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 the highlighted players played the previous week to see how they won or lost to help you decide whether they are legit or a one-week wonder.
Week 7 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 Raheem Mostert and Quentin Johnston. You can find it here if you want to read the whole article.
Darling: Raheem Mostert, RB Miami Dolphins
In Week 7, Raheem Mostert was in check against a tough Eagles defense in primetime on Sunday night. He didn’t quite have the three-touchdown evening light he did in Week 6. Fortunately, Mostert was still very productive with his touches. He had nine carries for 45 rushing yards, averaging five yards per carry. In addition to the rushing work, Mostert converted one of his three targets for six yards. He finished as RB35 in PPR scouring and will look to rebound against New England this week.
Dud: Quentin Johnston, WR Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers faced a legitimate top-tier Chiefs defense in Week 7. Quentin Johnson allotted two targets and converted one into a reception for 20 yards. After last week, the total receptions give Johnston seven catches through seven weeks, and I will let you do the math on how many catches he is averaging per week.
Johnston is a stash as we advance in dynasty leagues because you can’t possibly start him unless you are desperate. Since Mike Williams’ absence, Joshua Palmer has been the consistent offensive weapon we thought Johnston would be. Let’s see if Johnston and the Chargers can light a spark against the Bears on Sunday night.
Dynasty Darlings & Duds from Week 7
Darling: Jordan Addison, WR Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings shocked the 49ers with a win on Monday Night Football in Week 7, and a big reason that happened was because of Jordan Addison. Since the game Justin Jefferson was sidelined due to injury, Addison has been the WR9 in points per game – a remarkable stretch for the rookie.
Addison had ten targets in Week 7 and converted seven into receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was an incredible heads-up and physical play for the 60-yard score.
America, meet Jordan Addison. pic.twitter.com/soUMXFAppi
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 24, 2023
Throughout this season, Addison has been cooking over the middle of the field on all three levels. Over his 14 targets over the middle, he has converted 13 of them for 275 receiving yards and four touchdowns. That is close to 70% of his receiving production.
Addison has proved he can do it all, whether it is a deep shot or a dump-off at the line of scrimmage, letting him showcase his yards after the catch ability. At this point in the year, rookies usually start to find their footing. I want Addison in my dynasty lineup as much as I can get from here on out.
We finally saw the big breakout game, and with the Vikings offense looking much better than in previous weeks paired with their upcoming schedule – Packers, Falcons, Saints, Broncos – we will see similar performances from Addison. Let’s see if Addison can one-up his week seven performance against the division-rival Packers in Week 8.
Honorable Mention: Jahmyr Gibbs, Travis Etienne Jr., Puka Nacua, Dalton Kincaid
Dud: Calvin Ridley, WR Jacksonville Jaguars
Calvin Ridley was a perennial potential breakout player leading up to this season. He was a player everyone was excited for and someone many thought would help Trevor Lawrence take the next step as an NFL quarterback.
This season has had a rollercoaster, and Week 7 was a low for Ridley. He earned four targets but only converted one of them for five yards. On the season, Ridley is sitting as WR37, averaging 11.0 PPR points per game. If you take away his two big weeks – Week 1 and Week 5 – he would be averaging 6.42 PPR fantasy points per game.
We mentioned this above, but Addison is dominating the middle of the field, deemed a more efficient target. Only 17% of Ridley’s targets this year have been over the middle of the field. While Ridley has converted on 54.5% of the intermediate targets on the right and left sides of the field, Christian Kirk is dominating over the middle. Through seven weeks, Kirk sits as the WR15 in PPR points.
Is it time to press the panic button on Calvin Ridley? I looked at the tape & noticed some things.
1. Rarely 1st-Read Target
2. Tough matchup against Marcus Lattimore, but was open plenty
3. Still savvyThis is every Calvin Ridley route from Week 7👇 @FFLeagueWinners pic.twitter.com/JaY8uTEJux
— Thomas Christopher (@ThomasCP_NFL) October 21, 2023
With these numbers this season, Ridley was hardly worth the off-season capital managers gave up to acquire him. He is borderline unstartable right now, and his trade market has faded. As a dynasty manager holding Ridley, you must embrace the variance because better weeks are coming, but starting him is a tough ask. We will see if he can get back on track in Week 8 against a porous Steelers’ secondary.
Honorable Mentions: Gabe Davis, *Bijan Robinson, Amari Cooper, Deshaun Watson.
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.