Find out which players find themselves as Dynasty Risers and Fallers in Week 1 for fantasy football.
It felt like forever, but we finally have NFL football back on the schedule. What a fun week of football we had to start off the 2023 season. After months of speculation and calling our shots, we were finally given some clarity on a few players, while others found themselves in cloudier situations. I will be doing my best not to overreact while giving you the inside edge on players you should sell before the floor drops out, and players you need to grab before they become too expensive. Let’s take a look at Dynasty Risers and Fallers – Week 1.
Dynasty Riser #1 Zay Flowers
Zay Flowers burst onto the scene for the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday catching 9 of 10 targets for 78 yards. I will be the first to admit I wasn’t a big fan of Flowers. Currently have no shares of him in dynasty leagues, but that will have to change.
One of the biggest concerns with Flowers was the crowded wide receiver room in Baltimore. Even if Mark Andrews didn’t play, it was nice to see Flowers demand the most targets from the wide receiver position after just one week.
Even more impressive is that Flowers had 10 targets with only 22 pass attempts (45% target share) by Lamar Jackson – leaving there room for even more upside. Flowers really impressed in his first NFL game and look for him to continue to be the alpha at the WR position even with Mark Andrews’ return looming.
As far as trades goes, I’d be willing to move guys like Jordan Addison or Quentin Johnston for Flowers. I’d also look to acquire Flowers for veterans such as Deebo Samuel or Jerry Jeudy – who are household names in the dynasty community
Dynasty Riser #2 Puka Nacua
The biggest surprise of the weekend was none other than Puka Nacua, 5th round rookie out of BYU. Not only was he impressive, he was a man amongst boys.
In his first career NFL game, Nacua brought in 10 balls on 15 targets for 119 yards. His 15 targets were tied with Tyreek Hill for first in Week 1 among all wide receivers. Some are skeptical if he can continue to perform and be viable for fantasy football, but I think there’s a chance he can continue this success. Another concern for most people is the usage he’ll have when Cooper Kupp comes back.
Although he might not get the same amount of targets, I expect him to still be out there. In Week 1 Nacua played 70% of his snaps outside. Over the last three years, Kupp has played 60+% of his snaps in the slot. It’s feasible that Puka will be the one out there in 12 personnel sets.
With that being said, I would look to try and grab Puca in dynasty fantasy football leagues. The most I would pay for him right now is a 2nd round pick. I’ve been able to get him in one league for that price and it can’t hurt for you to try. I think if he has another huge game this week you won’t be able to get him for less than a 1st.
Dynasty Faller #1 Skyy Moore
It is no surprise to anyone that Skyy Moore has found himself on the fallers list. After a terrible performance on Thursday Night Football against the Detroit Lions, I’d be looking to move Moore for anything you can get.
Moore had 3 targets with 0 catches, as well as 1 rush for 4 yards. With Travis Kelce out for the game, Patrick Mahomes was looking for someone to step up in his absence.
The only wide receiver who could get anything going was rookie Rashee Rice. Rice had 3 catches for 29 yards and a touchdown. That performance by Rice was better than any game Moore has had in his career thus far (and no, that’s not an exaggeration).
Watching the game, it didn’t seem like Moore was doing enough to demand targets. If you can get a 3rd round pick I’d cut my losses before he becomes droppable among a plethora of mediocre wide receivers on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Dynasty Faller #2 Christian Kirk
One of the surprise appearances on this list is Christian Kirk. After a great 2022 season, Kirk had just 3 targets and 1 reception for 9 yards in the opener for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even scarier is that Kirk only played on 61% of snaps, whereas Calvin Ridley played on 81% of snaps and Zay Jones 89% of snaps.
This means there is a very real possibility that Kirk won’t be out on the field in a majority of 12 personnel sets. Another huge problem is Zay Jones. His dependability might lead the Jaguars coaching staff to play Zay over Kirk the entire season.
All this being said, Kirk is a serviceable flex option, but this takes a huge hit to his upside. Personally, I’m trying to get out of all my shares so I’m not left holding the bag. Players I’d look to acquire for him are Keenan Allen, Elijah Moore, or even Mike Evans. If you can somehow still manage to get a 1st for him based on his fantasy performance last year that would be the best-case scenario.
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