Dynasty Market Report: Week 8

Managing a Dynasty roster is about building long-lasting success in the chaotic and unpredictable landscape of fantasy football. The idea should be to give yourself as many assets/bargaining chips as possible so that when you move all in, the deck is stacked in your favor. “We are card counters at the blackjack table, and we’re going to turn the odds at the casino.” Today, we look at some intriguing assets in Dynasty, drawing unbiased values from Sleeper ADP, Dynasty League Football, and KeepTradeCut in an attempt to exploit certain market discrepancies. As always, we will be viewing these players and values through a Superflex lens.

WEEK 8 DYNASTY MARKET REPORT

Notable Market Risers

A.J. Brown WR - Philadelphia Eagles

• A.J. Brown’s historic tear from Week 3 onwards has propelled the Eagles star wideout into a top 10 asset, settling in as the WR3 overall in consensus Dynasty rankings, behind Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase. Brown is averaging 25.8 PPG over his last five games while greatly diminishing the utility of DeVonta Smith in the process–more on that later.

Travis Etienne RB - Jacksonville Jaguars

• Travis Etienne has catapulted back into star territory, scoring two touchdowns in each of the Jaguars' past three contests. A longtime favorite of the Dynasty market, Etienne’s value has skyrocketed with some strong anchoring bias as the Jaguars star running back rises to RB3/22nd player overall behind only Bijan Robinson and Christian McCaffrey as the top positional assets on the market.

Kyler Murray QB - Arizona Cardinals

• All it took was one positive report on Kyler Murray’s 2023 season return to shoot the franchise quarterback up the Dynasty market ladder. The Cardinals have officially opened Murray’s 21-day practice window with the hope that their star signal-caller can suit up at some point in the next three games. The market had foolishly undercut Murray’s value while he sat on injured reserve but is rapidly adjusting to account for the perennial top producer's inevitable return.

Christian Kirk WR - Jacksonville Jaguars

• Christian Kirk is the second of two Jaguars to receive a noticeable market bump on the market this week. The veteran slot mechanic has far surpassed the newly acquired Calvin Ridley as the team’s top receiving option. Kirk has led the team in wide receiver snaps and targets every week, save for Week 1 of the 2023 season, and continues to produce well above expectations. Managers who are separating themselves as contenders are helping to prop up Kirk’s rising value as a must-own asset for playoff-bound squads.

Rashee Rice WR - Kansas City Chiefs

• Rashee Rice is a must-target buy candidate for Dynasty managers as the rookie’s usage and development continue to progress linearly. Rice has settled in around WR31/79th player overall on consensus trade markets and should continue to increase said value, along with production, as the season continues.

Notable Market Fallers

DeVonta Smith WR - Philadelphia Eagles

• DeVonta Smith started the 2023 season red-hot, opening up with 40.8 PPR points through the first two games. The Eagles receiver has totaled just 41.3 PPR points since. A.J. Brown’s historic run atop the depth chart as the number one option has left Smith as nothing more than an overqualified depth piece for the defending NFC Champions.

Brock Purdy QB - San Francisco 49ers

• Brock Purdy worked his way into the QB1 tier after posting 15 consecutive regular season wins for the 49ers. After facing back-to-back losses and poor performances, the market has itself questioning whether or not Purdy belongs amongst the elite tier of cornerstone quarterback assets. The second-year quarterback was valued as high as QB11 before his last two outings and has since fallen to QB13/47th player overall.

Tee Higgins WR - Cincinnati Bengals

• Tee Higgins' role as the WR2 on the Bengals has not yielded the positive results or insulated value that managers were hoping for to begin the season. Ja’Marr Chase has completely overtaken Higgins as the standalone WR1 as opposed to the WR1(A) and WR1(B) roles that the teammates shared the season prior.

Tony Pollard RB - Dallas Cowboys

• Tony Pollard appears far removed from his sensational 2022 season that saw him produce a top 8 RB finish despite sharing the backfield with Ezekiel Elliott. Now that Pollard has the backfield all to himself, he has regressed to averaging 13.1 PPG. Although the tires are still fresh, Pollard is also nearing his age-27 season, marking the dreaded age cliff that is often feared by dynasty managers. A second-half swell could help raise Pollard’s value but the shifty running back is quickly falling out of favor with Dynasty ageists.

Davante Adams WR - Las Vegas Raiders

• All signs point toward Jakobi Meyers being the true WR1 on the Raiders offense, a surprising shock to Davante Adams’ managers, I’m sure. Meyers has out-targeted Adams in 100.0% of healthy games this season while maintaining a 26.5% target share. The veteran wideout is not getting any younger and watching a player who is considered to be a “lesser talent” overtake the future Hall of Famer has managers rightfully adjusting expectations.

Dynasty Waiver Adds

Jake Bobo WR - Seattle Seahawks

• The Seahawks unleashed a duo of rookie wide receivers in the absence of D.K. Metcalf as both Jake Bobo and Jaxon Smith-Njigba had career-best outings. Bobo made the highlight reel with an unbelievable touchdown grab, placing him firmly among the catch-of-the-year candidates in 2023. The big-bodied rookie has little chance at overcoming the Seahawks stacked wideout room but he has proven to be a player worth rostering in all formats.

Dynasty Roster Cuts

Kene Nwangwu RB - Minnesota Vikings

• The kick return specialist made waves as a hot name on off-season Dynasty waiver wires as managers tried to predict a muddy backfield of misfit Vikings backups. The acquisition of Cam Akers and the continued pass-catching utility of Ty Chandler has relegated Nwangwu to special teams only, leaving his use on your dynasty rosters non-existent.

Chase Claypool WR - Miami Dolphins

• Chase Claypool was a controversial roster cut decision in a previous edition of the Dynasty Market Report when he was still a member of the Bears. A trade to the Dolphins may breathe new life into the wideout but he remains firmly behind every single member of the offense including, but not limited to, Braxton Berrios, Trent Sherfield, River Cracraft, and Durham Smythe.

Buy Low

Rashee Rice WR - Kansas City Chiefs.

• Rashee Rice should be a top target in all leagues. In fact, the rookie wideout was a feature candidate in Broto’s weekly Redraft Buy Low and Sell High article, citing incredible peripheral metrics and a linear progression in development and usage for the Chiefs' first-year wideout.

Sell High

Derrick Henry RB - Tennessee Titans

• For the first time since his rookie and sophomore seasons, Derrick Henry appears to be locked into a timeshare with another running back. Tyjae Spears is an ever-growing thorn in the side of Henry’s snap share as the rookie running back continues to increase his role and playing time within the offense. Henry is a great asset for teams in a contending position but if you do not boast a top-3 record in your league, you should be pursuing all avenues to maximize profit on Henry’s declining value.

Weekly Market Evaluation

The yearly “Bye-Pocalypse” had a notable effect on the Dynasty market with win-now managers moving major assets in attempts to acquire veteran producers above their market cost. Veteran values are at an all-time high as leagues begin to identify powerhouse rosters and weak rebuilding squads.

Much respect, thank you for reading. If you have any continued thoughts and would like to share, I am always available for an open conversation on Twitter: @PsychWardFF or Instagram: @psychwardff.

You can find my other works as the Lead Writer and DOC at Broto Fantasy Football.

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By Matt Ward