The Dynasty Aftermath: Year in Review

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’ve done a “Five in Five” article each Saturday to preview this article. Let’s recap the storylines from last week before we get into it.

Let James Cook

We were finally seeing the James Cook we really wanted to all year as the Buffalo running back had 1,086 rushing yards, 41 catches, 429 receiving yards and six total touchdowns on the season going into this week. We were hoping for one more big game from the breakout star in Week 18. The Bills picked up a huge win against Miami to clinch the division but Cook had just 67 rushing yards, three catches and 16 receiving yards on the day.

San Francisco Treat

We all know the power of Christian McCaffrey who is quite honestly the best player in fantasy football. However, the 49ers rested him last week after clinching the #1 seed and dynasty managers were very interested to see what happened in this backfield behind Sam Darnold. Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason were both clearly in the crosshairs but neither really separated themselves as Mitchell had 52 rushing yards and Mason had 36. A handful of catches between the two didn’t really reveal much about the future, either.

Greener Fields (or pastures)

The Bears have the top pick all wrapped up and that gave Justin Fields just one more week to prove he’s the man for the job. Fields was unable to knock Green Bay out of the playoffs and finished 11-of-16 for 148 yards, while adding 27 on the ground. At this point it seems likely the Bears will use the top pick on Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels, leaving QB-needy teams who aren’t in the top-1o in position to possibly trade for Fields this off-season.

Whiteout

Rachaad White quietly put together a pretty solid season and was in prime position for a great finale against Carolina. Unfortunately, he was also a final week bust as he had just 75 rushing yards, four catches and 18 receiving yards without scoring a touchdown. He’ll be a tough player to rank this off-season as the Bucs could add to the depth chart through the draft or free agency.

Silence of the Lamb?

Nobody has been able to silence CeeDee Lamb this year and with the NFC East still in play, the Washington Commanders looked to be his next victim. And they were. Lamb had a whopping 13 catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns in the final week. He finished the season with 135 catches for 1,749 receiving yards and 12 scores – all career highs by far. He’s in the mix to be the top overall player this off-season.

Let’s take a look at the final rundown.

Fantasy MVP of the Week

I’m going to go with James Conner this week, who had 150 rushing yards, four catches, 54 receiving yards and a touchdown in a close loss against Seattle. The Cardinals were bad this season but don’t blame Conner, who put together another good year with a career-high 1,040 rushing yards, 27 catches, 165 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in just 13 games. If Arizona leaves him as their RB1 (they likely will as all signs point to Marvin Harrison, Jr. being their selection in the first round and a lot of other holes to fill), he’s going to be a prime trade target for contending teams going into next year as he can give you RB1 numbers at a fraction of the sales price.

Fantasy MVP of the Year

There are a host of candidates out there including Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, and Amon-Ra St. Brown. I’m actually going to with someone a little off the radar – Kyren Williams. He had 1,144 rushing yards, 32 catches, 206 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns on the year in just 12 games. His scoring average was that of the RB2, just three points behind McCaffrey. I’m choosing him simply because of the value he provided. His ADP has gone from well below 200 to the 20s and the value he provided that late in a draft is unbelievable.

Fantasy LVP of the Week

Jalen Hurts was a revelation last year but had some real ups and downs this season. His final game was a mess as he threw for just 55 yards before hurting his finger and being benched in another loss, this time a blowout to the Giants. Hurts will enter next year as a QB1 but he has a little more to prove next season.

Fantasy LVP of the Year

Again, lots of candidates here but I’m going to go with the “prized free agent” Dalvin Cook, who posted just 214 rushing yards, 15 catches, 78 receiving yards and no touchdowns on the season. Breece Hall came back from injury sooner than expected but Cook was a total disaster.

The Unbeatable Lineup of the Week

QB Derek Carr NO = 264 passing yards, four touchdowns
RB James Conner ARI = 150 rushing yards, four catches, 54 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB Breece Hall NYJ = 178 rushing yards, two catches, 12 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB Jonathan Taylor IND = 188 rushing yards, two catches, eight receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Justin Jefferson MIN = 12 catches, 192 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR CeeDee Lamb DAL = 13 catches, 192 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Nico Collins HOU = Nine catches, 192 receiving yards, one touchdown
TE Evan Engram JAX = Ten catches, 79 receiving yards, one touchdown

The Unbeatable Lineup of the Year

QB Josh Allen BUF = 4,306 passing yards, 524 rushing yards, 44 touchdowns, 18 interceptions
RB Christian McCaffrey SF = 1,459 rushing yards, 67 catches, 564 receiving yards, 21 touchdowns
RB Alvin Kamara NO = 694 rushing yards, 75 catches, 466 receiving yards, 15 touchdowns
RB Raheem Mostert MIA = 1,012 rushing yards, 25 catches, 175 receiving yards, 21 touchdowns
WR CeeDee Lamb DAL = 135 catches, 1,749 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns
WR Tyreek Hill MIA = 119 catches, 1,799 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns
WR Keenan Allen LAC = 108 catches, 1,243 receiving yards, seven touchdowns
TE Travis Kelce KC = 93 catches, 984 receiving yards, five touchdowns

The Underdog Lineup of the Week

QB Carson Wentz LAR = 163 passing yards, 56 rushing yards, three total touchdowns
RB Tyjae Spears TEN = 25 rushing yards, three catches, 41 receiving yards, two touchdowns
RB Javonte Williams DEN = 32 rushing yards, seven catches, 43 receiving yards, one touchdown
RB Kendre Miller NO = 73 rushing yards, one catch, six receiving yards, one touchdown
WR Dontayvion Wicks GB = Six catches, 61 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Quez Watkins PHI = Eight catches, 93 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR David Bell CLE = Four catches, 68 receiving yards, two touchdowns
TE Will Dissly SEA = Three catches, 46 receiving yards, one touchdown

The Underdog Lineup of the Year

QB Jordan Love GB = 4,159 passing yards, 247 rushing yards, 36 touchdowns, 11 interceptions
RB Kyren Williams LAR = 87 rushing yards, two catches, 14 receiving yards, three touchdowns
RB De’Von Achane MIA = 800 rushing yards, 27 catches, 197 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns
RB Rachaad White TB = 990 rushing yards, 64 catches, 549 receiving yards, nine touchdowns
WR Puka Nacua LAR = 105 catches, 1,486 receiving yards, six touchdowns
WR Nico Collins HOU = 80 catches, 1,297 receiving yards, eight touchdowns
WR Brandon Aiyuk SF = 75 catches, 1,342 receiving yards, seven touchdowns
TE Sam LaPorta DET = 86 catches, 889 receiving yards, ten touchdowns

The Disappointing Lineup of the Week

QB Jalen Hurts PHI = 55 passing yards, one interception
RB Kareem Hunt CLE = One catch, five receiving yards
RB Gus Edwards BAL = 48 rushing yards, one fumble
RB James Cook BUF = 36 rushing yards, three catches, 16 receiving yards
WR Romeo Doubs GB = No catches
WR Gabriel Davis BUF = No catches
WR George Pickens PIT = Three rushing yards
TE Kyle Pitts ATL = Two catches, 27 receiving yards

The Disappointing Lineup of the Year

QB Aaron Rodgers NYJ = One series
RB JK Dobbins BAL = 22 rushing yards, one touchdown, another season-ending injury
RB Alexander Mattison MIN = 700 rushing yards, 30 catches, 192 receiving yards, three touchdowns
RB Dalvin Cook NYJ/BAL = 214 rushing yards, 15 catches, 78 receiving yards
WR Drake London ATL = 69 catches, 905 receiving yards, two touchdowns
WR Michael Thomas NO = 39 catches, 448 receiving yards, one touchdown
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster NE = 29 catches, 260 receiving yards, one touchdown
TE Kyle Pitts ATL  = 53 catches, 667 receiving yards, three touchdowns

Gut Checks

I’d be worried if I thought KI’d be worried if I thought Kenny Pickett was the future in Pittsburgh.

I’d be worried if I thought JK Dobbins was still an elite asset.

I’d be worried if I thought Odell Beckham is going to make it back to his old self.

I’d be worried if I thought Jonathan Taylor wasn’t going to make a run at the RB1 next year.

I’d be worried if I was still having doubts with some of these great rookies.

I’d be worried if I missed out on CJ Stroud.

I’d be worried if I had Dameon Pierce.

I’d be worried if I still thought Ezekiel Elliott was still a factor.

I’d be worried if I thought Anthony Richardson was still a safe bet.

I’d be worried if I wasn’t trying to position myself for Marvin Harrison, Jr.

I’d be worried if I thought Tee Higgins wasn’t a candidate to be moved.

I’d be worried if I thought Deshaun Watson was a safe QB1.

I’d be worried if I thought Nick Chubb was just going to go away.

I’d be worried if I thought Justin Jefferson didn’t have a shot at 2,000 yards next year.

I’d be worried if I thought Alexander Mattison was going to be the Minnesota starter next season.

I’d be worried if I missed out on Sam LaPorta.

I’d be worried if I had Jameson Williams. Haven’t seen much yet.

I’d be worried if I underestimated Evan Engram.

I’d be worried if I had Travis Etienne as my RB1.

I’d be worried if I thought Derrick Henry was done.

I’d be worried if I thought Aaron Rodgers couldn’t still do this.

I’d be worried if I wasn’t planning on making a play for Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall this off-season.

I’d be worried if I thought the Patriots quarterback was currently on their roster.

I’d be worried if I still considered Kyle Pitts elite.

I’d be worried if I thought Alvin Kamara wasn’t on the way down.

I’d be worried if I drafted Bryce Young,

I’d be worried if I thought Justin Fields wasn’t going to get traded.

I’d be worried if I missed out on Jordan Love.

I’d be worried if I thought Russell Wilson would be back in Denver.

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

I’d be worried if I thought Jalen Hurts was still a top-3 dynasty QB.

I’d be worried if I thought Saquon Barkley was done.

I’d be worried if I still thought Zach Charbonnet was going to be a difference-maker.

I’d be worried if I thought Kyler Murray wasn’t a pretty solid buy-low this off-season.

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

I’d be worried if I still thought the Chiefs offense was the same.

I’d be worried if I thought Austin Ekeler was still an elite asset.

I’d be worried if I missed out on Puka Nacua.

I’d be worried if I thought Brock Purdy wasn’t for real.

I’d be worried if I thought Deebo Samuel wasn’t a player to build around.

I’d be worried if I thought CeeDee Lamb wasn’t in play for the overall 1.01.

I’d be worried if I thought the future Commanders quarterback was on the roster.

I’d be worried if I thought the future Commanders RBS was on the roster, either.

I’d be worried if I had Stefon Diggs. This is not going to end well.

I’d be worried if I wasn’t thinking of cashing out on Raheem Mostert.

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 Final 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. Not a dominant year.

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

3.) Puka Nacua, WR LAR
What a year. Steal of the draft.

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

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.) Jayden Reed, WR GB
Has to be in the top 10 after a dominant second half.

See you next year for more of the Dynasty Aftermath!