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. I will analyze the games, and the highlighted players from the previous week to see how they won or lost; helping you decide whether they are legit or a one-week wonder. Here are your dynasty darlings and duds.
Week Four 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 C.J. Stroud and Desmond Ridder. You can find it here if you want to read the whole article.
Darling: C.J. Stroud
We saw a less exciting performance following C.J. Stroud’s Week 4 masterpiece. He faced a tough Atlanta defense and lost Tank Dell during the game to injury. Stroud had 249 passing yards and a touchdown. While the stat line wasn’t as impressive as you would have liked, he didn’t make mistakes. Stroud has yet to throw an interception this season.
Stroud is currently the QB14 on the season. He is a high-end QB2 in superflex leagues. We must remember that Stroud is a rookie with a bright future. He has shown all the tools to be successful, and we should be very optimistic about his future. Stroud has another tough matchup with a tough Saints defense in week six, so we will see if he can bounce back and get the Houston Texans another win.
Dud: Desmond Ridder
After an alarming performance in London, Desmond Ridder bounced back impressively. Ridder finished Week 5 as the QB6. He lit up the stat sheet through the air with 329 passing yards and added a touchdown on a Bijan Robinson reception. Ridder got it done on the ground as well. He had four rushes for 10 yards and a touchdown.
I am still using this as an opportunity to sell to a manager who might have lost Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones to injuries after this past weekend. I do not think Ridder is the answer in Atlanta, but his performance on Sunday was much more positive than the week prior.
Week 4 – Dynasty Darlings and Duds
Darling: Ja’Marr Chase
Where do I even start here? Ja’Marr Chase’s 52.2-point explosion in Week 5 reminded me why he is arguably the WR1 overall in dynasty leagues. Joe Burrow looked healthier than he has been, and Tee Higgins‘s absence set up Chase for a massive week. Chase had 19 targets that turned into 15 receptions for 192 yards and three touchdowns. It was an unbelievable performance that somehow overshadowed D.J. Moore‘s impactful Thursday night performance.
Chase currently sits as WR6 on the season after his significant Week 5 game. He did most of his damage over the middle of the field with eight of his 15 receptions. All three touchdowns were over the middle as well, but from short, intermediate, and the 63-yard bomb, too. Per Chase’s Instagram post, he proved why he is like a 7/11 – in other words, he’s always open.
The deep TD to Ja'Marr Chase was a beauty off of the Shanahan "heat" concept.
Joe Burrow's bomb is absolutely gorgeous on all-22. pic.twitter.com/CoLaFxqvk3
— mike (@bengals_sans) October 9, 2023
With the news that Justin Jefferson will miss at least four games with a hamstring injury, it is safe to say Chase is the WR1 moving forward. He is one of your best assets on your dynasty teams. I expect this to continue in Week 6, as Chase faces another favorable matchup against the Seahawks. Furthermore, I do not expect the Bengals to rush back Higgins before the bye. The matchup versus the Seahawks is trending toward the Burrow and Chase show, similar to last week, and I am all for it.
Honorable Mentions: D.J. Moore, Justin Fields, Travis Etienne, Breece Hall
Dud: Rhamondre Stevenson
The Patriots offense has been putrid to start the season. Rhamondre Stevenson is the one who is getting the worst of it. Mac Jones hasn’t looked great, combined with inept play from the wide receivers. It is a recipe for disaster.
Before I dive too far into that, let’s recap Stevenson’s production in Week 5. He had eight rushes for 24 yards, many of which looked like the clip below. In addition to the rushing, Stevenson had two targets but failed to covert either. He’s an easy dynasty darlings and duds fade.
Rhamondre Stevenson’s down year has little to nothing to do with him at all.#Patriots call an outside run that is immediately blown up behind the LOS due to poor blocking.pic.twitter.com/5fo65acUaO
— PGS NEST (@NestPgs) October 9, 2023
I was optimistic about Stevenson entering the year, but I knew we should not expect him to repeat with 69 receptions again. I know Rhamondre is struggling. His yard per carry is sitting at 2.8 yards currently, and his snap share percentage is getting closer to Ezekiel Elliott every week. In addition to that, his target share has fallen from 16.2% to 9.6% this year.
Brighter days are ahead as the Patriots’ schedule starts to ease up a bit. We need to see Stevenson’s pass-catching upside, which is why he was so successful over the last few years. I look for Stevenson to be better shortly, but Elliott has been a thorn in his side. Tempering expectations for Stevenson’s production would be wise.
I am holding onto Stevenson, undoubtedly, because he doesn’t have much interest in the dynasty market. On the contrary, I hope he has better games coming down the schedule against a weaker Raiders defense or gets more involved in the passing game against the Bills and Dolphins to close out October.
Honorable Mentions: Najee Harris, Dak Prescott, Jahan Dotson, James Cook
That wraps up this week’s edition of Dynasty Darlings and Duds. 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.