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- 6 risers and fallers (week 9)
6 risers and fallers (week 9)
Featuring Rashee Rice, Kyler Murray, and more
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Yooo!
Two quick updates before we dive into this week’s risers and fallers:
(1) Jordan Love’s ranking on Fantasy Pros
Something is off with FP and Jordan Love’s ranking again. He dropped 85 spots week-over-week in their rankings. This pushed him down 24 spots in our consensus to 54 overall. This usually sorts itself out in the following week, but we believe Jordan Love’s ranking should be closer to the 30-36 range in our consensus. There were no other outliers in our ranking movement this week.
(2) We added draft picks to the rankings!
You’ll now see draft picks mixed in with our consensus rankings. A few notes worth calling out from the jump:
Fantasy Calc only provides Early, Mid, and Late values for 2026. So that’s why you’ll see them have a ranking for 2026 and not other years.
2027 1st round picks are ranked higher than 2026 picks (barely). This seems to reflect the consensus belief that the 2027 class will be stronger than the 2026 class. But don’t get carried away with this! e.g. the gap between a 2027 Early 1st and 2026 Early 1st is only 3 spots. They are roughly the same value.
Alright, let’s get into this week’s risers and fallers now!
Giddy up.


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Shouting out some great content in the industry:
Draft Sharks: Don’t Trust the Box Score: R.J. Harvey’s TDs Mask Real Concerns
Fantasy Footballers: Trade Targets for Week 9
Fantasy Life: Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer Advice For Week 9: Buy Low on Aaron Jones
Fantasy Pros: 7 Running Backs to Trade Week 9
Yahoo Sports: NFL Trade Deadline: Players we’d like to see moved and their best team fit for fantasy football


📈 RISERS
+7 Rashee Rice (29 OVR, WR10)
Worth an Early 1st round pick+
Mentioned in : Top 8 Fantasy Football Takeaways From Week 8 Usage
Rashee Rice has been unleashed in the Chiefs' offense, with his role expanding dramatically from Week 7 to Week 8 as his route rate jumped from 48% to 83% while maintaining a strong 27% target share. This Week 8 usage represents a return to essentially the same role he played during his rookie season's stretch run and in his three healthy games from earlier this season.
Rice's current usage mirrors his most productive periods, matching the 86% route rate and 23% target share he posted from Week 14 through the Super Bowl in 2023, as well as the 82% route rate and 32% target share from Weeks 1-3 of 2024. During those previous stretches, he averaged 16.4 PPR points in late 2023 (approximately WR13) and 18.3 PPR points in early 2024 (approximately WR8).
With 24.4 PPR points per game through his first two games back this season (tops among all WRs), Rice is positioned as an easy WR1 going forward and likely a top-six player at the position. The analyst believes Rice has an outside chance to lead all wide receivers in fantasy points for the remainder of the season, making him one of the most valuable players available.
Our take: Kudos to you if you bought low and held on through the suspension. I have one share of him from a startup I drafted him in this season. I wish I had more shares. An early 1st round+ is a no-brainer for him.
+23 Daniel Jones (56 OVR, QB18)
Worth a 2028 Early 1st (57 OVR)
Mentioned in : Dynasty Film Review: Week 9 (Fantasy Football)
Daniel Jones is reportedly being considered for a contract extension by the Colts, with the team viewing him as thriving in an adequate system that utilizes his strengths effectively. The Colts are likely to view this season as successful given Jones's performance in their offensive scheme.
Jones is recommended as a 'Keep' at his current QB18 dynasty value, with the potential for a new, stable contract making him a safer long-term investment than many other volatile quarterbacks in that tier. His stability and system fit make him an attractive option for dynasty managers.
The analysts view Jones as someone who will 'swim' moving forward, valuing him as a solid QB2 option for Superflex leagues. His combination of adequate performance and potential contract security provides more reliability than many quarterbacks in similar value ranges.
Our take: He was ranked 137 overall on 9/1 before the season started. He was 191 overall on 8/18! Between Jones, Geno, Darnold, and Baker, it’s clear that we should not always be so quick to write off QBs that have flashed potential. Cough, cough, wink, wink, I’m looking at you Anthony Richardson.
+48 Oronde Gadsden (91 OVR, TE7)
Worth a 2026 Late 1st (88 OVR)
Mentioned in : Fantasy Football Week 9 Rookie Report: Oronde Gadsden II 'is a rest-of-season top-5 tight end' - and more takeaways
Oronde Gadsden II has seen his role explode over recent weeks, with his route rate climbing dramatically from 29% in Week 3 to 94% in Week 8, representing full-time tight end usage on a pass-first offense run by Justin Herbert. Through six games (missing Weeks 1 and 2), Gadsden sits fifth among tight ends with 385 receiving yards, trailing only elite names like Trey McBride, Tucker Kraft, Travis Kelce and Tyler Warren.
Gadsden's usage metrics indicate this breakout is sustainable, as his Trinity score over the last three weeks checks in at 7.58, which is in the neighborhood where alpha receivers live. He ranks second among Chargers pass catchers by this metric, behind Ladd McConkey at 8.15 and ahead of Keenan Allen at 6.85, with his role consolidation coming as Quentin Johnston took a step back during this stretch.
The film backs up Gadsden's impressive numbers, as he separates on corners and seams, plays through contact, and gives Herbert a clean target in the red zone while winning like a jumbo receiver from the slot and out wide. Even when touchdowns regress, he carries a yardage floor that holds due to running near every dropback with a growing slice of first-read looks and two-minute snaps, making him a rest-of-season top-five tight end with weekly TE1 ceiling.
Our take: If the Gadsden owner in your league has him on the block and is looking to cash out, a 2nd rounder or a 2nd + a 3rd isn’t a bad starting place. I’d take Gadsden in a heartbeat for that price. Yes, it’s a small sample. But this feels like a gamble worth taking.
📉 FALLERS
-18 Kyler Murray (70 OVR, QB22)
Worth a 2026 or 2027 Mid 1st (69-73 OVR)
⚠️ Note: This article is from 10/17 but I think it does a really good job of summing up Kyler’s current trajectory.
Mentioned in : Dynasty Roundtable: 10 Biggest 2025 Risers and Fallers
Murray's 2025 season has been particularly concerning as the Cardinals sit at 2-4, with a dysfunctional offense under his leadership. While external factors like Marvin Harrison Jr.'s slower-than-expected production and questionable coaching contribute, Murray shoulders significant blame for the team's inefficient offensive performance.
Despite historically being a strong fantasy asset with multiple top-five finishes and consistent top-twelve quarterback performances in fantasy points per game, Murray has failed to finish as a top-twelve weekly quarterback in 2025. Though he's on pace for 600 rushing yards, his overall fantasy impact has diminished significantly.
Murray's long-term future with the Cardinals appears increasingly uncertain, with a potential out in his contract coming in 2027 when the team faces minimal financial penalty to move on. Given his inconsistent tenure and approaching age 30, his status as an NFL starter could be in jeopardy within the next one to two years.
Our take: It’s been pretty eye-opening to see the Arizona offense operating with Jacoby Brissett these past 2 weeks. Jacoby put up 320 and 279 passing yards in these games. Kyler topped 279 passing yards only 3 times in 2024 and 0 times this season. It’s hard to imagine him being out of a job in a year or two because he’s Kyler Murray, but that’s the path he seems to be on. I’d probably be looking to sell.
-15 Matthew Golden (92 OVR, WR33)
Worth a 2026 Late 1st (88 OVR) and 1 spot behind Oronde Gadsden
Mentioned in : Fantasy Football Panic Meter (2025)
Matthew Golden has been one of the most disappointing rookie wide receivers this season despite being in an ideal position to cement his role as the Packers' No. 1 receiver. He's averaging only 5.8 fantasy points per game, which ranks as the WR71 on the season.
Golden's situation has become even more challenging with Christian Watson returning to the lineup and making an immediate impact. Watson's return has effectively closed the door on Golden's opportunity to establish himself as a primary target in Green Bay's offense.
The combination of his poor production and Watson's return has led to the assessment that it's simply not going to happen for Golden this year. He receives the maximum panic meter rating of 10 out of 10, with the recommendation that fantasy managers can safely drop him from their rosters.
Our take: As mentioned above, he’s 1 spot behind Oronde in our consensus rankings. He’s obviously not droppable in dynasty, but I’d be okay selling him for less than the cost it probably took for you to draft him. I doubt you’d get a late 1st for him. Oronde for Golden would be a smash deal for me.
-27 Jerry Jeudy (146 OVR, WR51)
Worth between a 2028 Mid 2nd and a 2026 Late 2nd (140-150 OVR)
⚠️ Note: This article is from 10/21, but I think it does a really good job of summing up Jeudy’s current value.
Jerry Jeudy has been incredibly disappointing this season, but unlike other struggling players, there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel for his situation. The article points out that Dillon Gabriel, his quarterback, is not performing well, and the Cleveland offense as a whole is described as dreadful.
While other struggling players might have hope for improvement due to being in decent offenses, Jeudy's situation is particularly concerning because multiple factors are working against him - his own struggles, poor quarterback play, and an ineffective overall offense.
The article suggests that while one of these negative factors could potentially improve, it's highly unlikely that all three issues (Jeudy's personal struggles, quarterback performance, and offensive woes) would turn around, making him a candidate to be cut from fantasy rosters.
Our take: In the time since this article was written, Jeudy has played 1 full game and had 2 targets and 0 catches. I’d sell for any 2nd and if he gets traded to another team, I’d be looking at that as the prime sell window.
Friday’s poll results:

🥇 Best subscriber comment (Woody Marks): “You put 'neither' as an option but not 'both'?”
Our take: ^That’s right! Because I wanted you all to draw a line in the sand and pick the guy you believed in more. And now we know. The people choose Woody. I’d lean the same given Chubb is less competition than Pollard.
Today’s poll:
Who would you rather have?(Vote to see live results) |
That’s all for today!
See ya pizza,
Joe

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