DLF’s Weekly Impact Events

Ryan McDowell Posted On September 19, 2015

Week One is in the books, but things move fast in the NFL. We’ve already had an amazing come from behind victory to kick off Week Two and the news and impact play on the field that affects your dynasty team continues. Here’s what you need to know for Week Two.

Cody Latimer, WR DEN

After a redshirt rookie season, expectations were high for former Indiana wide receiver Cody Latimer. With Denver moving on from receiver Wes Welker and tight end Julius Thomas, Latimer was expected to step right in as part of three receiver sets in the high-powered Peyton Manning-led offense. There have been a couple of problems with that. The Broncos offense hasn’t looked all that powerful and Latimer can’t overtake average talents like Jordan Norwood and Andre Caldwell. It can be dangerous to give up on a player so early into his career, but Latimer, who was barely on the field in Denver’s victory over the Chiefs, is giving dynasty players little hope he can get things turned around.

CJ Anderson, RB DEN

Another player we might need to start worrying about is Denver running back CJ Anderson, who has been outrushed by teammate Ronnie Hillman in each of the Broncos’ first two games. Anderson is battling a toe injury and does not look like the same runner who went from waiver wire to stud over the course of the 2014 season. We all know how fickle teams can be when it comes to running back play and Denver is giving Hillman plenty of touches. I’m not as concerned with Anderson as I am with Latimer, but he is losing some dynasty value and needs to get fully healthy before we can feel safe about starting him again.

TY Hilton, WR IND

There were many injuries in Week One and luckily, none of those seem to be severe in nature when it comes to offensive skill players. One player who was forced from the action in the season opener was Colts’ receiver TY Hilton, who took a shot to the knee and was seen with it heavily wrapped as the game concluded. The reports on Hilton have been inconsistent, but it appears he has a chance to play in this week’s Monday Night Football matchup with the Jets, meaning he’s obviously avoided any serious injury. Even with a bevy of targets, Hilton was clearly the favorite of Andrew Luck before he left the game and his dynasty value remains unchanged.

Derek Carr, QB OAK

[inlinead]Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr also had to leave his Week One game early after suffering a bruised hand. Matt McGloin replaced Carr as the Raiders struggled to keep up with the Bengals. Carr should be back in Week Two, which only helps the chances of receiver Amari Cooper.

Kendall Hunter, RB FA

After landing on the 49ers injured reserve list, the team has now released running back Kendall Hunter with an injury settlement. He is free to sign with any team. Hunter was once the next in line behind Frank Gore and a prized dynasty asset, but injuries have derailed his career and ultimately, cost him his job. Unless a team in need gives him a shot, Hunter has no dynasty value remaining.

Johnny Manziel, QB CLE

Embattled quarterback Johnny Manziel entered the game following the concussion suffered by starter Josh McCown. Manziel immediately engineered an impressive scoring drive, but had little success after that, although he did end the game as the Browns’ leading rusher. With McCown still going through the concussion protocol, Manziel will start in Week Two and I view this as his chance to claim the starter’s job for the remainder of the season. Manziel still has big upside, although he’s given us all plenty of reason to doubt him in the past couple of years. If he can overcome all distractions and lead Cleveland to a win over the Titans, he may realize some of that dynasty potential.

Andre Ellington, RB ARI

Here’s even more injury related news, but probably not the kind you want to read. After a blistering start to the game, Cardinals running back Andre Ellington suffered a non-contract injury that had everyone fearing the worst. The good news is it seems Ellington escaped with just a more minor knee injury, but the bad news is he could still miss two to three weeks and has already been ruled out for the team’s Week Two showdown with Chicago. In his stead, expect a mixture of Chris Johnson and David Johnson, with the rookie the obvious player dynasty owners are more interested in. He did break off a long catch and run for a score late in the opening game and that alone was enough to make him a low-end RB2 in PPR leagues.

DeSean Jackson, WR WAS

Redskins’ playmaker DeSean Jackson left his Week One game early also, due to a hamstring injury, which is severe enough to likely keep him out of action for up to three weeks. That Redskins have no real option to turn to who offers them what Jackson does, but we saw tight end Jordan Reed peppered with targets last week. Jackson doesn’t lose much, if any, dynasty value for this injury, but it could provide Reed with a chance to bump up his dynasty stock.

Todd Gurley, RB STL

Some of the biggest news of the week that sent ripples through the dynasty community was the return to practice of rookie running back Todd Gurley. The former Georgia Bulldog was expected to miss up to six weeks of the regular season, but was a full participant in practice virtually all week and is questionable to play this week – this gives hope and some excitement to dynasty owners who invested a high rookie pick on the back who has so much promise. Based on some dynasty trades I’ve seen, these practice reports have done a lot to spike the already high value of Gurley.

Dez Bryant, WR DAL

The biggest injury news of the week came from the Sunday Night Football matchup of division rivals Dallas and New York. A great game was marred by the foot injury suffered by star receiver Dez Bryant, who is expected to miss at least eight weeks. Bryant joins fellow top receivers Jordy Nelson and Kelvin Benjamin to suffer serious injuries, but it does appear unlike those two, Bryant will get back to the field this season and most likely in time for the fantasy playoffs. In his absence, expect the Cowboys to spread the ball around, adding value to Lance Dunbar, Terrance Williams and Jason Witten, among others.

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Ryan McDowell

Contributor at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his senior leadership role here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and PE teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the Kitchen Sink Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value.