2024 FTN NFL Power Rankings Through Week 15: Who Takes Over the Top Spot?
Daniel Kelley
Welcome to the Dynasty Stock Watch, a weekly article where I address the changes in the dynasty fantasy football landscape. This will help us as managers stay current on the most recent headlines, while also allowing us to look at player and team trends to stay ahead of the curve.
Trade season is in full swing, and now is the time to make those moves to sure up your roster no matter the direction it is headed. Below, I headline a few trade targets this offseason for the quarterback position.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
In a bounceback year after a horrific ankle injury, Dak Prescott had some struggles early in 2022 and missed some time with a thumb injury. Due to a few poor performances and missing five weeks of the season, Dak’s season-long scoring numbers were not that impressive, with only 213.6 points (QB18). Carve out his injury, though — after returning, Dak averaged 20.7 points per game and was the QB5 in Weeks 8-17 on a per-game basis, QB6 in total points (186.1). He did have 24 turnover-worthy throws, via Ftn Fantasy stats hub, 10th most among quarterbacks with at least 300 attempts. That’s a bit concerning. On the flip side, he also had the third-highest highlight throws in that group, at 26.
Heading into 2023 Dallas has a new offensive coordinator in Brian Schottenheimer. That’s scaring many folks off. In Schottenheimer’s 12-year career, he has had four top-20 offenses in passing attempts but has also had four top-10 offenses in passing touchdowns. So even though he tends to lean on the run often, he pivots to the passing attack in the red zone frequently. This and the fact the Cowboys have not added a significant player to the backfield leads me to believe we will see a slightly more pass-heavy attack in 2023, ultimately allowing Dak to return to the top-12 quarterbacks, making him a perfect trade target.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
If Geno Smith didn’t come out of nowhere as a breakout, there’s a good chance we’d be talking a lot more about Daniel Jones this offseason as the breakout of 2022. Jones set career highs in every statistical category en route to a QB9 finish in fantasy with 294.0 points — he was the QB7 through Week 17 when most leagues ended. Via the FTN Fantasy stats hub, Jones had the third-fewest turnover-worthy throws (min. 300 attempts) with a mere 16 on 472 attempts. And that’s without much help from his receivers, as he suffered from the third-most drops (26), despite only 32 inaccurate passes (seventh fewest).
Headed into Year 2 of Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka’s system, the Giants made it a point to improve the offense this season as they brought in Parris Campbell, re-signed Sterling Shepard, drafted Jalin Hyatt, and signed Byrce Ford-Wheaton on a UDFA deal. In addition, the Giants franchised tagged Saquon Barkley and drafted dual-threat running back Eric Gray to shore up the playmaker group, giving Jones plenty of weapons to work with. He is secured for the next four years after re-signing this year. That gives him added long-term value, but he is not being valued that way, making him a perfect buy-low candidate.
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
After a solid rookie year where he averaged 12.2 fantasy points per week, Kenny Pickett could be ready to ascend in Year 2. He is getting a second full offseason working with Matt Canada, his first as the undisputed starter, both benefits to quarterback development. Although he did not produce eye-popping numbers in Year 1 — only passing for 2,404 yards and 7 touchdowns — he was impressive when we look at the advanced data. His 12 turnover-worthy throws were tied for the second lowest with Jalen Hurts (min. 300 attempts). He also completed 40% of his passes that traveled over 20 yards in the air, top-10 among qualifiers.
Heading into 2023, I expect the Steelers offense to improve in its second year under Canada. The team added Allen Robinson to shore up the third wide receiver position, giving Pickett even more weapons to target, especially in the red zone where 33% of Robinson’s targets came in 2022, top 10 in the league (min. 50 targets). I don’t think Pickett explodes for a top-12 season just yet, but I do think top-15 could be within reach if all the cards fall correctly. In addition, he is the youngest of these three and offers the most long-term upside, making him a prime trade target.
