As Rich, Matt, Garret, and Jared say on our weekly podcast, here at Dynasty Nerds, we’ll put our dynasty rankings up against anybody. Dynasty players have come to trust our opinions with a track record of well-researched and informed content over the past decade. If you haven’t dug into our rankings (er, sorry… I mean, “rankins”) lately, check them out here!
However, we are also not afraid of acknowledging the great work of other dedicated teams and websites in the dynasty community. One of the newest kids to the block, KeepTradeCut, is increasingly cited as one of the best sources for dynasty rankings and player values. Go give them a try, too.
Of course, you don’t come to Dynasty Nerds, the best dynasty fantasy football team and site on the planet, to find out what the community as a whole thinks. Above all, you come here to find out what our team thinks. Therefore, I crunched some numbers for you to find where KeepTradeCut’s values differ the most from our dynasty rankings. Who are we higher on than the community and vice versa?
Note – I pulled these numbers off of both sites during the first week of March 2022, so they are subject to change, as all good dynasty rankings are! I focused only on players in the Top 100 because the difference in how both sites feel about James Proche is probably not something you care about all that much. Finally, in case it wasn’t obvious, these rankings are all from Superflex dynasty rankings.
Top Three Players Lower in our Dynasty Rankings
Trey Lance, QB San Francisco 49ers
KeepTradeCut Ranking – 14th
Dynasty Nerds Ranking – 67th
Undoubtedly, there are many dynasty players very high on Trey Lance. The community values at KTC have him as the 8th ranked quarterback between Dak Prescott and Trevor Lawrence. However, at Dynasty Nerds, we have him as our 18th ranked quarterback in Superflex. It is important to realize before we go on that these are our rankings, not trade values! Without a doubt, you could get more in trade for Trey Lance than some players we have ranked ahead of him, like Mac Jones and Ryan Tannehill. Does this mean we hate Trey Lance? No, of course not! Dynasty is all about value and player evaluation. To put it differently, we simply do not feel Trey Lance should be valued as high as the likes of Najee Harris and Dak Prescott. Find out why some of our team would advise you to exercise some caution on Trey Lance.
Tee Higgins, WR Cincinnati Bengals
KeepTradeCut Ranking – 23rd
Dynasty Nerds Ranking – 58th
This one is tough for me because I am closer to the KTC ranking than ours when it comes to Tee Higgins. That said, the community at KTC has Tee Higgins ranked between Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams. Without a doubt, as much as I love Tee Higgins, I could not justify such a lofty rank. At 23rd, not only are you putting him amongst those amazing receivers, but you’re also ranking him with players like Christian McCaffrey and Mark Andrews. Tee Higgins is great, but he is not that great. I believe our ranking to be more reasonable, putting him closer to receivers like Diontae Johnson and DeVonta Smith.
Want to read more about where Tee Higgins should be ranked? Check out this recent article by our own Steven Pintado.
Jaylen Waddle, WR Miami Dolphins
KeepTradeCut Ranking – 18th
Dynasty Nerds Ranking – 52nd
Certainly, this may ruffle some feathers. With an overall ranking of 18th, Waddle’s KTC value has almost no room to grow. He is already ranked ahead of Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel, and Tyreek Hill. He is an amazing player, but can you ever foresee Waddle stealing the mantle from Justin Jefferson or Ja’marr Chase? I do not. Can he be great enough to supplant any of the top quarterbacks in Superflex? Dethrone the top running backs? No.
Again, as with Higgins, our ranking of Waddle is not because we dislike the player. The wide receiver position is just so deep right now that it is difficult for us to rank any of them above the top players at the more scarce positions.
The biggest reason we might be too low on Waddle, as mentioned on a recent podcast? The recent coaching change in Miami. Read more about that change here with an article from Dynasty Nerds’ Christian Crespo.
Top Three Players Lower in our Dynasty Rankings
Ezekiel Elliot, RB Dallas Cowboys
KeepTradeCut Ranking – 99th
Dynasty Nerds Ranking – 43rd
Comparatively, the three names you are about to see may not surprise you. Overall, the community values (overvalues?) youth in their rankings. Enter one Ezekiel Elliot. The community at KTC values him as the 26th running back off the board. Twenty-sixth! That just screams value to me.
Will you have a difficult time trading him away right now for decent value? Yes, but remember, these are our rankings and not just our trade values. Will Zeke rebound from his injury-plagued 2021 season to again become a top-flight running back? That is how our team sees it. At only 27 years this July, Elliot is a screaming buy for contending teams.
The team had a lot to say about Zeke in this story by Justin Herrera last month.
DeAndre Hopkins, WR Arizona Cardinals
KeepTradeCut Ranking – 84th
Dynasty Nerds Ranking – 37th
Quick, who would you rather have? DeAndre Hopkins or Rashod Bateman? Hopkins or Darnell Mooney? Hopkins or Chase Claypool? Those are the three receivers being valued closest to DeAndre Hopkins, the 29th-ranked wide receiver, on KTC. My answer to all three of those questions is easily DeAndre Hopkins.
In fairness, I do believe our ranking is a bit lofty for a receiver turning 30 in June. It must be remembered that last season was really the first where Hopkins missed more than a game or two. Even then, he still managed to score eight touchdowns in only ten games played. His yards per target were the third-highest in his nine-year career. I feel that Hopkins is going to give dynasty players at least a few more seasons of high-level fantasy production. Don’t let last season’s hiccup convince you otherwise.
Hopkins was one of Tim Martens’ three wide receivers for contending teams to buy this offseason. Who are the other two? Find out!
Mike Williams, WR Los Angeles Chargers
KeepTradeCut Ranking – 108th
Dynasty Nerds Ranking – 61st
You have listened to the Dynasty Nerds podcast before, right? What more do I need to add?
In all seriousness, the community on KTC has Mike Williams, last year’s WR19, as the 41st ranked wide receiver. Even we, in our unashamed Mike Williams adoration, have him ranked a more reasonable as WR24. What does a 27-year-old superstar have to do to earn your respect? Play with a top-level NFL quarterback? Check. Get re-signed by that team to a massive contract extension? Check.
There is no excuse. Just please do us a favor and go buy Mike Williams if you can find people who value him between Kadarius Toney and Gabriel Davis. Please.
Chad Workman was spot-on when he predicted Mike Williams would return to Los Angeles on a big contract. Is that a good thing? Find out what he thinks here.
What Can We Take Away From This? Why Care?
The writer Anton Chekhov once said, “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice.”
I assure you that the purpose of this article was not to highlight the superiority of our rankings or belittle the community. Not at all! It is simply to point out what can happen when you, the dynasty player, can find differences in rankings you trust against the values of others. Whether those rankings be ours, another site, or even your own, this is how trades get done. In dynasty fantasy football, knowing how to trade, when to trade, and who to trade is the lifeblood of success.
Whether you agree or disagree with our assessment of the six specific players listed above does not truly matter. What matters is to always have your finger on the pulse of how the community feels about players, especially during the offseason. Veteran dynasty players will tell you that values change in the offseason like the whims of toddlers, sometimes for little to no reason at all. One negative tweet from a prominent member of the dynasty community can break a player’s value. Similarly, one positive “buy this player” mention on a popular dynasty podcast can spike a player’s value.
KeepTradeCut is a wonderful resource to keep you abreast of any movement to a player’s value, and I would like to thank them for their innovation, hard work, and contribution to the dynasty community.
Now, who on your roster do you want to keep, trade, and cut?
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