Dynasty Twitter Observations: Brock Purdy Says Hello, Tom Brady Says Goodbye

It’s the playoffs in real life but for dynasty leaguers, the off-season has begun. And even though some NFL teams are still playing, it doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of action for non-playoff teams. Below are a few of the tweets that contributed to dynasty leaguer’s plans for next season.

Hasta la vista, Brady

Here's the video of how Tom Brady ended his press conference tonight: pic.twitter.com/bUHKJgSOmY

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 17, 2023

It’s never a good idea to interpret comments from players but this send-off sure seemed like the end of Tom Brady’s tenure in Tampa. Granted, he’s called an audible before when he unretired in the off-season but the older he gets, the less likely it is he can continue coming back.

But when it comes to fantasy production, Brady has no match. He’s 45 years old and turned in another QB1 season and is one season removed from a top-three fantasy season. Nothing would indicate that he’s going to have a severe dropoff next season, should he continue to play. There will also be plenty of teams in the quarterback market that would love to recreate the magic Brady brought to Tampa in his first season.

Dynasty Impact: Because of his age, Brady will essentially be playing on one-year prove-it deals to stay on your dynasty team. But even then, his DLF ranking outside the top 20 quarterbacks seems criminally low.

Nearly every team in the Brady conversation has good-to-great receiving options. Whether he returns to Tampa with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin or heads west to Las Vegas with Davante Adams, Brady will be sure he has someone to throw to in 2023. Even if he lands in New York, he’ll have budding superstar Garrett Wilson to target.

However, there are a few teams that might not be conducive to the same fantasy production we’re used to for Brady. Namely, San Francisco. Not known as a passing team during the Kyle Shanahan tenure, it’s hard to see them turn the offense over to Brady when their run-first approach works so well. That proposition will be even harder if San Francisco continues to advance in the playoffs.

Keep an eye on where Brady lands as that will have an impact on his fantasy value. But make no mistake, he will have value if he returns.

Piece of the Jackson

#Ravens coach John Harbaugh says it clearly: "Lamar Jackson is our quarterback" and says there is a "200 percent" chance he stays. That's a lot of percent. He'll be involved in the OC hire.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 19, 2023

In some ways, Lamar Jackson is a conundrum. He’s capable of being a fantasy league winner as was the case during his MVP season in 2019. That year – on only his second year in the league – he threw for over 3,000 yards and 36 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,200 yards and seven more touchdowns. It’s not an exaggeration to say the sky was the limit when it came to his dynasty value.

The sky fell slightly the following year when he only threw 2,700 yards and 26 touchdowns but still rushed for 1,000 yards to stay a fantasy QB1. But it cratered the next year when Jackson threw a career-high 13 interceptions in just 12 games and rushed for less than 800 yards. The 2022 season was more of the same as Jackson missed more time and rushed for less than 800 yards again. You can see the gradual dip in Jackson’s dynasty value as he moved further away from that MVP season.

It’s encouraging that Jackson will have input in the next offensive coordinator (assuming he returns to Baltimore) but what will Jackson look for? Does he want to stick to a run-heavy offense that is effective but opens him up to injury? Or will he prefer someone who will air it out?

Dynasty Impact: When Lamar is healthy (which isn’t a given), he’s an elite fantasy quarterback. But change is hard. Greg Roman, the now former offensive coordinator of the Ravens, is the only coordinator Jackson has ever known in the NFL. Whoever ends up with the job will have plenty of pressure heaped on them to get him playing on an MVP level again. Lamar’s value was already in decline which would most likely make him a hold. But if a league mate wants to treat Jackson as THE QB1 – not just A QB1 – and you can quickly re-tool with the assets you’d receive, do it.

Just Lance

Brock Purdy completed 18 passes vs the Seahawks.
3 went for TDs and the other 15 were all first downs.
That is insane! pic.twitter.com/nxo2piCFwc

— John Chapman (@JL_Chapman) January 16, 2023

Whatever happens the rest of the playoffs, the 49ers’ quarterback situation will be one of the most watched position battles in the NFL next season. Seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy has not only game-managed the team into the Divisional Round of the playoffs but he looks like a star in the making as evidenced by the tweet above. Granted, he’s surrounded by a virtual Pro Bowl team of skill position players but there still needs to be someone directing traffic. The 49ers would be hard-pressed to replace him.

Of course, they’ve attempted to do that very thing just recently which is the very player in question. San Francisco mortgaged the future just two seasons ago to move up and draft Trey Lance third overall. And this was shortly after making the Super Bowl with Jimmy Garoppolo. Lance was set to take over this season before a season-ending ankle injury early on which forced San Francisco to bring back Garoppolo. Garoppolo then went down with a season-ending injury to open the door for Purdy. It’s fair to say the team will move on from the expensive Garoppolo but Lance is cheap and will be back. So what do the team, and dynasty managers, do with these two young quarterbacks?

Dynasty Impact: Brock Purdy hasn’t been playing for long but his dynasty value has shot up like a rocket.

Interestingly enough, Lance’s dynasty value has also increased the further away he’s gotten from his injury. But at this rate, Purdy’s will surpass it by next season.

For Purdy dynasty owners (however few there are), the possibilities vary. You wouldn’t be blamed for either cashing in on your lottery ticket in the off-season or trading him away. Or keeping him and hoping he can be your QB1 for the foreseeable future. Lance managers are in a different boat. His future is as uncertain as it has been in his NFL career. He could end up the backup or the starter or maybe on another team if he has an impressive off-season. He’s a strong hold until we know more.