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Since this is the first installment, there aren’t any risers or fallers yet per se, but there are a few players who maybe have been overlooked up to this point that will be major players in dynasty leagues and otherwise moving forward.

Cam Akers, Rams
Age: 23
Movement: Rising
Updated Rank: RB12
Akers was a 2nd round pick in 2020 for the Rams and was slated to be the bellcow back for LA in 2021, before tearing his achilles over the summer. Credit his hard work and his youth to Akers coming back full bore after just 6 months to lead the Rams in touches(18) and production(95 yards) in their Wild card win against the Cardinals last week. He has more pop and power than Sony Michel does at this point in their careers, and I fully expect Akers to be the main cog in the Rams beckfield from here on out – Darrell Henderson is a 3rd down back at heart. Barring another injury, Akers should be the 1A, at worst, in the Rams’ formidable offense going into the 2022 season.

JK Dobbins, Ravens
Age: 24
Movement: Rising
Updated Rank RB13
Well it’s safe to say that Dobbins’ role as the lead back in Baltimore will be waiting for him when he returns from the torn ACL he suffered in late August. Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray have shown that neither one of them is a capable substitute in their own right, as the Ravens running game sputtered for most of the season. Gus Edwards will still have a role, as he’s signed through 2023, but Dobbins was the frontrunner going into the 2021 season, and I expect him to reclaim his rightful position at the top of the heap. Prior to his injury, Dobbins was running hard and had elevated the Ravens backfield to a new level since he started getting major action the last month and a half of the 2020 season. Don’t sleep on him in dynasty or otherwise.

Travis Etienne, Jaguars
Age: 23
Movement: Rising
Updated Rank RB23
The 1st round pick out of Clemson never saw the field this season on account of the Lisfranc injury and subsequent surgery Etienne went through in September. Before that, he was slated to be the main on field arbiter of then coach Urban Meyer’s new regime. Meyer is no longer a part of the Jaguars organization, but Etienne is too high of a pick and too multifaceted to not find the field early and often in 2022. He says he could have played in 2021, but the Jaguars weren’t competitive so they decided not to rush Etienne back. James Robinson is signed through 2022, but he suffered a torn achilles late in the season. Robinson’s days in Jacksonville could easily be over. The Jaguars need all the playmakers they can get. Etienne can wear a lot of hats in the offense, and he offers a pass-catching component that Robinson has tried to fill, but isn’t necessarily as equipped as Etienne to handle.