Dynasty Film Review: Week 5 (Fantasy Football)
The first month of the season is in the books, and our Ballers are back with some Week 4 dynasty takes. Borg previews the Weekly Rewind and Play-Caller Draft segments, but first, the topic of Mike McDaniel and the Chargers came up.
Jason highlights how Chargers OC Mike McDaniel has fallen out of favor as his scheme faces heavy criticism from every angle. Betz feels like this was predictable given the vast difference between Jim Harbaugh’s old-school philosophy and the “skinny capri, wearing designer shoes” McDaniel. Despite ranking the top-10 in explosive rush rate, the Chargers currently feature a frustrating three-headed backfield split among Omarion Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, and Kimani Vidal.
Jason still believes in Hampton’s talent and draft capital despite the tough upcoming Chargers schedule and committee split. This makes Hampton a prime “buy-low” candidate in dynasty in 4 to 6 weeks. Offer a mid-to-late 2027 1st-round pick to start.
Borg notes that in the UDK Dynasty Rankings, Hampton remains a top-10 dynasty RB for long-term and balanced roster builds. Borg and Jason note that Mike remains extremely skeptical of Hampton, viewing him as a player who may lack the standalone juice to command a feature role.
Weekly Rewind
Bo Nix
Betz broke down Broncos QB Bo Nix‘s recent game tape against the 49ers, highlighting a concerning lack of downfield passing. Nix’s deep-ball rate has declined every season: 11% in 2024 (14th) > 12th in 2025 > 19th in 2026. He currently ranks 28th in air yards per pass attempt and completed only 4 of 12 passes between the numbers for the entire season.
Despite adding Jaylen Waddle, the Broncos’ offense lacks vertical shot plays and relies almost entirely on short, sideline throws or screens. The Ballers speculate that Sean Payton might eventually take back full play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Davis Webb if efficiency doesn’t improve.
Denzel Boston
Jason reviewed tape on Browns rookie WR Denzel Boston and was highly impressed with his route running, versatility, and hustle. Regarding the “hustle,” Jason is sure Boston’s efforts on the Jaleel McLaughlin TD run were part of the Browns’ ‘teach tape’ following the game. Boston ran a full vertical route clear-out down the sideline and continued downfield blocking (a key block, as it turned out) for his RB long after the play developed.
Deshaun Watson actually put together a solid game reading coverages and taking what the defense gave him. When comparing Boston to Jaylen Waddle in dynasty formats, the Ballers acknowledge that while Waddle has the higher draft prestige, Boston’s rapid emergence makes it a surprisingly close discussion.
Tetairoa McMillan
Borg reviewed Tetairoa McMillan‘s recent breakout performance. McMillan ran 33% of his routes from the slot in his recent game and was targeted on an incredible 45% of his slot routes. Carolina shifted McMillan away from low-value Dig routes toward higher-upside slot layups, resulting in multiple high-leverage catches and TDs from Bryce Young.
Tetairoa McMillan was running some of the NASTIEST ROUTES on his career night.
This type of skillset should not be HUMANLY POSSIBLE at 6’5”, 212 pounds 😳🤯 pic.twitter.com/nJ4WoCEX5r
— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) October 5, 2026
With injuries to secondary targets (including Xavier Legette on IR and Chris Brazzell out for the year), McMillan projects for massive high-value target volume moving forward.
Top-12 NFL Play Callers Draft
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The Ballers conducted a snake draft of the top-12 offensive play-callers across the NFL for fantasy football purposes. With the first pick in the Fantasy Footballers Play-Caller Draft…
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Sean McVay (LAR) — Jason selects: McVay has an unrivaled track record of manufacturing elite fantasy outcomes for RBs and WRs across multiple roster iterations with various centerpieces of fantasy league championship rosters (Todd Gurley, Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua). Betz further expanded on the selection, noting that he wants pieces of McVay’s offense to include young TEs like Terrance Ferguson and Max Klare given the 12- and 13-personnel volume.
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Kyle Shanahan (SF) — Borg selects: Shanahan’s offenses have an elite usage of motion (1st) and the uncanny ability to extract All-Pro production despite persistent injuries across skill positions.
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Ben Johnson (CHI) — Betz selects: On the cusp of the Shanahan/McVay tier, Johnson ranks fifth in explosive play rate and orchestrates a creative, high-tempo run scheme. Betz notes the ‘pettiness’ with which Johnson approaches the game, citing the single-snap start in Week 4 for Case Keenum and his penchant for running up the score.
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Klint Kubiak (LV) — Betz selects: Kubiak is currently maximizing Brock Bowers and Kirk Cousins with forward-thinking play setups and deception. Betz calls out how Kubiak’s scheme is QB-friendly and is able to insulate stud production despite defenses actively trying to take those assets away.
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Andy Reid (KC) — Borg selects: Ranks third in yards per play and first in play-action usage. Jason called out how the Chiefs feature the ‘tap pass’ and the increased value it brings to fantasy managers.
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Kellen Moore (PHI) — Jason selects: Moore consistently runs a high-pace-of-play scheme that maximizes WRs out of the slot, like Chris Olave, De’Vaughn Vele, and even Juwan Johnson as a TE.
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Liam Coen (JAX) — Jason selects: The Jaguars rank fifth in points per drive, second in EPA per play, and top-10 in motion and play action. Jason specifically cites what Coen has gotten out of players he has coached, like Travis Etienne Jr., Bhayshul Tuten, and Parker Washington. Jason likes both Coen and Moore because their offensive success traveled with them as they transitioned teams.
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Joe Brady (BUF) — Borg selects: Borg was torn between Kevin O’Connell and Brady, but ultimately Brady gets the nod. Brady is a top-ranked offense in explosive passing and rushing plays. Jason has Brady outside of the top-12 play-callers, pointing out that he has Josh Allen! Borg feels that Brady has evolved since elevating to HC, and is creating more through his play-calling than in 2025.
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Kevin O’Connell (MIN) — Betz selects: KOC has a strong track record of QB development and player positioning. Borg cautions anyone who doubts KOC based on recent season outcomes, including his neighbor, a committed Vikings fan and Vikings’ bar owner.
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Shane Steichen (IND) — Betz selects: Steichen is known for generating high-end QB production across different teams. Borg and Jason do not believe he survives as the Colts’ HC beyond this year, and Betz hopes it is true so the Eagles can bring him back. Steichen successfully unlocked Jalen Hurts in 2023 and Daniel Jones in 2025.
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Declan Doyle (BAL) — Borg selects: Doyle’s offense currently ranks second in EPA per dropback and play success rate. As a Ben Johnson disciple, he is “pressing all the buttons” we want a new OC to push. Zay Flowers is flourishing, and the offense is moving more efficiently than in 2025.
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Matt LaFleur (GB) — Jason selects: Jason almost went with Matt’s younger brother, Mike, in Arizona, where they are scoring a lot of points, but he went with Matt. Matt LeFluer has a proven track record across multiple seasons, creatively adapting schemes around QB (Jordan Love was QB5 in 2023) and RB personnel.
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Honorable Mentions: The ballers had Todd Monken (Browns) at play-caller 13. As a first-time HC, he has the Browns winning AND having fun doing it. Remember, he walked into the season with maybe the most questionable QB situation in the NFL. Brian Fleury (Seahawks) received a shoutout because he is maintaining the offense that Kubiak left behind.
Week 4 Film Deep Dive
The Ballers’ Play-Caller Draft highlights the importance of play-caller considerations for fantasy as one of the major elements of any player’s supporting infrastructure. Today we will look at two Week 4 performances, each on different ends of the spectrum of play-caller support.
Makai Lemon
I took a look at Makai Lemon prior to witnessing the Week 4 atrocity that was the Week 4 Eagles offense. Jason mentioned multiple times how Lemon is getting open, and Jalen Hurts is just not seeing him.
Makai Lemon is wide open. The scheme works—the read order just needs to flip.
Hurts loves Smitty and Goedert, but defenses know it and sell out to stop them. Lemon had 4 separate big-play opportunities in Wk 1 alone. Time to force defenses to defend the whole field. pic.twitter.com/g08cUpLjDq
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) October 2, 2026
Despite a lowly 3-23-0 line on six targets in Week 4, Lemon showcased steady target-earning ability against Zone and soft press Man looks (#8 in target separation vs Man), displaying route sharpness and strong hands through contact.
Early in the contest, Lemon executed a crisp 10-yard Curl against Cover 4 and a 14-yard Post against press Cover 3 out of the interior slot, showcasing acceleration through the second window. He also consistently won on sit routes against Cover 4 out of multiple alignments.
A few more missed opportunities by Hurts for Makai Lemon… pic.twitter.com/LyFZ2FQ8jv
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) October 7, 2026
Unfortunately, Lemon repeatedly won routes that went unrewarded. Against a late Cover 1-Man blitz, Lemon broke on his Post route into the area voided by the blitzer, but Hurts did not anticipate it. Lemon also exposed Cover 2 shells on deep crossers and corner routes into the secondary void. On the second play in the post above, Hurts opted for a contested throw over the middle, overlooking Lemon entirely. Awesome that Hurts is trying to use the middle of the field, but it is unfortunate for the offense that he is not reading it as well as we expect.
Given the situation with Lane Johnson’s retirement, the litany of injuries, including Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert, this is a prime buy window for Lemon. Hurts may not grow into this offense as quickly as fantasy managers and all of Eagles Nation want. However, Lemon is worth a shot when the circumstances bring so much doubt. Lemon has juice, but Hurts and Mannion’s scheme cannot yet squeeze it out.
I was unable to find many clean trades where it was clear that Lemon was the target asset. This indicates that the value is suppressed, meaning you could potentially snag him for a ’27 second if you believe in the upside.
Keon Coleman
I cannot believe that I find myself writing about Coleman again. For context, he was a draft pick and early acquisition in multiple dynasty leagues for me. He has consistently made me feel foolish for believing that his streaky flashes of production will translate into legitimate dynasty value. Therefore, it is fair to highlight the fascinations and realities of this Week 4 performance.
A good infrastructure like Josh Allen in Joe Brady’s offense is not automatic fantasy gold, as we have seen over the last two years with Coleman. However, finding a fit for a player like Coleman that elevates an already productive offense can mine some fantasy value.
Following DJ Moore’s departure due to injury, Joe Brady expanded Keon Coleman‘s deployment, leveraging motion and route combinations on higher-value routes downfield, leading to a nice 6-116-1 line and a fifth-ranked PFF receiving grade on seven targets. Matt Harmon noted that Coleman appeared to be used as more of an off-ball big slot, which is better utilization anyway. Coleman only ran two Nine routes, a far lower volume than last season in any game. This makes sense since options to create leverage on contested catches are much more sparse with no break in the route.
Is Keon Coleman deceiving us again? His Week 4 performance surely highlighted his natural contested-catch and high-point abilities. However, there are still fundamental flaws in his release and route-running that will make his consistency a maddening aspect of his game. pic.twitter.com/eRZg6GwvJY
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) October 7, 2026
Coleman showcased solid route pacing on his 34-yard Post route TD against Cover 3, stemming inside and using a subtle hip-shake to wrong-foot the defensive back before outrunning a too-shallow safety. He also won isolated down the boundary, setting up his break on out routes once cornerbacks committed their hips upfield, and clearing underneath Zone defenders on deep out-breaking routes out of slot alignments.
On a weak-side Cover 2-Man rep, Coleman powered through tight coverage to make a signature contested catch at the high point. Motioned pre-snap on a drag route against single-high coverage, he stair-stepped through traffic to generate 24 yards post-catch.
Brady’s offense shifted Coleman from a static boundary target into a focal point of scheme-created leverage. Given his ball-tracking and high-point prowess, sustained downfield design gives him legit flex/WR3 utility whenever target volume aligns.
Do not be deceived; well, at least pump the brakes! Coleman still needs to work on his release (especially versus press), his quickness, and really grow his route-running outside of schemed opportunities. With that said, there are some dynasty assets that thrive on being schemed open. Perhaps Coleman is one of them.
Coleman has recently traded straight up for a ’27 third before Sunday’s explosion, and for a ’27 third + Laquon Treadwell after the performance. For me, this is dart-throw territory as far as cost, and completely worth gambling on Joe Brady finding a way to utilize his strengths.