Three Things to Watch for Dynasty Managers Week 2: Is There Gold in the Green Bay Backfield?

Things don't stay stagnant in the NFL. Which means the dynasty landscape is constantly changing.

Every week brings a new tidbit (or twelve) for dynasty managers to analyze and react to. The key word there is “react,” by the way. Notice I didn’t say “overreact.” Because that, folks, is how you lose control of a good dynasty team.

So we’re going to keep our eyes open. We’re going to pay attention to which way the wind is blowing. But we’re also going to control our itchy trade fingers. Cool?

Cool. Here are three things to be on the lookout for in Week 2.

Is There Gold Somewhere in the Packers Backfield?

I mentioned Kaleb Johnson as a buy-low candidate last week, and I’m even more confident in that call now, despite Johnson being inactive for Week 1.

Why? Because the hype train for MarShawn Lloyd was seriously derailed after being outsnapped by Chris Brooks. Sure, Lloyd got more carries (13 vs. 7), but only one of them occurred in the red zone, and he failed to crack even 40 scrimmage yards.

Brooks looked better, especially in pass protection, but not good enough for the Packers to rest on their laurels. They traded for Johnson because he fits their scheme and clearly thought they could revive him. I’d be shocked if Johnson doesn’t get at least a few touches this week against the Jets.

If he looks good—or at least notably better than the current duo—then there could be a longer life for him in Green Bay. Be ready to adjust short- and long-term expectations for this backfield.

How Low Are the Floors For Week 1’s (Presumed) Outliers?

The first week of games did not disappoint those who wanted pure chaos. There was a lot of “wait…THAT GUY?” And “no seriously…THAT F*CKING GUY?”

Here’s a little sampling of the random players that popped off for huge fantasy days:

I’m not comfortable predicting any of them to repeat even 75% of last week’s stats in Week 2.

But I do want to know where their respective floors are. Because I can fathom rostering these players in dynasty even if I don’t expect them to be consistent. But the exact level of their inconsistency is very important to decipher when trying to squeeze potential value out of them, even as occasional flex plays.

If you wanted to trade away every unexpected fantasy dominator from last week, I wouldn’t blame you. But it might not hurt to get at least one more game’s worth of info first. Otherwise, you might regret walking away with just a third-round pick.

Which Pass Catchers Are Truly QB-Proof?

We were treated to an unhealthy amount of replacement quarterback play in Week 1. But rather than dwell on it, let’s see what we can learn from it. Let’s start in Seattle.

Sam Darnold threw the ball twice before leaving the game with an injury that will presumably keep him sidelined for a few weeks. I doubt any fantasy managers were psyched to see Drew Lock take over, but it surely warmed some hearts to see that the QB swap didn’t slow down Jaxon Smith-Njigba one bit.

JSN’s performance with Lock was the best-case scenario, and his 8-122-1 stat line is exactly how you solidify your dynasty value and earn yourself the title of “QB-proof” receiver. But other top-tier pass-catchers weren’t so lucky.

With both Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix both indisposed for the Falcons, we were treated to the Cooper Rush experience. The results were laughably bad, with Rush completing just 12 passes and only Bijan Robinson coming away with more than 30 receiving yards.

So…about Drake London. He’s obviously not as “QB-proof” as JSN, but then again, the gap between Lock and (an injured) Rush is bigger than the gap in Michael Strahan’s front teeth. We shouldn’t necessarily drop London’s dynasty value even if he can’t overcome the dismal QB situation in Atlanta, but we should absolutely be on the lookout for a buy-low opportunity.

Remember, Justin Jefferson was widely considered the WR1B in dynasty before he was put through the grinder with a year J.J. McCarthy and Max Brosmer. Sometimes the situation is simply too dire for even the best receivers to thrive.

Speaking of Jefferson, if he’d had Carson Wentz chucking him the ball more last season, he probably wouldn’t have suffered such a big dropoff in value. After Kyler Murray was knocked out of the game against the Packers, Wentz stepped in and casually reminded folks that Jefferson is a beast, so long as he has a halfway competent QB.

Which is really the crux of what I’m getting at. Watch for any woeful quarterback performances in Week 2 (new or continued) and use them to assess the long-term values of the affected pass-catchers.