Dynasty Blueprint: Five Top Takeaways From Week Ten

Kyler Returns

At the beginning of the season, there was some uncertainty about if Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray would play at all this season. Despite managing just one win through the first nine weeks, Arizona was much more competitive than expected and once Murray proved he was ready, the team announced he’d get the start in Week Ten. They even punctuated that decision by trading previous starter Joshua Dobbs to the Vikings. (More on that later.)

Murray made his debut at home against the Falcons on Sunday and quickly reminded us why he was valued as a high-end dynasty QB1 every month for three straight years prior to his ACL injury last season. Murray rushed for a touchdown and passed for nearly 250 yards, leading Arizona to their second win of the season. As DLF’s Dan Meylor noted on this week’s DLF Dynasty Podcast, Murray’s return to the field could’ve been even bigger. He had a passing touchdown to rookie Michael Wilson overturned and the Cardinals used backup quarterback Clayton Tune on a “tush push” play at the goal line.

Finishing as a fringe QB1 in his first game back this season, Murray has quickly regained his locked-in weekly fantasy starter status. Now, I’m more interested in how quickly he moves up the charts in our dynasty rankings and ADP. In our latest November dynasty ADP, Murray is the QB12. As bad as the overall quarterback play has been across the league, this value range is very competitive. Murray will have to continue the high level of play we saw on Sunday to move back into the top-eight dynasty signal callers.

Detroit’s One-Two Punch

The Cardinals were not the only team to welcome back an impact player. The Lions’ backfield was at full strength in Week Ten as veteran David Montgomery returned from a rib injury that cost him two games. There were many questions about what the backfield usage would look like since rookie Jahmyr Gibbs had performed at such a high level with Montgomery on the bench. Which back should fantasy managers trust? The answer, as many expected, was both.

Gibbs led the backfield in snaps (38), routes run (21), rush attempts (14) and all receiving numbers (3/35 on five targets.) Gibbs also scored a pair of one-yard rushing touchdowns. Montgomery used a 75-yard touchdown scamper to pad his stat line and ultimately led the duo with 116 rushing yards. Pending Monday Night Football’s results, both Lions backs are in line to finish as RB1s for the week.

From a dynasty standpoint, Gibbs is the obvious winner here. He’s been a fast riser, especially over the past three weeks, and that ascension is likely to continue. He could easily be valued as highly as RB2 by the community. Montgomery is a fun topic too. Many, including the Bears, gave up on him following last season and Montgomery has filled the Jamaal Williams role, plus. He’s among the top trade targets for win-now dynasty teams.

The most recent Montgomery example in our Trade Finder database is just the type of move I’d suggest. Use future draft capital for help winning now, while protecting your first-round pick.