Twitter Observations: Chuba Hubbard’s Dynasty Outlook and Two Cleveland Browns to Target

It is bye week hell and we are also one step closer to the trade deadline in our dynasty leagues. In short, the trades will be moving fast and furiously. Be sure to check out the tweets below to see who might be on the move – or should be.

Chuba Diving 

Matt Rhule says Panthers are “going to redefine who we are and we’re going to run the football.”

— Joe Person (@josephperson) October 18, 2021

It’s hard to say if coach Matt Rhule wanting to run the ball more will be a good thing for Chuba Hubbard. On the surface, which Hubbard managers wouldn’t love the Panthers offense – already tenth in the league in rush attempts per game – running it even more, presumably with Hubbard leading the way?

On the other hand, would this necessitate another back spelling Hubbard? He has averaged nearly 18 attempts in his three starts since Christian McCaffrey’s injury and it’s still early in his rookie season but no one would be surprised if the Panthers started tapping the break to not run Hubbard into the ground.

Dynasty Impact: Ever since Hubbard moved on from Oklahoma State, his dynasty value has been a roller coaster.

Expected to be drafted higher than his eventual slot in the fourth round, Hubbard’s value saw a dip when it was assumed he’d have a little-to-no opportunity in Carolina. But it took just three weeks for McCaffrey to go down and Hubbard to get the nod.

For dynasty purposes, Hubbard is currently valued as a late second/early third-round rookie pick. For McCaffrey dynasty managers, it’s almost essential to try and acquire Hubbard so your season doesn’t go down the drain. But even non-McCaffrey managers should look into it if the cost is a third. Hubbard has proven to be an effective starter and will be the starter for at least a couple more weeks. Of course, this also assumes McCaffrey has no setbacks.

Thomas Keepers

Forever get my lick back.

— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) October 20, 2021

We’re still weeks away from Michael Thomas‘s return from injury but it’s nice to see that he’s getting motivated in the process. The last year has been a disaster for Thomas and his dynasty managers alike but having him return to the starting lineup will be a welcome sight even if it’s a different world than the one he left. The quarterback who propelled him to greatness retired which raises the question – can Thomas be as good with a new quarterback?

Dynasty Impact: As previously mentioned, his dynasty value has fallen off a cliff.

Not many, if any, other players who held the title of top dynasty receiver have declined so far, so fast. Thomas is now valued on the WR2/3 line as far as startup ADP. The shift is at least partially responsible for the uptick in Thomas trades, according to the DLF Trade Finder. And while he certainly isn’t fetching the same value he would have a year ago, he’s still a significant piece. But will it stay that way when he returns? If I’m a Thomas dynasty manager, I might start shopping him around before we have our answer.

Game Baker

#Browns QB Baker Mayfield is expected to need surgery on his torn labrum following the season, sources say, the result of the hits he’s taken on his non-throwing shoulder. The belief is he can deal with it through the season, but incurring more damage would make it challenging.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 21, 2021

Baker Mayfield is an enigma. Just as he was settling in to be a game manager-type quarterback for the Browns (and our dynasty teams), he goes out and does something dumb like try to tackle a defender head-on. He missed Thursday’s game against the Broncos.

It’s a shame too because Baker was performing at a high level, possibly the best of his career. His 67.1% completion percentage and 8.5 yards per attempt through week six were both the highest of his career and the 246 yards per game were the highest since his rookie season. He had only thrown six touchdowns but four of them over his last two games. But now he’ll be sidelined for a while, leaving Mayfield dynasty managers scrambling in the process.

Dynasty Impact: Call me crazy but I think this might be a good time to buy low on Baker. Despite those numbers above, this dynasty ADP has continued to decline this year.

The dropoff has caused Mayfield’s value to now be quoted as a late-first round rookie pick in superflex leagues, according to the DLF Trade Analyzer. I would do that for my dynasty superflex league especially if I’m taking Mayfield as a trade-off of taking some other piece. He isn’t going anywhere and has shown to be capable of contributing to your fantasy team. You could even wait a few weeks until people forget about him to make a move when he might be even cheaper.

Johnson Law

D’Ernest Johnson: 90.0 PFF rushing grade vs the Broncos

That’s the highest single-game rushing grade this season 😤😤 pic.twitter.com/zsggdLKuiv

— PFF (@PFF) October 22, 2021

Of course. Of course, the third-string running back in Cleveland – paired with the backup quarterback in Cleveland – turned in the highest Pro Football Focus grade for a running back for a season. Not that D’Ernest Johnson and Case Keenum will force the Browns to move on from Nick Chubb and Baker Mayfield respectively, but it is nice to see the Browns offensive line maybe get the recognition it deserves.

For Johnson, he finally got a chance to show the world what he could do. After two pro seasons that saw him tally just 37 carries, he almost matched that on Thursday night with 22 carries and turned those into 146 yards and a touchdown. He also may have forever dispelled the notion that he was the slow runner that his 4.8-second 40-yard dash time indicated at the combine before his rookie season.

Dynasty Impact: The dirt-cheap price you could have gotten Johnson for went out the window with his huge night on Thursday. He was being moved to panic-stricken dynasty teams for third-round rookie picks. That may hold after Chubb and Kareem Hunt return but if you’re a Chubb manager, I would still do it. At a minimum, you have insurance against another Chubb injury. There’s also a small chance Johnson moves on to a more prominent role on another team. Either way, it’s worth it.