There are only two weeks remaining until the fantasy football playoffs begin. Regardless of whether your team is gearing up for a deep playoff run or looking ahead to next season, it's always good to be in tune with the dynasty market. Here are some of the most fantasy-relevant risers and fallers over the last month.

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George Pickens, WR - Steelers

The switch from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson was season-altering for George Pickens in the best possible way. Since Wilson took over the starter back in Week 17, Pickens is averaging almost 16 points per game.

The rest of his underlying metrics are elite as well.

 

Even though Wilson has just one game with more than 30 passing attempts, Pickens' target share (30%) and air yards share (46%) are strong enough to offset any hopes we have of increased volume.

In recent weeks, both Dwain McFarland (Risers & Fallers) and Rob Waziak (Rest of Season Rankings) have noted just how significant the shift has been for Pickens and his fantasy output. His efficiency has skyrocketed as Wilson appears to have reclaimed the prolific deep-ball ability that made him such a fantasy machine in Seattle.

From a dynasty perspective, it's hard to know just how long Wilson will remain the starter in Pittsburgh. The Steelers aren't paying him much of anything this season and they also have Fields waiting in the wings. We can enjoy this Wilson run for now but this offseason will be very telling about the direction the team wants to go.

As for Pickens, he's still only 23 years old and a highlight reel waiting to happen. While he wasn't entirely useless with Fields (9.8 PPG), fantasy managers would definitely want to see significant growth in his passing prowess if he were to ever retake the starting role.

For now, Pickens' dynasty value has climbed to WR14. There's no buying opportunity right now so enjoy the ride if you roster him and wait to see what Pittsburgh does this upcoming offseason with Wilson set to become an unrestricted free agent.

Ladd McConkey, WR - Chargers

From a profile standpoint, Ladd McConkey only had about two bright spots when he came into the league – his draft capital (34th overall) and his landing spot (Chargers).

He was an older prospect (already 23 years old) who didn't jump off the page in many areas when looking at our Rookie WR Model.

 

However, sometimes opportunity is all a player needs to start making a name for himself and McConkey has definitely earned his keep this season.

It's well-known how the Chargers overhauled their staff and offensive philosophy before this season. They brought over Jim Harbaugh (HC) and Greg Roman (OC) along with the top two RBs from the Ravens over the last few years in J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards.

Not only did they objectively beef up their run-centric approach via the coaching staff and personnel, but they let go of veteran pass-catchers Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Gerald Everett.

Many times, fantasy managers asked themselves, "So, who exactly is Justin Herbert going to throw the ball to?" The only returning receivers of note were then-first-round bust Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer.

From Weeks 1-4, Herbert didn't pass for more than 180 yards in a single game. However, since his Week 5 bye (Weeks 6-12), Herbert has thrown for less than 200 yards just once. That's translated to some solid production from McConkey.

 

His target share (22%), air yards share (26%), and 14 PPG since the bye are solid for a Year 1 wideout and have kept him firmly in fantasy lineups throughout the season. It's also been refreshing to see Herbert healthy, winning football games, and producing for fantasy.

Looking to the future, there's little reason to believe that the Herbert/McConkey connection will fade anytime soon. Both are locked into the franchise for the foreseeable future and, with an excellent coaching staff in place, both should continue to experience success.

McConkey's current dynasty value sits at WR18. I would actually consider buying high on him as he's cheaper than someone like Pickens but has a much more stable QB connection locked in for the future.

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Diontae Johnson, WR - Ravens

So … why exactly did the Ravens trade for Diontae Johnson?

Almost a month ago, the Baltimore Ravens sent a fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for Johnson and a sixth-round pick. Johnson hasn't done much of anything since joining his new team and that's putting it nicely.

No, seriously … he has just one reception for six yards in four games.

Rob Waziak wrote an excellent reaction segment following the trade, illustrating how Johnson's skillset had the potential to perfectly complement what the Ravens do offensively. However, Waz summed it up best with the following;

“While Johnson's arrival enhances the Ravens' overall offensive potency, it creates a more complex target distribution for all Ravens pass catchers. Utilization trends and analysis should help paint a clearer picture in the coming weeks, but this could get a bit messy from a fantasy points standpoint.”

His atrocious first month with the Ravens is not something that A) fantasy managers were expecting/hoping for and B) fantasy managers will soon forget. It would take a monumental run over the next few weeks to undo the damage of the last four weeks.

All of this has led to Johnson's dynasty value plunging to WR68. That's quite the free fall from his career-best ranking of WR12 just two years ago.

This offseason could open up a buy-low window for Johnson if the Ravens do make it a point to integrate him into the offense in 2025. Even so, Johnson has lost so much value so quickly that I'm not even sure it would be worth it at this point.

Daniel Jones, QB - Vikings

Let's have some fun with this last one. The writing has been on the wall ever since the Giants signed Daniel Jones to a four-year/$160-million contract. Fast forward a few years and Jones has officially cleared waivers and, as of this writing, signed with the Minnesota Vikings as a backup.

While he reportedly wanted to sign with a playoff contender, I'm more interested in Jones' long-term value from a dynasty perspective.

His best fantasy finish (QB9) was back in 2022 when he threw for just over 3,200 yards & 15 TDs but added 700 yards and seven additional scores on the ground. Even with all that, he has just two seasons with more than 3,000 passing yards and only one with more than 15 passing TDs.

Those are objectively bad numbers in a league that continues to be more pass-heavy.

Yes, rushing QBs do matter for fantasy but you still have to be able to throw the ball. Even guys like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Jalen Hurts have made significant strides as passers in their careers.

Looking ahead, Jones will have a chance to start again for a team, I'm sure of it. We've seen "reclamation projects" like Baker Mayfield (and even Sam Darnold) work well in the past when guys have been put in the right situations to succeed.

Jones may not have much value right now (QB38), but I don't mind taking a chance in Superflex dynasty formats. At just 27 years old, all it takes is for the right opportunity/environment to come along to suddenly make him a viable QB2 in fantasy once more.