We generally think of position battles as something that happens in OTAs and training camp. And as a rule that is correct. But we have a few position battles happening mid-season that could greatly affect Dynasty perception, and the results of 2023 Fantasy seasons. Here are four battles I'm watching in Week 8, headlined by a pair of running back committees in the same game.
Dameon Pierce versus Devin Singletary
This was not supposed to be a battle at all. Pierce was supposed to be the clear lead back and Singletary was supposed to be a complementary piece. Unfortunately, it's not trending that way at all. In Week 6 we saw Singletary play a season-high 54% of the snaps. The veteran has averaged a full yard per carry more than Pierce. I am very interested to see what the touch distribution looks like coming out of the bye, nothing would surprise me. Singletary is a stash for now, but Pierce is the one who could see his value change drastically in the next few days.
Chuba Hubbard versus Miles Sanders
This is almost a carbon copy of the Houston situation, with a few notable differences. First, the veteran is the presumed starter. Second, Sanders hasn't been fully healthy since training camp. But Hubbard, like Singletary, has been flat-out better than Sanders and Frank Reich is talking about using a committee approach. My expectation is that Sanders gets the first crack at it, but if he falters Hubbard could be the presumed lead back by the end of the week. All four of these backs have good matchups, so any inefficiency is going to look quite damaging.
George Pickens versus Diontae Johnson
This will be round two for Pickens versus Johnson, I just want to see if Week 7's results validate or if Johnson was being worked in his first game back. In Week 7 we saw Pickens dominate with a 34.8% target share, remaining the alpha No. 1 even with Johnson back. If Pickens leads the team in targets again this week, he'll move into the top 20 in rest of season projections and Dynasty rankings. Johnson in a WR2 role would be a disaster for his Fantasy value, because earning targets is all he's ever proven above average at.
Will Levis versus Malik Willis
We don't know for sure that Ryan Tannehill will miss Week 8, but that seems like the most likely outcome. Head Coach Mike Vrabel says both Levis and Willis will play if that's the case. In my latest quarterback rankings update, Willis and Levis are back-to-back at QB29 and QB30. If either comes out and looks like an actual NFL QB, they could make a leap in the rankings because both have rushing upside. Willis has the most downside here, if he falls behind Levis he could drop at least 10 spots.
For more Dynasty content, you can head over to SportsLine to find my complete Dynasty Trade Chart with values for both Superflex and one-QB leagues. These will be updated once a week on Wednesday nights throughout the season and are based on 12-team PPR leagues where you start two running backs, three receivers, and a tight end. The values assigned to the players factor in a combination of current year projection, age, and my perception of the player's upside and risk. There is also a factor for replacement cost at a given position. You can find the Dynasty Trade Charts here.
