The Dynasty Aftermath: Happy New Year!

Welcome to DLF’s Dynasty Aftermath and Happy New Year to all of you! This staple article is our longest running signature piece as we have a little fun after a tough week at the Dynasty League Football office. You’ll find this article will review the week’s happenings in a variety of ways and help set you up for the coming weeks as we spin around the league in the way we know best. Expect it each and every week. I’ve written this column for the past seventeen years and I love it. I enjoy combing through the stats of the week on Monday night, putting together ridiculous lineups, picking MVPs/LVPs and discussing things to worry about.

That’s not all. I also really love sharing observations, little bits of entertainment or some stories with the community of DLF and picking a theme for this column each week. You really never know what you’re going to get. This year, I’m doing a “Five in Five” article each week and that previews this article on Saturdays. Let’s recap the storylines from last week before we get into it.

Digging Deep

Well, Stefon Diggs has truly had one weird season. The counting stats were decent going into this week as he had a 96/1,070/8 line with two games to go. However, he had single-digit fantasy performances in five of his last six games after not posting a single one of those through the first nine weeks of the season. In fact, he was just the WR51 since week ten, a far cry from what we’ve expected over the better part of the past decade. It’s clear he’s frustrated and quite obvious something is going to have to give here in the off-season. We were hoping for better this week but I suggested benching him.

Prediction: Diggs posts another single-digit performance against New England.
Reality: Yep. Four catches for 26 yards. Something has to give here soon.

Adam Bomb

Sure, Diggs has been disappointing. However, Davante Adams laid an even bigger egg last week when he had just one catch for four yards. Unlike Diggs, his stats are sub-par this year as he’s recorded just 85 catches for 972 yards and five touchdowns – those are fringe WR2 numbers, not numbers you’d expect from an alpha receiver. The Raiders seem content on running the ball and Adams just doesn’t look happy, Much like Diggs, his long-term future with his current team is a little cloudy. Much like Diggs as well, I said he was not an automatic start.

Prediction: Adams struggles again with five catches for 45 yards.
Reality: Adams goes nuclear and posts 13 catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns in a game that comes out of nowhere.

That was Purdy Bad

The “Brock Purdy for MVP Train” hit a major roadblock last week as he threw for just 255 yards with four interceptions in a total 49er meltdown against Baltimore. It was Purdy’s worst game by far in both fantasy and reality and threw a bucket of cold water on a lot of the momentum San Francisco had. The 49ers were poised for a major bounce-back performance at Washington this week and Purdy was looking for a much better performance.

Prediction: Purdy comes back to form with three touchdowns and no turnovers.
Reality: Purdy comes back to form with two touchdowns and no turnovers.

Let Russ Sit

The Broncos shocked most of the world this week when they decided to bench quarterback Russell Wilson. It seems safe to say Wilson is done in Denver and his off-season release now seems imminent. Fantasy managers are very curious to see how this team responds to Jarrett Stidham under center. The suddenly inspired Chargers rolled into town for a game important only to family members and fantasy enthusiasts. Despite what Head Coach Sean Payton is saying, it’s very hard to believe the Broncos are truly trying to win. This is a game where it was going to be tough to trust anyone on either side.

Prediction: Stidham posts modest stats that don’t equate to much for him or anyone else.
Reality: As Creed from the Office would say, “Yep. That’s exactly what happened.”

Chief Concern

What has happened to the Chiefs? Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes looked mortal, the offense was sputtering and they suddenly had a huge game against Jake Browning and the Bengals. If there was a week to get right, this was the one.

Prediction: Mahomes throws for two scores and Kelce finally catches another one.
Reality: Ugh. One touchdown for Mahomes and Kelce catches three passes for 16 yards. Taylor Swift could be re-thinking this.

The theme last week/this week was pretty simple! Here’s a list of the top ten things I didn’t get for Christmas but needed during championship week.

1.) Jalen Hurts to be 2022 Jalen Hurts
2.) Davante Adams to look like his old self
3.) Stefon Diggs to somehow re-connect with Josh Allen
4.) Jonathan Taylor to do Jonathan Taylor things
5.) Breece Hall to somehow keep doing amazing things
6.) Travis Kelce to be Travis Kelce
7.) Zamir White to look like that again
8.) Isiah Pacheco to be OK
9.) Evan Engram to keep it up
10.) Just to win in every league I’m in. That’s it.

I hit on 1,2,4,5,7,8, and 9. Tee Higgins let me down in a couple of leagues but I had a good week, regardless.

On to week seventeen!

Fantasy MVP of the Week

Christian McCaffrey is likely this year’s fantasy MVP but CeeDee Lamb can make a pretty good case as well. His 13 catches, 227 yards and a touchdown led Dallas to big (and controversial) win against Detroit. He’s had a career year with 122/1,651/ and it’s honestly scary to think he’s only 24 years old.

Fantasy LVP of the Week

As always, there were a lot of candidates. I’m going to go with Derrick Henry, who looked like he was back after a strong game against Seattle. Unfortunately, he had just 42 rushing yards and no touchdowns in what looked to be a decent matchup against Houston, despite his struggles the last time they played. This was a tough one to swallow in championship week.

The Unbeatable Lineup of the Week

QB Lamar Jackson BAL = 321 passing yards, 35 rushing yards, five touchdowns
RB Kyren Williams LAR = 87 rushing yards, two catches, 14 receiving yards, three touchdowns
RB Isiah Pacheco KC  = 130 rushing yards, seven catches, 35 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB Breece Hall NYJ = 84 rushing yards, nine receiving yards, 42 passing yards, one touchdown
WR CeeDee Lamb DAL = 13 catches, 227 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Davante Adams LV = 13 catches, 126 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR DJ Moore CHI = Nine catches, 159 receiving yards, one touchdown
TE Sam LaPorta DET = Seven catches, 84 receiving yards

The Underdog Lineup of the Week

QB Joe Flacco NYJ = 309 passing yards, three touchdowns
RB James Conner ARI  = 128 rushing yards, one catch, five receiving yards, one touchdown
RB Justice Hill BAL = 48 rushing yards, five catches, 64 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB Jerome Ford CLE = 64 rushing yards, two catches, 57 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Jayden Reed GB = Six catches, 89 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Bo Melton GB = Six catches, 105 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Darius Slayton NYG = Four catches, 106 receiving yards, one touchdown
TE Juwan Johnson NO = Eight catches, 90 receiving yards, one touchdown

The Disappointing Lineup of the Week

QB Jared Goff DET = 371 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception
RB Austin Ekeler LAC = 46 rushing yards, one catch, four receiving yards
RB Derrick Henry TEN = 42 rushing yards
RB Jahmyr Gibbs DET = 43 rushing yards
WR Noah Brown HOU = One catch, eight receiving yards
WR Tyler Lockett SEA = One catch, ten receiving yards
WR Tee Higgins CIN = One catch, 19 receiving yards
TE Kyle Pitts ATL = One catch, five receiving yards

Gut Checks

I’d be worried if I had a title game this week. It just doesn’t make sense.

I’d be worried if I thought Joe Flacco couldn’t play somewhere as a bridge QB.

I’d be worried if I wanted Saquon Barkley to stay in New York.

I’d be worried if I wasn’t doing all I could to get Breece Hall this off-season.

I’d be worried if I have forgotten about players like Nick Chubb going forward.

I’d be worried if I wasn’t really considering selling high on David Njoku.

I’d be worried if I ever needed consistency from Jared Goff.

I’d be worried if I missed out on CeeDee Lamb.

I’d be worried if I thought the Patriots quarterback for next year was on the roster.

I’d be worried if I was still overvaluing Dalton Kincaid.

I’d be worried if I had Justin Fields. The Bears have a decision to make.

I’d be worried if I was ignoring the late season run by Khalil Herbert.

I’d be worried if I wanted Davante Adams to stay in Las Vegas.

I’d be worried if I thought Josh Jacobs was a sure thing to stay there, either.

I’d be worried if I was still unsure about Puka Nacua. Forget the draft capital already.

I’d be worried if I thought Tommy DeVito had any value.

I’d be worried if I thought James Conner was cooked.

I’d be worried if I thought Alvin Kamara was still elite.

I’d be worried if I thought this was a one and done for Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay. I’m not so sure.

I’d be worried if I wasn’t attempting to get both Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason about now.

I’d be worried if I had Bryce Young. The sample size is getting better and your owner is starting to throw drinks on people.

I’d be worried if I was overvaluing Travis Etienne.

I’d be worried if I was playing Lamar Jackson at any point in any season.

I’d be worried if I had Derrick Henry as a player to keep building around.

I’d be worried if I thought Will Levis‘ job was safe.

I’d be worried if I had Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Good, yes. Top three rookie pick? Not looking like it.

I’d be worried if I was building around Austin Ekeler.

I’d be worried if I was ignoring the play of Isiah Pacheco.

I’d be worried if I was overvaluing Javonte Williams.

I’d be worried if I thought there was any chance of Russell Wilson staying in Denver.

The Top Rookie Scoring Averages

1.) CJ Stroud, QB HOU = 21.93
2.) Anthony Richardson, QB IND = 20.36
3.) De’Von Achane RB MIA = 17.96
4.) Puka Nacua, WR LAR = 17.78
5.) Jahmyr Gibbs, RB DET = 16.84
6.) Tank Dell, WR HOU = 15.04
7.) Will Levis, QB TEN = 14.71
8.) Tyson Bagent QB CHI = 14.39
9.) Bijan Robinson, RB ATL = 14.14
10.) Sam LaPorta, TE DET = 14.09
11.) Aidan O’Connell, QB LV = 13.91
12.) Jayden Reed, WR GB = 13.48
13.) Rashee Rice WR KC = 13.43
14.) Bryce Young, QB CAR = 13.34
15.) Zay Flowers WR BAL = 12.94
16.) Jordan Addison, WR MIN = 12.85
17.) Tommy DeVito QB NYG = 12.10
18.) Josh Downs WR IND = 9.33
19.) Dalton Kincaid, TE BUF = 9.13
20.) Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR SEA = 9.09

The Rookie Top Ten

Always check our latest rankings to see the updates throughout the week. These rankings are simply my own.

1.) Bijan Robinson, RB ATL
I’m still disappointed.

2.) De’Von Achane, RB MIA
Mostert won’t be around forever.

3.) Jahmyr Gibbs, RB DET
First bad week in a while.

4.) Puka Nacua, WR LAR
What a year.

GAP

5.) Tank Dell, WR HOU
What a bummer. Lost for the season.

6.) Sam LaPorta, TE DET
Again, could make a case for 1.01.

7.)  Jordan Addison, WR MIN
Will be interesting to see what happens in a full season with Jefferson.

8.) Rashee Rice, WR KC
I think he belongs in this tier at this point.

GAP

9.)  CJ Stroud,QB HOU
Would love to see him back this week.

10.) Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR SEA
Still has big upside but this rookie season has been a disappointment.

Close: Jayden Reed

See you on Saturday for the “Five in Five!” and next week for the Dynasty Aftermath.