Takeaway #1: Jaxon Smith-Njigba Is Heating Up
Early in the season, Smith-Njigba was almost a complete non-factor, which caused a ton of concern. Even though it was only four games, the dynasty community began to drop Smith-Njigba in their rankings.
Geno Smith connects with a wide-open Jaxon Smith-Njigba for his first career TD
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 22, 2023
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/TNXkNSsvmt
Historically, rookies are much better after their bye week because they’ve had time to adjust to the NFL, and said team can get them more involved. Luckily for Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks had an early week five bye. After week five, Smith-Njigba had 8.8 and then 16.3 points, a massive increase from earlier in the season.
#2: Jonathan Taylor Is Back
As good as Zack Moss was, everyone knew this day would come. Even though Taylor and Moss had 18 carries each this week, Taylor was clearly better.
Moss had a disappointing week, only averaging 3.2 YPC with 7.2 points. Taylor, on the other hand, had 4.2 YPC with 21 points. This trend will continue for the rest of the year as Taylor is the better player with the bigger contract.
#3: Jakobi Meyers Is Legit
Many expect Meyers to fall back to earth each week, but he continues to dominate. After Meyers scored 18 points in week seven, he’s outproduced Davante Adams in the last three games.
This isn’t a big knock to Adams, as he should turn things around. Even though Adams has struggled, we know who he is as a player. However, now that Meyers is averaging 17.5 PPG, he deserves respect in dynasty.
#4: Contenders Need Alvin Kamara
It seems ridiculous that in the off-season, dynasty Twitter was saying Kamara wasn’t even worth a third-round pick. Well, after he only missed three games in 2023, this has proven to be a laughably bad statement.
Kamara has returned to dominating, and if you’re a contender, you need him. If you can pick up a running back averaging 21.7 PPG for cheap as a contender, you should 100% be doing so.
#5: The Dynasty Community Was Wrong About Josh Downs
Heading into the 2023 NFL season, the dynasty community was extremely down on Downs. Even though I liked him and had him as a late first-round pick, no one expected him to make an impact this fast.
How are my Josh Downs fantasy football managers doing?!pic.twitter.com/6W8sbLxVWF
— Moody (@EricNMoody) October 22, 2023
Downs had a career game in week seven with 23.5 points, but he’s been great since week three. From then on, Downs has been a viable flex option and is currently averaging 10.3 PPG.
#6: Dalton Kincaid Shows His Potential
After a disappointing season, Kincaid had his first big game in week seven. He commanded eight targets for eight catches and 75 yards. This 15.5-point performance was a sign of big things to come in the future.
While Sam LaPorta owners are spoiled, it’s not normal for tight ends to produce immediately. That said, Kincaid has almost taken over as the starter, seeing 43 snaps compared to Dawson Knox at 45. For those who own Kincaid, seeing this big game is reassuring.
#7: Christian Watson Finally Looks 100%
Even though Watson had a 5.7-point game, it’s more important that he looks fully healthy. Watson led the Packers in snaps, routes run, and targets this week in an embarrassing loss.
I’m not too concerned about the lack of production with Watson, as he saw him hit elite marks in his rookie year. The only rookies with 2.25 or higher yards per route run were Watson, Odell Beckham Jr, Tyreek Hill, A. J. Brown, Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and Chris Olave. Of course, you’d love to see Watson produce this week, but seeing him at 100% is even more important.
#8: Josh Jacobs Struggles Once Again
After another rough week from Jacobs, it’s time to panic. While he looked great in weeks five and six, other than that, he’s been disappointing. Jacobs hit a new low in week seven with no Jimmy Garoppolo scoring 5.1 points.
Unfortunately, I don’t see things getting much better for Jacobs. The talent is there, but this offense is too bad to rely on. There may be times when he goes off because of how good he is, but overall, contenders can’t trust Jacobs as their RB1 anymore.
#9: The Cardinals Jump Up to #2 in the NFL Draft
As the off-season gets closer and closer, it’s time to dive into college prospects a little bit. With the Bears win this week, they fall to the number three pick while the Cardinals slide into the number two slot.
This would create a ton of controversy as Drake Maye is the projected #2 overall pick. Kyler Murray looks like he’ll be back this year, but there’s a chance the Cardinals decide to move on from him this off-season. If the draft order stays this way, Murray could lose a ton of value, jeopardizing his job.
#10: Caleb Williams Disappoints Once Again
It’s been the clear-cut decision to take Williams at the 1.01 of rookie drafts, but after another bad game, a debate is arising. He has only thrown one touchdown in the past two games with three interceptions.
Caleb Williams is now 4-7 against ranked teams, and is officially out of playoff contention.
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) October 22, 2023
Arguably the greatest college QB of all-time will never participate in a CFP game.
Williams’ Heisman dreams are also almost all but diminished after his recent two game stretch:… pic.twitter.com/cjTU96lDcy
However, this seems very over-reactionary. Williams has been touted as a generational prospect over the past few years, and a string of bad games shouldn’t change that. It looks like Williams is doing too much right now, but this is a very fixable problem. Outside of that, Williams has all the tools that make an elite NFL quarterback.
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