Dynasty Trending Observations: Bo Nix On Way Up, Panthers’ Confusing Running Game and Elite CeeDee Lamb
As fantasy leagues inch closer to the playoffs and, by extension, the end of the season, dynasty teams at both ends of the standings will start looking at next year. Whether you’re one player away or several, the time for adjustments is almost upon us. The developments below will be part of those decisions and we cover them here.
Power of Nix
https://twitter.com/fballforeverhq/status/1858334554479542354
When Denver took quarterback Bo Nix in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, he was the sixth quarterback taken and not considered to be on the same level as the quarterbacks taken at the top of the draft like Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. He was/is 24 years old, played five years of college football between two schools, and entered a seemingly hopeless situation in Denver. And through the first three games, it looked like his detractors were right. He threw no touchdowns and four interceptions.
But a month into his professional career, he started winning. Nix is 6-3 in his last nine games and has thrown 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions in that span and added three rushing touchdowns. That stretch has also propelled him to being the seventh-highest-scoring fantasy quarterback and not that far behind Daniels for the top fantasy rookie quarterback. So how should we treat Nix in fantasy leagues going forward?
Dynasty Impact: The ascension of Nix as a top quarterback option is a welcome development compared to the other rookie quarterbacks. Caleb Williams, the top overall pick, has been a disappointment while the Falcons’ Michael Penix and the Vikings’ JJ McCarthy should be graded as incompletes due to them not seeing the field yet. Daniels was a hot commodity to begin the season while the Patriots’ Drake Maye has been coming on strong lately but Nix has earned the right to be in the conversation of the best of the bunch and has closed the gap in recent weeks compared to the top picks.
So, should we consider him an ‘elite’ option, even in 1QB leagues? Not just yet. Nix has impressed in the last two months, but this only accounts for half a season. Eventually, defenses will adjust, and then it will be up to Nix to adapt to the adjustment. So while it’s too early to go all-in on Nix as a long-term solution to your dynasty roster, you also can’t rule it out.
Cat Fight
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1858558979330207830
In a down year for Carolina, the Panthers running game has been a rare bright spot. And that’s without the help of their second-round pick, Jonathon Brooks. Chuba Hubbard has led the way with the best season of his career already totaling less than 100 rushing yards from his career high (818), while the six rushing touchdowns are already a career-high. To date, he’s a top-ten fantasy running back.
Typically, a 25-year-old running back in the middle of a breakout season in their fourth year wouldn’t have a lot of dynasty value. If it took this long to be fantasy-relevant, it must be an anomaly. However, the Panthers threw Hubbard, and his career, a lifeline by granting a contract extension that made him one of the top-10 highest-paid running backs in the league.
It was a curious decision seeing as the Panthers had a ready-made replacement in Brooks, the first running back taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. But since running backs are relatively cheap, even the good ones, the Panthers now may have too much of a good thing. But where does that leave the running backs in question?
Dynasty Impact: Running backs are always tough to evaluate when it comes to your fantasy and dynasty teams. The shelf life just isn’t that long for the position except for the unicorns like Saquon Barkley or Derrick Henry and neither Brooks nor Hubbard are in that class.
When it comes to the Panthers’ situation going forward, it will be about opportunity and who Carolina chooses to start. Both are locks to make the roster next season but we don’t yet know how Carolina plans to deploy them. With Brooks only being activated this week, it will be the first time he hits the field with Hubbard.
And while the extension signed by Hubbard might indicate he would lead the running back room, it’s not a guarantee. Remember that the Panthers signed a sizeable deal with running back Miles Sanders just last year but he hasn’t contributed much to the running game and had to make room for Hubbard. So while Hubbard may represent the better dynasty value right now – being ranked lower and producing more – Brooks is still the play long-term. He should be fully healthy heading into the 2025 season and has more talent and draft capital than Hubbard.
Silence of the Lamb
An UPDATE to CeeDee Lamb with Cooper Rush:
🔵 8 games (7 starts, 1 w/ 25 passing att)
🔵 81 targets
🔵 53 receptions
🔵 632 receiving yards
🔵 2 touchdowns
🔵 43 rushing yards + a 2 pt conversion
🔵 16.8 PPR FPPG✅ START. pic.twitter.com/ugjCbExTwG
— Joey Wright (@thejoeywright) November 19, 2024
To say the Cowboys season has been a disappointment would be an understatement. After winning 12 games in each of the last three seasons and winning the division twice, this year’s 3-7 record is not what Dallas had in mind. Even before the season-ending injury to quarterback Dak Prescott, the Cowboys were just 3-5 and on track to have their first losing season since 2020.
A side effect (or cause?) has been the dropoff in fantasy scoring for all Cowboys. Dak’s numbers were down across the board from yards-per-attempt to yards-per-game and he had just a 11:8 touchdowns-to-interception ratio before his injury. The running game is a complete joke and not even worth mentioning. But what happened to receiver CeeDee Lamb? Taken first overall in several fantasy drafts earlier this year, one would think his fantasy production might have suffered as well. And while he isn’t putting up the numbers he did last year, when he put up career highs and was the top fantasy receiver, he’s still producing. Even with backup Cooper Rush, as the post above mentions, Lamb is still relevant in fantasy leagues. On the season, between Prescott and Rush at quarterback, Lamb is still a top-five fantasy receiver. This bodes well for Lamb’s dynasty value going forward but where on the list of elite receivers does he rank?
Dynasty Impact: It didn’t take long for Lamb to become one of the most valuable dynasty players, let alone a receiver. He’s ranked in the top 20 in fantasy scoring in every season of his professional career and the top six for the last three, including 2024.
Despite not being at the very top of fantasy scoring this year, you should still treat Lamb as one of the best dynasty assets in all of football. He’ll be just 26 next year and (most likely) will have Prescott back under center. But if he doesn’t, Lamb has shown that he can still be a WR1. The cost for him would be enormous and, assuming you’re not in rebuild mode this off-season and need as many rookie picks as possible, Lamb should be at the top of your list to make your team a playoff contender.
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