10 Fantasy Football Risers & Fallers: Dynasty (2025)

We are officially in the thick of it, with bye-mageddon upon us and a slew of injuries limiting our lineup options. Nonetheless, Week 8 saw some impressive performances and notable leaps from young players. So, who stepped up and who fell in the world of dynasty fantasy football? Let’s take a look.

Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers & Fallers

Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers

Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)

It’s difficult to believe now, but Jonathan Taylor was being drafted 27th overall and eighth among running backs in dynasty startups entering the season. After finishing the week as the top-scoring running back with 37.4 PPR points, Taylor is now the RB1 on the season.

Sunday marked Taylor’s fourth game with 30+ points, or his fifth if we’re allowed to round up from 29.5. He’s scored 10 touchdowns in the last four games and has tallied 370 rushing yards across his last three contests. Perhaps the biggest revelation for Taylor is his receiving line of 25 catches and 206 yards, already compiling his third-best receiving season of his career through just eight games of the season.

The Colts’ offense breaking out under Daniel Jones has aided a strong season for Taylor, and he looks like the best back in the league this season.

James Cook (RB – BUF)

Now up to RB6 in fantasy points per game (PPG) on the season, James Cook tallied 216 rushing yards on Sunday, the highest single-game rushing total in his career and the most of any player this season.

Outside of a couple of quiet games in Weeks 5 and 6, Cook has been electric this season, topping 20 points in each of his other five games. Cook made the risers list after Week 3, and he continues to get better. At just 26 years old, he’s one of the best dynasty running backs after inking a long-term deal with one of the league’s top offenses.

Tyjae Spears (RB – TEN)

It’s common for Tyjae Spears to play more snaps than Tony Pollard in a negative game script, but not only has he been the better receiver between the two, he’s been a better runner as well. On Sunday, he led the Titans in rushing for the second straight week, garnering 59 yards on nine carries with a touchdown compared to 11 carries for 44 yards from Pollard.

Spears also added three grabs for 23 yards. Although neither back can really be trusted right now, Spears looks like the better back, and we may be getting closer to the point of him taking over the backfield.

Chimere Dike (WR – TEN)

Another Titan cracks the list this week in Chimere Dike after notching 16.4 fantasy points this week and 16.9 last week. He hauled in seven of his eight targets for 93 yards after going four for 70 with one touchdown a week ago and registering a carry in each game.

Elic Ayomanor has appeared on the risers list as his snaps began to increase, and now Dike is playing more snaps. The Titans were without Calvin Ridley this week, but they also released Tyler Lockett earlier in the week. As a result, Dike played 63 of a possible 71 snaps while Ayomanor played 67. Both are in line for major roles through the rest of the season.

Jaylin Noel (WR – HOU)

With Nico Collins and Christian Kirk out on Sunday, Jayden Higgins and Xavier Hutchinson played on the outside along with Jared Wayne, while Jaylin Noel and Braxton Berrios rotated in the slot. Although Noel was fourth among the receivers in snaps, his 32% target rate stands out.

Noel’s five catches tied Hutchinson for the team lead, while his 63 yards fell slightly short of Hutchinson’s 69. This comes on the heels of Noel grabbing four passes for 77 yards in Week 7 following the Texans’ bye week. Rookies often take a leap following the bye week, and we may be seeing that with Noel. Kirk will return to the slot, while Collins, Hutchinson and Higgins will continue to play on the outside. However, Noel might be the best receiver on the team after Collins.

Tucker Kraft (TE – GB)

One of my favorite breakout picks this season, Tucker Kraft continues to ascend higher up the dynasty fantasy football rankings. He notched 143 yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions on Sunday, which was good for 33.3 fantasy points, the most for a tight end in a game this season.

Kraft’s 143 yards are the second-most from a tight end this season, while his 142 yards in Week 2 are the third-most. In the games that the Packers tight end has seen five targets or more, he’s averaging 21.3 fantasy points. His usage is the only question, but Kraft has put himself in the discussion as one of the top dynasty tight ends in the game

Dynasty Fantasy Football Fallers

Darnell Mooney (WR – ATL)

With the Falcons’ recent release of Ray-Ray McCloud and Drake London missing Week 8, Darnell Mooney was in a prime position for a breakout game. Instead, he caught just one pass for 11 yards on four targets.

Part of it may be due to the offense stalling under Kirk Cousins, while some of it may be related to Mooney’s ongoing hamstring injury, but he entered the game without an injury designation. After falling just short of 1,000 yards last season, the sixth-year pro has been held to 20 yards or fewer in three of his five games this season.

Keon Coleman (WR – BUF)

Despite encouraging usage, Keon Coleman has fallen short of expectations since his Week 1 outburst. After eight grabs for 112 yards and a score to open the season, Coleman has totaled 155 yards across his six games since, good for 25.8 yards per contest.

Coleman played 46 snaps on Sunday, 16 more than the next closest receiver. Eventually, Buffalo will find a player who can win on the outside, and it will be curtains for Coleman’s value.

Caleb Williams (QB – CHI)

After posting just 4.68 fantasy points against the Saints’ defense in Week 7, Caleb Williams stumbled his way to 11.8 points in a loss to the vulnerable Ravens on Sunday.

Williams started the game strong on the opening drive, but didn’t look great from there on out. He missed open targets and mismanaged the clock during critical moments of the game. Williams has thrown two interceptions in the last two weeks and zero touchdowns. Thus far, it feels like Ben Johnson is trying to work around his quarterback more than through him.

Alvin Kamara (RB – NO)

In a blowout loss at the hands of the Buccaneers, which saw a change at quarterback for the Saints, Alvin Kamara managed just 21 rushing yards, his lowest total of the season. He carried the ball just six times while recording two receptions.

Kamara’s 6.5 fantasy points marked the fourth time he’s been held below 10 fantasy points in eight games. He has yet to hit 100 yards rushing and has hit that mark in total yardage just once this season. On top of that, Kamara has threatened to retire if the Saints trade him. Simply put, he’s an aging running back who is slowing down on a bad team. Not a great recipe.