Dynasty Market Report: Week 6

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 6 DYNASTY MARKET REPORT

Notable Market Risers

C.J. Stroud QB - Houston Texans

• C.J. Stroud continues to climb the value ladder in Superflex leagues as the rookie is on a historic pace to begin his NFL career, setting the NFL record for most rookie pass attempts without an interception (177) while well on his pace to break the single-season rookie passing yards record. Stroud’s consensus market value has crested at QB7/11th player overall after the first five weeks of play.

Puka Nacua WR - Los Angeles Rams

• Puka Nacua is on a historic pace of his own, setting the NFL record for most receptions and targets by any player in their first five games as a pro. The Rams’ rookie continues to rise on the trade market and has now entered the realm of cornerstone Dynasty assets as the WR12/29th player overall despite the return of Cooper Kupp.

Sam LaPorta TE - Detroit Lions

• Sam LaPorta’s historic rookie record of consecutive games with five receptions ended in Week 4 but he still managed a serviceable four receptions for 56 yards on five targets. LaPorta followed that up with a stellar two-touchdown performance in Week 5, propelling the rookie tight end atop the throne as the TE1 overall on the Dynasty market.

Brandon Aiyuk WR - San Francisco 49ers

• The Dynasty market has finally caught up to what we have been preaching about Brandon Aiyuk since the inception of his NFL career. The 49ers wideout is rising as the WR13/32nd player overall, positioning himself to continue his value gains as he puts up a stellar 2023 campaign.

Brock Purdy QB - San Francisco 49ers

• It appears as if everyone, save for Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers, were late to the Brock Purdy party as 2022’s “Mr. Irrelevant” continues to produce top-12 quarterback numbers with incredible success in the win column. Purdy’s four-touchdown performance against a once-feared Cowboys defense has put the entire league on notice while propelling the second-year quarterback into the MVP conversation. The Superflex Dynasty market has willingly adjusted, placing the second-year quarterback into the QB1 tier (QB12/38th Overall).

D.J. Moore WR - Chicago Bears

• Back-to-back career passing outings from Justin Fields have helped propel D.J. Moore back into a top-15 positional evaluation on the Dynasty market. Moore’s 3-touchdown outing has all but solidified the Bears WR1 as a cornerstone Dynasty asset once again.

Notable Market Fallers

Tee Higgins WR - Cincinnati Bengals

• Tee Higgins' lack of early-season production coupled with an unfortunate injury designation (ribs) that could keep him sidelined for several weeks has greatly changed the disposition towards the Bengals wideout. The Dynasty market has seemingly cooled on Higgins’s sky-high potential, causing a freefall in value that has declined 23 spots in the past week (WR22/50th Overall).

Deshaun Watson QB - Cleveland Browns

• Deshaun Watson is long removed from the consistent top-5 positional finishes that endeared him to Dynasty managers in the past. The Browns quarterback has struggled to find his old identity as an elite asset and the market is no longer willing to wait out the risk involved.

Dak Prescott QB - Dallas Cowboys

• The rise of several quarterback values coupled with Dak Prescott’s lack of production has inevitably forced the Cowboys’ signal-caller down the market ladder, dropping to QB18/84th Overall. Prescott’s turnover woes from 2022 have reared their ugly head once again, forcing managers into a justifiable panic as several other cheap positional options outproduce the veteran quarterback.

Jahan Dotson WR - Washington Commanders

• Jahan Dotson’s fantasy-friendly rapport with Taylor Heineke feels like a long-lost relic of the past as Sam Howell grows increasingly more comfortable with incompetence. At some point, managers will justifiably blame Dotson himself, and it appears as if the market is beginning to adjust in the wake of the second-year wideouts' poor performances this season.

Nick Chubb RB - Cleveland Browns

• To no fault of his own, Nick Chubb has reached the realm of “depth asset.” The Dynasty market has placed Chubb outside of the top 100 (RB30/118th Overall) as the Browns franchise running back recovers from a gruesome injury.

Dynasty Waiver Adds

Emari Demarcado RB - Arizona Cardinals

• The Cardinals may be without James Conner in the coming weeks as the veteran running back pops up on the injury report with a knee injury. Emari Demarcado was an unknown, undrafted rookie free agent before bursting onto the scene with 45 rushing yards and one touchdown on ten carries following Conner’s departure in Week 5. Even if Conner remains healthy, Demarcado appears to be next in line as the immediate successor.

Trayveon Williams RB - Cincinnati Bengals

• A cost-effective Dynasty strategy is preparing for potential future value gains at menial costs. Much like the narrative above, the Bengals operate in a one-man system at the running back position. Joe Mixon has stayed healthy through five games but Williams is just one injury away from a workhorse opportunity share.

Trenton Irwin WR - Cincinnati Bengals

• The absence of Tee Higgins immediately opened the door for a scintillating outing from the Australian sensation Trenton Irwin. Irwin collected eight of ten targets for 60 yards, playing ahead of Tyler Boyd as the number two to Ja’Marr Chase's very large number one. Irwin could be in line for continued usage as Higgins is rumored to be on the trade block and could be shipped out of town as soon as he recovers.

Bailey Zappe QB - New England Patriots

• It is absolutely mind-boggling to be a first-hand witness to the trainwreck that is Mac Jones and the Patriots' offense yet still see Bailey Zappe have a rostership percentage below 70.0% in superflex leagues. The Patriots have already benched Jones mid-game for Zappe in two consecutive contests and could make a permanent change before the season is over.

Dynasty Roster Cuts

Robbie Chosen WR - Miami Dolphins

• Robbie Chosen had a big catch in the Dolphins' historic 70-20 win over the Broncos in Week 3 but has not been heard from or seen since. The unexciting but damning addition of Chase Claypool from the Bears all but spells the end to Chosen’s once-promising NFL Career.

Mecole Hardman WR - New York Jets

• Safe to say that if Hardman was unable to find meaningful production with Patrick Mahomes he is worth absolutely nothing on an offense helmed by Zach Wilson.

Greg Dortch WR - Arizona Cardinals

• Managers are still clinging onto yesteryear hoping for another outlier performance from 2022’s one-hit wonder Greg Dortch. There is no need to roster such outliers.

Buy Low

Chris Olave WR - New Orleans Saints

• Chris Olave has cooled off considerably following Derek Carr’s injury. His downfield ability has been minimized as the Saints signal-caller fights through an AC-joint sprain, severely limiting his ability to stretch the field with deep pass attempts. Olave’s utilization may continue to regress as Carr was originally expected to miss several weeks, leaving his health in question for the remainder of the season. Managers should comfortably invest in any perceived value dips as the Saints wideout has proven to be one of the most talented players in the NFL regardless of position.

DeVonta Smith WR - Philadelphia Eagles

• The ebbs and flows that shift between DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown have seemingly gotten stronger over the past two weeks as the latter of the two teammates has taken hold of a monstrous role. Smith’s talent and offensive situation are enough to dictate major investments regardless of his current streak of poor production.

Sell High

Sam Howell QB - Washington Commanders

• The Commanders attempted 55 consecutive designed pass plays in an attempt to stem the bleeding from a disastrous defensive outing against the Bears. That will not continue and neither will Sam Howell’s job as a starting NFL quarterback if the team continues to lose games at this rate. Howell has admittedly had some mildly impressive outings as the Commanders starter but his fourth-round draft capital and mediocre output will do little to insulate his value in the NFL or the Dynasty market.

Weekly Market Evaluation

Sam LaPorta has cemented himself as one of the NFL’s brightest young stars and a must-have asset in all Dynasty formats. Laporta’s historic start to his career has grown into a trend rather than a small sample size of positive production as the rookie has consistently produced above expectations in each of his five outings this season. LaPorta’s placement atop the TE1 throne is undoubtedly warranted as even major regression would be insulated by his youth, unmatched production, and top-end draft capital. The market is establishing new rookies as top-tier producers while beginning to heavily weigh injuries and lack of early-season production against a player’s long-term value.

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