The Dynasty Aftermath: The Umbrella Academy
Editor’s Note: I waited until Saturday to post the aftermath this week because I added a new section for desperation plays after the latest injury news came out late this week. Hopefully one of these “wing and a prayer” players can help you out if you’re in the playoffs this week!
Welcome to DLF’s Dynasty Aftermath. This staple article 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. Expect it each and every week.
I’ve written this column for nearly fifteen years and I really do enjoy it. I love combing through the stats of the week, putting together ridiculous lineups, picking MVPs/LVPs and discussing things to worry about.
That’s not all.
I also really love sharing little bits of my life with the community of DLF and picking a theme for this column each week. This year, I’ve started out focusing on TV shows and movies that are stream-worthy out there. If you’ve missed any, here are some previous versions:
The Office
The Last Man on Earth
Ode to Ron Swanson
“I’ve made a Huge Mistake”
Finkle and Einhorn
“Going to my Quiet Place”
“The Hangover”
“The Dude”
“Inconceivable”
“The Iron Lotus”
Eastbound and Down
Johnny Cash Telling Jokes in a Cornfield
Avengers
If you’re going to stream something this Winter, I’d strongly suggest “The Umbrella Academy” on Netflix. It’s a pretty awesome and edgy series about some adopted children with some pretty serious capabilities. If there were players from the NFL who I’d add to the group, it would probably be Christian McCaffrey and Lamar Jackson, who are seemingly superhuman at the moment. These kids are pretty cool…
With “The Umbrella Academy” in mind, we look back at the week that was and forward to a very important fantasy Sunday.
Week Fourteen Fantasy MVP
Those fortunate enough to hold on to veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders through his ups and downs in Denver were handsomely rewarded by a monster effort against the Saints last week. With seven catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns (including a pass), Sanders made up for an inconsistent season with one massive week that likely resulted in playoff wins in fantasy leagues.
Week Fourteen Fantasy LVP
We’ve had Saquon Barkley in the MVP section of this column tons of times over the past two years. Unfortunately, he’s in the middle of a lost season and posting just 66 yards and having three catches for a single yard last week just killed the playoff chances of countless teams. Those who own Barkley have to just hope he can make it through the last three weeks healthy. This has been a terrible Sophomore season by any measure.
Lineup Fun
The Unbeatable Lineup of the Week
You kind of had a superteam.
QB Drew Brees NO = 349 passing yards, six total touchdowns
RB Austin Ekeler LAC = 101 rushing yards, four catches, 112 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB Aaron Jones GBÂ = 134 rushing yards, six catches, 58 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB Joe Mixon CINÂ = 146 rushing yards, three catches, 40 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Emmanuel Sanders SF = Seven catches, 157 receiving yards, two total touchdowns
WR AJ Brown TENÂ = Five catches, 153 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Darius Slayton NYGÂ = Five catches, 154 receiving yards, two touchdowns
TE Zach Ertz PHIÂ = Nine catches, 91 receiving yards, two touchdowns
Vanya’s Underdog Lineup of the Week
Yeah, it seems you actually were kind of special.
QB Jameis Winston TB = 456 passing yards, four touchdowns, three interceptions
RB Boston Scott PHIÂ = 59 rushing yards, six catches, 69 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB DeAndre Washington OAK Â = 53 rushing yards, six catches, 43 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB Raheem Mostert SFÂ = 69 rushing yards, two catches, 40 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Diontae Johnson PITÂ = Six catches, 60 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Zach Pascal INDÂ = Five catches, 74 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Marcus Johnson INDÂ = Three catches, 105 receiving yards, one touchdown
TE Noah Fant DEN = Four catches, 113 receiving yards, one touchdown
The Disappointing Lineup of the Week
QB Russell Wilson SEAÂ = 245 passing yards, one interception
RB Sony Michel NEÂ Â = Eight rushing yards, one catch, one yard
RB Leonard Fournette JAX = 50 rushing yards, three catches, 13 receiving yards
RB Saquon Barkley NYG = 66 rushing yards, three catches, one receiving yard
WR Brandin Cooks LARÂ = No catches
WR Golden Tate NYGÂ = One catch, 11 receiving yards
WR DeVante Parker MIAÂ = Two catches, 28 receiving yards
TE Mark Andrews BAL = One catches, 14 receiving yards
Gut Checks
I’d be worried if I owned Nick Chubb. He’s great, but the lack of receptions is really zapping his value.
I’d be worried if I was underestimating Julian Edleman.
I’d be worried if I thought Zach Ertz was going to stay silent all year.
I’d be worried if I was still starting Stefon Diggs. This has been one frustrating year.
I’d be worried if I was adopted and found out my Mom had a one day pregnancy.
I’d be worried if I was ignoring the season from Christian Kirk.
I’d be worried if I thought Tevin Coleman was going to be relevant with Raheem Mostert playing this well.
I’d be worried if I was still carrying Frank Gore on my roster.
I’d be worried if I stopped taking medication and could actually move things with my mind.
I’d be worried if I left Drew Lock hanging on the waiver wire.
I’d be worried if I didn’t think Derrick Henry was going to have some say in who wins leagues this year.
I’d be worried if I was still starting OBJ. Talk about a lost season.
I’d be worried if I was half ape at a dance club.
I’d be worried if I owned Brandin Cooks. If you’re not going to use him, why pay him?
I’d be worried if I owned Baker Mayfield.
I’d be worried if I was still holding out on this giant breakout from Curtis Samuel.
I’d be worried if I was expecting anything from John Ross to close out the year.
I’d be worried if I was dead, but could still turn into some type of octupus.
I’d be worried if I was ignoring how good AJ Brown has been looking lately.
I’d be worried if I was still holding out much hope for Ito Smith.
I’d be worried if I ever thought Will Fuller could stay healthy.
I’d be worried if I was ignoring Deebo Samuel‘s emergence.
I’d be worried if I was collecting action figures of superheroes, only to go to drastic measures to complete the set.
I’d be worried if I was banking on RB1 numbers from Alvin Kamara. This is weird.
I’d be worried if I wasn’t thinking Austin Ekeler had massive long-term value.
I’d be worried if I owned Corey Davis. This is crazy.
I’d be worried if I thought DK Metcalf has hit his ceiling.
I’d be worried if I heard a rumor.
I’d be worried if I was still holding out hope this year for Dante Pettis.
I’d be worried if I wasn’t thinking Joe Mixon couldn’t be a good buy low candidate this off-season.
I’d be worried if I was ignoring Cole Beasley.
Crazy Options for Week Fifteen
As I stated earlier, I figured it was a good idea to offer a few non-traditional and even better described as desperation plays for the playoff weeks. So, with some injury information in hand, here you go with one player from each position who could have a good day.
Gardner Minshew QB JAX
You’re likely out of the playoffs if this is your choice at quarterback. However, the Raiders are 30th in fantasy points against quarterbacks with a +6.7 average on the year. They’ve also given up 30 touchdown passes in just 13 games so far this year. If you need to take a shot, put on your fake mustache and go for it.
Boston Scott PHI
Scott came out of nowhere last week to post 59 rushing yards, six catches, 69 receiving yards, and one touchdown against the Giants. With a date against the Redskins and their 23rd ranked fantasy rushing defense on tap and with us now knowing Jordan Howard will be out again, there are worse dart throws out there.
It’s a tough call with Scotty Miller cleared, but Jameis Winston is going to start and that puts Watson on the radar with Mike Evans out on Sunday. The Lions secondary is 27th in terms of points allowed to receivers and this could be a bit of a shootout. If you had Evans or another flex player get hurt, Watson makes for a calculated longshot.
Kaden Smith, NYG
With news coming late in the week that Evan Engram is out yet again, Smith is in for a great matchup against the Dolphins. While he only had two catches for nine yards last week, he scored a touchdown in week 12 and had six catches for 70 yards in week 13. In a year with really spotty performance from the position all year, you could do worse.
Good luck!
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
