Daily Dynasty Update – February 17th

Look for Eagles tight end Zach Ertz to be the primary receiving end next year, supplanting Brent Celek. It only makes sense as Philadelphia invested a 2nd round pick in Ertz and he has the tools to contribute now.
The running back situation in Indy is wide-open headed in to 2014. I still say this could be a great time to buy-low on Trent Richardson. Will he be a top five dynasty back? Probably not. But is he better than his performance in Indy last year? I think so. It wouldn’t hurt to investigate the possibility of acquiring him in your dynasty league.
Giants running back David Wilson is recovering nicely from neck surgery which is good news in any capacity. Dynasty owners that held on to him may reap the benefits after all.
It’s looking more likely that LaMarr Woodley will not be in Pittsburgh next year unless he takes a massive pay cut. This means Jason Worilds and Jarvis Jones are first in line to start in 2014. Stay tuned.

Dynasty Recap – Week 17 – Steelers beat up Browns, 20-7

Heading in to 2014, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell looked good, rushing for 90 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. Bell will be a RB1 in 2014.
Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown capped his stellar 2013 season with nine catches for 87 yards, finishing with over 100 catches and just shy of 1,500 yards. He also had five catches and 50 yards in each game, a first in NFL history Brown has elevated his game into WR1 status and will be just 26 heading in to 2014.
Meanwhile, Browns receiver Josh Gordon had seven more catches for 82 yards. Gordon elevated his game to a top five dynasty receiver in 2014 and, assuming the offense improves around him, should be even better.
With Jason Worilds out, rookie linebacker Jarvis Jones stepped in admirably with nine tackles and a pass defended. It’s been a largely disappointing 2013 for Jones but it’ll be interesting to see what the Steelers do between Jones, Worilds and LaMarr Woodley.

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will have his eighth surgery, this one to repair his torn ACL/MCL. Gronk is as good as it gets at tight end but the injuries have piled up quick for the 24-year old. He’s the epitome of boom-or-bust.
Lions quarterback Matt Stafford was never in danger of being pulled. In fact, it’s a joke it was even brought up. He’s still a QB1 in dynasty leagues but monitor the coaching change, if any, in Detroit for a new scheme.
The Raiders coaches apparently have moved on from Terrelle Pryor. It’s odd as Pryor seemed to perform well while learning on the fly. He’ll be a non-factor in dynasty leagues next year.
The Steelers may be ready to move on from linebacker LaMarr Woodley in the off-season. He carries a big price tag, has been injured a lot, and will be 29 entering the 2014 season. The Steelers seemingly have a backup plan with Jason Worilds and Jarvis Jones manning the outside.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger continues his late season surge, going 23 of 39 for 349 yards and three touchdowns with one fumble lost. He’ll be just 32 entering 2014 and Pittsburgh has the makings of a good, young offense around him.
Dolphins running back Daniel Thomas went off for 105 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown in place of Lamar Miller. Don’t expect many more days like this from Thomas.
On the other side of the field, Steelers rookie running back Le’Veon Bell performed well in the running game with 61 yards on 15 carries. He was even more impressive in the passing game with nine targets, hauling in five catches for 28 yards. Bell is proving he can be an every down back and will be viewed as such heading in to 2014.
Dolphins tight end Charles Clay led the Dolphins with 10 targets, seven catches and 97 yards and two touchdowns. He continues to have an impressive season in place of the injured Dustin Keller. It’s hard to imagine Clay’s role being diminished heading in to 2014.
Steelers linebacker Jason Worilds had another good game with eight tackles and two more sacks. He now has 31 tackles and five sacks in the last four games. Worilds will be a free agent in 2014 but should find a starting job somewhere.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had another solid outing, going 28 of 44 for 257 yards and two touchdowns and no turnovers. As long as the offense is healthy and firing on all cylinders, Roethlisberger will be a solid QB2 option. He also has yet to utilize rookie receiver Markus Wheaton yet which will only help his 2014 prospects.
Steelers rookie running back Le’Veon Bell had solid game as well with 73 yards rushing and a touchdown to go with seven catches for 63 yards. More games like this is why Bell was widely considered the top rookie prospect heading in to this dynasty season.
Steelers tight end Heath Miller led all Steelers with eight catches and 86 yards. It’s not a secret that Roethlisberger has a man-crush on Miller and Miller shows no ill effects of the devastating knee injury he sustained last year.
Steelers linebacker Jason Worilds continues to impress in place of LaMarr Woodley with 10 tackles, two sacks and a tackle for a loss. Grab him if you can as Worilds would make a cheap replacement for Woodley in Pittsburgh next year.

Buccaneers rookie tight end Tim Wright is going to be utilized even more this season, providing a golden opportunity to increase his value for dynasty leaguers. He played receiver in college and has the skills to be a force in the passing game.
Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew might be back in Jacksonville next year after all. It won’t matter as Jones-Drew will be 29 next year and is only averaging 3.2 YPC. He’s one to avoid in dynasty leagues.
Raiders running back Rashad Jennings will be forced to give up carries to Darren McFadden this week but should still outperform him. The real question for dynasty leaguers is who will be starting next year in Oakland? Both Jennings and McFadden will be free agents and aren’t getting any younger.
After another lost fumble Sunday, don’t expect Patriots running back Stevan Ridley to handle the work load like he did in 2012. The Patriots have no faith in his ability to hold on to the ball and will severely cut into his playing time. Ridley owners can only hope he rebounds in time for 2014.
Eagles quarterback Nick Foles has been named the starter for the rest of the season. For all intents and purposes, he’ll be the started in 2014 as well.
Steelers linebacker Jason Worilds has played so well recently (three sacks in four games) that there’s talk of him taking over for Lamarr Woodley in 2014. He’d certainly be cheaper.