Dynasty Movement: Week 14

The Fantasy Football regular season is ending, and we can begin to put a cap on movement from the season. Dynasty staffers Corey Spala, Andy Hicks, Ryan Weisse, Hutchinson Brown, Jason Wood, Josh Fahlsing and Matt Montgomery hit their movers coming out of Week 13.

The Dynasty staff gathered to work through multiple quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends who are the biggest risers or fallers in rankings. Check out the Footballguys Dynasty Football show with Jagger May and myself for more Dynasty content. We do three episodes weekly, discussing a variety of relevant Dynasty trends.

Dynasty Movement at Quarterback

Bryce Young, Carolina

Ryan Weisse: After a lousy rookie season and a disastrous start to Year 2, you can't blame anyone for burying Young. However, he has shown poise and resiliency since returning to the starting role and might have a future in the NFL. As the 2023 1st overall pick, the Panthers are incentivized to stick with him and find out. They need to get him a true WR1 and fix their offensive line issues. Young might be the best check-and-see trade piece in Dynasty right now. Why not land him for a late 2nd or early 3rd?

Corey Spala:  Young has been playing great football over his last five games since returning as the starter. He has more points per game during the span than C.J. Stroud and Jordan Love. Young has found his rhythm reminiscent of his Alabama collegiate days. He has accumulated seven touchdowns and 1,164 scrimmage yards with three turnovers. His box score stats are not serving justice, as his vision and anticipation have improved. He is currently our QB29 and should move up the rankings after his promising play since becoming the starter in Week 8.

Hutchinson Brown: The flashes he's shown will earn him a starting role in 2025 for Carolina, and I am optimistic about his future. Over the last few weeks, he's looked like the best second-year quarterback this season and has seemed to recapture the talent we saw in college, even with a mediocre receiving core in front of him in Carolina.

Jason Wood: Young hasn't been great since returning to the starting lineup, but he's been serviceable. The general vibe suggests the Panthers will likely give him another year in 2025 to re-establish his pedigree. While I wouldn't recommend betting heavily on this outcome, Young is worth valuing as a top-25 Dynasty quarterback in case things turn around.

Aidan O'Connell, Las Vegas

Andy Hicks: As per the answer to the roundtable question, O'Connell looked great against the Chiefs. He has a real chance to grab the starting job for good beyond the current head coach. With the Bucs, Falcons, and Jaguars next, expect O'Connell to post good numbers and rise in rankings rapidly. He gets a preemptive bump in expectation of numbers to solidify his role. His development has been noticeable. 

Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh

Andy Hicks: Heading into the season, there were doubts that Wilson could win and hold the starting job after a few years of average play in Denver. Mike Tomlin is a good match for him as a head coach. He has given Wilson the confidence to succeed, and Wilson is succeeding. Off his biggest game of the year, Wilson has held off Justin Fields and looks poised to be the answer in the short term for the Steelers. He is a free agent at the end of the year, but it makes too much sense for him not to re-sign. 

Jameis Winston, Cleveland

Matt Montgomery: Analytics be damned (sorry Joe!) Winston has proven time and time again that when he gets steady playing time, he can and will deliver for your fantasy team. It isn't always pretty; he will throw interceptions and make 3-5 plays a game that we will watch and question how he even got here, but when the dust (or snowstorm) settles, he's productive and rarely loses you a game. Four of his last five games have been double digits; three have been 24+.  I genuinely believe that if he doesn't stay in Cleveland, he will be a bridge starter somewhere next year, and we will get at least one more year of Winston magic.

Brock Purdy, San Francisco

Josh Fahlsing:  San Francisco looks like a team on the back end of its contention window and the verge of a reshuffle. Their offensive stars are aging, and there are many mouths to feed with footballs and cash. I don't know how much Purdy's success can be attributed to his teammates and coaches. He is entering a phase of his career where he is going to have to be able to make players around him better if his team is going to continue to have success. I don't know if he can do it, so his current consensus rank of 12 is a little rich for my blood.

Bo Nix, Denver

Josh Fahlsing: It was a rocky start, but Nix has turned it around, and it looks like he will get a chance to be the guy in Denver for the next few seasons. Sean Payton can't be trusted to tell us the truth about his running backs, but his track record with QBs is solid. Payton's offenses regularly produce passing stats and fantasy points. Nix's consensus ranking of 15 is nice, but there is room for him to move up a few spots.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville

Jason Wood: I've never been as bullish on Lawrence as the consensus, and this season hasn't changed my perspective. Setting aside the injury, Lawrence has struggled while playing through another ailment requiring surgery on a team facing another top-down rebuild. While Lawrence may one day develop into a good quarterback, I doubt he'll ever meet the lofty expectations set for him on draft day.

Dynasty Movement at Tight End

Trey McBride and Tip Reiman, Arizona

Andy Hicks: McBride has been the number one target for Kyler Murray. If he were getting touchdowns, he would become even more valuable. Ranking number two behind Brock Bowers isn't a bad thing, though. Four touchdowns in three years is a concern, and other tight ends who score regularly could leapfrog his ranking. The interesting development in all this is the third-round rookie Tip Reiman. He has only three targets and receptions all year. If he gets more involved as a receiver, he could become an excellent handcuff to McBride in deep leagues. 

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo

Jason Wood: Kincaid has missed the last two games, and the Bills haven't skipped a beat. Still, I'm moving him up a slot, leapfrogging him back over Pitts. Pitts has faded into obscurity, and Kirk Cousins looks every bit his age, casting uncertainty on the Falcons' multi-year trajectory. Meanwhile, Kincaid is undoubtedly a fixture on one of the AFC's best offenses, led by an MVP-caliber quarterback in his prime.

AJ Barner, Seattle

Jason Wood: Barner hasn't posted eye-popping numbers in his rookie season with Seattle. However, he's shown enough in an ever-increasing role to project as a fantasy starter in 2025 and beyond—especially if Seattle moves on from incumbent Noah Fant. Barner should be viewed as a top-25 asset with the potential to move several tiers higher if his path to playing time becomes more apparent.

Hutchinson Brown: He hasn't posted jaw-dropping numbers, but he's done well behind Fant and could earn a solid target share in the 2025 season if Seattle moves on from Fant. Given his contract status, it wouldn't shock if that happens. Barner is someone to keep a close eye on.

Jonnu Smith, Miami

Matt Montgomery: Remember, guys, it's never about being wrong about a guy; sometimes you're just early. We all loved the prospects of Smith being utilized as a piece of what we believed would be a high-powered, high-functioning offense. While the offense may have us pulling our hair out, Smith has had a quiet but highly productive season. He's currently sitting at TE5 in .5 PPR formats. With the position being as frustrating as we can remember, he has been consistently great, although he did have one game of zero points just because he is who he is. 

Cade Otton, Tampa Bay

Ryan Weisse: Assuming stability in Tampa Bay has been a tough gamble over the last few seasons, they should head into 2025 with roughly the same offense they have this season. Cade Otton is the TE8 in fantasy this year and, at just 25 years old, should be a favorite red zone target of Baker Mayfield for the next two or three seasons. The return of Chris Godwin might hurt his target volume, but the age of Mike Evans could also increase Otton's touchdown upside. Otton should be considered a fringe top-10 tight end in Dynasty right now.

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta

Josh Fahlsing: I would very much like to lay the blame for Pitts' numbers this year at the feet of his aging QB, but that would ignore that for the past few years, we've laid that blame at the feet of his head coach, his subpar quarterbacks, a knee injury, and, I don't know, the rotation of the moon. He just hasn't produced at the level we all hoped. Even at a position as thin at the top as TE, I'm not sure I can put him at six anymore.

Corey Spala: It pains me to write this, but it may be time to consider moving Pitts further down tight end rankings. Over the last four games, he has failed to accumulate more than 10 points in a single game. Is it a Kirk Cousins thing? Is it the scheme? Is it me wanting an answer? Pitts is fifth in targets on Atlanta; he has fewer targets than Ray-Ray McCloud III. Pitts is our TE6 and should be considered for moving down the rankings.

Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh

Josh Fahlsing: Pittsburgh always gets the best out of their players. Freiermuth hasn't set the world on fire, but he has been a consistent contributor this year and has shown enough through his career that he deserves to move up the TE rankings. I think he's a borderline TE1, and his current ranking of 17 doesn't reflect that.