The Dynasty Aftermath: Fantasy Football Review for Week One

Ken Kelly

We’re BAAAAACK!

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 the past sixteen years and I love it. I enjoy combing through the stats of the week on Monday night, putting together ridiculous lineups, picking MVPs/LVPs and discussing things to worry about.

That’s not all. I also really love sharing observations, little bits of entertainment or some stories with the community of DLF and picking a theme for this column each week. You really never know what you’re going to get.

After watching that rainy, sloppy mess in Chicago featuring the Bears and 49ers, I just HAD to go back to the famous Key and Peele sketch about the quarterback who gets wiped out in a similar rainstorm. As I watched that, I was just hoping Justin Fields or Trey Lance didn’t face the same fate. The way each of them played, it honestly wouldn’t have surprised me if this was the scene in the huddle.

Dynasty managers of Dak Prescott, Chris Godwin, Elijah Mitchell and a few others probably wish they could forget things as well. We have a lot to get to this week, so let’s find our horns and move on to week one!

Fantasy MVP of the Week

As always, there were some great performances. It would be pretty easy to pick Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Davante Adams, or especially Justin Jefferson. However, the award (and subsequent $5 Wendy’s Gift Card) goes to Saquon Barkley, who had 164 yards rushing on nine yards per carry, added six catches for another 30 yards, and had both a touchdown and two-point conversion. After a lost season in 2021 that saw Barkley look like a shell of himself, it’s clear he’s back close to 100% and took it out on the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. While this is just one game and we shouldn’t overreact much, this was his first 100-yard effort since week two last year and most he’s had in a single game since week two of 2019. Time will tell if Barkley can sustain this, but he looked like vintage Penn State Saquon in this one and dynasty managers have much more hope than they did last week, even after hearing so many positive reviews about his off-season of work.

Fantasy LVP of the Week

Dynasty managers had high hopes coming into the season in regards to Cam Akers, who made a miraculous comeback from a torn achilles to play in the Super Bowl last season. His 2022 debut was an epic disaster as he played just 12% of the snaps, a distant second to Darrell Henderson, who played 88% of the snaps. On the night, Akers had three carries for zero yards and no fantasy points to show for his efforts. We had seen rumblings about Sean McVay using both running backs in a committee, but the thought that Henderson would be the lead back and Akers the clear backup was pretty surprising. To make it even worse, Coach McVay called Akers out after the game and was very critical of his effort. This was a brutal blow to Akers’ dynasty value and his grip on the RB16 spot in our rankings is going to change in the upcoming days.

The Unbeatable Lineup of the Week

QB  Patrick Mahomes KC = 360 passing yards, five rushing yards, five touchdowns
RB Saquon Barkley NYG =
164 rushing yards, six catches, 30 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB Jonathan Taylor IND =
161 rushing yards, four catches, 14 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB D’Andre Swift DET =
144 rushing yards, three catches, 31 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Justin Jefferson MIN =
Nine catches, 184 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Cooper Kupp LAR =
13 catches, 128 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Davante Adams LV =
Ten catches, 141 receiving yards, one touchdown
TE Travis Kelce KC =
Eight catches, 121 receiving yards, one touchdown

2022 members of the list: Patrick Mahomes (1), Saquon Barkley (1), Jonathan Taylor (1), D’Andre Swift (1), Justin Jefferson (1), Cooper Kupp (1), Davante Adams (1), Travis Kelce (1)

The Underdog Lineup of the Week

QB Carson Wentz WAS = 313 passing yards, 12 rushing yards, four touchdowns, two INTs
RB Dontrell Hilliard TEN = 164 rushing yards, six catches, 30 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB James Robinson JAX = 66 rushing yards, one catch, three receiving yards, two touchdowns
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire KC = 42 rushing yards, three catches, 32 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Devin Duvernay BAL = Four catches, 54 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Robbie Anderson CAR = Five catches, 102 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Jahan Dotson WAS = Three catches, 40 receiving yards, two touchdowns
TE OJ Howard HOU = Two catches, 38 receiving yards, two touchdowns

2022 members of the list: Carson Wentz (1), Dontrell Hilliard (1), James Robinson (1), CEH (1), Devin Duvernay (1), Robbie Anderson (1), Jahan Dotson (1), OJ Howard (1)

The Disappointing Lineup of the Week

QB  Aaron Rodgers GB = 195 passing yards, INT, lost fumble
RB Cam Akers = No rushing yards or catches
RB Damien Williams ATL = Two rushing yards
RB Elijah Mitchell SF = 41 rushing yards
WR DeVonta Smith PHI = No catches
WR Alec Pierce IND = No catches
WR  Darnell Mooney CHI = One catch, eight receiving yards
TE Dawson Knox BUF = One catch, five receiving yards, one giant contract

2022 members of the list: Aaron Rodgers (1), Cam Akers (1), Damien Williams (1), Elijah Mitchell (1), DeVonta Smith (1), Alec Pierce (1), Darnell Mooney (1), Dawson Knox (1)

Gut Checks

I’d be worried if I underestimate the ceiling for Jalen Hurts.

I’d be worried if I gave up on James Robinson.

I’d be worried if I hadn’t given up on AJ Green.

I’d be worried if I thought Aaron Rodgers was done.

I’d be worried if I was playing Patrick Mahomes.

I’d be worried if I was relying on Darnell Mooney.

I’d be worried if I was counting on DeVante Parker.

I’d be worried if I had Kadarius Toney.

I’d be worried if I was ignoring the progression of Jauan Jennings.

I’d be worried if I had Cam Akers.

I’d be worried if I was too reliant on Dameon Pierce as my RB2.

I’d be worried if I needed production from Allen Robinson.

I’d be worried if I thought Jamaal Williams was going away.

I’d be worried if I still didn’t think D’Andre Swift was awesome anyway.

I’d be worried if I was just ignoring the consistency from Amon-Ra St. Brown.

I’d be worried if that performance from Amari Cooper was remotely surprising.

I’d be worried if I needed Josh Jacobs in my lineup every week.

I’d be worried if I thought that was a mirage from Kyle Philips. They like him.

I’d be worried if I thought Tyreek Hill wasn’t quarterback-proof.

I’d be worried if I wasn’t concerned about the usage of Austin Ekeler.

I’d be worried if I was ignoring the play of Khalil Herbert.

I’d be worried if I was freaking out about Breece Hall.

I’d be worried if I didn’t think Kareem Hunt was going to do that to Nick Chubb all season.

I’d be worried if I thought that was going to happen again with Joe Burrow.

I’d be worried if I had Trevor Lawrence. He just hasn’t progressed enough.

I’d be worried if I had Elijah Mitchell. The injury concern is real.

I’d be worried if I needed Dak Prescott this year.

I’d be worried if I didn’t think Curtis Samuel was going to be important in fantasy this year.

I’d be worried if I thought Gabe Davis couldn’t do that again.

I’d be worried if I thought Michael Thomas was all the way back.

I’d be worried if I thought Davante Adams was going to take a step down.

I’d be worried if I thought Aaron Jones was still a better play than AJ Dillon.

and most importantly…

I’d be worried if I didn’t take a really good look at some poor performances from week one and look to exploit some good short-term “buy low” trade value.

Fun with Numbers 

Patrick Mahomes is on pace for 6,120 passing yards, 85 touchdowns and zero interceptions

Jalen Hurts is on pace for 4,131 passing yards, 1,530 rushing yards, with no passing touchdowns, no interceptions, and 17 rushing scores

Joe Burrow is on pace for 5,746 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, 17 lost fumbles and 68 interceptions

Aaron Rodgers is on pace for 3,315 passing yards, with no touchdowns, 17 lost fumbles and 17 interceptions

Saquon Barkley is on pace for 2,788 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns.

D’Andre Swift is on pace for 2,448 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns

Nick Chubb is on pace for 2,397 scoreless rushing yards

Justin Jefferson is on pace for 153 catches, 3,128 receiving yards, and 34 touchdowns. This one could actually happen.

AJ Brown is on pace for 170 catches and 2,635 receiving yards

Davante Adams is on pace for 170 catches and 2,397 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns

Justin Fields is on pace for 2,057 passing yards

James Cook is on pace for 34 rushing yards, which is better than the zero Cam Akers is on pace for.

Jody Fortson is on pace for 17 catches, 17 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns. Side note – I used to work with a guy named Jody Forsberg and I get them mixed up a lot.

George Pickens is on pace for 51 receiving yards

DeVante Parker is on pace for 17 catches and 153 yards.

Allen Robinson is on pace for 17 catches and 204 receiving yards.

Geno Smith is on pace for 3,315 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, and zero interceptions with a quarterback rating of 119.5

Javonte Williams is on pace for 731 rushing yards, 1,105 receiving yards, and 187 catches. All with no touchdowns and 17 lost fumbles.

Point is, don’t overreact to anything in week one.

The Top Rookie Scoring Averages

1.) Jahan Dotson, WR WAS = 19.00
2.) Kyle Philips, WR TEN = 12.60
3.) Drake London, WR ATL = 12.40
4.) Isiah Pacheco, RB KC = 12.20
5.) Breece Hall, RB NYJ = 12.10
6.) Garrett Wilson, WR NYJ = 9.20
7.) Chris Olave, WR NO = 9.10
8.) Romeo Doubs, WR GB = 8.80
9.) Zander Horvath, RB LAR = 8.80
10.) Treylon Burks, WR TEN = 8.50
11.) Christian Watson, WR GB = 6.10
12.) Dameon Pierce, RB HOU = 4.90
13.) Rachaad White, RB TB = 4.10
14.) Skyy Moore, WR KC = 4.00
15.) Dennis Houston, WR DAL = 3.60
16.) Armani Rogers, TE WAS = 3.30
17.) Chig Okonwo, TE TEN = 2.10
18.) Wan’Dale Robinson, WR NYG = 1.50
19.) George Pickens, WR PIT = 1.30
20.) Jaylen Warren, RB PIT = 0.70

Notable players not in the top 20 of rookie scorers: James Cook, David Bell, Daniel Bellinger, Jerome Ford, Hassan Haskins, Isaiah Likely, Jalen Tolbert, Cade Otton, Alec Pierce, Zamir White, Jelani Woods

The Rookie Top 20

Always check our latest rankings to see the updates through the week. These rankings are simply my own.

1.) Breece Hall, RB NYJ
He was the clear 1.01 most of the Summer, but that gap has closed quickly.

2.) Drake London, WR ATL
Solid debut for London, who looks like a good one.

3.) Garrett Wilson, WR NYJ
Was hoping for more with Joe Flacco throwing the ball 42,000 times, but we’ll take it anyway.

4.) Chris Olave, WR NO
You can see the potential.

5.) Jahan Dotson, WR WAS
Biggest riser for me. I don’t want to overreact, but he looks really good.

6.) Kenneth Walker, RB SEA
Should be back soon.

7.) Jameson Williams, WR DET
Could be the steal of this draft.

8.) Treylon Burks, WR TEN
Dreadful off-season, but started off fine for the Titans.

9.) Skyy Moore, WR KC
He’ll have his moments.

10.) George Pickens, WR PIT
Was mostly invisible.

11.) Brian Robinson, RB WAS
Gibson was solid this week, but Robinson is the guy they apparently love.

12.) Rachaad White, RB TB
Could be the future post-Fournette.

13.) Dameon Pierce, RB HOU
A really surprising flop on opening day pushes him down my list.

14.) James Cook, RB BUF
Ditto.

15.) Christian Watson, WR GB
Double Ditto.

16.) Romeo Doubs, WR GB
Hey, at least he led the Packers wide receivers.

17.) Wan’Dale Robinson, WR NYG
Would have loved to see more but he was lost to injury quickly.

18.) Zamir White, RB LV
Figured he’d get a few touches. Guess not.

19.) Malik Willis, QB TEN
Ryan Tannehill is in no danger, but Willis’ preseason was intriguing.

20.) Isiah Pacheco, RB KC
I’m fine with him in my top 20 now. If CEH goes down, he’d be a staple in fantasy lineups.

Notable players not in my current top 20 rookie rankings: Isaiah Spiller, Trey McBride, Tyler Allgeier, Kenny Pickett, Tyrion Davis-Price, Alec Pierce, Jalen Tolbert, David Bell

See you next week!

ken kelly
The Dynasty Aftermath: Fantasy Football Review for Week One