’d be worried if I thought Andrew Luck was going to cool down. He’s arrived, folks.

I’d be worried if I was still holding on to Rod Streater or Denarius Moore.

I’d be worried if was counting on Donald Brown.

I’d be worried if I wasn’t noticing just how consistent Golden Tate has been in PPR leagues – that’s a great sign for the rest of the season.

I’d be worried if I was giving up on Bishop Sankey. You have to be very patient with rookies.

I’d be worried if I owned Eddie Lacy. Something just doesn’t look right at the moment.

I’d be worried if I wasn’t going to be a contender and am not actively shopping Matt Asiata.

I’d be worried if I owned Kirk Cousins. It’s odd with him – he’s either great or terrible and there’s rarely anything in between.

A Look Ahead to Hot Names on the Week Five Waiver Wire

Remember, we focus on the lesser names here who we haven’t mentioned much this season.

1. Jerick McKinnon, RB MIN

McKinnon should be owned in most leagues. Just in case you’ve been sleeping under a rock, he’s pretty explosive. We talked about McKinnon a ton this off-season and he finally got his chance this week.

2. Darrin Reaves, RB CAR

The backfield of the Panthers has been a mess since around 1978, so good luck trying to figure it out. Reaves is the latest player with a shot.

3. Branden Oliver, RB SD

Donald Brown did not look good this week and Oliver has shined in the preseason and in practices. With Ryan Mathews out, he should get more looks.

4. Jarius Wright, WR MIN

Yes, the wire seems to be this bad this week.

5. Louis Murphy, WR TB

The injury to Mike Evans should open the door for Murphy to get some valuable short-term playing time.

6. Kyle Orton, QB BUF

Just because I always believe every quarterback should be owned in most leagues.

Previous Suggestions: Justin Forsett, Lorenzo Taliaferro, Bobby Rainey, Anthony Dixon, Case Keenum, Alfred Blue, Knile Davis, Donald Brown, Khiry Robinson, Kirk Cousins, Jarvis Landry, Aaron Dobson, Niles Paul, Damien Williams, Austin Davis, Zach Mettenberger, Joe Banyard, Silas Redd, DeAndre Levy, Mike Glennon, Joe McKnight, Philly Brown, Rhett Ellison.

Projection Fun

Since it’s so much fun to manipulate some data, let’s crunch some numbers.

Andrew Luck is on pace to throw for more than 5,200 yards this season.
DeMarco Murray is on pace to rush for over 2,000 yards on just under 400 carries.
JJ Watt has more touchdowns (2) this season as LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte, Andre Ellington, Emmanuel Sanders, Golden Tate, TY Hilton, Andre Johnson and Michael Floyd have combined. It’s numbers like this that make dynasty leagues both incredibly fun and infuriating at the same time.

See you next week for the next edition of the Dynasty Aftermath. You can follow Ken on twitter @DLF_KenK.

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Ken Kelly

Co-Founder at DynastyLeagueFootball

Ken is a corporate trainer by day an a tireless editor of dynasty content by night. His passion for the World Champion Seattle Seahawks is second only to his love of fantasy football and the dynasty format.

Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK