September 7, 2016

Matt Terelle takes a look at five NFL players who should be avoided as potential busts in fantasy football dynasty formats, but will be excellent in redraft leagues.

For those who have played in a dynasty league, the fundamental difference is that every player and every move needs to be viewed through a long-term lens, whereas in redraft we only care what the players will be doing for the current season. Sometimes this change in viewpoint doesn't change player value much, but sometimes it makes a huge difference.

Let's take a look at some players who aren't valued very high in dynasty leagues, but should be redraft studs this season. For argument's sake, all ADP references are from 12-team PPR leagues on Fantasy Football Calculator. All references to dynasty rankings come from our friend Justin Bales and can be found right here on Rotoballer.

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Target in Redraft, Avoid in Dynasty Leagues

Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals

Palmer is locked in as a QB1 this season. The veteran signal caller has a multitude of weapons to target and runs an excellent offensive scheme put in place by head coach Bruce Arians. Expect him to put up another year similar to the 4,671 yards and 35 touchdowns he posted in 2015.

With that being said, Palmer is now 36 years old, meaning he's definitely in the twilight of his career. This is reflected in our dynasty rankings with Palmer ranking as the QB17 in dynasty. Palmer is definitely a quarterback option on win-now teams in dynasty, but his age and lack of long-term value really caps his fantasy value in those formats.

Jeremy Langford, Chicago Bears

Langford is not regarded as the long-term solution for the Bears at running back, but the second-year runner doesn't have much competition facing him this season. Langford is very fast, running a 4.42 40 in the combine, and has pass-catching skills as he played some wide receiver at Michigan State. The main knock on him has been a lack of physicality in the run game. He is currently ranked as an RB3 in dynasty formats, which certainly has concerns about his role beyond this season baked into the ranking.

Rookie Jordan Howard, once considered a threat to Langford's carries this season, had a lackluster preseason aside from his 107-yard outburst in the team's fourth preseason game. Look for Langford to open the season as Chicago's feature back and get all the work he can handle. As we have found out in the current fantasy landscape, all a running back really needs to post low-end RB1/high-end RB2 stats these days is opportunity. Langford should be a mid-tier RB2 in 2016 based on workload alone.

Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers

Stewart ranks as an RB4 in our dynasty ranks due to age and a long injury history, but he has a legitimate chance at finishing this year as an RB1. Stewart flourished in 2015 as Carolina's featured back after DeAngelo Williams left for Pittsburgh. Plus, keep in mind that Carolina is one of the most run-heavy teams in the league.

Stewart turned in an excellent campaign in 2015 and will resume his role as the team's bell cow back in 2016 with little competition behind him. With Stewart entering his age 29 year, it's reasonable to expect he has one to two good years left. The lack of a long-term outlook significantly downgrades this redraft RB1 in dynasty formats.

Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals

There's a lot to love about Fitzgerald as he led the Cardinals with 21 red zone targets last season, connecting with Carson Palmer on 13 of those for a 61.9% success rate and eight touchdowns. The star wideout has been widely considered one of the top receivers of his generation and has found new life after sliding into the slot for the explosive Arizona offense. Fitzgerald should command the lion's share of the Cardinals' red zone targets again this season and can be realistically expected to finish the year as a WR2.

His dynasty outlook isn't as favorable, however. The 33-year-old signed an extension last month which will keep him in Arizona through the end of 2017, but there's no guarantee he plays past the end of that contract. He is currently ranked as a WR5 in our dynasty ranks due to the small amount of time left in his playing career, even though he should be a useful fantasy wide receiver this season.

Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers

Gates should remain one of Phillip Rivers' favorite red zone targets for one more season in San Diego. Last season, in just 11 games, Gates was second on the team in red zone targets with 16, catching nine of those for six touchdowns. Overall, the veteran tight end caught 56 balls for 630 yards and five touchdowns.

Look for Gates to continue to post low-end TE1 numbers for yet another season, making him an excellent target in redraft leagues. In dynasty, Gates is no better than a low-end TE2 considering this may very well be the 36-year-old's final season.