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Author: Steven Van Tassell (@SteveVT33)
This wasn’t planned in advance, but it seems very 2020 that last week it was big names scoring big points, while the very next week, we had TDs being scored by some pretty obscure NFL players. Last week, it was a “Who’s Who” of players putting up big performances and this week, it’s more of a “Who’s That?”.
A dozen NFL players who are owned in 5% or less of Dynasty Owner leagues scored a TD this week. For half of them, they scored more Dynasty Owner fantasy points this week than they had done all season. Most of them have salaries of under $1 million as well. Three of these players (Richie James, Ryan Nall and Mack Hollins) check all three of the above boxes. Fortunately for me, I don’t need to analyze all of them and make the difficult decision of figuring out who’s worth picking up off the Free Agent Auction this week and who isn’t. That’s Jay Poundsee’s job (@jaypoundsnfl) in his just published Tuesday article and he had plenty of work to do this week in deciding if James, Isaiah McKenzie, Tyler Kroft, Maxx Williams and the rest of the guys who scored a TD this week with under 5% ownership are worth using your Dynasty Dollars on.
Not only were there a dozen guys with under 5% ownership who scored TDs, we also had players with little name recognition and Dynasty Owner ownership like Cam Sims (4% ownership) and Austin Mack (0% ownership) scoring double digit Dynasty Owner fantasy points (14.0 for Sims and 11.2 for Mack) without the benefit of a TD. New Jaguars QB Jake Luton isn’t a household name, even in fantasy football playing households, but he had 25.5 Dynasty Owner fantasy points this week which included a rushing TD. Finally, some highly owned but underperforming players (Irv Smith Jr., Adam Trautman, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, James Washington and more) got into the TD-scoring act this week. Both Smith and Valdes-Scantling had 2 TDs each. There was plenty of scoring from guys who probably weren’t in a lot of Dynasty Owner Starting lineups or on too many Benches this week.
We’ll expand upon the performances of some of these players in our ninth regular season Dynasty Owner weekly recap article for 2020. Just like every week, this article will name a Dynasty Owner Player of the Week and a Value Player of the Week, highlight a player at every position who should have been one of your Starters and one who should have been on your Bench or Practice Squad. We’ll also look at what happened in the Dynasty Owner Match-up of the Week and take our weekly look at the Chase for the Ring standings.
All stats are based on the Standard Dynasty Owner scoring system as outlined in the updated Dynasty Owner Constitution. Standard Dynasty Owner scoring gives you .1 points for every yard rushing or receiving, .1 point for every 2 yards passing, 1 point per reception, 6 points for a rushing, receiving or passing touchdown and 2 points for a successful 2-point conversion (rushing, receiving, or passing). Interceptions or fumbles lost cost you 3 points, while a fumble that is recovered by the player’s team is a loss of only 1 point. Bonus points are available for 100-199 yards rushing (2 points), 200 yards rushing or receiving (6 points), 300-399 yards passing (1 point) and 400 yards passing (4 points). There is also a 3 point bonus for clutch scoring, which is a score that results in a lead change in the final two minutes of the 4th quarter or overtime. Kickoff and punt return touchdowns are worth 6 points for the player and kickoff and punt returns are worth 1 point for every 40 yards.
Standard Dynasty Owner scoring for kickers gives you 1 point for every extra point, while a missed extra point will cost you 1 point. It’s 2 points for a field goal of between 0 and 39 yards, 4 points for a field goal between 40 and 49 yards and 5 points for a field goal of 50 yards or longer. A missed field goal of between 0 and 39 yards will cost you 3 points, while a miss of 40 yards or more is a loss of 2 points.
For the purposes of this article, ADP and Dynasty Owner ownership statistics were current as of November 10th.
Dynasty Owner Player of the Week
Our ninth Dynasty Owner Player of the Week for 2020 and first repeat winner for the season is: Josh Allen
For the second time this season, Josh Allen scored over 50.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points and didn’t commit a turnover. The first time he accomplished both of these feats was back in Week 2 when he scored 50.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points and had no turnovers against the Dolphins. This week, he torched the Seattle defense for 50.2 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (415 passing yards, 3 passing TDs, 14 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD) without a turnover. Allen outdueled the #1 QB in Dynasty Owner in Russell Wilson this week to lead his Bills to a 44-34 victory over Wilson’s Seahawks. After four consecutive subpar performances, Allen was on top of his game this week.
- Week 9 Points: 50.2
- 2020 Salary: $5,295,760
- Cost per Point: $105,493
Congratulations Josh on being the first player to win two Dynasty Owner Player of the Week honors this season.
Dynasty Owner Value Player of the Week
Because this is Dynasty Owner and we’re all looking for value from the players on our roster, we also have the Value Player of the Week. The ninth Dynasty Owner Value Player of the Week for 2020 is: Richie James
There was some stiff competition for this honor with all of the low-salary players who scored TDs this week. With the opportunity to play due to three 49ers WRs on the COVID-19 reserve list (Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Kendrick Bourne) plus George Kittle’s injury, James was the highest scoring WR of the week with 33.4 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (9 receptions, 184 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD). That was slightly more points than top WRs Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill. James was only owned in 2% of Dynasty Owner leagues despite his low $634,143 salary prior to this week. With the return of Samuel and Aiyuk for Week 10, James’ ownership may not go up much after his Week 9 award-winning performance.
- Week 9 Points: 33.4
- 2020 Salary: $634,143
- Cost per Point: $18,986
Congratulations Richie on your first Dynasty Owner Value Player of the Week honor!
Players Who Should Have Been Starters This Week
Next, we look at those players who should have been in one of your Starters based on their performance in Week 9. We aren’t going to write that you should have started Kyler Murray, Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill or Travis Kelce because barring injury or bye week, those guys should always be in your Starting lineup. Instead, these are players who might be Free Agents or on your Bench or Practice Squad, but likely weren’t Starters in Week 9 when they should have been.
QB: Drew Lock (DEN) – 36.4 points
Lock is in this spot for the second week in a row and this week, he was even better. He had the same type of game as last week in that he didn’t do much in the first half (98 passing yards for 4.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points) and came on strong in the second half with 3 TDs (2 passing and 1 rushing). He ended up with 36.4 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (313 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 47 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 1 INT). He’s still averaging less than 20.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points per start (19.6), putting him in Tier 3 among QBs from the Week 9 preview article (https://dynastyowner.com/2020/11/week-9-preview-trade-talk/), but he’s made his case to be in Dynasty Owner Starting lineups over the past two weeks. This week, he definitely should have been your Starter as he was easily in the Top 10 QBs.
Honorable mention to another Tier 3 QB Teddy Bridgewater who had the same number of Dynasty Owner fantasy points this week as Lock. Bridgewater had his top weapon in Christian McCaffrey back and took advantage to produce his best game of the year with 36.4 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (310 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 19 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD). Bridgewater was on the top end of Tier 3 after eight weeks with an average of 20.6 Dynasty Owner fantasy points per week. After this week’s performance, he’s at the low end of Tier 2 with an average of just over 22.3 Dynasty Owner fantasy points per game. In Week 9, he was at his best and should have been in your Starting lineup.
RB: J.D. McKissic (WAS) – 17.2 points
If you take out his Week 1 performance (0.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points), McKissic has been a serviceable low end starter or top Bench option. He has averaged 7.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points per game, which jumps up to 9.1 points if you exclude Week 1. He has done all of this without scoring a TD and continued his TD-less season in Week 9. However, he scored 17.2 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (17 rushing yards, 9 receptions, 65 receiving yards) for his best performance of the season. With all of the RB injuries and bye weeks, McKissic has turned into someone you can plug into your Starting lineup and get some points. He should have been a Starter for your Dynasty Owner team this week.
Honorable mention to Kalen Ballage who re-emerged with the Los Angeles Chargers to put up 16.4 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (69 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 2 receptions, 15 receiving yards). It’s been quite the year for Ballage. He started the 2020 season with the Miami Dolphins, but was traded at the end of August to the New York Jets. That trade was voided three days later after he failed a physical with the Jets. He was then released by the Dolphins in early September and picked up by the Jets ten days later. He played three games with the Jets but waived in early October. Four days after he was waived, the Chargers picked him up and added him to their Practice Squad. When he finally got the chance to play this week, he produced a very solid game. Even though he was still owned in 21% of Dynasty Owner leagues, it’s unlikely anyone had him anywhere near their Starting lineup. Ballage had more Dynasty Owner fantasy points this week than every RB, but first round draft picks Dalvin Cook and Christian McCaffrey plus McKissic and should have been in Dynasty Owner Starting lineups.
WR: Jakobi Meyers (NE) – 28.9 points
After producing only 1.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in the first five games of the 2020 season, Meyers has emerged as the top New England WR with the injuries to fellow WRs Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry. He had 10.2 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in the Patriots’ Week 7 loss to the 49ers and followed it up with 13.8 points in a Week 8 loss to the Bills. This week, Meyers had 28.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (12 receptions and 169 receiving yards) without the benefit of a TD, which is more points than he had scored up to this point of the season (25.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). Meyers is rostered in 61% of Dynasty Owner leagues with a really low salary of $588,333, but was unlikely to have been in many Starting lineups.
Honorable mention to another WR who played on Monday Night Football. Brashard Perriman had only played four out of eight games this season so far, but hadn’t made much of an impact with just 22.8 Dynasty Owner fantasy points combined. This week, he had 27.1 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (5 receptions, 101 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs) to lead the Jets offense. His $6.5 million salary and lack of production have kept his ownership low, at just 36%, but if you have him on your Dynasty Owner roster, this was the week to get him in your Starting lineup.
TE: Irv Smith Jr. (MIN) – 15.0 points
Travis Kelce was the #1 TE in Dynasty Owner again this week with 25.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. He’s outscoring every other TE by 57.6 Dynasty Owner fantasy points. So, if you have Kelce, you’re fine. If not, you might be looking every week to figure out who should be in your Starting lineup. One person who probably wasn’t in too many Starting lineups this week was Irv Smith Jr. of the Minnesota Vikings. Smith had only collected a total of 3.4 Dynasty Owner fantasy points through the first four weeks of the season. That didn’t cause many Dynasty Owners to drop him as his ownership is still 99% now. Instead, they held on and may have been rewarded as Smith scored more than 10.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in two of the past three weeks. Make that three out of four after his 15.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy point (2 receptions, 10 receiving yards, 2 receiving TDs). He might finally be worthy of that mid-round pick (ADP 132.9) most of his Dynasty Owners used on him. Hopefully they took advantage of having Smith on their roster and had him in their Starting lineup this week.
Honorable mention to Saints rookie TE Adam Trautman who scored his first NFL TD this week and had 12.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (3 receptions, 39 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD). That was good for a spot in the Top 10 among TEs this week, just a couple weeks after he was inactive for a game against the Chargers. After scoring just 6.4 Dynasty Owner fantasy points in the Saints’ first seven games, Trautman doubled that output in Week 9 alone and should have been in your Starting lineup.
K: Nick Folk (NE) – 17.0 points
Folk was questionable for Monday Night Football against the Jets due to a back injury. As a result, Dynasty Owners likely removed him from their Starting lineup (and even from their Bench) because of that uncertainty. His Dynasty Owners missed out on 17.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points by not waiting. Of course, he was the #26 kicker in Dynasty Owner after eight weeks and hadn’t scored double digit points yet, so his 17.0 point outburst was a surprise. Folk was 3 for 3 on FGs with one from every scoring range (29, 45 and 51 yards) and 3 PATs. His 51-yarder happened as time expired at the end of the game and earned him the week’s only clutch scoring bonus. Dynasty Owners with Folk on their roster should have waited and put him in their Starting lineup this week.
Players Who Should Have Been on the Bench or Practice Squad
For every player who should have been one of your Starters but wasn’t, we have some players who probably were Starters, but were better left on your Bench or Practice Squad. Here are some likely Starters who should have been riding your Dynasty Owner Bench or hanging out on the Practice Squad in Week 9.
QB: Tom Brady (TB) – 1.5 points
In my Week 9 preview article, I recommended that the G.O.A.T. should be on your Dynasty Owner Bench. While I thought that he would struggle against the Saints as he has in games this year against NFC teams, I wouldn’t have predicted him to have only 1.5 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (209 passing yards, 3 INTs). With two more NFC opponents on tap the next two weeks (Panthers and Rams), it is time to believe in the pattern for the G.O.A.T. is locked in. He probably should be on your Dynasty Owner Bench the next two weeks, just like he should have been this week.
RB: James Conner (PIT) – 4.0 points
Big things were predicted this week for James Conner with the Steelers facing the Dallas Cowboys defense that had allowed over 100 yards rushing by a single RB in two of the past three weeks (with Boston Scott having 70 yards in the third game). As a Top 12 RB in Dynasty Owner with an average of 16.5 Dynasty Owner fantasy points per game, his Dynasty Owners were slotting Conner in as their RB1 for Week 9. That didn’t materialize as he completely flopped, scoring just 4.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (22 rushing yards, 2 receptions, -2 receiving yards). Despite the great matchup, Conner should have been left on your Dynasty Owner Bench.
WR: Corey Davis (TEN) – 0.0 points
Corey Davis was having a breakout 2020 season despite contracting the COVID-19 virus and having to sit out two games. In the five games that he had played before Week 9, Davis had not gotten less than double digit Dynasty Owner fantasy points and was averaging 16.8 Dynasty Owner fantasy points per game. However, this week against the Bears, he put up the dreaded Blutarsky (0.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points). He was targeted three times, but had no catches and should have been left on your Bench or Practice Squad.
TE: Rob Gronkowski (TB) – 1.2 points
After a slow start to the 2020 season, Gronk has had three consecutive weeks with a receiving TD and more than 10.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (18.8 in Week 6, 16.2 in Week 7 and 14.1 in Week 8). This week, with the G.O.A.T. struggling (see above), Gronkowski only garnered 1.2 Dynasty Owner fantasy points (1 reception for 2 yards). This poor performance was despite being targeted six times in the game against the Saints. Leaving nearly all Buccaneers players on the Bench or Practice Squad was the right call this week, Gronkowski included.
K: Ryan Succop (TB) – 4.0 points The Buccaneers offensive woes this week also translated into few scoring attempts for kicker Ryan Succop. He had only one FG attempt, from 48 yards, which he made. That was good enough for 4.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points for the previously ranked #8 kicker in Dynasty Owner. In a week with only seven missed FGs, no kicker had fewer points than Succop. Carolina kicker Joey Slye missed two FGs this week and only finished with 4.0 Dynasty Owner fantasy points as well, but since he was just the #18 ranked kicker prior to Week 9, he shouldn’t have been in too many Starting lineups. Succop probably was with a high-scoring game between the Saints and Buccaneers expected on Sunday Night Football. It wasn’t for the Buccaneers and Succop was better left on your Bench.
Dynasty Owner Matchup of the Week Recap
Baby Got Dak had a mixed bag result this week. They kept their undefeated season going with a 134.8-127.7 victory over Serenity Now, but didn’t score enough points to stay in the Top 25 in the Chase for the Ring. As you can see, Baby Got Dak won because of their Bench scoring.
Baby Got Dak trailed Serenity Now 117.6 to 115.7 using just their Starting lineups. However, the combination of zero points from Serenity Now’s backup kicker Sam Sloman plus 28.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points from Jakobi Meyers who was on Baby Got Dak’s Bench (5.8 points towards their Total Score) pulled Baby Got Dak to victory.
Chase for the Ring Leaderboard
We have a new leader, his name is Victor, and Victor’s team name is Barbee Kilgore. Barbee Kilgore followed up a 241.7 Dynasty Owner fantasy point week last week to move into the Top 25 with 232.9 Dynasty Owner fantasy points to move from second place into first. If you want to learn more about Victor and how he put together his Chase leading team, then check out last week’s Tuesday live podcast and hear Victor talk about it.
The top two teams (Barbee Kilgore and Quaranteed for Greatness) are the only teams with over 1,500 Dynasty Owner fantasy points after Week 9. Besides that, the Top 10 in the Chase looks remarkably familiar with only Yanji in sixth place and The Tough Guys in seventh not being in last week’s Top 10 (although The Tough Guys were in eleventh place). My Corona won again, but slipped from seventh place down to tenth place in the Chase for the Ring standings with their victory.
Conclusions
Last week, it was the big names who produced big points for your Dynasty Owner team. While plenty of them scored big again this week, as evidenced by the high point total for Barbee Kilgore and Quaranteed for Greatness, guys who are only household names in their own household were scoring TDs and the Dynasty Owner fantasy points that go along with those TDs. Some of those guys will be worth picking up in the Free Agent Auction in the upcoming days and weeks, while others can be left there. Now that the games are over for the week, it’s time for Dynasty Owners to get into General Manager mode for Week 10.
Please read the preview article which comes out on Friday throughout the Dynasty Owner season to see how my Week 9 recommendations did and who should be a Starter and who should be on your Bench in Week 10. Besides the weekly recap and preview articles, we will also have articles every week from both Matt Morrison – The Jerk (@Dynastyjerk) and Jay Poundsee (@jaypoundsnfl) as well. Reading their articles will help you figure out the ins and outs of Dynasty Owner and make you a better General Manager and Head Coach.
The podcast series with myself and Dynasty Owner CEO Tim Peffer goes live this week at 1 PM on Wednesday. Our usual Friday AM preview podcast is being moved to Thursday Night at 10 PM (Eastern) so you can watch us and the Thursday Night Football game at the same time! If you can’t make it, then watch or listen anytime on the Dynasty Owner YouTube channel. You can catch up with older videos and tutorials there as well. Subscribe as well to receive notifications and make sure to “Like” all of the videos to help promote them. Dynasty Owner is up to 546 subscribers on YouTube. All of this great content is available to help you win your Dynasty Owner league and make your way into the Top 25 in the Chase for the Ring standings.
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