Throughout each week of the season, I will highlight players who elevate their game or sink to new lows. We’ll navigate the dynasty fantasy football streets and the market that coincides with it. Each week we’ll analyze the games and players to see if they became dynasty darlings, or duds for your dynasty fantasy football teams.
Week Three Recap
After each week, I plan on recapping who I discussed during the week before checking back to see if they continued their dominance, bounced back, or remained the same. Last week, I spoke about De’Von Achane and Antonio Gibson. You can find it here if you want to read the whole article.
Darling: De’Von Achane
De’Von Achane goes from waiver wire pick up in redraft (or a late 1st, early 2nd rookie pick in dynasty leagues) this offseason to a potential league winner this year. Achane is heating up and ready to catch fire if he can keep up this production. What is encouraging is that he ended up as the RB5 on just eight carries. We talked about Achane thriving on efficiency last week, which is what is unfolding in front of us.
While I don’t expect Achane to continue averaging 11.4 yards per carry, he will still be a fantastic fantasy producer in this offense. Mike McDaniels won’t be able to keep Achane off the field, so you shouldn’t take Achane out of your fantasy football lineup. Grab some popcorn and watch what he can do on Sunday versus the Giants.
Dud: Antonio Gibson
Antonio Gibson has been disappointing this season. Last week, he had a season-high six rushing attempts. That is positive compared to previous weeks, but Gibson saw his receptions drop from three to one. He needs more usage in the Washington offense if he wants to have any dynasty relevance this season. Gibson played in Week 5 but did not record a rushing attempt. He did have four targets on six catches and turned it into 64 yards – which is decent production in a Flex spot. We will need to see better production going forward before we take him off the dud list.
Week Four – Dynasty Darlings and Duds
Darling: C.J. Stroud
Houston fans should be ecstatic with the start of C.J. Stroud‘s NFL career. The Texans are letting him rip the ball, averaging 37.75 passing attempts per game. In Week 4, Stroud only completed 53% of his passes but had 308 passing yards and two touchdowns. He is on pace to shatter the rookie quarterback passing record.
The best part about this is that Stroud is doing this behind an injured, struggling offensive line. Dameon Pierce hasn’t gotten going, but at the same time, Stroud has unlocked Nico Collins and Tank Dell. I believe in his talent and the coaching staff around him. He makes pinpoint throws every week. His accuracy and ball placement is an excellent sign for the future.
NICO COLLINS IS JUST LIKE THAT pic.twitter.com/biTd2NYRKg
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 1, 2023
Stroud has looked in control since taking the helm as the starting quarterback of the Texans. I have him in the same tier as Trevor Lawerence and Joe Burrow. I am actively trying to move off quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson and Jordan Love to acquire Stroud.
His future looks very bright, and I am trying to get as many shares of him as possible. I want to see if Stroud can continue his development and finish with another top-twelve quarterback finish in Week 5. Let’s see if Stroud continues his incredible start to his career against the Falcons this week.
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Richardson, Nico Collins, Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk
Dud: Desmond Ridder
I am rolling with another quarterback for my dynasty dud of the week. The Falcons have struggled desperately on offense over the season’s first month. While I don’t think it is entirely Desmond Ridder‘s fault, the former Bearcat isn’t helping turn the ship around.
Of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL, Ridder ranks last in PFF’s passing and offensive grades. While Drake London and Kyle Pitts have appeared on this list throughout the season, it is safe to say that this passing attack is not working.
If you have Ridder, I would move on because I don’t think he is the long-term answer. In Week 4, Ridder had back-to-back bad interceptions – one ending in a pick-six. He misread the defense on these interceptions and threw it right to the defensive back.
That's a Darious Williams PICK-6! @Jaguars#ATLvsJAX on ESPN+
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/iptA26RX1i— NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
Things just aren’t clicking with Ridder, and I would rather move on while he is still the starter. You won’t get much, but you need one game to help you move on. I haven’t seen the progressions you would like to see in a second-year quarterback. At some point, you need to cut your losses. We will see if Ridder can get the offense back on track in week five against the Texans.
Honorable Mentions: Daniel Jones, Skyy Moore, Roschon Johnson, Rhamondre Stevenson
That wraps up this week’s edition of Dynasty Duds and Darlings. Be sure to follow me on X for all other fantasy-related content. More importantly, follow The League Winners for updates and all other content throughout the fantasy season.
Joe Arledge
Writer for The League Winners Fantasy Football and Faceoff Sports Network. University of Cincinnati Alumni.