Trying to find value in a dynasty league can be difficult at times, simply because everyone values their players more than they should. I mean, they did draft them after all, right? Shooting for the big-name players is going to be difficult if you play in a league full of sharks, but what are the other ways to build your roster?
Today we’re going to find players who are currently being undervalued, as well as those who are being overvalued by their current situation. We’ll be doing that by comparing our Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) between redraft and dynasty, finding the players with the biggest differences.
While this has nothing to do with my personal feelings on each player, I’ll give you my reasoning as to why the experts seem to be higher/lower on these players, as well as whether or not they’re worth targeting. We’re also going to attempt to keep out rookies, because that’s semi-obvious.
Quarterbacks Higher in Dynasty Consensus
Jimmy Garoppolo (Redraft: 40, Dynasty: 27)
Nobody has given up on Garoppolo just yet and it may be smart not to considering he’ll be starting somewhere in 2018. He’s an unrestricted free agent after this year and the teams who figure to be interested are the 49ers, Jets, Jaguars, Bills, and Cardinals. Oddly enough, he’s still probably lower than he should be in the dynasty rankings.
Paxton Lynch (Redraft: 41, Dynasty: 30)
This one is a bit odd because Lynch might be starting as soon as this year, though his redraft ranking doesn’t reflect that, behind guys like Brock Osweiler and C.J. Beathard. His price seems about right in dynasty, but a little too low in redraft.
Notable Mentions: Jared Goff (Redraft: 33, Dynasty: 26), Matthew Stafford (Redraft: 15, Dynasty: 10)
Quarterbacks Lower in Dynasty Consensus
Brian Hoyer (Redraft: 27, Dynasty: 45)
This one might seem obvious because Hoyer is a veteran, but he’s just 31-years-old. He’s going to have a job as long as teams have struggling quarterbacks. He might just be the Matt Hasselbeck of the 2010’s. If you can get him for cheap, he’s a solid quarterback to have on your bench, especially in 2QB leagues.
Alex Smith (Redraft: 24, Dynasty: 37)
Another one that makes sense considering the Chiefs just traded up and drafted Patrick Mahomes to replace Smith, but make no mistake about it, Smith will have a job somewhere. He’s a former No. 1 pick that is just 33-years-old.
Notable Mentions: Drew Brees (Redraft: 3, Dynasty: 13), Tom Brady (Redraft: 2, Dynasty: 12)
Running Backs Higher in Dynasty Consensus
Alex Collins (Redraft: 125, Dynasty: 74)
I’ll be honest, I really don’t understand this one. The Seahawks could have kept their corps they had between Thomas Rawls, C.J. Prosise, and Alex Collins, but they felt the need to go out and snag the injured veteran Eddie Lacy. He’s just a guy on their depth chart and not much more.
Derrick Henry (Redraft: 41, Dynasty: 13)
The gap on this one seems about right, though I’d argue he should be higher in both formats. He finished as the No. 39 running back last season despite seeing just 110 carries to Demarco Murray’s 293. I’ve got Henry at No. 33 in redraft and No. 11 in dynasty.
Devontae Booker (Redraft: 79, Dynasty: 53)
If you can get anything close to the value of the No. 53 running back in dynasty for Booker, do it. He had every opportunity that you could ask for in 2016, yet fell flat on his face. They could’ve rode into the season with C.J. Anderson and him, but they felt it necessary to sign Jamaal Charles. He’s ranked in the mid-60’s among my dynasty running backs.
Notable Mentions: Kenyan Drake (Redraft: 95, Dynasty: 71), Kenneth Dixon (Redraft: 40, Dynasty: 22)
Running Backs Lower in Dynasty Consensus
LeGarrette Blount (Redraft: 32, Dynasty: 67)
A soon-to-be 31-year-old running back who has struggled outside of goal-line work, this makes sense. He is likely worth more than the No. 67 running back in dynasty, as those in that range aren’t likely to be fantasy starters, but it’s not too far off.
Marshawn Lynch (Redraft: 16, Dynasty: 50)
If you’re not in-it-to-win-it in 2017, sell Lynch right now. I have my concerns that he’ll make it through this season, so to see him up at the No. 50 spot is a little high. But again, if you’re playing for a championship this year, he’s worth the RB50 price tag.
Mike Gillislee (Redraft: 28, Dynasty: 49)
This one is questionable to say the least, because if he’s ranked at No. 28 in redraft, most think he’ll take over the LeGarrette Blount role in the Patriots offense. If he does that, why is his dynasty ranking at No. 49? It’s clear as day, you buy Gillislee, like right now.
Notable Mentions: Christine Michael (Redraft: 68, Dynasty: 92), Frank Gore (Redraft: 27, Dynasty: 61)
Wide Receivers Higher in Dynasty Consensus
Laquon Treadwell (Redraft: 95, Dynasty: 42)
The dream isn’t over just yet, as the ECR clearly shows. I’m one of the believers, too, as Treadwell is just 21-years-old and has a lot of time to grow. He may start to make an impact this year if he can get past Michael Floyd in pre-season. It may be a good idea to price-check with the Treadwell owner in your league.
Geronimo Allison (Redraft: 145, Dynasty: 113)
I’d like to start a movement of Allison in dynasty formats, because his 113 ranking in dynasty is too low. He’s my No. 83 receiver in dynasty and I can make a case why even I am too low. Jordy Nelson is going to be 32-years-old in a few days, Davante Adams is a free agent at the end of next season, and Randall Cobb would cost $12.8 million against the cap in 2018, but can be released with just $3.3 million in dead cap. Aaron Rodgers is going to throw to someone.
Josh Doctson (Redraft: 58, Dynasty: 28)
This one surprised me a little bit, as Doctson will be a starter in 2017, yet his redraft ranking is down at No. 58. His dynasty ranking is right around where it should be considering he was the No. 2 pick in dynasty leagues just one year ago, though there are some health concerns.
Notable Mentions: Sterling Shepard (Redraft: 54, Dynasty: 31), Dorial Green-Beckham (Redraft: 103, Dynasty: 83)
Wide Receivers Lower in Dynasty Consensus
Brandon LaFell (Redraft: 89, Dynasty: 123)
This makes a lot of sense considering LaFell is now on a team that’s drafted wide receivers in the top two rounds in each of the last two years. He’ll be 31-years old in November, so maybe you try and sell on his 2016 campaign where he finished with 862 yards and six touchdowns.
Kendall Wright (Redraft: 77, Dynasty: 111)
Consider me on the opposite side of this argument, as I have Wright at No. 80 in redraft and No. 85 in dynasty. A fresh start was likely needed for Wright and he got it with the Bears, though it’s on a one-year deal. If he can produce numbers in this, his 27-year-old season, Wright should be able to get a three or four-year deal to finish out his career. I still believe in the talent here.
Larry Fitzgerald (Redraft: 26, Dynasty: 58)
Similar to the running backs who are lower in dynasty, Fitzgerald is likely entering what is his last NFL season. If you have a win-now team, Fitzgerald is worth the price of WR58, which is right around the price of someone like Marvin Jones and Curtis Samuel.
Notable Mentions: Ted Ginn (Redraft: 56, Dynasty: 87), Taylor Gabriel (Redraft: 68, Dynasty: 96)
Tight Ends Higher in Dynasty Consensus
Jonnu Smith (Redraft: 52, Dynasty: 27)
I know he’s a rookie, but I’d imagine that this ranking will go down as the years go on, simply because there are many people expecting him to take over the Delanie Walker role. There’s just one issue – the Titans have added legitimate wide receivers, taking away the massive volume Walker had. It’ll take some time for him to see the field as well.
Maxx Williams (Redraft: 56, Dynasty: 46)
There was a time just a few short years ago that Williams was looked at as a top-25 dynasty prospect at tight end. While that has cooled down, it’s not surprising to see him here. He’s on a Ravens team that has Dennis Pitta (soon-to-be 32-years-old), Ben Watson (36-years-old, likely going to be cut), and Crockett Gillmore at the position.
Notable Mentions: Josh Hill (Redraft: 63, Dynasty: 47), Hunter Henry (Redraft: 11, Dynasty: 5)
Tight Ends Lower in Dynasty Consensus
Jermaine Gresham (Redraft: 36, Dynasty: 57)
Seemingly 40-years-old at this point, Gresham is surprisingly young at just 28-years-old. I’d argue that he’s too low in both formats, as he just signed a four-year deal with the Cardinals to be their starting tight end. He’s not being kept there to be a blocker, because he’s pretty awful at that.
Jesse James (Redraft: 28, Dynasty: 40)
He wasn’t the next biggest gap on the chart, but I wanted to include him because if you can buy him for this cheap right now, it may not be a bad idea considering the release of Ladarius Green. James isn’t a game-changer or anything, but he’ll be a streaming option in decent matchups.
Notable Mentions: Antonio Gates (Redraft: 16, Dynasty: 36), Vernon Davis (Redraft: 39, Dynasty: 51)
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
