Dynasty Leagues: 10 players who lost the most value in 2023

As we reflect on the 2023 fantasy football season, we think about what went well and what didn't. Congratulations to those fantasy managers who were able to earn a league title. That is an even bigger reward in dynasty leagues.

Dynasty leagues carry with them the ultimate weight for fantasy players as their teams carry over into the next season. If you had a non-playoff team that lost a good majority of its games, you are now trying to figure out the best route to take to be more competitive next year.

If you were one of those teams, it could also be because you had some of these players on your roster. Players who lose value in dynasty leagues are tough to have. Do you bait on them now and get what you can or do you hold and hope for a bounce-back next year?

Managers all over will be weighing those options on these players this offseason. Here are the 10 players who lost the most value in dynasty leagues this season.

J.K. Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Once considered one of the best young running backs in the league, that is no longer the case for the Ravens' J.K. Dobbins. The former second-round pick had a solid rookie season in 2020 but in the last three seasons combined, injuries have limited him to a total of eight games.

In Week 1 of this season, he tore his ACL (which he also did in 2021) and was shut down for the season. A knee injury kept him out of 10 games last season as well.

Dobbins just turned 25 years old so youth is still on his side. But that injury history is going to scare away a good majority of potential trade partners in your league and if you do trade him, someone will likely get you to severely undersell.

That will likely force most managers to hold onto him and hope for the best. However, there is a lot to overcome.

Miles Sanders, RB, Carolina Panthers

Miles Sanders signed with the Panthers as a free agent and had a miserable season, as did the entire team.

Sanders had what was easily the worst season of his career, rushing for just 432 yards and one touchdown while averaging only 3.3 yards per carry. That forced the Panthers to give the starting job to Chuba Hubbard, who was much more effective.

Sanders signed a four-year deal with the Panthers so there won't be a lot of optimism about him bouncing back next year and you'll get next to nothing for him in a trade right now.

Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Quentin Johnston looked like a stud at TCU and the Chargers obviously felt the same way. But it was a bad year in L.A. and Johnston won't be the last Chargers player to appear here.

In your rookie drafts this summer, Johnston likely went ahead of much better wide receivers in Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison. And while those guys look like future stars, Johnston does not.

Fantasy managers fell into the trap of overdrafting Johnston just because he was a high first-round pick, the same way the Chargers did. But man, he was terrible this season. His numbers are bad (38 receptions, 431 yards, 2 TDs) but they were on pace to be even worse before he turned it up a notch toward the end of the season.

In the Chargers' first six games, he had seven total catches.

Those savvy fantasy managers who passed on Johnston likely caught how one-dimensional he can be and his lack of gaining separation was obvious.

Fantasy CPR advice: Get rid of this guy if you can get anything of note in return.

Chase Claypool, WR, Miami Dolphins

Chase Claypool was a disaster for the Chicago Bears and recognizing the mistake they had made in obtaining him, he was traded to the Miami Dolphins early in the season.

But the Dolphins haven't found much use for him either as he played in nine games for the team and caught four passes for 26 yards this season. Those are somehow even smaller than the numbers he posted in Chicago (4 rec., 51 yards, 1 TD), a team he didn't seem to have any interest in playing for.

When he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Claypool looked like he was soon going to be one of the best young wide receivers in the league. Now, even in a deep dynasty league, he may not even be worth a roster spot.

Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

This may come as a surprise to some, but I feel Travis Kelce lost value this season and it could be considerable. He still put together a good year, but notice the drop in numbers from the 2022 season:

2022: 110 receptions, 1,338 yards, 12 TDs
2023: 93 receptions, 984 yards, 5 TDs

Those are still good numbers, but the entire Kansas City offense seemed to take a big step back this year and there's no guarantee it gets back on track or back to the point that it once was. Kelce was also hobbled in a game against the Minnesota Vikings in early October and for me, that seemed to bother him the rest of the year. He just wasn't the same player.

Defenses certainly seemed to focus on taking Kelce away more this year and the Chiefs offense was exposed when that method was successful. Kelce also had the massive storyline of his relationship with Taylor Swift hovering over him and at times, it just seemed like a lot of him to keep up with.

There were redraft leagues where Kelce was being selected in the top 5 heading into this season. In dynasty, he was far and away the No. 1 tight end to own. To me, that is questionable at this point and I don't feel he gets back to that status at 34 years old now.

Fantasy CPR advice: Sell as high as you can on Kelce.

Darren Waller, TE, New York Giants

Another one of the top tight ends in the league for the last several years, Darren Waller's first season in New York did not go well and that should be leaving those with him on their roster feeling quite uneasy.

Some of it can be attributed to the QB play the Giants had to deal with this season as starter Daniel Jones missed a lot of time, but Waller caught only 52 passes and found the end zone just once.

Jones is going to be the starter again next season and there is just not much to indicate that Waller will ever flourish with this team the same way he once did with the Raiders. He will also be 32 years old when the 2024 season kicks off.

Treylon Burks, WR, Tennessee Titans

Treylon Burks looked like a terrific player coming out of college at Arkansas but the NFL has not been kind to him thus far. Injuries and an offense that lacks explosion in the passing game have held him down and this season, he caught only 16 passes.

Burks does not look like a big contributor going forward and if you are wondering what Quentin Johnson's trajectory looks like, just look at Burks.

Greg Dulcich, TE, Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos did not have much of a down-field passing attack this season but many dynasty players had high hopes for second-year tight end Greg Dulcich. Those hopes should be completely dashed by this point.

Dulcich simply can't stay on the field as it seems a hamstring injury has been lingering since he got into the league. He played in only two games for the team this season and caught three passes.

You can stash him on your roster if you have the room but it hasn't been a great start to Dulcich's career. He's played in just 12 of a possible 34 games so far.

Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Perhaps no player lost as much value this year as Austin Ekeler, who had a dismal season with the Chargers that began with him requesting a trade.

If you were able to trade him in your league for good value, you likely did well because right now, you are only going to fetch low-ball offers or no offers at all.

Ekeler rushed for over 900 yards in 2021 and 2022 but this season, posted just 628 yards on the ground. He caught 107 passes in 2022 but only 51 this season. Was that a result of Kellen Moore's offensive change or Ekeler's regressing skills? It's hard to say.

Ekeler will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and will turn 29 years old in May. He will likely be looking for a new team and you may see about getting him to a new team in your league, if you can get anything for him.

Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans

After a big rookie season that saw Dameon Pierce carry the ball 220 times for 939 yards, those numbers were cut in half this season on a team with new head coach DeMeco Ryans. It's hard to argue with the Texans' success, but those with Pierce on the roster will have to consider that he probably won't be a No. 1 running back in this offense.

This year, he carried the ball 145 times for 416 yards and just one touchdown, compared to the four he scored as a rookie. His reception numbers also dropped from 30 in 2022 down to 13 this season.

The Texans favored Devin Singletary, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason. He had 71 more rushing attempts than did Pierce and there is no reason to believe that will change. Pierce will soon turn 24 years old but Singletary is only 26, making this a likely timeshare for some time to come.