Week one is in the books! Each week I am going to look into a division and give you my favorite dynasty fantasy football buy, sell and hold. The AFC West teams brought us some surprising performances both positive and negative.
The Kansas City Chiefs had a rough game on Thursday Night Football without Travis Kelce. But what we really want to know is who will step up as the Chiefs number one WR?
The Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders gave us a back and forth effort with Russell Wilson and Jimmy Garoppolo each throwing two TDs. Can those QBs keep up with the other two high flying offenses out West?
The Los Angeles Chargers had a shootout with the Miami Dolphins, showing their depth and willingness to spread the ball around. Does Austin Ekeler have another RB1 season in him?
Buy – Jakobi Meyers WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Brandin Cooks has always held the Mr. Underrated title in dynasty fantasy football, but Jakobi Meyers is fighting for it. While with the New England Patriots, Meyers was the WR33 in half PPR scoring in 2021, despite only scoring two TDs. Last year, he was the WR28.
Josh McDaniels didn’t waste time once free agency opened, bringing in his guy on a three-year contract. Meyers did not disappoint in week one either! He generated 24.6 points in Week 1; scoring twice on 9 receptions for 81 yards. His skill set matches Garoppolo’s short passing game perfectly, and he should continue to produce consistently.
Now, Meyers did take a big hit and left the game late. He will enter the week in concussion protocol. This shouldn’t scare you away from acquiring him, however. It might even bring his price down a bit if his manager is concerned.
Meyers moved up slightly after his week one performance. He now ranks as the WR 58, up from 63 on KeepTradeCut. His value is around a late 2024 2nd. I am willing to throw a couple of picks in a deal to acquire him. He is the perfect WR3 who will give you a safe floor with the potential for spike weeks, as well. At 26 years old, Meyers is entering his prime.
Sell – Austin Ekeler RB, Los Angeles Chargers
This division has a few veterans like Davante Adams, Wilson, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams who could all be in this category. However, Ekeler is a no brainer. The only reason you are holding him is if you are locked in as a contending team. Even then, it might not be a bad idea to see what you could get to downgrade.
Ekeler did what Ekeler does and scored 24.4 points in Week 1. This could have been a lot higher as he had six touches inside the red zone, but only cashed in on one of them. Ekeler is a TD machine, scoring 18 last year and 20 the year before. However, the Chargers aren’t scared to mix in another back, which is good and bad.
Joshua Kelley had the same number of carries as Ekeler (16) and showed well. He turned his 16 carries into 91 yards and a score. It is good they aren’t overusing Ekeler, and if it was just between the tackle work that was being taken away, it wouldn’t be so bad. However, Kelley was given five touches inside the 20, which was only one less than Ekeler. That is concerning and could cut into Ekeler’s upside.
Ekeler is in the final year of his contract with the Chargers. He has been vocal about RBs getting paid. It will be interesting to see how his body holds up and if the Chargers are willing to pay up to keep him around. He doesn’t have the mileage of an Ezekiel Elliott or Derrick Henry, but he has dealt with injuries throughout his career.
Speaking of injuries, Ekeler currently has an ankle injury that is likely to keep him sidelined this week. If he misses more time, it’s not going to help his value. But, after a couple of solid games, you should be able to get a first plus something for the reigning number 1 RB. The best time to sell veteran RBs is while they are performing.
Hold – Skyy Moore WR, Kansas City Chiefs
It was a disappointing game for Skyy Moore. Things just seemed off without Travis Kelce on the field. Moore was targeted three times and ran once for four yards. 0.4 fantasy points was not the game fantasy players were expecting, especially with Kelce out.
Throughout camp it was Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling running with the ones. That showed, as Moore played 69% of the team’s snaps, which was the highest amongst the Chiefs WRs. The former second-round WR barely saw the field last year, so it’s encouraging to see him out there as the main WR. However, Patrick Mahomes threw to 12 different players in Week 1. If that continues, owning any player not named Kelce is going to be frustrating to own in dynasty fantasy football.
Don’t panic on Moore just yet. If he can take over JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s role from last year, he has a chance to be fantasy relevant and hold or possibly increase his value. Smith-Schuster finished as the WR 29 last year, averaging 9.1 points per game. That is in the realm of possibility for Moore.
Bonus – Favorite Stash! Zamir White RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Josh Jacobs had an elite year in 2022, yet the Raiders didn’t want to pay him. Don’t be surprised if Jacobs walks next offseason, leaving the door wide open for Zamir White to become the main guy. White took first team reps most of training camp while Jacobs sat out. Throw him into a trade or send a future 3rd to acquire his services.
It’s the start of Week 2, so don’t panic on any players. However, it is not a bad idea to see which dynasty fantasy football managers suffered injuries and might be in panic mode already. Anyone who lost JK Dobbins or Aaron Rodgers might be looking for help. Garoppolo or Wilson might be valuable to a Rodgers owner. Ditto for Ekeler to a Dobbins owner.
Good luck in this week and check back next week when I dive into the NFC West.
Sheldon Hand
Sheldon Hand is an elementary school teacher. He started writing in 2019, and started working with The League Winners in 2021. He has been playing fantasy football for fifteen years, got into dynasty seven years ago and have become a bit obsessed.