Although it’s a holiday weekend, the NFL world doesn’t stop, and neither do dynasty leagues. Below are some developments from the past week that could impact dynasty rosters.
Brandon Sample
🚨 Update
The 49ers and WR Brandon Aiyuk are reportedly not close to a long-term deal. pic.twitter.com/onMWA9WI7c
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) July 3, 2024
One of the unresolved topics this offseason has been the contract situation of Brandon Aiyuk, who has been vocal about wanting to cash in on a big extension following the best year of his career in which he threw for over 1,300 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023. A first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Aiyuk has proven himself an elite talent and a key cog in the 49ers offense, steadily improving his production season after season.
Of course, all of that work has led to the current impasse. Aiyuk understandably asked for a big raise/extension and the 49ers wouldn’t give in. I don’t think Aiyuk deserves it, but in the salary cap era, it’s not that simple.
For now, Aiyuk hasn’t taken part in any team activities, but he remains sidelined and therefore still available for a trade, and whether that’s a good or bad thing for his dynasty value is a hot topic in fantasy circles.
Dynastic influence: The longer this stalemate continues, the more uncertainty there is. The fantasy world is hoping Aiyuk will sign an extension, rejoin the 49ers offense and once again lead the team in receiving yards. Most assumed that would have happened by now, but the recent proliferation of receiver extensions has put a damper on the 49ers’ plans.
This also led to a slowdown in the trajectory of Aiyuk’s value.
At the end of the 2023 season, Aiyuk was on track to be a top 10 dynasty receiver. We don’t know where he’ll be playing in the near future, but his rating dropped a bit and stayed in the mid-teens. It might not seem like a big difference, but it’s a question of whether Aiyuk would be a WR1 or WR2 on a dynasty team. If he stays in San Francisco, his value will rise again and he’ll obviously be a WR1.
Moving to another team, any team, would be a downgrade because no other team has a better offensive line than the 49ers, from the coaching staff down. Let’s hope for his sake and the sake of his dynasty coach that it gets resolved quickly.
Fly, eagle, fly
check-in #Eagles Kellen Moore’s offensive line and Saquon Barkley ( Kevin Negandhi) pic.twitter.com/PYSo7y3N9q
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) July 3, 2024
Unlike the unresolved Aiyuk case, Saquon Barkley’s future was decided early in free agency, when he left the New York Giants, who selected him with the No. 2 overall pick, to sign a three-year contract with the division rival Philadelphia Eagles.
For the head coach of the Barkley dynasty, the road to Philadelphia has been full of ups and downs. Barkley rose to the top of the dynasty running back rankings in his rookie season, but his performance only showed glimpses during the season. In 2018, he totaled 2,028 yards and had 11 rushing touchdowns, which were career highs, but no one could have predicted it at the time. Since then, he has had several seasons with over 1,000 total yards and finished as a top-10 fantasy running back, but he also had a season where he missed a few games and fell far outside the top 10, which led to frustration.
But he’ll be hoping his hometown team in Berkeley can give him a fresh start with the best offensive line he’s ever been a part of and help propel him back to elite status.
Dynastic influence: Typically, a 27-year-old running back isn’t an ideal candidate to acquire for a dynasty team, but Barkley could be an exception due to the change of environment if he returns to New York with Daniel Jones still under center and an offensive line that finished in the bottom three in offensive DVOA.
But in Philadelphia, he joined offensive coordinator Kellen Moore on a literal all-star offensive team that led the rushing attack to finish in the top 10 in run attempts in three of his five seasons as the play-caller.
Barkley is currently DLF’s No. 7 running back, but he’s one of the few backs with little competition for touches on one of the league’s best offensive lines, and if a win-now dynasty team needs an RB1, he’s the guy to buy at the moderate position.
Duck Attack
A timeline of Dak Prescott speculation:
• July 2, 2024 – Follow talked Ross Tucker Pod “Dak may not be 100 percent,” he said, “and there are rumours he’s had an MRI.”
• July 4, 2024 – Elnarador A person believed to be Prescott can be seen in the background wearing a walking boot.
All unconfirmed. pic.twitter.com/8FTk10vpi2
— Brandon Rory (@Brandoniswrite) July 4, 2024
The fact that Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is in a walking boot may not seem like a big deal, but the timing is concerning. We’re a few weeks away from preseason, but this is the first time Prescott has had any kind of injury, and a part of his body has been in question for a while. Whatever the injury is, it’s not serious, but all reports are saying it means he’s not at 100 percent.
The only reason Prescott has never been a fantasy QB1 in any season of his career has been injuries. He has always been a top 10 fantasy scorer in the seasons he has played a full game. But in two of the past four seasons, he has missed an entire season, putting Prescott out of QB1 territory. So how do we use this information?
Dynastic influence: Prescott’s managers are taking a wait-and-see approach until there’s more information on how long he’ll be in the walking boot, but if it turns out to be nothing serious, Prescott will remain an elite fantasy option.
If it’s serious, it would be reasonable to start considering removing Prescott as at least QB1. If he misses, it would be the third time in the last five seasons that Prescott has missed a game, and he would be perceived as unreliable. This year would be a good year to make changes to the roster, especially with the amount of first-round QBs entering the league this year. Keep an eye on it, but be prepared to overshoot.
Michael has been playing fantasy football for over 20 years, beginning when his mother funded his first team in the fourth grade. He has written for various fantasy football publications, most recently for Pro Football Focus, where he wrote fantasy-related articles for five years.
