The Dynasty Aftermath: Regular Season Dynasty Awards
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.
It’s been a long few weeks that have thrown me a few life curveballs. The good news is I’m back (the gut checks were getting a little repetitive this year anyway) and I’m going to do something a little different as we start hitting the playoffs. This week, I’m going to do some fantasy awards for what we’ve seen thus far and share my concerns as we go into the playoffs. I put a lot of time into this one and I’m hoping the extra long column this week hits the mark!
Let’s get to it.
Fantasy MVP of the Regular Season
It’s hard to look at this season and think it hasn’t been the year of Cooper Kupp. With 113 catches, 1,489 yards and 12 touchdowns (all career highs alreday) in just 13 games, he has obliterated his preseason ADP and become the WR1 this season. It’s been a perfect match with Matthew Stafford and when you consider where he was drafted, it’s safe to say he’s one of the biggest draft values we’ve seen in the past few years. If you have Kupp, you’re probably going to the playoffs in your league this season and are even the likely favorite.
Fantasy LVP of the Regular Season
This was supposed to be the year Calvin Ridley emerged from the shadow of Julio Jones and became a top five fantasy receiver. It was also supposed to be the year Antonio Gibson had his breakout. Neither of those happened for very different reasons, but this award has to go to none other than Saquon Barkley, who was supposed to return to his elite status coming off a lost season and instead has just 379 rushing yards, 33 catches, 224 receiving yards and four total touchdowns in nine games. Barkley is again dealing with nagging injuries and his ADP is starting to suffer. He’s no longer in the top tier of players (or even the top tier of running backs) and has truly burned fantasy owners this season.
Fantasy Rookie of the Regular Season
This is a two-horse race between Najee Harris and Ja’Marr Chase. Harris has posted 873 rushing yards, 60 catches, 397 receiving yards, and nine total touchdowns. Meanwhile, Chase has been dominant at times as he’s posted a 60/1,035/10 line thus far. In a year where running back injuries have dominated the headlines, we’ll go with Harris. However, this is a “dealer’s choice” situation if there ever was one.
Fantasy Rookie Bust of the Regular Season
This one is easy. Trey Sermon was supposed to take over the San Francisco backfield this season and was instead outplayed by Elijah Mitchell and has recorded just just 167 rushing yards on 41 carries with one touchdown in nine games. He’s now dealing with an ankle injury that could sideline him for the rest of the year. He’s been inactive and ineffective this season and looks like a massive first round rookie draft bust at the moment.
Fantasy Sleeper of the Regular Season
On his fifth team in eight seasons and in his age-30 campaign, Cordarelle Patterson has had one of the most remarkable late career breakouts in history. With 547 rushing yards, 46 catches, 519 receiving yards, and ten total touchdowns, Patterson is having by far his best season and starting to make teams wonder about playing “positionless” football. When owners plucked Patterson from the waiver wires early this season, there’s simply no way they could have expected anything like this.
Fantasy Comeback Player of the Regular Season
It would be pretty easy to go with a quarterback like Carson Wentz, Dak Prescott, or Joe Burrow here. However, how about Leonard Fournette? Long considered a disappointment, he was spent packing by the Jags last season and ended up turning into “Lombardi Lenny.” However, he was expected to again split carries with Ronald Jones and be a flex player at best this year. Instead, he’s turning in a career season with 778 rushing yards, 62 catches, 421 receiving yards and ten scores in 13 games. He’s been a big-time boost to teams who held on to him.
The Unbeatable Lineup of the Regular Season
QB Josh Allen BUF = 3,524 passing yards, 531 rushing yards, 32 total touchdowns
RB Jonathan Taylor IND = 1,348 rushing yards, 36 catches, 336 receiving yards, 18 touchdowns
RB Austin Ekeler LAC = 730 rushing yards, 58 catches, 535 receiving yards, 16 touchdowns
RB Najee Harris PIT = 873 rushing yards, 60 catches, 397 receiving yards, 9 touchdowns
WR Deebo Samuel SF = 57 catches, 1,028 receiving yards, 240 rushing yards, 11 total touchdowns
WR Cooper Kupp LAR = 113 catches, 1,489 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns
WR Justin Jefferson MIN = 85 catches, 1,288 receiving yards, 8 touchdowns
TE Travis Kelce KC = 73 catches, 875 receiving yards, five touchdowns
Notes: Allen has clearly proven he belongs in the top tier of dynasty quarterbacks with another great year. While he’s had a few bumps in the road, his rushing ability is elite. Taylor, Ekeler, and Harris have all been fairly consistent and Taylor looks like the RB1 at this point moving forward. Meanwhile, Deebo Samuel has had his breakout campaign. What can we say about Cooper Kupp and Justin Jefferson? They’re both crazy good. Travis Kelce has had a down year to his standards, but that just shows how dominant he is.
The Underdog Lineup of the Regular Season
QB Jalen Hurts PHI = 2,435 passing yards, 695 rushing yards, 21 total touchdowns
RB Cordarelle Patterson ATL = 547 rushing yards, 46 catches, 519 receiving yards, ten touchdowns
RB Leonard Fournette TB = 778 rushing yards, 62 catches, 421 receiving yards, ten touchdowns
RB James Conner ARI = 661 rushing yards, 29 catches, 303 receiving yards, 16 touchdowns
WR Marquise Brown BAL = 70 catches, 866 receiving yards, six touchdowns
WR Jaylen Waddle MIA = 86 catches, 849 receiving yards, five total touchdowns
WR Diontae Johnson PIT = 81 catches, 990 receiving yards, six total touchdowns
TE Rob Gronkowski TB = 38 catches, 498 receiving yards, six touchdowns
Notes: Hurts may not be the long-term answer for the Eagles, but he’s been a heck of a short-term answer for dynasty owners. Like Allen, his rushing ability just makes him a fantasy monster. We’ve already mentioned Fournette and Patterson, but what about James Conner? His ability to score in the red zone has been a huge boost this season and he could easily be the comeback player of the year. The receivers here are all young and have bright futures, though Waddle and Johnson have some quarterback questions moving forward. As for Gronk, he’s just Gronk.
The Disappointing Lineup of the Regular Season
QB Patrick Mahomes KC = 3,642 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, 12 interceptions
RB Ezekiel Elliott DAL = 810 rushing yards, 41 catches, 245 receiving yards, nine touchdowns
RB Aaron Jones GB = 599 rushing yards, 40 catches, 328 receiving yards, nine touchdowns
RB Saquon Barkley NYG = 379 rushing yards, 33 catches, 224 receiving yards, four touchdowns
WR Calvin Ridley ATL = 31 catches, 281 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Odell Beckham Jr CLE/LAR = 32 catches, 436 receiving yards, three touchdowns
WR Allen Robinson CHI = 32 catches, 353 receiving yards, one touchdown
TE Adam Trautman NO = 25 catches, 241 receiving yards, one touchdown
Notes: Mahomes has been good, but not the elite quarterback we’ve come to know. Elliott is losing his burst, Jones may be losing his job, and Barkley may be losing our patience. I hate to put Ridley in here, but he has to make the list. OBJ looks to be turning the corner, but his regular season was a mess. The demise of Allen Robinson has been truly shocking. This was also supposed to be the year where Adam Trautman became a weekly lineup lock, but he’s been about as good as my 3rd Grade Teacher, Glenda Trautman.
Gut Checks
I’d be worried if I started Glenda Trautman this year.
I’d be worried if I had DK Metcalf or Tyler Lockett. I don’t think this ends in Seattle for Wilson.
I’d be worried if I am all of a sudden a believer in Rashaad Penny.
I’d be worried if I expected anything else from Josh Gordon.
I’d be worried if I was still needing top five production from Stefon Diggs.
I’d be worried if I thought Travis Kelce was a sure thing for 15 or more each week.
I’d be worried if I needed DJ Moore or any Panthers receiver down the stretch.
I’d be worried if I was ignoring the season from AJ Green.
I’d be worried if I thought Julio Jones was going to be Julio Jones again.
I’d be worried if I didn’t sell Mike Williams when I had the chance.
I’d be worried if I was playing against Hunter Renfrow. He’s like the new age Julian Edelman.
I’d be worried if I was ignoring the year from Dawson Knox.
I’d be worried if I had Ezekiel Elliott or Aaron Jones. Their younger counterparts look better.
I’d be worried if I was ignoring the resurgence of George Kittle.
I’d be worried if I didn’t really respect the production of Brandin Cooks in an awful situation.
I’d be worried if I was ignoring the late season production of Brandon Aiyuk. Better late than never.
I’d be worried if I was playing against Mark Andrews.
I’d be worried if I had Kenny Golladay. This has been a disaster. He could have easily been on the disappointment list.
I’d be worried if I had Cam Newton. Well, that was fun.
I’d be worried if I was building around Josh Jacobs. He just looks pedestrian.
I’d be worried if I wasn’t looking for a sneaky way to get Van Jefferson for next season.
I’d be worried if I was counting on anything else from Antonio Brown.
I’d be worried if I was still starting Laviska Shenault.
I’d be worried if I was counting on James Robinson or any Jags player.
Rookie Scoring Leaders
The averages themselves aren’t changing up and down too much now, so I’ll now add the change in ranking for anyone notable.
1.) Najee Harris RB PIT = 18.54
2.) Ja’Marr Chase WR CIN = 17.37
3.) Mac Jones QB NE = 16.24
4.) Jaylen Waddle WR MIA = 15.48
5.) Trevor Lawrence QB JAX = 15.33
6.) Zach Wilson QB NYJ = 13.56
7.) Elijah Mitchell RB SF = 13.55
8.) Javonte Williams RB DEN = 13.28
9.) Justin Fields QB CHI = 13.07
10.) Michael Carter RB NYJ = 13.02
11.) Davis Mills QB HOU = 12.85
12.) Elijah Moore WR NYJ = 12.51
13.) DeVonta Smith WR PHI = 11.24
14.) Kyle Pitts TE ATL = 10.54
15.) Trey Lance QB SF = 10.08
16.) Pat Freiermuth TE PIT = 9.80
17.) Rhamondre Stevenson RB NE = 9.40
18.) Rashod Bateman WR BAL = 9.05
19.) Amon-Ra St. Brown WR DET = 8.95
20.) Kenneth Gainwell RB PHI = 8.73
Notable players not in the top 20: Chuba Hubbard, Trey Sermon, , Terrace Marshall, Tommy Tremble, Â Nico Collins, Dyami Brown, Anthony Schwartz. Khalil Herbert
The Rookie Top 20
Always check our latest rankings to see the updates through the week. These rankings are my own at this point.
TIER ONE
1.) Ja’Marr Chase WR CINÂ
He’s special. This has been an unreal season for him and he clearly looks like a dynasty pillar.
2.) Najee Harris RB PITÂ
He’s been as advertised and looks like a multi-year workhorse.
3.) Jaylen Waddle WR MIA
He’s on pace for 112 catches, 1,110 receiving yards, and seven scores. The big plays haven’t been there, but that just shows his ceiling.
4.) Kyle Pitts TE ATLÂ
He’s tailed off a bit again and may be hitting the rookie wall a bit. Still, he looks like the future TE1 if he’s not already.
TIER TWO
5.) Javonte Williams RB DEN
You have officially missed the “buy low” window on Williams, who looks like a future star.
6.) DeVonta Smith WR PHI
Talented for sure, but we’d like to see more consistency.
TIER THREE
7.) Travis Etienne RB JAX
What a wild card. Who knows what his team is going to look like next season.
8.) Rashod Bateman WR BAL
We would have liked to see a little more thus far.
9.) Rondale Moore WR ARI
There are just so many weapons in Arizona that Moore got lost. He looks like an off-season buy candidate.
10.) Kadarius Toney WR NYG
He’s had some highs and lows, but those highs look elite.
11.) Elijah Moore WR NYJÂ
His injury is unfortunate because he was clearly looking like the best offensive player on the Jets.
12.) Michael Carter RB NYJ
I’m still not sure he’s a long-term starter.
13.) Elijah Mitchell, RB SF
See Carter, Michael.
TIER FOUR
14.) Trevor Lawrence QB JAX
At this point, he likely needs a new coach. This season has been a disaster.
15.) Trey Lance QB SF
The recent play of Jimmy G has clouded his short-term future a bit.
16.) Justin Fields QB CHI
You see flashes of greatness, then remember Matt Nagy is in control. He’ll be better next season.
TIER FIVE
17.) Terrace Marshall WR CAR
He’s close to losing his spot in the top 20.
18.) Mac Jones QB NE
A total case of a quarterback being better in reality than fantasy.
19.) Pat Freiermuth, TE PIT
Love his game. Just not sure he’s going to be “elite.”
20.) Rhamondre Stevenson RB NEÂ
There’s a lot of talent here, but New England is awful for running backs.
Knocking on the door: Nico Collins, Dyami Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown,  Larry Rountree, Tylan Wallace, Amari Rodgers, Jaret Patterson and more.
See you next week!
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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- 2024 Rookie Bust Mock Draft (Pre-Draft Edition): Round One - April 18, 2024
