We are wrapping up Week 9, and we will officially be halfway through the NFL season after Monday Night Football. Although the NFL trade deadline had virtually no impact on players’ fantasy values, there are plenty of recent trends that have. Lucky for you, the trade deadline set by Commissioner Goodell doesn’t apply to fantasy football. Here’s a look at who’s trending up and down in dynasty.
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Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers & Fallers
Risers
Making his second appearance on the risers list this season, C.J. Stroud may as well be a weekly staple and poster boy for this list. After setting a new single game rookie record, with 470 passing yards and five touchdowns, Stroud is likely the biggest dynasty riser of the season thus far. Not only are his 41.8 fantasy points the highest total of Week 9, but it’s the best mark of the season for any quarterback. In a league obsessed with quarterbacks who run the ball, the rookie out of Ohio State is dissecting defenses from the pocket. He’s supporting a breakout season for Nico Collins and Tank Dell, both of whom have made the risers list in previous editions and could be listed here again. He’s also been feeding Dalton Schultz and saving enough leftovers for Noah Brown to fill up on. The Texans’ future is bright with this young core, and they will be an appealing fantasy stack for a long time.
The running back rotation in Baltimore has become nearly impossible to predict and it’s likely to get muddier after Keaton Mitchell’s explosion on Sunday. Mitchell played 14 snaps, which was the same as Gus Edwards and well behind Justice Hill‘s 48, but the undrafted rookie led the group with 138 rushing yards and a touchdown. Edwards fell into the endzone twice himself while Hill took 13 carries for 40 yards. It’s unlikely that Mitchell usurps Edwards in short yardage situations, but the Ravens’ offense can clearly benefit from his explosiveness, an element that this backfield has been missing. While we need to keep expectations in check from an undrafted running back coming out of nowhere in Week 9, taking handoffs from Lamar Jackson provides a unique opportunity for big play potential.
You’d be forgiven if you had simply forgotten how good Diontae Johnson is, but it’s time for a refresher if so. Johnson grabbed seven of nine targets for 90 yards and a touchdown on Thursday, marking his first trip to the end zone since 2021. If earning targets is a skill, consider it Johnson’s greatest weapon, as he’s seen 29 in the last three weeks since returning from injury. Although Kenny Pickett has plenty of question marks, he knows how much separation Johnson creates and there will be no shortage of targets heading his way.
Thursday’s game was a microcosm of the season for Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris. Harris edged out Warren in fantasy points by 15.6 points to 14.3, but Warren was clearly the more efficient back. Warren posted a career high 88 rushing yards along with a season high 11 carries, while also adding three receptions for 25 yards. Harris carried 16 times for just 69 yards but found the endzone, aiding his higher point total. This backfield is inching closer and closer to a full-blown timeshare, but it will tough for Warren to truly break out unless he gets more touches near the goal line. Regardless, the better running back typically wins out in the long run and Warren is proving who that is week after week.
Even after catching just one pass for three yards, Cedric Tillman’s stock is on the rise. The Browns traded Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Lions at the trade deadline, possibly to open more opportunities for Tillman, who played 43 out of 51 snaps on Sunday. It’s worth noting that David Bell was out this week, but with Elijah Moore running out of the slot, there’s an opportunity for a role opposite of Amari Cooper and it looks to be Tillman’s for the taking.
With Kendrick Bourne going on IR, the Patriots’ top wide receiver role seems to be in the hands of Demario Douglas. The Patriots’ wide receiver role is a less fruitful one than most others across the NFL, but it’s still a huge accomplishment for the sixth-round rookie out of Liberty. Douglas caught five passes for 55 yards on Sunday and has now seen 20 targets in the last three weeks, allowing him to reach double digit fantasy points in two of the last three games.
Fallers
After ending Week 9 with 7.4 fantasy points on four receptions for 34 yards, Davante Adams has now been held below double-digit fantasy points in four of the last five weeks. He hasn’t sniffed 100 yards or the end zone since Week 3 and although there is optimism around Aidan O’Connell, the offense is largely unknown with him under center. It’s not as if the Monstars from Space Jam have come to earth and stolen Adams’ talent, but he will be 31 soon and with the trade deadline in the rear view, he’s stuck in the silver and black hole for the remainder of the season. It’s likely to get a little better for Adams, and he may even be a buy low at the right price, but it’s unlikely you can sell him for a small fortune like you could have early this season.
Michael Gallup (WR – DAL)
It was not long ago that Michael Gallup was seeing increased opportunities in the Cowboys’ offense, but it may have been short-lived if Week 9 is any indication. Gallup caught 11 passes for 152 yards in Weeks 3 and 4 combined and appeared to be building some momentum early in the season. He played 82% of snaps in Week 5 and 70% in Week 6, but then fell to 51% after the team’s bye in Week 8. This week, he played just 48% of snaps and ran only three more routes than Jalen Tolbert, who out-targeted Gallup by 5 to 3.
Is it time to push for running back eligibility for Rondale Moore? If you didn’t know, Moore has generated more rushing yards this season than receiving yards, with 150 on the ground compared to 128 through the air. With James Conner set to return soon, it’s likely that Moore’s rushing attempts will take a hit, but where does that leave his role in the passing game? He was only targeted twice on Sunday and has failed to surpass 33 receiving yards in a game this season. He’s no longer playing outside in 12 personnel like he was last season. Perhaps things will look different when Kyler Murray returns, but his stock is at an all-time low right now.
On Friday, Coach Bill Belichick stated that the past week was Kayshon Boutte’s best week of practice. Combine that with injuries to Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker, and it was fair to assume the rookie was set to get his shot this week. Even Boutte himself stated that he needed to step up now that his name is being called. But his name, sadly, was not called. The rookie sixth round pick, who many dynasty managers have believed in, has not been active since Week 1, when he was targeted four times. If he can’t get a shot with the team’s top two wide receivers out, when will his time come?
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