Three Things to Watch for Dynasty Managers Week 9: Can Justin Jefferson Ease the Panic?

Hold onto your butts, people. The switch has been flipped, and just like that we’re in the second half of the season.

This isn’t the time to take your foot off the gas. No, it’s time to go full throttle. Pedal to the metal. Gun it ‘til you’ve won it. Gasoline out your… ass-oline? Okay, perhaps I’ve lost the thread here.

MY POINT is that no one should be taking their eyes off the prize. With that in mind, here are a few things for dynasty fantasy football managers to watch for this week…

Dynasty Fantasy Football: 3 Things to Watch in Week 9

Thing #1: Which Leaguemates Are Playing For 2028 and Beyond?

First, a general thing. Look at your standings.

It’s easy to diagnose the teams in your league that have washed their hands of this season. And contenders needing some reinforcements can certainly go pick the bones of the carcasses that fell out of contention.

But what I think is more fun, and more prosperous in the long run, is finding teams who have set their sights far beyond a simple reset. The DEEP rebuilders. Not the ones trying to plaster over the holes in the wall. The folks who are pouring a whole new concrete slab for their foundation.

Because that opens up trade opportunities for mid-career running backs and wide receivers with at least a couple of years left in their prime. Instead of sending low-ball offers for Stefon Diggs or Travis Kelce, you can find discounts on Tee Higgins and George Kittle!

I’ve mentioned it before, but some managers crave a long rebuild. They want to take years to try and get everything juuuuuuust right before actually daring to compete again. And this time of year, those managers are ripe for the picking.

NOW LIVE: Dwain McFarland's Week 9 Utilization Report follows the data to identify this week's top waiver wire options, trade targets, upgrades and downgrades. Find Fantasy Life's suite of Utilization Tools here.

Thing #2: Is It Time To Full-Blown Panic About Justin Jefferson?

Let me be clear: I think Justin Jefferson remains one of the most talented all-around wide receivers employed by the NFL. But…

The fact that Jefferson barely clawed his way into the top 12 of our consensus rankings this week, when he has one of the best matchups imaginable, says a lot. The Bills defense offers the second-highest fantasy boost to opposing WRs. If we don’t see “vintage Jefferson” this weekend, any panic about his dynasty value will be justified.

We can only make excuses for so long. Yes, he’s had to play with some pretty bad quarterbacks. I get it. Coming into this season, I was giving him plenty of leeway because of that. But we can’t pin it all on Kyler Murray.

At the time of publishing, it’s been 683 days since Jefferson posted 100 yards and a touchdown in the same game. Maybe that seems like an unfairly high bar, but it’s what we expect from our elite receivers in dynasty. This matchup with Buffalo would be the perfect time for Jefferson to remind the fantasy public that [Macho Man voice] he’s the cream of the crop and [even louder Macho Man voice] can once again rise to the top.

Thing #3: What’s Life Like in Post-Brissett Arizona?

Jacoby Brissett has been traded to the Ravens. So the questions now are twofold: 1) How long until Arizona tosses the keys to rookie QB Carson Beck? And 2) What will the offense look like when they do?

I know everyone’s excited to see more of Gardner Minshew after he shellacked the Dallas defense last week: 188 yards and three touchdowns in less than two quarters is fantastic. (Some might even call it “magic.”) But… this happens. It’s what he does. Minshew has played for six teams in the last eight years. Six teams have caught a whiff of Minshew Mania, and all of them have moved on in short order. He’s not Arizona’s future.

Also, the Cardinals are in last place in the NFC West. They’re 12th in the NFC. Their first-round rookie selection just got placed on IR. The team’s focus should very quickly shift from playoff aspirations to talent evaluation. And they desperately need to see what Beck can do.

Which… may not be much. I’m not sure Beck can even be an average NFL quarterback. He didn’t have any standout traits as a draft prospect. The best thing I can say about him is that he got plenty of experience in his six years of college.

Which means things could quickly go south for Trey McBride and Michael Wilson. The Cardinals will certainly draft a quarterback next year. But which one? Will they draft high enough to get a top prospect? We may need to consider what we can get for those skill players in a trade while we can.