Twitter Observations: Week 16

Michael Moore

Well everyone, we did it. We made it to the end of the fantasy season in one piece. All that research and draft prep, all those trade bait emails and waiver wire pickups are history now. You’re either the league champion and can savor your victory or you’re like everyone else and already looking ahead to your rookie draft. But before you do, below are a few players you can also target in search of next year’s championship.

A reminder: This space will be dedicated to an assortment of things we find on Twitter and what it means for our dynasty teams. Most fantasy tweets undoubtedly have a redraft slant to them but we’re here to talk about the dynasty implications.

Return of the Mark

While several dynasty players still thought highly of Mark Ingram after he left fantasy heaven in New Orleans, I don’t know if anyone thought he’d be this good. The 30-year old notched just his third 1,000-yard season and has scored 15 times this season. As noted above, quarterback Lamar Jackson joined him with 1,000 yards on the ground while simultaneously fueling Ingram’s late-career surge. By providing opposing defenses with another dangerous ground option, not unlike New Orleans had with Alvin Kamara, it allowed Ingram to draw less attention from opposing defenses than he might on another team.

Dynasty Impact: Several dynasty teams have Ingram to thank for their championships this year. Between the change in teams and his age, Ingram wasn’t exactly a hot commodity this past off-season but this upcoming off-season should be different. Ingram has shown no signs of slowing down after averaging five-yards-per-carry in 2019, nearly a half-yard more than his career-average and will still be with future MVP Lamar Jackson. If you’re a contending dynasty team and looking for a hole to plug at RB, consider trading for Ingram. Currently being taken as an RB2/3, that relative cost could be considered a bargain this time next year.

X-Miles

It certainly hasn’t been flashy but the rookie season Miles Sanders has turned in should be ranked as one of the better, and well-rounded, ones by a running back. It’s great company to join the other running backs mentioned above while also ranking as a borderline RB1 despite notching just one 100-yard rushing game and just three games over 50 yards receiving. Sanders has accomplished that by staying healthy and the Eagles sticking with him despite averaging more than 4.1 yards-per-carry just once during the first seven games of this season.

Dynasty Impact: Any hope of buying low this off-season after Sanders’s mid-season dry spell is gone. Thanks to a Jordan Howard injury, he’s been the clear-cut lead back in Philadelphia and has taken full advantage. While volume will never be a trait of an Eagles running back (Sanders has yet to rush more than 20 times in any game this season), he’s on pace to rush more times than any other back in Doug Pederson’s four-year tenure as Eagles head coach. He’s currently a top-20 dynasty back in our ADP tool but that won’t last much longer because of his age, job security and the older backs in front of him dropping off. Value him as a low-end RB1 on your rebuilding or contending team.

Arcade Kyler

It may be a lost season for Arizona but the rookie season of Kyler Murray has been a smashing success. Not only has he turned in one of the best fantasy seasons ever for a rookie quarterback but he’s been a borderline QB1, averaging more fantasy points per game than veterans Carson Wentz and Jared Goff. For Murray, the passing side has been boom-or-bust as he’s had seven games with two or more passing touchdowns but also six games with none. Luckily, the run game has mitigated some of the bust weeks with six games of either 50 yards rushing or a rushing touchdown.

Dynasty Impact: If Murray can replicate the careers of the other quarterbacks in that tweet, he’ll be just fine. All have turned in several QB1 fantasy seasons over the course of their careers with the exception being Robert Griffin III whose career was derailed by injuries. Murray has a coach in Kliff Kingsbury who isn’t going anywhere and is in an offense that is conducive to fantasy points, to say the least. That plus the fact that, at 22, he’s got several years on any other elite dynasty quarterback this side of Lamar Jackson makes Murray a top five dynasty quarterback in ADP. It’s certainly warranted but also be careful about buying any quarterback ranked that high in a one-quarterback dynasty league. There are a lot of quarterbacks out there, with more to come in the 2020 NFL Draft, and only 12-14 teams in most dynasty leagues. If you target Murray, make sure you have a serious need.

The Rolling Jones

There is no doubt that Aaron Jones has come a long way. From being drafted in the fifth round three seasons ago and finding it hard to get on the field, despite a 5.5 yards-per-carry average his rookie season, Jones has evolved into a top-ten dynasty running back. He totaled nearly 1,000 rushing yards this season, added another 400 yards receiving and scored a mind-boggling 16 touchdowns. Of course, it helps to have a coach in Matt LaFleur that properly utilizes you while also having one of the best quarterbacks of all time in Aaron Rodgers to keep defenses honest. But the tweet says it all – there’s a good chance Jones doesn’t score 16 rushing touchdowns again which also means there is a good chance he’s not the second-highest scoring running back in fantasy leagues next year.

Dynasty Impact: While this certainly isn’t meant to tell Jones owners to sell, it is something to keep in mind if you get bowled over with an offer. He’s the oldest of those top-ten running backs and his 4.4 yards-per-carry this year was over a yard lower than his career average. On top of all that, he’s a free agent after the 2020 season and until the Packers actually extend him, it’s anyone’s guess if he sticks around with such a fantasy-friendly offense.

michael moore