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!
Melvin Gordon Disappearing Act
After Javonte’s injury, everyone assumed it would be the Melvin Gordon show from here on out. In the first game without Williams, Gordon got most of the work. However, there was one concern, his fumbling issues. When the game got to crunch time in the end, we saw a heavy dose of Mike Boone on the field. It was only for one quarter, so no big deal. But then the Broncos signed Latavius Murray and immediately elevated him from the practice squad for his first eligible game. That is where the troubles began for Melvin Gordon.
The Denver Broncos fell to their AFC West Division rival by a score of 19-16 in another low-scoring Broncos game. This offense with Russel Wilson looks inept, but that is enough for another article. Melvin Gordon started the game but was only on the field for nine total snaps. After the first drive, he spent the remainder of the game on the sideline. Latavius Murray finished with a stat line of 15 carries for 66 yards, while Mike Boone saw only one carry the whole game. When asked about Gordon’s usage post-game, head coach Nathaniel Hackett didn’t have much to say regarding the issue. This is a trend that dynasty managers should keep a close eye on.
Joshua Palmer Target Hog
Keenan Allen missed yet another game in Week Seven and is trending toward missing Week Eight as well before the Chargers’ Week Nine bye. In his absence, Joshua Palmer served as a target hog in Monday Nights’ AFC West matchup. He commanded a dozen targets; meanwhile Mike Williams only handled half of that. This was Josh Palmer’s biggest game of the season, and he finished as WR23 on the week. This game could have easily been bigger for Palmer if Justin Herbert was able to find the endzone even once.
Palmer holds high-end handcuff appeal at the wide receiver position. As much as Allen talks about his return, there are no guarantees that he finishes the season healthy. Palmer is a great buy in dynasty right now. He is only 24 years old, and the big contracts of Mike Williams and Keenan Allen have expiration dates on the horizon. The Chargers have their franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert, and these two young players could be linked together for the next six to eight years. A quick browse of the Dynasty GM Trade Browser returns multiple results of Palmer for a third. This is an offer everyone reading this should send out today!
JuJu Takes Command
We have been waiting all season for another pass catcher besides Travis Kelce to emerge as a leading force in this Kansas City offense. This past Sunday, JuJu Smith-Schuster broke 100 receiving yards and scored a touchdown. He is currently the second-most-targetted player behind Travis Kelce on this offense. This a trend that fantasy managers must pay attention to as we head into the second half of the fantasy regular season. JuJu is a player for which contenders must consider going out and making a move.
JuJu is a player that can easily be traded for. He is on a one-year prove-it deal, and any dynasty managers who are out of the playoff picture already may be quick to move him. His main concern would be the one wide receiver that everyone refuses to stop talking about. Odell Beckham Jr. is still a free agent, and recent rumors have linked him to Kansas City. However, we must remember that Odell suffered his injury in the last Super Bowl. There are no guarantees he will perform at 100%. If he signs, it should just further fuel your JuJu trade ambitions.
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 AFC 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!
