Below is a look at who is rising and who is falling in dynasty fantasy football after Week 15.
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Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers & Fallers
Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers
Kyle Pitts (TE – ATL)
Tip of the cap to you if you started Kyle Pitts this week. With Drake London missing his fourth consecutive game, Pitts dazzled his way to 45.6 fantasy points on Thursday night as Kirk Cousins‘ go-to pass-catcher. Not only was it a career game for the fifth-year tight end, but it was the fifth-best fantasy outing of all time for a tight end, and the top score since Shannon Sharpe in 1996.
Even if you traded Pitts earlier in the year and watched him end your season on Thursday night, like me, it was difficult to root against the massive breakout we’ve all been waiting for. Finally, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound wide receiver disguised as a tight end looked unstoppable and uncoverable, using his huge mitts to pull down any pass thrown his way. Pitts finished the game with 11 receptions on 12 targets en route to 166 yards and three touchdowns. He’s been trending in the right direction for some time.
Pitts was coming off games of 82 and 90 yards in the previous two weeks, his highest totals of the season, and was the fantasy TE10 overall and the fantasy TE14 in points per game (PPG) coming into the week. The way he’s played with London on the shelf makes his impending free agency more interesting.
Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAX)
With the second-most points for a quarterback this season, Trevor Lawrence’s 44.3 points on Sunday fell just short of Josh Allen‘s 44.7 in Week 11. Lawrence completed 20-of-32 pass attempts for 330 yards and five touchdowns, adding 51 yards and another score on five carries. It’s the most touchdown passes the fifth-year quarterback has ever tossed in a game, and he seems to be leveling up with Liam Coen calling the shots.
Since the Jaguars’ Week 9 bye, Lawrence is the QB2 overall and QB3 in PPG, and he is the QB1 from Week 12 onwards. Adding Jakobi Meyers as a target underneath has done wonders for the franchise quarterback, as have his legs. He has four rushing touchdowns on designed runs across his last seven games and is averaging nearly 30 rushing yards per game during that span.
TreVeyon Henderson (RB – NE)
TreVeyon Henderson hit the risers list a few weeks ago as he began to take on a larger share of the workload, but Sunday was his biggest game with Rhamondre Stevenson in the lineup. The rookie running back flashed his big-play ability, ripping off touchdown runs of 52 and 65 yards on his way to 30.1 fantasy points.
Henderson carried the ball 14 times for a total of 148 yards and added two receptions for 13 yards. Although he played just 25 snaps compared to Stevenson’s 35, it was Henderson who led the way with 14 carries compared to six for Stevenson. The Patriots are unlikely to give him a full workhorse role, but Henderson has the juice to produce explosive plays and be a major fantasy contributor in this role.
Jawhar Jordan (RB – HOU)
If you didn’t know who Jawhar Jordan was before Sunday, you do now. After two years on the practice squad, Jordan saw his first NFL game action this week and made his mark with 15 carries for 101 yards and two receptions for 17 yards.
With Nick Chubb sidelined and Woody Marks exiting in the second quarter with an ankle injury, Jordan took over most of the early downs while Dare Ogunbowale handled third downs. At the end of the day, Jordan is a 26-year-old former sixth-round pick who is unlikely to lead the backfield in the future, but he’s put himself on the map.
Keaton Mitchell (RB – BAL)
Keaton Mitchell carried the ball eight times for 66 yards on Sunday while playing 16 snaps. Despite the blowout, most of Mitchell’s work came before garbage time. Derrick Henry carried the ball 11 times and played just 15 snaps.
After running for 76 yards on six carries the week prior, Mitchell was rewarded and has been the most efficient Ravens running back this season. With his size and the presence of Henry, Mitchell will continue to operate as a change-of-pace back, but he could continue to see more volume and be a more consistent part of the offense.
Luther Burden III (WR – CHI)
Before exiting in the third quarter with an ankle injury, Luther Burden was taking full advantage of the absence of Rome Odunze on Sunday. He caught six of his seven targets for 84 yards and 14.4 fantasy points.
It was his second-best game as a pro, but Burden was pacing towards his best before the injury. He seems to be developing a strong rapport with Caleb Williams, as he’s been the most productive Bears receiver in the second half of the season.
Dynasty Fantasy Football Fallers
Ashton Jeanty (RB – LV)
It’s difficult to blame Ashton Jeanty, as he did not choose to become a Las Vegas Raider, but it’s been tough sledding for the sixth overall pick. He rushed nine times for 35 yards on Sunday after tallying just 31 rushing yards last week and 30 the week prior.
Jeanty has just one game of 100 yards rushing this season, which came all the way back in Week 4. He’s averaging just 3.5 yards per carry on the season, with a mark of 2.68 over the last five weeks. As the Raiders’ offensive line continues to struggle and the quarterback play leaves much to be desired, it’s difficult to see Jeanty digging himself out of the hole.
Dynasty managers need to hope the Raiders draft a competent quarterback and revamp the offensive line in the offseason, but there’s no question that the silver and black have darkened Jeanty’s dynasty outlook.
Joe Burrow (QB – CIN)
Joe Burrow makes the fallers list after scoring just 5.5 fantasy points on Sunday with 225 yards and two interceptions, but the falling has more to do with his status off the field. Earlier in the week, Burrow discussed the need to have more fun and asked, “If I’m not having fun, why am I doing this?”
The quarterback clarified that his comments were not aimed at Cincinnati, but it’s something to note, as we’ve seen quarterbacks who get beaten up lose their desire to compete and walk away from the game early. Burrow should be back playing at a high level next year, but it’s slightly concerning for his dynasty stock.
Ladd McConkey (WR – LAC)
Despite a pass-heavy offense to begin the season, Ladd McConkey got off to a slow start after a promising rookie season. Throughout the second half of the season, the Chargers have shifted gears and adopted a run-heavy approach. McConkey seemed to hit his stride in the middle of the season, but he’s been largely absent through the last four weeks as the Chargers have emphasized the run game. He caught just two passes for 20 yards on Sunday and has posted just 84 yards across the last four weeks.
Rookie Tre’ Harris is playing the most in single receiver sets and led the receivers with 56 snaps while drawing five targets. McConkey was fourth on the team in targets with three, while Keenan Allen saw seven targets on just 29 snaps, and tight end Oronde Gadsden was targeted five times.
Kenneth Walker III (RB – SEA)
It’s been difficult to watch the Seahawks’ rushing attack this season, particularly after the team brought in Klint Kubiak to aid the run game. The offensive line continues to struggle in the running game, and Kenneth Walker has struggled to get anything going all season.
Walker carried the ball nine times for 17 yards on Sunday, while Zach Charbonnet carried eight times for 31 yards. Charbonnet played eight more snaps than Walker this week after Walker had been leading the backfield in snaps. The good news is that Walker will become a free agent after the season, but you have to wonder if teams will see him as a feature back at this point.
Evan Engram (TE – DEN)
Evan Engram was expected to be the ‘joker’ in Sean Payton’s offense, but the joke has been on us through 15 weeks of the season. Engram caught just one pass for 12 yards on Sunday, coming in a game in which Bo Nix tallied 302 passing yards and four touchdowns. After notching 79 yards in Week 13 coming out of the bye, there seemed to be some momentum building with Engram in the Broncos’ offense.
Instead, Engram has caught just three passes for 20 yards in the two games since. Outside of the 79-yard performance, which included a 41-yard overtime grab, Engram has failed to reach 43 yards in any other game this season. He’s hit double-digit fantasy points in just two games this season and is all the way down at TE31 in PPG.
Brashard Smith (RB – KC)
Realistically, you could include any member of the Chiefs here, but Brashard Smith was a trendy sleeper pick who was seeing a solid dose of carries and targets in the middle of the season. After posting 13.1 fantasy points on 19 touches in Week 7, Smith has notched just five receptions and 10 carries over a seven-game span since.
Smith hasn’t seen a target in three weeks and did not record a single touch in Week 13 (only three combined touches the last two weeks).
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