Dynasty Movement: Week 15

The end of the fantasy regular season is an ideal time to reset Dynasty rankings. The playoff stretch will see new contributors rise as teams out of title contention shut down players who have battled nagging injuries. Dynasty staffers Corey Spala, Andy Hicks, Ryan Weisse, and Matt Montgomery hit their movers coming out of Week 14.

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

Kirk Cousins, Atlanta

Andy Hicks: November 4 is the last time Cousins threw a touchdown. With eight interceptions since then, Cousins has become fantasy poison. He will be 37 at the start of next season, and the Falcons have a first-round rookie waiting in the wings. Theories of trades, e.g., the 49ers, are interesting, but he moves right down the rankings until we have some certainty about his 2025 location. 

Ryan Weisse: Cousins is an older quarterback, but in Superflex, any starting quarterback has value. The issue watching Cousins over the last few games is how long he will be the starter. He is a statue in the pocket and taking far more hits than you want a 36-year-old quarterback taking in a season. There is an increased injury risk, but his play has been subpar over the last month. With first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. waiting in the wings, Cousins' tenure in Atlanta could be shorter than we thought seven months ago.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami

Corey Spala: Tagovailoa is currently QB8 in points per game. This sample includes his Week 2 game when he suffered his concussion in the third quarter. He has four straight games over 20 points. He currently ranks first in completion percentage and success rate and second in expected points added per game and yards per game. I see no reason why he should be ranked as QB20 and should rise the rankings. 

C.J. Stroud, Houston

Matthew Montgomery: Not to pile onto Houston Texans fans any more than necessary, but the sophomore slump we are seeing from Stroud should make us all nervous. It is one thing if he has slight regression as the league compiles more data on him; it is an entirely different thing to see the fall off this substantial. With four games to go, he has 1000 fewer passing yards and 11 fewer touchdowns than last season. In standard scoring, he has 155.34 points, 34.14 of which came in two games against the Jaguars, currently 31st in the league against quarterbacks. There would be more sympathy here if he were in a world-beater division, but the AFC South isn't exactly a juggernaut, and he isn't dominating it like he did last season. 

Dynasty Movement At Tight End

Stone Smartt, LA Chargers

Andy Hicks: Smartt has been developing nicely. In his third season, he has looked great in making several elite catches in the past. With Will Dissly injured, he recorded three grabs against the Chiefs in primetime. A starting job is there for him if he can develop consistency and continue his improvement. Tight Ends come and go. Several look good here and there but fail to be fantasy options. Smartt is worth keeping on a deep roster, but keep expectations low. 

Michael Mayer, Las Vegas

Andy Hicks: Mayer had a solid rookie season. Then, the Raiders drafted Brock Bowers. Then, Mayer was dealing with a personal issue. Since returning, he has slowly built into the seven-catch performance against the Bucs. What happens now is anyone's guess, but at least he is playing football again and well. It is hard to bump him too much without understanding the personal issue, but he warrants a little, as the Raisers are weak at wide receiver. 

Cade Stover, Houston

Corey Spala: Stover does not have flashy box score stats, but he has an intriguing outlook. He is playing behind Dalton Schultz and, subsequently, Nico Collins and Tank Dell, yet Stover has accumulated 20 targets on the season. Again, it's not flashy, but I am intrigued by a dynasty outlook regarding a rookie tight end. Houston has the opportunity to move on from Schultz after the 2025 season, and stashing Stover is optimal if you have the ability. Stover is currently our TE38, and I would rank him over Dawson Knox (TE32) and Tyler Conklin (TE29). 

AJ Barner, Seattle

Corey Spala: Barner is a consistent contributor to Seattle's offense. He saw an uptick in usage when Noah Fant missed three games; he accumulated 15 targets and nine receptions. The immediate usage further elevates his dynasty outlook. I understand having 28 targets through 14 games is not eye-opening. He is your typical developmental rookie tight end, and Seattle does not need to force Barner into their offense. He is our TE57 and should have his ranking rise. Like Stover, I would rank him ahead of Dawson Knox (TE32) and Tyler Conklin (TE29). 

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta

Matthew Montgomery: It is time for us as a collective to finally get rid of the hope we have for Kyle Pitts. It will never be a thing, but we continue to step on the rake and get hit in the face with his lack of production. Last week, in arguably the most crucial week of the season, he produced zero points. That is the type of player that will lose you a week. It doesn't matter that he's only 24. It doesn't matter that the team likely moves to a different quarterback next season. It doesn't matter that he had a good rookie year. He is not a thing; he won't ever be, and we need to accept this fate and move forward on our teams.    

Jonnu Smith, Miami

Ryan Weisse: It took a few years, but Smith is finally making good on fantasy managers' lofty expectations. He has fit perfectly into Mike McDaniel's offense over the last month and has top-10 fantasy potential weekly. Smith is only 29 years old and could be a perfect fit for fantasy managers who don't have a young, elite tight end as long as he stays in Miami.