Tell your friends (just not your leaguemates until next week)
by Mike Vadala
As we hit the halfway point of the season, I am taking some time to revisit and update my dynasty rankings. In doing so, it has highlighted some of my biggest hits and misses of the year. It felt like a pertinent time to delve into those misses and investigate what line of thinking, or simple mistake, led me to misrank that player.
Revisiting My 2025 Dynasty Rankings: What I Got Wrong (And What I Learned)
Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!
Kyler Murray (-11)*
Through eight weeks of football, Kyler Murray is QB29. I had him ranked as the dynasty QB11 going into this year, and I’m ready to take a step back from my Kyler Murray stance, finally. I’ve always been excited about Murray’s athletic ability, both running and throwing the ball. Even before Kyler’s injury this year, he was not able to finish better than QB16 in his first five weeks. Despite my being too high on him, I still think that Murray could be a buy in dynasty circles right now. Murray was a Travis Hunter-like prospect entering the league, and much fuss was made over whether he would choose baseball or football for a long-term career, as he was truly great in both. Given his limited success throughout most of his career, there is an opportunity to capitalize on uncertainty. The key will be finding the floor for Kyler’s value and buying aggressively at that floor. The floor could be right now since he’s injured, but it could also come at the end of the season. Inevitably, Murray’s future will make headlines this offseason.
*NOTE: This number indicates how far I moved the player in my own rankings.

Kyler Murray did not rank higher than QB16 in any start this year.
Cam Skattebo (+11)
I, like many others, counted Skattebo out far too early. I liked Tyrone Tracy better as a running back and thought he was the clear starter coming into the season. Tracy did get the starting nod to start the season, but by Week 3, Skattebo had made his presence known on the Giants and in the league. Even missing most of his Week 8 game, Skattebo sits as fantasy football’s RB10 on the year. Before his injury, Skattebo had moved up 11 spots in my dynasty RB rankings. Sadly, I’ll be moving him back down even to below where he started due to this serious injury. It still felt right to admit I was wrong about Skat this year in this article, at least to honor the excitement he provided this season. Here’s to hoping Skattebo makes a full and speedy recovery.

Cam Skattebo had double-digit performances in Weeks 2-8.
Quentin Johnston (+36)
After having faith in Johnston for his first two seasons, inexplicably, I ranked him far too low this year. Johnston is big and fast, and that helps in the game of football. It’s easy to get swept up in groupthink, especially when a player’s flaws are very easy and obvious to point out. If you’ve been in the fantasy football space for one offseason or more, you’ve heard jokes about Johnston’s catching inconsistencies. However, under the guidance and sometimes unfounded confidence of Jim Harbaugh, Johnston has not just surpassed expectations. Johnston exploded to start the season with five touchdowns in his first six games. There’s reason to believe Johnston will remain fantasy-relevant in dynasty leagues, as Keenan Allen is 33 years old and nearing the part of his career when players tend to slow down or even retire. I moved him up 36 spots in my dynasty rankings to WR37, but there’s still room for even more growth for the young wide receiver.

Quentin Johnston had 10 and 13 target games in Weeks 3 and 4 this year.</span>
Harold Fannin (+14)
Through Week 8, Harold Fannin is fantasy football’s TE7 in PPR formats. He has shown consistent involvement in this offense, with good route running, good hands, and the ability to run after the catch. Fannin has the fourth most targets among all TEs this year, at 51 on the season. I simply did not have a very confident grade on Fannin coming into the season, and he has moved up 14 spots in my rankings to dynasty TE10.

Fannin has played over 60% of snaps and received four or more targets in every game this season.
Takeaways:
The biggest thing I can take away from reviewing my start-of-season dynasty rankings is to trust my eyes — and use them. Often, my misses were because I didn’t get my eyes on a player enough times to see who they really are as players. I have a pretty good eye for talent on the players I’ve watched, but I need to make sure I’m getting my eyes on more college prospects rather than relying on stats and what I hear about players. Overall, I’m happy with my dynasty rankings. When broken down by position through Week 8, I’ve hit on 5/10 QBs, 5/10 RBs, 4/10 WRs and only 2/10 TEs this year. Part of the reason I consider this a good hit rate is that some of the top ten at each position are older players I am devaluing because they are closer to retirement. I hope my personal reflection helps some of you out there as you dig into the whys of your fantasy football season. We’re just a few short weeks from the fantasy playoffs, where things get really interesting. Good luck to all of you out there!
Mike Vadala is a dynasty analyst here at Optimus Fantasy, where you can find his updated dynasty rankings.
As we hit the halfway point of the season, I am taking some time to revisit and update my dynasty rankings. In doing so, it has highlighted some of my biggest hits and misses of the year. It felt like a pertinent time to delve into those misses and investigate what line of thinking, or simple mistake, led me to misrank that player.
Revisiting My 2025 Dynasty Rankings: What I Got Wrong (And What I Learned)
Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!
Kyler Murray (-11)*
Through eight weeks of football, Kyler Murray is QB29. I had him ranked as the dynasty QB11 going into this year, and I’m ready to take a step back from my Kyler Murray stance, finally. I’ve always been excited about Murray’s athletic ability, both running and throwing the ball. Even before Kyler’s injury this year, he was not able to finish better than QB16 in his first five weeks. Despite my being too high on him, I still think that Murray could be a buy in dynasty circles right now. Murray was a Travis Hunter-like prospect entering the league, and much fuss was made over whether he would choose baseball or football for a long-term career, as he was truly great in both. Given his limited success throughout most of his career, there is an opportunity to capitalize on uncertainty. The key will be finding the floor for Kyler’s value and buying aggressively at that floor. The floor could be right now since he’s injured, but it could also come at the end of the season. Inevitably, Murray’s future will make headlines this offseason.
*NOTE: This number indicates how far I moved the player in my own rankings.

Kyler Murray did not rank higher than QB16 in any start this year.
Cam Skattebo (+11)
I, like many others, counted Skattebo out far too early. I liked Tyrone Tracy better as a running back and thought he was the clear starter coming into the season. Tracy did get the starting nod to start the season, but by Week 3, Skattebo had made his presence known on the Giants and in the league. Even missing most of his Week 8 game, Skattebo sits as fantasy football’s RB10 on the year. Before his injury, Skattebo had moved up 11 spots in my dynasty RB rankings. Sadly, I’ll be moving him back down even to below where he started due to this serious injury. It still felt right to admit I was wrong about Skat this year in this article, at least to honor the excitement he provided this season. Here’s to hoping Skattebo makes a full and speedy recovery.

Cam Skattebo had double-digit performances in Weeks 2-8.
Quentin Johnston (+36)
After having faith in Johnston for his first two seasons, inexplicably, I ranked him far too low this year. Johnston is big and fast, and that helps in the game of football. It’s easy to get swept up in groupthink, especially when a player’s flaws are very easy and obvious to point out. If you’ve been in the fantasy football space for one offseason or more, you’ve heard jokes about Johnston’s catching inconsistencies. However, under the guidance and sometimes unfounded confidence of Jim Harbaugh, Johnston has not just surpassed expectations. Johnston exploded to start the season with five touchdowns in his first six games. There’s reason to believe Johnston will remain fantasy-relevant in dynasty leagues, as Keenan Allen is 33 years old and nearing the part of his career when players tend to slow down or even retire. I moved him up 36 spots in my dynasty rankings to WR37, but there’s still room for even more growth for the young wide receiver.

Quentin Johnston had 10 and 13 target games in Weeks 3 and 4 this year.</span>
Harold Fannin (+14)
Through Week 8, Harold Fannin is fantasy football’s TE7 in PPR formats. He has shown consistent involvement in this offense, with good route running, good hands, and the ability to run after the catch. Fannin has the fourth most targets among all TEs this year, at 51 on the season. I simply did not have a very confident grade on Fannin coming into the season, and he has moved up 14 spots in my rankings to dynasty TE10.

Fannin has played over 60% of snaps and received four or more targets in every game this season.
Takeaways:
The biggest thing I can take away from reviewing my start-of-season dynasty rankings is to trust my eyes — and use them. Often, my misses were because I didn’t get my eyes on a player enough times to see who they really are as players. I have a pretty good eye for talent on the players I’ve watched, but I need to make sure I’m getting my eyes on more college prospects rather than relying on stats and what I hear about players. Overall, I’m happy with my dynasty rankings. When broken down by position through Week 8, I’ve hit on 5/10 QBs, 5/10 RBs, 4/10 WRs and only 2/10 TEs this year. Part of the reason I consider this a good hit rate is that some of the top ten at each position are older players I am devaluing because they are closer to retirement. I hope my personal reflection helps some of you out there as you dig into the whys of your fantasy football season. We’re just a few short weeks from the fantasy playoffs, where things get really interesting. Good luck to all of you out there!
Mike Vadala is a dynasty analyst here at Optimus Fantasy, where you can find his updated dynasty rankings.
As we hit the halfway point of the season, I am taking some time to revisit and update my dynasty rankings. In doing so, it has highlighted some of my biggest hits and misses of the year. It felt like a pertinent time to delve into those misses and investigate what line of thinking, or simple mistake, led me to misrank that player.
Revisiting My 2025 Dynasty Rankings: What I Got Wrong (And What I Learned)
Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!
Kyler Murray (-11)*
Through eight weeks of football, Kyler Murray is QB29. I had him ranked as the dynasty QB11 going into this year, and I’m ready to take a step back from my Kyler Murray stance, finally. I’ve always been excited about Murray’s athletic ability, both running and throwing the ball. Even before Kyler’s injury this year, he was not able to finish better than QB16 in his first five weeks. Despite my being too high on him, I still think that Murray could be a buy in dynasty circles right now. Murray was a Travis Hunter-like prospect entering the league, and much fuss was made over whether he would choose baseball or football for a long-term career, as he was truly great in both. Given his limited success throughout most of his career, there is an opportunity to capitalize on uncertainty. The key will be finding the floor for Kyler’s value and buying aggressively at that floor. The floor could be right now since he’s injured, but it could also come at the end of the season. Inevitably, Murray’s future will make headlines this offseason.
*NOTE: This number indicates how far I moved the player in my own rankings.

Kyler Murray did not rank higher than QB16 in any start this year.
Cam Skattebo (+11)
I, like many others, counted Skattebo out far too early. I liked Tyrone Tracy better as a running back and thought he was the clear starter coming into the season. Tracy did get the starting nod to start the season, but by Week 3, Skattebo had made his presence known on the Giants and in the league. Even missing most of his Week 8 game, Skattebo sits as fantasy football’s RB10 on the year. Before his injury, Skattebo had moved up 11 spots in my dynasty RB rankings. Sadly, I’ll be moving him back down even to below where he started due to this serious injury. It still felt right to admit I was wrong about Skat this year in this article, at least to honor the excitement he provided this season. Here’s to hoping Skattebo makes a full and speedy recovery.

Cam Skattebo had double-digit performances in Weeks 2-8.
Quentin Johnston (+36)
After having faith in Johnston for his first two seasons, inexplicably, I ranked him far too low this year. Johnston is big and fast, and that helps in the game of football. It’s easy to get swept up in groupthink, especially when a player’s flaws are very easy and obvious to point out. If you’ve been in the fantasy football space for one offseason or more, you’ve heard jokes about Johnston’s catching inconsistencies. However, under the guidance and sometimes unfounded confidence of Jim Harbaugh, Johnston has not just surpassed expectations. Johnston exploded to start the season with five touchdowns in his first six games. There’s reason to believe Johnston will remain fantasy-relevant in dynasty leagues, as Keenan Allen is 33 years old and nearing the part of his career when players tend to slow down or even retire. I moved him up 36 spots in my dynasty rankings to WR37, but there’s still room for even more growth for the young wide receiver.

Quentin Johnston had 10 and 13 target games in Weeks 3 and 4 this year.</span>
Harold Fannin (+14)
Through Week 8, Harold Fannin is fantasy football’s TE7 in PPR formats. He has shown consistent involvement in this offense, with good route running, good hands, and the ability to run after the catch. Fannin has the fourth most targets among all TEs this year, at 51 on the season. I simply did not have a very confident grade on Fannin coming into the season, and he has moved up 14 spots in my rankings to dynasty TE10.

Fannin has played over 60% of snaps and received four or more targets in every game this season.
Takeaways:
The biggest thing I can take away from reviewing my start-of-season dynasty rankings is to trust my eyes — and use them. Often, my misses were because I didn’t get my eyes on a player enough times to see who they really are as players. I have a pretty good eye for talent on the players I’ve watched, but I need to make sure I’m getting my eyes on more college prospects rather than relying on stats and what I hear about players. Overall, I’m happy with my dynasty rankings. When broken down by position through Week 8, I’ve hit on 5/10 QBs, 5/10 RBs, 4/10 WRs and only 2/10 TEs this year. Part of the reason I consider this a good hit rate is that some of the top ten at each position are older players I am devaluing because they are closer to retirement. I hope my personal reflection helps some of you out there as you dig into the whys of your fantasy football season. We’re just a few short weeks from the fantasy playoffs, where things get really interesting. Good luck to all of you out there!
Mike Vadala is a dynasty analyst here at Optimus Fantasy, where you can find his updated dynasty rankings.
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