Five in Five: Week Twelve Dynasty Storylines
Over the years, we’ve done several different weekly preview articles and love to give new things a try. This is the time of year when it’s nearly information overload with every nook and cranny of the internet flooded with all kinds of fantasy football opinions and advice. Instead of following the herd and doing the same thing you’re used to, we’re going a little off the wall this year with our “Five in Five.” This is a weekly written preview of the five biggest storylines of the week encompassed in a five-section theme and in the way I love to do it – weird. It will also be a bit of a preview for my weekly Dynasty Aftermath – the longest running dynasty series in the business as we hit year #17 in 2023 as we bring you five possible storylines we could see on Monday Morning. I’m adding another piece to this for the rest of the year and that’s a prediction of what I think could produce that particular headline.
Steel City Resolve
Pittsburgh fired Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada this week with the hope to jumpstart an offense that has been downright miserable for most of the year. Kenny Pickett hasn’t proven himself to be the long-term answer at quarterback and players like Jaylen Warren and George Pickens look like they’re being underutilized. A game against a wounded Bengals team would seem like a good time to unleash some of the talent on this team. If we don’t see a big step forward from Pittsburgh this week, it’s going to be pretty tough to trust these players moving forward. Fantasy managers are very curious to see just what the distribution of carries is going to be between Warren and Najee Harris and to see just how much a new Offensive Coordinator will trust Pickett with being more aggressive.
Prediction: Things look much better as Warren out-carries Harris and Pickens get targeted early and often.
Only the Young
The Panthers drafted Bryce Young first overall with the hopes he could be the franchise cornerstone for the next decade, While he’s still just a rookie, the results have been mixed at best thus far. The Panthers are dead last in the NFL at 1-9 and even worse, their first round pick goes to Chicago as a result of the draft day trade for Young. The rookie has thrown for 1,683 yards, with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions so far this year and while we’ve seen some flashes, he’s been inconsistent at best so far during the season. The performance of CJ Stroud has made his season look a lot worse than it has been but there still seems to be a reason to be at least moderately concerned. In terms of average fantasy points per game at the position, Young ranks as the QB30, behind the likes of players like Taylor Heinicke, Tyson Bagent, Desmond Ridder, Will Levis and Joshua Dobbs. Carolina plays Tennessee in a game where it seems as if they should be able to move the ball. Young is on an island with all eyes on him this week and until further notice.
Prediction: Young continues to struggle as the offensive line can’t protect him.
Ridley’s Believe it or Not
The Jaguars finally went back to Calvin Ridley last week with nine targets and he rewarded them (and fantasy managers) with seven catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns, matching his touchdown total for the season the process. The target numbers over the past five weeks have been all over the board as he’s had eight, then four, then 10, then three, then the nine from last week. Ridley has only had eight or more targets in back-to-back weeks once all season. Has he finally turned the corner or are we just seeing a player who is dependent on the specific game plan to be successful. Should we believe it or not?
Prediction: Ridley catches five passes on eight targets for 75 yards and another touchdown.
Full Tank
As good as Puca Nakua has been, Tank Dell has been pretty spectacular himself. Over the past three weeks, Dell has averaged nearly 26 fantasy points per game, good for a top four ranking amongst receivers. On the year, Dell trails only De’Von Achane, Jahmyr Gibbs and Nacua in terms of average fantasy points for rookies. Last week, he posted eight catches for 149 receiving yards and a touchdown, which marked his third straight game with at least one touchdown. With 35 targets over the past three weeks, it’s clear the Texans are making it a priority to get him the football and he’s rewarding them. Can he keep things going against the Jaguars this week?
Prediction: Dell stays on a heater with six catches for 105 yards and another touchdown.
The Watched Pot is Boiling
The Broncos hit the lowest of lows when they gave up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins and started the season just 1-5. However, they’ve won four in a row now and much of that can quietly be attributed to a major bounce-back season from Russell Wilson. After a miserable 2022 campaign that featured just 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, Wilson has 19 touchdowns already with just four interceptions on the season. He may not be putting up vintage yardage numbers but the defense is getting better and Wilson is looking more comfortable each week. The Broncos play an ultra-stingy Browns defense this week. If Russ continues to cook, it could very well unlock some potential from the fantasy players in this offense during the stretch run.
Prediction: Wilson struggles against the Browns with 165 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception.
This again looks like a huge week, gang!
Make sure to get your lineup questions in! We’ll see you next week for the Dynasty Aftermath!
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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