We are now over a month into this NFL season! We must focus on the top takeaways now that we have film and statistics to study. No longer can we rest on our offseason takes of who will succeed and who will fail. We now have a reasonably large sample size of NFL football. The fantasy season will move quickly, and in a dynasty, it is essential to acquire players before they break out or unload players before they falter. We can lead our team to a fantasy football title by focusing on weekly top takeaways!
Cam Akers Fresh Start
This summer, much of the worry surrounding Cam Akers was due to injury and a possible time split with Darrel Henderson. Never in a million years would anyone guess his time in Los Angeles may be done. This past Sunday, Akers didn’t see a single snap in the Rams’ 24-10 victory over the P.J. Walker-led Carolina Panthers. Henderson saw most of the work in Akers’s absence and finished with a stat line of 12 carries for 43 yards and two receptions for nine yards.
The future for Akers may be a trade to another team in the National Football League. The trade deadline is approaching in less than a month, and there could be a market for Akers. Regardless, Henderson should be considered a bell cow back going forward. However, the Rams currently have one of the worst offensive lines in the league and have just lost a tackle for the rest of the season.
Marquise Brown Injury
Marquise Brown was having an excellent season on his new team playing with his old college quarterback. Unfortunately, he suffered a foot injury this past week and will miss between four and six weeks. The other troubling factor is that the way Brown wins is with speed. You have to imagine that even recovered from his injury; his speed will be limited for the rest of the year.
In time, however, Deandre Hopkins will make his season debut in Week Seven. He was serving a six-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs and will be a key contributor immediately. The other positive is that Rondale Moore is finally breaking out. Those two combined should be able to replace any production lost in the absence of Marquise Brown.
Brandon Aiyuk Resurgence
There were many questions about how this offense would operate once Trey Lance suffered a season-ending injury. Luckily enough, we have a large sample size of date with Garappolo as the starter for the 49ers. Aiyuk was third on the team in targets last season behind Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. However, Kittle’s role has changed a bit this year.
All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams suffered a high ankle sprain in week three and hasn’t returned to the lineup. Since then, Kittle has been used more as a blocker, and his route run has been limited. Aiyuk has taken advantage of this shift and improved his target share. However, Williams will be back before the season ends, and Kittle will be free to run routes again. The time to buy Kittle is coming to an end in dynasty.
Kenneth Walker Breakout
In Kenneth Walker’s first game as a starter, he showed us exactly why he was selected near the top of every rookie draft this past spring. He was a dominant runner in college, and this past Sunday, he showed that those traits can easily translate to the professional level. On 21 carries, Walker had 97 yards and a touchdown. He also had a pair of catches for thirteen yards as the Seattle Seahawks defeated NFC West rival Arizona 19-9.
Despite being a rookie, Walker is currently top-ten in the league in yards per attempt. We often see rookie running backs breakout mid-season and become league winners that year. Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker, and Dameon Pierce look like this year’s candidates. If you are considering trading for these players, don’t delay. The price only goes up from here!
Information is the most powerful tool any dynasty fantasy football manager possesses. If you can stay on top of the correct information more than your league-mates, you will come out on top. The NFC West is home to many key fantasy players. Be sure to check back with us, as we will be breaking down takeaways from every division this week. And be sure to come back next week, as we will be doing the same for all 18 weeks of the 2022 NFL season!
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I hope you enjoyed this piece in our Winning With Vegas series. For more content like this, follow me on Twitter @DanT_NFL. DMs are always open for any questions, comments, or craft beer recommendations!
