Let’s Make a Deal in 2026! | Trading Out of an Uninspiring Dynasty Draft

by Dan Williamson · Featured
Let's Make A Deal Dynasty 2026 Trade Rookie Draft Picks

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Today, Dan Williamson explains how to take action before the draft, instead of wringing your hands over its lack of impact.

Rookie Dynasty Drafts: When to Be the Contrarian

We’ve Seen This Movie Before

I’ve been analyzing this draft class for months now, and it’s become glaringly obvious that for dynasty managers, this 2026 draft class is weak. No, I don’t have my own proprietary model informing me. I’m not a film geek, either. Like most of you, I outsource both of those skills to people who have much more time and energy to put into their process than we do. What I bring to the table is experience. I’ve been playing fantasy football since 1990 and dynasty since 2014. My gut tells me this rookie draft is going to fall flat.

I try to stay grounded when assessing each new rookie class. Social media is a giant feedback loop, and fantasy gamers are an incurably optimistic crowd. It can be hard to avoid getting caught up in the hype as touts eagerly hype their favorite players. Of course, we still need to be able to rank rookies relative to each other to predict how each draft will unfold. It’s also important that we rank these players against previous classes and the potential of the next class. Nevertheless, taking in as much information as possible before rating rookies is critical to playing each class properly.

Deciding When to Play the Lottery

We must remind ourselves that most rookie classes have at best a small handful of potential star dynasty players. The past few years spoiled us, as 2019 was the last class that truly disappointed. This recency bias conditions us to think every future draft will be loaded with star players. But for those of us who’ve been at this game a while, we remember the tumbleweeds blowing through the draft landscapes of 2012, 2013, and 2015. Very few players from those drafts were long-term assets. The simple fact is, we’re overdue for a bad class, and this class looks like the stinker I’ve been dreading.

Think of it this way. Every draft class is like a box of pull-tabs at the local dive bar. Every box must show how many winning tickets are left in play and how much they are worth. The 2026 draft is a box that’s still 80% full, but most of the big prizes have already been claimed. Only drunks and suckers are buying into that box. The sharps at the bar are looking for better boxes. You should be one of those sharps!

How I See It | The 2026 Evaluation

To my eye, Jeremiyah Love is the only can’t-miss prospect in this draft. Following, there are three solid prospects at wide receiver in Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, and Makai Lemon. KC Concepcion and perhaps Denzel Boston make up a short secondary tier for me.

Fernando Mendoza should be a solid pick in superflex leagues. Beyond that, this class is littered with players who have as many questions as answers. Kenyon Sadiq has amazing physical tools, but his on-field results weren’t particularly special. Eli Stowers might not even be a tight end in the NFL. If he’s a wideout, then the majority of his worth evaporates. Every down-ballot running back has major fleas.

If you have more conviction than I in this class, by all means, act on it. Go buy some more picks. Those of us who lack that conviction are counting on you to bail us out of picks we’d rather not make. Perhaps you see the class differently. For the rest of us, here’s a game plan.

The First Round | Set Your Tier Break

For your first round rookie picks, you need to decide just how many players you feel great about drafting. In superflex, I am solidly on board with Love, Mendoza, and the top 3 wide receivers. Depending on landing spots, I may talk myself into a couple more players. That means I’m setting my first-tier break after 1.06. For me, the cliff comes early, and it’s a long drop to the 2nd tier, so any pick in the back half of the first round is for sale. Mentally, I’m treating those picks more like second-rounders because I can’t see much difference between the two.

That said, I’m certainly willing to move any pick in this draft, except perhaps the 1.01. I’ll happily accept any young player with star potential for any pick in the 1.02-1.05 range. Want to send me Tetairoa McMillan for the 1.02? Sold!

We all love getting picks for picks. If you can make the move into the 2027 draft, that makes a lot of sense, especially for superflex leagues, because of the expected bounty of signal-callers coming out next year. That’s probably going to be a hard sell, since plenty of other managers are also out on this class. Don’t give up trying! Once your rookie draft starts, you can count on managers who are light on picks getting antsy while watching league mates adding to their rosters. They may decide to trade their way back into the draft. You might also tempt someone by offering your late 1st for a pair of 2027 2nds, and that’s a deal I’d happily make.

If your league allows teams to trade 2028 picks, don’t be afraid to go that far in the future to add picks. First-round picks will just continue to appreciate in value and won’t take up valuable roster slots. If you’re trading away a first, you might be able to get a little sweetener on top since that pick is 2 years away. What you definitely don’t want to do is trade an early first for a grab bag of later picks in this draft, even if a trade calculator says you are “winning” the trade by a lot.

For contenders, work on trading those late firsts and early seconds for productive older vets. You might be able to snag Mike Evans or Davante Adams. Otherwise, be looking for players that have fallen out of favor. Jordan Addison has only had one bad season (that arguably wasn’t his fault), but you can get him for a late 1st in a lot of leagues. That’s not a bad price for a 24-year-old WR. Matthew Golden hasn’t hit yet, but as a former 1st-round pick, he will still get plenty of chances in the future. He’d be another nice target.

Later Rounds | Creative Thinking Reigns

Once you get into your second round picks, you may need to get creative. Maybe you could put together a pair of early-to-mid 2nds and get David Montgomery or Jaylen Warren. Is the Travis Hunter manager regretting taking him last year, and after the latest “news”? Bail him out! The Jaguars spent this year’s first and last year’s second- and fourth-rounders just to move up two spots in the draft. They sure didn’t spend that much for a pure CB. He’s going to be involved on offense, perhaps heavily, despite the apparent logjam at wideout (and whatever they tell the media).

Prior to the draft, maybe you want to send a late 2nd for Jacory Croskey-Merritt? Sure, Jeremiyah Love might turn him into a wasted asset, but for that to happen, both the Titans and Giants would need to pass up Love. Even then, another team could just trade in and take him before he gets to the Commanders.

There are many other examples, but you get the idea. You need to get creative with moving later picks in this draft for other options. Be persistent, and be prolific. You should be spamming your leaguemates’ inboxes with trade offers. Make it known that you’re looking to trade and willing to be creative to make deals happen. Start now and don’t stop until you get to where you want to be with your 2026 picks. Even when you’re on the clock, fire off some offers.

Know When To Settle (And Still Be Ahead)

If you can’t “win the trade”, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn’t make the trade anyway, if it’s close. Not every good deal is a winner on the trade calculator. Sometimes you just have to take what you can get. Football is a funny and unpredictable game. Players who are on top of the world can become dead assets in one bad offseason. Conversely, down-on-their-luck players can just as easily rocket from the outhouse to the penthouse. Just make sure you see a path where the deal could break in your favor somewhere down the road.

If the worst-case scenario happens, you might be forced into making a pick you really don’t want to make. And that’s okay, if you gave your best effort to try to wriggle out of the situation. With these picks, I’m shooting for maximum upside, even if the path looks thin. I’ll take players who are buried on a prolific offense. I’ll take super-toolsy players who might be on bad teams or that the fantasy community isn’t buying into. Just try your best to avoid mediocre players, or worse, players buried on mediocre teams.

The Bottom Line | Stagnacy Never Wins

The worst thing you can possibly do is to sit back and just accept your fate without trying your best to change it. Nobody gets to the top or stays there in any league by playing passively. If you think you’re holding a bad hand in this draft, go play some draw poker and change it!


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