Highlighting a few key risers and fallers,
the Dynasty Dashboard assists in keeping you on top of
player valuation changes as they are developing. Further, a deep
sleeper or largely overlooked player worthy of consideration for
a spot on your roster will also be identified each week. Keep an
eye on the dashboard and drive your team toward dynasty league success.
Accelerating
Harvin is getting what he wants... opportunities.
Percy
Harvin - If I asked you to name all of the WRs that posted over
1,300 yards from scrimmage last season off of the top of your head,
you might not think of Percy Harvin. He had a sneaky-good 2011 when
you look at the combination of his receiving and rushing numbers.
Those figures combined added up to 1,312 yards and 8 TDs. Harvin
ranked 6th in total yards from scrimmage at the WR position; ahead
of guys like Roddy White, Mike Wallace and Brandon Marshall. And
this doesn’t even factor in his punt return yardage. Harvin is a
special player that the Vikings try to get the ball to in a variety
of manners. Many savvy dynasty owners have long recognized his dynamic
skill set and have him firmly planted in their starting lineup each
week.
Only two games into this season, Harvin has posted 18 receptions
for 188 yards along with 7 rushes for 33 yards. While he has been
kept out of the endzone thus far, his impact is being felt, as he
is averaging over 100 yards from scrimmage at this early stage of
the season. Harvin is a big-time playmaker and he is getting his
hands on the ball a ton. And despite this being his 4th year in
the league, Harvin is only 24 years old and should have a ton of
quality football left in the tank. Guys like Calvin Johnson, Julio
Jones and A.J. Green likely sit atop the WR rankings board for most,
but Harvin belongs somewhere in the next tier, particularly in PPR
formats. Harvin is a legitimate WR1 option for dynasty teams.
Matt
Ryan - In previous weeks, I’ve made the case for Julio Jones
as an “accelerator” and Michael Turner as a “downshifter.” If you’ve
read the last two editions of Dynasty Dashboard, it should come
as no surprise that I also see Matt Ryan as a player making a vertical
climb at his position. I may sound like a broken record on this,
but I believe that the Atlanta passing game is on the rise and their
running attack is on the decline. There are plenty of reasons for
this, including:
- A good QB entering the prime of his career.
- Two elite talents at WR and a TE that has proven to be
still capable.
- A new offensive coordinator that appears more reliant on
passing than his predecessor.
- An aging workhorse RB that is past his prime and seemingly
not a great fit for the new offensive system.
This all adds up to a nice boost for Atlanta’s aerial assault
as well as Matt Ryan’s dynasty value. I think that Ryan is
now hovering somewhere around the mid-level QB1 range in standard
12-team leagues. What’s not to like? Things have aligned nearly
perfectly for him to move up QB rankings everywhere. His first two
games this season lend a touch of credence to this claim, despite
clearly being a small sample size. Using FFToday scoring, Ryan currently
ranks #3 in points scored at QB. In my opinion, he looks like a
player that is transitioning into a must-start status each week.
Downshifting
Mark
Ingram - During the 2011 preseason, I was undeniably in the
camp that believed Ingram could secure the role of workhorse RB
in New Orleans from the word go. I didn’t think he’d get the 3rd
down duties, but aside from that, I expected him to put up some
impressive numbers. As it turns out, due to several reasons, his
rookie season was largely unimpressive. Entering this year, I surprisingly
found myself toward the other end of the spectrum and doubting whether
Ingram would ever have the sort of fantasy impact that I had originally
expected from him. When I look at what he’s done as a Saint as well
as his overall situation, I find it hard to get very excited about
him.
With 144 career rushes under his belt, Ingram has only been able
to bust one run of 25 or greater yards. He hasn’t shown an ability
to make big plays at the NFL level. On top of that, of his 14 carries
from within his opponent’s 9-yard line, he has only reached pay
dirt twice. This is not an efficient conversion rate when you look
at other RBs in the league. For comparison’s sake, in 2011 and season-to-date
2012, Pierre Thomas has scored on an impressive 4 out of his 9 attempts
from within the 9-yard line. Perhaps Ingram’s lack of success on
this front can be attributed primarily to blocking or play calling,
but he certainly has to take some of the responsibility. Regardless
of where blame is cast, since Ingram isn’t heavily utilized in the
passing game and hasn’t ripped many long runs thus far in his young
career, fantasy owners need him to punch in a good percentage of
his short-yardage TD attempts. Until he proves capable of this,
his upside is greatly limited.
Roy
Helu - Selected in the 4h round of the 2011 draft, Roy Helu
generally wasn’t expected to see a ton of touches as a rookie. However,
a Tim Hightower injury forced him into a larger role by mid-season,
and Helu proved effective with an increased workload. In a 7-game
stretch from Week 9 through Week 15, he averaged 17.1 rushing attempts
for 72.0 yards and 0.3 TDs. In addition, he averaged 5.0 receptions
for 34.1 yards. These are solid numbers and Helu definitely looked
the part of a starting NFL RB. Unfortunately for Helu, a toe and
ankle injury opened the door for Evan Royser during the last two
weeks of the season and Royster was also impressive when given his
opportunity.
Entering this preseason, Washington’s backfield was a mess
and no one seemed to have a good handle on how things would shakeout
in the three-player battle between Hightower, Helu and Royster.
Muddying the water even further was the emergence of Alfred Morris.
With Hightower not yet at full health, and with Helu and Royster
each battling nagging injuries, Morris received a lot of important
work. The unheralded rookie out of Florida Atlantic looked good
serving as lead back. The three-headed RB monster in Washington
evolved into a hideous four-headed beast as the preseason progressed.
Yet before anyone could blink, Mike Shanahan swung his mighty sword
and removed one of the heads when he unexpectedly cut Hightower
from the team.
Back to merely a three-player battle at the position, it was still
unclear who the team’s starting RB would be on opening Sunday.
Surprisingly, Morris got the nod Week 1, and he performed admirably
in a win over the Saints. He followed that up with another solid
performance last week and appears to have secured the lead gig for
the time being, largely relegating Helu to 3rd down duty and Royster
to no-man’s land. While this could all change next week with
Shanahan at the helm, as of right now, it is looking like Helu’s
dynasty value is trending markedly downward. Owners that currently
have Helu rostered shouldn’t panic and sell low. If Morris
gets banged up or struggles with ball security, Helu could once
again find himself with a prominent role in the ground game.
Stash in the Glove Box
Lamar
Miller - Leading up to this year’s NFL draft, many experts
had Miller as a highly-rated RB. However, on draft day, he slipped
all the way into the fourth round, where the Dolphins scooped him
up. A couple of Miller’s biggest strengths are his straight-line
speed and athleticism. He was very successful in his one full season
as a starter for the Miami Hurricanes, averaging 5.6 yards per carry
en route to posting 1,272 rushing yards and 9 TDs.
Unfortunately for Miller, he landed in a crowded Dolphins backfield
and is now competing for playing time with Reggie Bush and last
year’s 2nd round pick, Daniel Thomas. However, his situation
may not be as bleak as it appears at first glance. Despite on-going
contract talks, Bush is still slated to be a free agent next season,
and Thomas was added to the team under the previous coaching regime.
Miller may get a real chance to carve out a significant role sooner
than some realize. Yet, even if he does not, those that invested
in him in their league’s rookie draft not too long ago are
likely already believers in his talent and are willing to stash
him on their bench for a good while. He has excellent upside. Miller’s
solid performance vs. Oakland last week is encouraging, but not
something to get carried away with. The way the Raiders defense
was playing, it seemed like nearly any NFL RB could have gouged
them for huge chunks of yards.
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