Dynasty Blueprint: 5 Takeaways From Week 12

Kyren Back in Action

After missing the past four games, running back Kyren Williams was back on the field for the Rams. He couldn’t have asked for a better “welcome back” than the Cardinals' defense. Entering Week Twelve, Arizona had allowed a league-high 13 top-24 performances to backs along with 26.8 fantasy points per game, the third-worst in the league. Even in his first game back, Williams was an obvious fantasy starter. No one expected this performance though. Williams dominated the Cardinals and made up for some struggles in the Rams’ passing game. Running for 143 yards along with 61 receiving yards and two touchdowns made Williams the RB1 for the week in the best game of his young career. Williams has now played seven games this season and he’s finished as a top-ten fantasy scorer in five of those contests. Only Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, and Travis Etienne have more than five top-ten games this season.

For dynasty managers, Williams presents a difficult case when it comes to assessing his value. Not only does he lack ideal draft capital, but he also was a non-factor as a rookie. It’s impossible to argue with his production though and while he did fall down dynasty rankings and in the NFL Draft after a poor Combine performance, he was once viewed as a potential top-three back in his class. Williams is the RB26 in our November ADP and I expect him to be a significant riser in next month’s data, potentially combing into the top-20 backs. There’s no reason to believe the Rams won’t continue to roll with Williams as their lead back, even into next season.

Love to Reed

Not so long ago, I used this space to write about the struggles of Jordan Love and the Packers’ young offense. November was kind to the Pack as they won three of four games, including the Thanksgiving Day upset of the Lions. Love’s weekly fantasy rank has improved in each of the past five games (QB18, QB15, QB13, QB9, QB5 pending Monday Night Football) and he’s now up to four QB1 games this season. In his fourth season in the league, this is obviously Love’s first chance to be the starter and see consistent playing time. If Love was producing this exact stat line in his rookie season, dynasty managers would be ready to value him as a QB1.
One Packer who is an actual rookie and making an impact is receiver Jayden Reed. Reed was coming off back-to-back WR11 performances and found the end zone again in Week 12. He’ll likely finish this week as a high-end WR3, giving him six games this season as a fantasy starter (top-36 receivers.) In a crowded and competitive wide receiver room, Reed leads the team with 497 yards.

JSN Up, DK Down