Seven Dynasty Lists of Seven
With the regular season now upon us, my mind tends to wander. In fact, anyone who knows me understands I’m a worrier. I stress out about all kinds of things all the time (thus the section, “I’d be worried if” in my Dynasty Aftermath column I’ve written for the past 18 years. Since fantasy football has started, a lot of my “thinking time” has been spent on all things fantasy football. With that in mind, I’ve created seven lists of seven – things I’m simply thinking about as my mind wanders worrying about everything from global warming to handcuffs. There are clearly not all things I’m worried about but simply lists I think are important to note as we embark on another exciting season.
Seven Important Handcuffs
1.) Ray Davis
2.) Jaleel McLaughlin
3.) Trey Sermon
4.) Braelon Allen
5.) Trey Benson
6.) MarShawn Lloyd
7.) Jordan Mason
You could make a case that any one of these running back handcuffs could decide leagues should that team’s starter go down with an injury. If you have the likes of James Cook, Javonte Williams, Jonathan Taylor, Breece Hall, James Conner, Josh Jacobs, or Christian McCaffrey, I’d be making the acquisition of their handcuff a priority. It’s a near certainty many of the players on this list will make some starts this year and protecting yourself is never a bad idea, While each of these players has a different price tag, it’s certainly worth kicking the tires of whoever may have them on their roster currently.
Seven Rookies to Watch Early
1.) Marvin Harrison Jr
2.) Malik Nabers
3.) Brock Bowers
4.) Ladd McConkey
5.) Adonai Mitchell
6.) Blake Corum
7.) Bucky Irving
This is clearly not any kind of rookie ranking. However, these are the seven rookies I’m most interested in seeing early on this season. Everyone believes “Maserati Marv” is the real deal and Nabers has looked like anything but a bust so far. We just need to see it from these two in regular season action. I’ve been on record saying Bowers is clearly in focus early as his price tag has been robust as a tight end. Can McConkey establish himself as Justin Herbert‘s WR1? If so, he’s a rookie bargain. Mitchell has massive talent and seems like he’s on a mission to prove some people wrong. As for Corum and Irving, I’m very curious to see just how many touches they each have early on this season.
Seven College Players I’m monitoring
1.) Travis Hunter, WR/CB Colorado
2.) Luther Burden, WR Missouri
3.) Tetairoa McMillan, WR Arizona
4.) Shedeur Sanders, QB Colorado
5.) TreVeyon Henderson, RB Ohio State
6.) Emeka Egbuka, WR Ohio State
7.) Quinn Ewers, QB Texas
This group is very, very interesting to me. Hunter may honestly be the best athlete to enter the league since, ironically, Deion Sanders (whose son is on this list). The fact he’s an elite-level cornerback and wide receiver is truly mind-boggling, And he is. He’s a top three prospect at both positions. His landing spot and usage is going to be the story of the Spring as he could be a serious dynasty weapon or a true disappointment should he moved to cornerback full-time. McMillan had a solid season with ten catches for 304 yards and four touchdowns in his first game. Ewers is playing at a different level than what we saw last year and he could be in play to be the top pick in the NFL Draft here soon. In short, Saturdays are fun with this group.
Seven Players who will decide Championships
1.) Christian McCaffrey
2.) Saquon Barkley
3.) CeeDee Lamb
4.) Tyreek Hill
5.) Amon-Ra St. Brown
6.) Breece Hall
7.) Bijan Robinson
You could add some more to this list quite easily (Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, etc.) but this group will decide it. As much as we talk about depth and balance, the “elite of the elite” are always the ones who help you hoist the trophy. We know what McCaffrey can do. Is Saquon Barkley back? The first game we say indicates he is. Lamb and Hill could both push for 2,000 receiving yards. Amon-Ra St. Brown has clearly arrived. Meanwhile, Hall and Robinson are both on the cusp of stardom. Is this the year they become league dominators?
Seven Potential Breakouts
1.) Bijan Robinson
2.) George Pickens
3.) Jameson Williams
4.) Dalton Kincaid
5.) Zamir White
6.) Anthony Richardson
7.) Jayden Daniels
We already talked a little about Robinson, who is entering a huge season. Pickens has a monster opportunity with Diontae Johnson in Carolina. Williams has had a terrible start to his career but he’s poised to make an impact alongside St. Brown. Kincaid needs to show up with Stefon Diggs in Houston and he seems ready. The Raiders passed on a whole host of free agents to give White a chance to shine. Richardson may be under the biggest microscope and ironically, a player very similar in Jayden Daniels looks like he also has the talent to possibly become an elite-level QB1.
Seven Comeback POY Candidates
1.) Aaron Rodgers
2.) Nick Chubb
3.) Sam Darnold
4.) JK Dobbins
5.) Kyler Murray
6.) Joe Burrow
7.) Kirk Cousins
As usual, injured quarterbacks lead the way here with Rodgers, Murray, Burrow, and Cousins all leading the way. The return of Rodgers is quite honestly the biggest story in the NFL here in week one. Two running backs are making serious recovery strides from terrible injuries with Dobbins already ready to go and Chubb seemingly coming on strong to join him on an active roster. Meanwhile, Darnold has the opportunity of a lifetime in Minnesota. Can he finally cash in?
Seven Players to Trade Now
1.) Stefon Diggs
2.) James Conner
3.) Travis Etienne
4.) Mark Andrews
5.) Joe Mixon
6.) Rachaad White
7.) Kyren Williams
This is a unique list for sure. Diggs starting to fade in terms of production and if someone still sees him as an elite WR1, I’d jump on that now that he’s battling a whole host of talented players for targets in Houston (and a free agent after the season). Conner and Mixon are both solid starters but it’s tough to see that for too much longer, especially with Conner. Etienne may be a controversial add here but I just don’t see him getting a full workload in Jacksonville moving forward. You may be a week late on moving Andrews after that eruption from Isaiah Likely. I don’t see Rachaad White holding off Bucky Irving completely this season and I’m concerned about Blake Corum in Los Angeles as well.
BONUS – Seven Things I actually Worried about as a kid
1.) Cold War Land invasions
2.) Nuclear Power Plant Explosions
3.) Being kidnapped
4.) Pickpockets
5.) Hobos
6.) Rabid Dogs
7.) Snakes coming up my toilet
Like I said, a bit of a worrier.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
