Bruce Matson discusses which players have seen their dynasty value rise or fall in Week 3. 

This piece is part of our article program that features quality content from experts exclusively at FantasyPros. For more insight from Bruce, head to Dynasty League Football.

Week 3 is in the books. So far this season we’ve seen a lot of rookies exceed expectations while also watching some veteran players fall from grace. It’s always good to analyze each week in a vacuum to determine which NFL players are experiencing a rise or fall in dynasty value. This exercise could help you take advantage of the trade market in your league.

Get a free analysis of your team with My Playbook

Risers

Baker Mayfield (QB – CLE)
After starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor left the game with a concussion, Mayfield got the opportunity to showcase his skillset. He completed 17 of his 23 pass attempts for 201 yards and led the Cleveland Browns to their first win in 635 days. His incredible play last week should earn him the starting quarterback job.

It was going to happen sooner than later. We all knew that Mayfield was going to sniff the field by the end of the season. With the way the Browns were playing during the first two weeks, it seemed imminent that the Mayfield experience was going to happen very soon.

His performance provides a nice little boost to his dynasty stock. Mayfield looks more than competent, and he has intangibles to be the Browns’ franchise quarterback. His dynasty value is going to go through the roof. He will be a hot commodity next offseason.

Calvin Ridley (WR – ATL)
Ridley’s recent performance stifled the criticism that he received during the draft process. In Week 2, he turned five targets into four catches for 64 yards and one touchdown. He then blew up in Week 3, catching seven of his eight targets for 146 yards and three touchdowns, accounting for 43.50 PPR fantasy points.

If you don’t remember, there were a lot of jokes last offseason concerning his age and whether or not that he could be a dependable WR2 at the NFL level. His performance this week proves that he has the potential to put up big numbers when given the opportunity. Since he’s developing into a reliable asset, his dynasty value should only increase going forward. If his production continues, then he should easily be a top-50 draft pick in startup drafts next spring.

Mike Williams (WR – LAC)
A lot of people wrote off Williams after his disappointing rookie season last year. Now it appears that he’s turning into one of Philip Rivers‘ favorite targets. He had an incredible performance in Week 3, catching four passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns. His production so far for this year has been very encouraging, and it looks like he’s going to be a key staple for the Chargers’ offensive game plan for the rest of the season and beyond.

Williams’ dynasty stock will soon rise from obscurity to being a semi-valuable asset. The more boom fantasy weeks he has, the more his trade value will increase. He’s now back on the radar after being left for dead by many dynasty owners a few months ago.

Fallers

Julio Jones (WR – ATL)
Through the first three weeks, Jones has yet to catch a touchdown pass. He had only caught three touchdown passes against the Saints during his entire career. Last week wasn’t a total loss considering he still managed to catch five of his six targets for 96 yards. The problem is his fantasy production is not delivering the equity most dynasty owners paid for him in startup drafts.

At 29 years old, Jones is slowly approaching the age apex for an NFL wide receiver. Even if he finishes the season as a WR1 in fantasy, his age will still cause his dynasty value to decrease. Any concerns hovering around him this offseason will inevitably cause him to drop a few rounds in startup drafts.

He’s a falling knife, and we know that his stock in dynasty if going to bottom out sooner than later. You might want to think about selling him before it’s too late. If you have a contending team, then you might want to just hold on tight and ride the wave. Jones is still producing, but this road trip is about to come to an end.

Kenyan Drake (RB – MIA)
Drake strolled into Week 3 with a very promising matchup against the Oakland Raiders. The game script didn’t go as planned as the Dolphins only ran 39 plays, and only 11 of those plays were handoffs to the running backs. The lack of opportunity netted just three PPR fantasy points and a bad taste in the mouths of many fantasy owners.

The expectations going into the season was that Drake would eventually usurp Frank Gore and be the team’s lead back. However, that’s not the case. Gore still sees a significant market share of the carries, and this is causing Drake to submit volatile fantasy production on a week to week basis. If this continues, then we will see his dynasty ADP plummet next offseason.

Duke Johnson (RB – CLE)
Hue Jackson does not want us to have nice things, and that’s why Johnson has only seen 15 touches in the first three weeks of the season. This is killing his fantasy production and is also going to kill his value in dynasty. Going into the season, he was pegged as the running back to own in Cleveland’s backfield. Now, he appears to be on the outside looking in when it comes to the team’s offensive gameplan.

It’s going to be almost impossible to trade him away right now because you’re not going to receive the same value in return that you could have cashed out for him a few weeks ago. Johnson is a strong hold right now. Hopefully, his workload increases soon, allowing us not to have to worry about trying to find a replacement to fill the void of fantasy points. Right now, it’s just a waiting game to see if he can turn things around.

Find and analyze trades for your team with My Playbook

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS