CeeDee Lamb Dynasty Stock is Up | 2023 Season Risers and Fallers

by Jonathan Lange · Dynasty Leagues
Ceedee Lamb Dynasty

Happy New Year, fantasy gamers! Hopefully you’re waiting for those league winnings to hit your account, but I’ve got a treat for you today. All season long, I have provided Risers and Fallers based on performance in the previous weekend’s games. This article is special because it is based on the biggest Risers and Fallers of the 2023 season! Let’s get started with one of the top receivers that won plenty of fantasy championships this weekend.

Risers

CeeDee Lamb, WR — Dallas Cowboys

All offseason, it was Ja’Marr Chase versus Justin Jefferson for the title of top fantasy wide receiver. Now, CeeDee Lamb has entered the conversation after his historic 2023 campaign. Lamb was a monster all season, averaging 22 fantasy points per game. With fantasy championships on the line, he scorched the Lions secondary, scoring 42 fantasy points. He also set the franchise season record for receiving yards (1,651) and receptions (122). Lamb has always flashed big-time talent, but one of the major stats that set him apart from others was his red zone targets. Over the last three years, he has seen an average of 13 red zone targets each season. This season, he had 25 targets in the red zone. With the rise of the Zero RB strategy, Cee Dee will be drafted in the top-six of drafts next season after being a late first round/early second round selection in 2023.

Puka Nacua, WR — Los Angeles Rams

No matter your feelings about Puka Nacua, he’s the biggest Riser of the 2023 season. In best ball drafts, he had an ADP near the 18th round. Now, he’s a lock to go in the top four rounds of drafts next season. Nacua has 1,445 yards receiving, ten yards shy of breaking Ja’Marr Chase’s rookie record of 1,455 yards.

Nacua is also four receptions away from breaking the receptions record by a rookie. He’s not getting any cheap production either; he’s No. 4 in Yards After Catch with 522. That will rise after an 80-yard catch and run on Sunday. It’s a historic season, and for it to be done by a 5th round pick from a small school bucks dynasty trends. Nacua has made the rare leap from late-round dart throw to a cornerstone for many dynasty teams.

Lamar Jackson, QB — Baltimore Ravens

This offseason, buzz about having a new offensive coordinator paired with Lamar Jackson generated excitement on the fantasy streets. After Sunday’s performance, there is a greater buzz growing for Jackson to be the NFL MVP. He finished with a perfect Passer Rating against the Dolphins, along with 321 yards passing and five touchdowns.

Baltimore poured resources into the offense this offseason, and it shows. Since 2019, the Ravens have had only two wide receivers finish with 750 yards receiving or more. Currently, Zay Flowers has over 800 yards receiving. Jackson will finish with more than 400 pass attempts for the second time in his career. The last time he had more than 400 attempts was in 2019, when he won league MVP. He looks destined to win his second MVP after his most recent performance.

Brock Purdy, QB — San Francisco 49ers

Brock Purdy was a late-round quarterback in both reality and fantasy. The 7th round in the NFL Draft had an ADP hovering near the 16th round in fantasy drafts. Purdy went on to have nine finishes as a QB1 this season. He’s No. 1 in Yards Per Attempt, showing he’s not afraid to let it rip. Even with his tendency to throw deep, Purdy became the fourth quarterback to have a completion percentage of 70-percent or higher for seven consecutive games. He may be a system QB that is carried by his uber-talented teammates, but his production on the field should be enough to prove his value even to his doubters.  Purdy is going to be put to the test in the postseason, but I couldn’t ignore his entire body of work this season just because of a poor showing against Baltimore. I’ll be watching closely to see if he can go back to his red hot play from earlier in the season.

Fallers

Kenny Pickett, QB — Pittsburgh Steelers

I hit the legal limit of listing Kenny Pickett as a Faller earlier this season, but I found one last way to throw him on here. Pickett was expected to make a second-year leap, but instead, he fell flat on his face. Pickett showed signs of hope at the end of the 2022 season with three straight QB2 finishes. This season, he never finished higher than QB15. He also never threw for more than 240 yards in a start.

To add insult to injury, Joe Flacco has thrown 13 touchdowns in five games this season. Pickett has thrown 13 touchdowns in his entire career. The Steelers will look to make some sort of major change this season, whether it’s at head coach or QB. With a QB-rich draft class, they could get a quality starter even with a draft pick in the middle of the first round.

Derrick Henry, RB — Tennessee Titans

One rationale for touting Derrick Henry in drafts this offseason was his matchup with the Texans in Weeks 15 and 17. Surely the Big Dog would come through after a completely average season. Henry totaled 49 yards on 28 carries in those two matchups against Houston. Tennessee had an abysmal offense, but in prior years, Henry could still produce when called upon.

Henry had six weeks this season where he finished as the RB10 or better, a dropoff from 2022 when he finished with nine weeks as the RB10 or better. He could still provide spark with some boom weeks, but his days as the RB1 overall are finished. I’ll never fade the Big Dog. This is me just speaking to the reality of the situation. We have a 30-year-old power back leaving his team and, even in the best situation, we cannot get overly excited about the landing spot.

Calvin Ridley, WR — Jacksonville Jaguars

Did you know Calvin Ridley had an ADP as high as the 2nd round in FFPC drafts? That was not a good idea. Ridley was signed by Jacksonville to help improve a young offense that showed signs of growth in 2022. The hope was that he would help the offense take the next step forward. Ridley was wildly inconsistent, however, and he could rarely be counted on. He finished as a WR4 or worse in eight games and had trouble stringing together consistent performances. Ridley’s most productive seasons were in Atlanta, where he was the WR2 next to Julio Jones, but Jacksonville didn’t have an Alpha to take attention away from Ridley. He will certainly fall four to five rounds this coming offseason. For Ridley to recreate the glory years in Atlanta, the Jags will need to acquire an Alpha receiver that can command the attention of the opposing defense.

Bryce Young, QB — Carolina Panthers

The 2023 offseason was a simpler time for Bryce Young . The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft was the toast of the town. Hopes were high that the Panthers nailed the pick and found their franchise quarterback.

Young could still turn it around, but this season was horrific. He is currently sitting at No. 37 in Yards Per Attempt and Fantasy Points Per Dropback. That’s a problem when there are only 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL. The Panthers will surely invest in their offense this offseason, but after what we’ve seen, it’s hard to hold out any hope for Young. Young finished as a top-15 fantasy quarterback only once and had only two games with multiple passing touchdowns.

The Final Risers and Fallers for 2023

The biggest Risers for the 2023 season are CeeDee Lamb, Puka Nacua, Lamar Jackson, and Brock Purdy. The biggest Fallers are Kenny Pickett, Derrick Henry, Calvin Ridley, and Bryce Young. It has been a joy getting to write about these market movers over the past five months, and now we get to sit back and watch playoff football. Plus, Dynasty start-up season is approaching fast! Enjoy the upcoming playoffs, and stick around the PlayerProfiler page for more awesome content all offseason.