Dynasty Blueprint: Week Eight

Etienne the Zone

Let’s start by going back to the Week Seven kickoff on Thursday. Facing a tough Saints defense, Jaguars running back Travis Etienne once again put on a show. Although the yardage wasn’t there, Etienne found the end zone twice, including an impressive 17-yard run for his second score of the first half. This marks the third straight game in which Etienne has rushed for two touchdowns and he’s now tied for second in the league in rushing scores. Etienne has finished as a top-eight fantasy scorer five times in seven games. Discussing Etienne on Twitter following the game, I was asked why he wasn’t yet valued as a top-three dynasty back. Considering how quick we generally are to boost young players up the rankings, it’s a good question. Rookie Bijan Robinson is widely considered the dynasty RB1 and veteran superstar Christian McCaffrey is in a tier of his own, due to his age and injury history. Next up in the conversation are Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker, but Etienne deserves a spot in this tier as well.

Lamarvelous

Entering the season, expectations were sky high for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The offseason was highlighted by a new contract for the former MVP, the addition of new offensive coordinator Todd Monken and the selection of receiver Zay Flowers in the first round of the NFL Draft. Things couldn’t have gone much better for Jackson. Jackson has been excellent this season from both a fantasy and “real life” point of view. Many have suggested he’s playing at the highest level since his MVP season of 2019. Still, Jackson and his teammates have left some meat on the bone on a weekly basis. Per Fantasy Points, entering the week, 5.8% of Jackson’s pass attempts were dropped, which is fifth-worst among qualifying signal callers. Jackson “leads” the league with 147 pass yards dropped. That all changed in Week Seven as the Ravens played one of the most dominant games as we’ve seen all season. Facing the Lions, Baltimore and Jackson got off to a fast start, scoring touchdowns on each of their first four possessions, including two Jackson passing scores and a seven-yard touchdown run. It can be difficult to differentiate the top tier of quarterbacks, but Jackson currently ranks as the QB5 in our latest October dynasty ADP.