Sun Nov 16th 2025

Week Eleven Dynasty Takes

Week Eleven Dynasty Takes

Quartrback Duds

• I'll begin this week by giving you a peek behind the curtain regarding my process for writing this article. I start each Sunday with a single sheet of paper divided into nine squares, each corresponding to one of the article's segments. I take in all the action on Sunday and write names of candidates for each segment as the week progresses, before deciding with players and topics to write about. Before I went to bed Sunday night, I had already agreed to lead the artcile with my overall takeaway that this was a low-scoring week and an especially bad quarterback week. That was evident as Sunday's games progressed. When I listened to some of my favorite podcasts this morning, their hosts led with the same storyline. I promise that I am not copying what I heard from them; this was already what I planned to open the article with. It was a terribly low-scoring day unless you had a few specific players on your teams, and the quarterbacks were particularly bad. If you played in a one-quarterback league, odds are your starter scored under 15 points. It was quarterbacks on the bench who had the best day, Bryce Young and Jacoby Brissett, and only Josh Allen went nuts this week. In my Freek league, the starting quarterbacks so far have scored 18, 18, 16, 15, 14, 12, and 6 points, with Dak Prescott yet to play. When quarterback scoring is down, all scoring is down. In my Diehard league, we award $5 to the team with the highest weekly score. Teams usually must score 150 points or more to compete for the weekly prize, but this week, the leader so far has 124 points. The games were very entertaining on Sunday, but the scoring was way down, making tonight's game one that will decide many head-to-head matches this week. I know in my nine dynasty leagues, I will win two for sure and have lost one for sure. In the other six, the low-scoring games come down to the points scored on Monday Night Football tonight. It should be fun!

Right and Wrong

• Right on Sean Tucker 

  • It's not fair to take a victory lap on Tucker after one excellent game, but I always knew he had this in him. He was my favorite sleeper pick in his class two years ago and among my most drafted players. I kept him on most of my rosters for the first two years of his career, but after Bucky Irving broke out last season, I dropped him from my roster in every league. It makes me sad since I liked him so much, but I'm not torn up by it. I still think it's Bucky's backfield once he returns, but Tucker could move into the RB-2 role if he has a few more games like this, especially since he did so well in the passing game this week, which is Rachaad White's specialty.

• Wrong on Bhayshul Tuten

  • Tuten can be my bridge into speaking about injured players, since he left the game with an ankle injury. Before he left, he was cutting into Travis Etienne's workload more than ever before this season, and he looked the best he has all season, too. He had his most yards per game and his most yards per carry per game this season, and he got in the end zone. I did not draft Tuten because there were always a few managers who liked him way more than me and drafted him way earlier than I thought he should go. I liked Etienne and Tank Bigsby too much to believe Tuten could climb the depth chart. I looked right until the Jaguars traded Bigsby, making Tuten the top backup to Etienne, who I still like a lot more than Tuten. Still, his increased role and his play this week, the best I have seen from him, have me questioning my take on Tuten and glad that I added him on one team a few weeks ago in a trade. I'm beginning to buy in and admit I may have been wrong on Tuten.

Injury Report

• J.K. Dobbins

  • Dobbins looks like he will miss the rest of the season, which is a shame since he was off to the best start since his rookie season. Injuries have taken him out every year since that rookie season, though, so it seemed bound to happen to him eventually this season. It's now R.J. Harvey's turn to shine, though he shared the workload with Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin, two of the top players added off waivers at the end of last week. Harvey will still get the bulk of the work the rest of the season, and dynasty managers will get to see one more rookie running back in this class try to break out.

• Sam Laporta

  • LaPorta's injury and move to the IR came out of nowhere, leaving dynasty managers a big hole in their starting lineups since LaPorta was having a very consistent fantasy season compared to his dip last year. I saw many managers pick up Brock Wright after the news came out, but I was not interested in Wright. The other stud players in Detroit's offense will just get a bit more of the passing share now, not Wright, even though they all looked terrible Sunday night when the Eagles dismantled the entire Detroit offense.

• Josh Jacobs

  • As of this writing, Jacobs is not feared to be lost for the season but is considered week-to-week. Missing a few weeks of Jacob will cost dynasty managers in their run ot the playoffs. Hopefully, they have Emanuel Wilson or another back to move into their starting lineups for a time. Wilson has looked good when subbing in for Jacobs this season, and he did well on Sunday after Jacobs left the game. Hopefully, Jacobs will be back soon or at least by the fantasy playoffs.

• Drake London

  • London also avoided serious injury, but he's likely to miss a few weeks with his knee injury. This is devastating news to me, as I traded two first-round picks for London in a league where I am in first place. His outstanding and consistent production could put me over the top in that league, but now I may be without him. Hopefully, he will be back by the time the playoffs start. I have him in three leagues and will limp toward the playoffs without him in my lineups. Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts should get more targets with London out, but they will be hard to rely on for dynasty managers.

• Calvin Ridley

  • Ridley was lost for the rest of the season with a broken leg. He was not a vital part of dynasty lineups, so he will not be missed this season. The Titans will turn even more to their rookie wide receivers Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike, though he was injured on Sunday, too. The Titans' offense is a mess, so no one is reliable in dynasty lineups anyway.

• Jaylen Warren

  • Warren apparently said he could have returned to the game on Sunday. We'll see next week. Kenny Gainwell played fantastically in his absence, though, so the Steelers know they can wait on Warren if they have to. This news stinks for me because Warren is my most rostered player, and his matchups over the next month were highly favorable. I don't have Gainwell on a single roster with Warren, so this injury was extremely painful. I do, however, have Gainwell in the Scott Fish Bowl, where I am the tenth-highest-scoring team overall in the entire tournament. If I get a Gainwell boost in the playoffs, which start this week, I'll be excited about that at least.

• Aaron Rodgers

  • Rodgers broke his wrist on Sunday. There is still some hope for his return this season, though. Mason Rudolf is an experienced backup who can keep the Steelers' offense running, so it will not drastically affect the Steelers' fantasy starters.

• Michael Penix

  • Penix is lost for the season with a knee injury, making it Kirk Cousins' time again in Atlanta. He started one game for them this season and looked awful. I believe he can be better once given more reps, though. Even so, it's a downgrade in the offense that had at least three every-week starters in most dynasty lineups: Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts.

• Dillon Gabriel

  • Gabriel was concussed on Sunday and is likely to miss at least one game. The crowd went wild for Shedeur Sanders when he entered he game, but by the end, boos were a better reaction. Sanders looked lost in his first NFL game experience. Not that there were many fantasy starters in the Cleveland passing game, but those who had relied on Harold Fanin, David Njoku, or Jerry Jeudy can no longer do so. Many dynasty managers, such as myself, were relying on Quinshon Judkins each week. With Sanders running the offense, his production is sure to dip now, too.

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Stock Up

Michael Wilson

• Wilson had the most surprising and ridiculous game of the week, alongside his quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, who completed the most passes in NFL history. Wilson hauled in 15 of them, resulting in 185 yards receiving, obliterating his career-best game receiving with 95 yards. Savvy dynasty managers started him this week after Marvin Harrison Jr. was ruled out after his appendectomy. Boy, did they benefit from it. I know I did in two leagues. His play on Sunday must translate to more opportunities in the future alongside Harrison. So long as Brissett is running the offense, Wilson's stock will rise this season.

Christian Watson

• Watson had two sick touchdown catches on Sunday and emerged as the player to benefit most from Tucker Kraft's injury. Since returning to the lineup himself four weeks ago after a year's absence, he's become the Packers' best playmaker, averaging 19.5 yards per catch. It's been a long wait for dynasty managers, but Watson is returning to his hyped rookie form.

Xavier Legette

• I can't quit him. I still believe in Legette. It may take Bryce Young having the most productive game of his young career, but Legette helped make it happen. He's still one of the most up-and-down players in the league, but his highs are incredible. He's scored double-digit points in all three games he's scored a touchdown, but he's totaled just 10 points in the other six! Call me a sucker, but I'm still very hopeful that he can become a consistent starter in dynasty lineups.

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Stock Down

J.J. McCarthy

• Yikes! McCarthy was so terrible on Sunday that the coaches have to think about a change at the position. It's becoming clearer that there's a reason why the Vikings let Carson Wentz continue to start ahead of him when McCarthy was supposedly injured. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are elite players, but if their quarterback is terrible, they will perpetually find themselves among the average fantasy scorers each week. That's their fate under McCarthy's leadership. I will not be surprised at all if the Vikings find another veteran to start for them next season.

Xavier Worthy

• I've wanted to write about Worthy in this segment for weeks, since his production has fallen off a cliff since Rashee Rice's return. The timing is right to mention him this week, since he had his worst fantasy game of the season, scoring just 4 points on three catches for 25 yards. He's a gadget guy, I'm sad to say, and will never become a focal point of the offense. His dynasty stock is in steep decline.

Quinten Johnston

• Johnston's incredible dynasty rise to begin this season has taken another tumble. He scored zero points this week and was only targeted three times. His stock is still way higher than it was at the beginning of the season. Still, it's fallen significantly after Ladd McConkey returned from injury and Oronde Gadsden emerged as a weapon. He's still an excellent red-zone and deep target, but I fear his target share will continue to fall, as it did this week.

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Young Guns

Bryce Young

• No one saw this coming. Young threw for 448 yards on Sunday, which is more yards than his last three games combined. He has not thrown for more than 200 yards since week two of this season, so this offensive explosion was the biggest surprise of the week. The Panthers are one of the most up-and-down teams in the NFL this season. They've scored 16 or fewer points in six of their ten games and 27 or more points in four of their ten games. Rico Dowdle has been their most consistent player since taking over the backfield, and Tetairoa McMillian has been consistent in catches and yards but inconsistent in scoring. He's only scored a touchdown in two games this season, but he scored two in each of them, including this game on Sunday. Dynasty managers love consistency, but they're not going to get it from this team. The highs are fun to watch, though.

Bijan Robinson

• The fears that Robinson wouldn't be used in the red zone were quieted on Sunday, as he swiftly scored two red-zone touchdowns in the first and second quarters. He has his second-highest scoring game of the season as the Falcons tried to keep pace with the Bryce Young-led Panthers. Bijan is one of the smoothest running backs to watch. Everything looks effortless to him. He's one of a kind and a top-tier dynasty running back for years to come.

Pat Bryant

• Bryant had his most active game of the year with five catches for 82 yards. Six targets were the most he's received this season. He still played only 49% of the snaps, but his production will demand more opportunities. It was good to see what he is capable of this week, and it gives his dynasty managers hope that he can earn a more significant role in the future.

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Old-Man Strength

Josh Allen

• What can you say? Only one person has ever run for three touchdowns and thrown for three touchdowns in a game. His name is Josh Allen, and he's done it twice. There was only one "if-you-played-him-you-likely-lost" player this week, and it was Allen. What's most amazing about this week is that his weapons did nothing. Kincaid was injured and did not play, Khalil Shakir had one catch for negative three yards, and Keon Coleman was inactive for disciplinary reasons. Few people can carry an entire team on their shoulders, but Allen is one of them.

Travis Etienne

• Etienne had his highest scoring game of the year with 19.3 fantasy points after scoring twice against the Chargers. He's the Jaguars' best and only consistent player this season. He's scored more than 11 fantasy points in seven of ten games this season and averaged 7 points per game in the other three. He's not a game-winner kind of player, but he's as reliable as you can get as an every-week starter in the RB-2 or flex position, depending on league settings. He quietly came into the week as the 16th-highest-scoring running back, and his great game this week will move him higher. What a great bounce-back season for Etienne.

George Kittle

• It's been a few weeks since he returned from his injury, but Kittle is getting hot. He's willing to do the dirty work to help the 49ers win anyway they need to, but he's also too big a weapon not to get more involved in the passing game. He had a great game last week, too, but there is more chemistry with Brock Purdy, who started his first game in six weeks. They've only been on the field together twice this season, in week one and this week. They're just getting started. Purdy and Kittle will help a lot of teams down the playoff stretch. Hopefully, it was not too late for dynasty managers who had to wait so patiently for them this season.

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Waiver Watch

Kirk Cousins, Mason Rudolf, Tyrod Taylor, Shedeur Sanders

• It's the quarterback bidding week in superflex leagues. In deep leagues, all of these backups are already on rosters, but in shallower leagues, many are not. I list them here in the order I would prefer to add them.

Isaiah Hodgins

• Hodgins was added back to the Giants' roster this week, and he played immediately. He played 79% of the snaps and had five catches for 57 yards. In deep leagues, he's a great player to add and bid up. He was one of my favorite back-of-the-roster guys for years as I kept waiting for his breakout season. It looked possible for one year with the Giants until they started adding highly drafted receivers. He's back with the team and has a chance to be helpful to dynasty lineups again at the end of this season.

Greg Dortch

• With Marvin Harrison Jr. out, the Cardinals gave Dortch more opportunities, and he delivered with six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. I can't believe a dynasty manager had the courage or need to start him against me in one league this week, but they did, and now I need a better-than-average game from CeeDee Lamb tonight to win the game against him. I'm still in it because I started Michael Wilson against him. Sheesh!

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Dynasty Trades

Cam Skattebo <=======> Davante Adams

• In a league where I was fighting for the last playoff spot, mainly due to injuries to my team that lost in the Super Bowl last year, I lost again last week and decided it was time to give up. A manager sent me this offer, so I gladly and quickly accepted it. Adams will definitely help his cotending team, and Skattebo can help me bounce back next year. Running back is my only weakness in this league because I've consistently finished at the top, which prevents me from drafting rookie running backs. After all, they don't fall that far in the draft. Well, now I have one, and he's one of my favorite players, so I was glad to add another share.

CeeDee Lamb <=======> 2026 1st round pick, two 2nd round picks, and a 3rd round pick

• A manager in this league posted to our group chat that he was rebuilding and his entire team was for sale. Lamb was by far the best player on his roster, and another manager paid a heavy price to get him. I would have rather seen the rebuilding team get two first-round picks back instead of the two seconds and a third, but this price is not too far off. The team that acquired Lamb is on the fringe of making the playoffs, but Lamb will help it get there, especially since he made this next trade, too.

Tee Higgins and a 2027 3rd round pick <=======> 2027 1st and 3rd round pick

• The rebuilding team did get another first-round pick, but this time, it had to trade away Higgins. This price seems right for Higgins, and now his two-year rebuild begins after collecting six picks over the next two years from this one manager. Adding Lamb and Higgins certainly moves this fringe playoff team into a top contender, but he'll have to get through me, the team with the best record and the most total points this season. I'm a little ticked off that he'll make my Super Bowl run more difficult now.

Tyler Warren <=======> Jake Ferguson and Chris Olave

• This is a pretty even trade, a young tight end for an older one, and Olave. My first reaction was to favor the package side of this deal, since Ferguson is scoring the exact same points per game as Warren, so Olave feels like a pretty big bonus piece in this trade. But then I had to be honest with myself, because I rejected the exact same offer when he offered me Ferguson and Olave for Trey McBride. McBride is scoring three more points per game than Ferguson and Warren, though, so I feel more justified in rejecting this trade and more willing to say I like the Ferguson and Olave side of it. It's close, but I think I do.

D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai <=======> Jalen Milroe and Jameson Williams

• The top team in the league acquired Swift and Monangai for his playoff run and future, and he gave away Milroe and Williams to do so. The top team is loaded at receivers, so Williams rarely saw his starting lineup, but it is slightly weak at running back, at least until Bucky Irving returns. The Chicago backfield will give him depth and a flex-worthy player down the stretch this season, and Monangai could become a future starter in his lineup. This is a superflex league, so that's why a manager was still interested in Milroe. I am not, even in a superflex league. Williams is on a hot streak, so at least he got a player on the rise in this trade. It's a pretty even trade for both teams, given where their teams are in this league.

Bijan Robinson <=======> 2026 1st round pick and 2027 1st round pick

• A team at the bottom of the league has made many rebuilding trades over the last few weeks, but this was the biggest yet. They netted two first-round draft picks but had to give up their best player. It's a fair price for Bijan, but I would have asked for a little more, maybe a second in the future, too. Both teams got what they wanted in the deal, and now the playoff-bound teams like me have one tough team to compete with. I'm in third place in this league and fighting for a bye week. I'll really want it after a trade like this made the playoff field more competitive.

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