Dynasty value can be a fickle thing. A rough few-game stretch, an injury, or a youth ready to step up can crash another guyโs stock in a flash. The tough part of our game is identifying which players are at risk before others do.ย
Here are five players who I think could be losing dynasty value in 2026 and why now might be a good time to unload them.
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Sell These Five Players Losing Dynasty Value in 2026
Capped in Cincy: The Perennial WR2 Trap | Tee Higgins | WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Full disclosure: I’m a big Tee Higgins guy. He always seems to slip in drafts, so I’ve scooped him up a ton in plenty of leagues. And lately, that has worked out. Over the past two seasons, Higgins has finished as the WR5 and WR13 on a per-game basis.
That said, I think his value can only go down from here. He’s already 27.5 years old, so he’s about to hit that age range where dynasty managers start getting antsy and unloading receivers before any decline starts. Physically, Higgins is already one of the slower, big-name wideouts, and he’s not going to suddenly get any quicker as he creeps closer to age 30.
The other issue is that Higgins has been propped up by some massive touchdown totals the past two seasons. We know that touchdowns aren’t usually sticky from year to year. After 24 scores over his first four seasons, Higgins found pay dirt 21 times in 27 games between 2024 and 2025. In that span, the only players with more receiving touchdowns are Davante Adams (22), Amon-Ra St. Brown (23), and teammate Ja’Marr Chase (25).
Tee Higgins’ 2025 Efficiency Metrics
Higgins isn’t going to overtake Chase as the top dog in Cincinnati; as long as he’s tied to this offense, he’ll always be playing “second fiddle” as the No. 2. It’s a good role, but because of that, his ceiling is capped. And if Higgins doesn’t find the end zone, he’ll have a hard time paying off with efficiency metrics like these:
- Yards per route run – 1.67 (WR43)
- First downs per route run – 0.081 (WR46)
- Target Separation – 0.96 (WR96)
With numbers like that, Higgins’ expected fantasy points per game were at 11.3 last season, but the touchdowns pushed his actual average up to 14.1.
With one of the easiest schedules in the league in 2026, the smart move might be to wait until Higgins has a couple of big games and then flip him for maximum value. Miss the window, and you might be looking at a depreciating asset this time next year.
The Age Cliff and the New Guard | DK Metcalf | WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
His first year in Pittsburgh was one to forget for DK Metcalf. The Steelers traded a second-round pick to acquire his services and handed him a four-year, $ 132 million extension in the process. I’m sure they had visions of Aaron Rodgers peppering him with targets the way he once did Davante Adams.
That didn’t happen, though. Instead, Metcalf ended up with career lows in targets (99) and receiving yards (850). He did finish as the WR19 in fantasy points per game (12.5), but wide receiver scoring was down across the board in 2025. The year before, he averaged 12.8 points per game with the Seahawks and was only the WR30.
Unfortunately, if you think Year 2 might be better, I have some bad news for you.
Rumors are flying as the draft gets closer, but this one feels completely off.
The idea that the Pittsburgh Steelers would trade DK Metcalf after just one season makes no real sense when you actually look at the situation.
They just gave up assets to get him and signed him to aโฆ pic.twitter.com/UuIzI9GuFi
โ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ (@steelcityundrgr) April 8, 2026
Rodgers โ along with his cooked arm โ is back. There are only 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFLโฆ Rodgers was 37th in air yards per attempt (6.1) last season. The four-time MVP also ranked 29th in yards per attempt (6.7). He doesn’t throw it downfield much anymore, and that doesn’t coalesce with Metcalf’s game.
On top of that, Pittsburgh added a ton of target competition, which Metcalf didn’t have to deal with last year. The Steelers completely revamped their receiver room, first by trading for Michael Pittman this offseason and giving him a new deal. They also drafted Germie Bernard out of Alabama in the second round. With those guys now in the mix, Metcalf’s ceiling is lowered.
Add it all up, and it doesn’t look encouraging for Metcalf’s future. He turns 29 in December, and Pittsburgh can get out of his deal next offseason for an $18 million dead cap hit. This time next year, we could be looking at Metcalf coming off back-to-back disappointing seasons as a potential free agent entering his age-30 season. That’ll sink his dynasty value to the point of no return.
Mile-High Efficiency Landmine in Denver |RJ Harvey | RB, Denver Broncos
Normally, when a rookie running back scores double-digit touchdowns, catches nearly 50 passes, and totals almost 900 yards, he’d be soaring up draft boards. But that’s not what happened with RJ Harvey, who’s currently RB27 in PlayerProfiler’s dynasty rankings.
RJ Harvey is getting the receiving work and they were sharing goal line duties last year pre injuryโฆ people are way over estimating the importance of rushing efficiency in this case.
โ Career PPG Lab (@CareerPPGLab) April 1, 2026
For one, Harvey is already on the older side, entering his second season at 25. The other issue is that most of his production came in the back half of the season when J.K. Dobbins was out with a knee injury.
Through Week 10, Dobbins was healthy and dominated the backfield touches. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry and saw at least 12 touches in every contest. Meanwhile, Harvey struggled to see the field and topped a 30% snap share just twice. He also had only one game with more than 8 touches during that stretch.
And even when he did start putting up numbers, he was largely propped up by touchdowns. Harvey averaged a measly 3.7 yards per carry and ranked 41st among all running backs in both juke rate (19.2%) and runs of 15-plus yards (four).
Heading into 2026, Harvey is going to be hard-pressed to improve on, or even replicate, his rookie numbers. Dobbins is back, signing a two-year deal to return this offseason. He’ll slide right back into the early-down role he held last year.
RJ Harvey’s EPX Rating
Denver also spent a fourth-round pick on Jonah Coleman. Over the past two seasons at Washington, the 5’8โ Coleman rushed for over 1,800 yards, reeled in 51 receptions for over 500 yards, and scored 27 total touchdowns. He’s a tackling-breaking bowling ball who can play all three downs. Maybe he’s there as insurance in case Dobbins goes down once again, but he’s certainly talented enough to carve out a standalone role. Any playing time Coleman gets hurts Harvey’s fantasy potential.
If Harvey is stuck in the same role he had through the first 10 weeks of 2025, his stock is going to take a major hit. He might be one of the rare โsell lowโ players because I’m not sure he’s going to get many spike games this year. Without those, there are no sell-high windows.
The $33 Million Extension Illusion | Chuba Hubbard |RB, Carolina Panthers
Chuba Hubbard‘s days as a starting running back could be numbered. The 27-year-old struggled with an ankle injury last year and lost his stranglehold on the job to Rico Dowdle in the process. He finished with his worst statistical season since 2022, averaging just 8.4 fantasy points per game (RB40).
Chuba Hubbard’s Career Stats
The efficiency was somehow even uglier:
- Yards per touch – 4.5 (RB40)
- Yards per carry – 3.8 (RB41)
- Explosive Rating – 80.6 (RB48)
- Fantasy points per opportunity – 0.72 (RB51)
- Juke Rate – 14.6% (RB55)
Hubbard has always thrived on volume. The problem is that he might not get that going forward with Jonathon Brooks looming. The dynasty community has been waiting with bated breath for Brooks to get healthy ever since he was the first running back selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. We got a tiny glimpse of him as a rookie, but sadly, Brooks tore his ACL for a second time just 12 touches into his career.
Fast forward to now, and Brooks is reportedly healthy and ready to go for Year 3. Head coach Dave Canales has told the media that he wants to get Brooks involved in the passing game and create some packages to get his former second-round pick the ball.
The vibes out of June’s minicamp were so good that Brooks has actually passed Hubbard in value on some sites. He’s currently higher on KeepTradeCut, and his ADP has elevated above Hubbard’s in some high-stakes redraft formats.
Jonathon Brooks will be Carolinaโs lead back by Week 6 https://t.co/UHP26S2dnT
โ I Donโt Watch Film (Football Analytics) (@NoFilm_Analysis) July 6, 2026
It’s going to take Brooks some time to ramp up and get acclimated; he hasn’t played any meaningful football in years. Hubbard will start the season as the lead dog, but if he continues his inefficient ways, Brooks will be right behind him, ready to siphon off more work.
Right now, PlayerProfiler has Hubbard at RB29 in the dynasty rankings. That number will plummet if he can’t hold off Brooks this season. Even if that doesn’t happen, Hubbard will be 28 next year. For a volume-dependent back with a younger guy waiting in the wings, things could go south in a hurry.
Best to get out now while you can still turn a potential profit.
The Tale of Two Halves: Smoke, Mirrors, and George Pickens | Jake Ferguson | TE, Dallas Cowboys
You might be thinking: why is Wolf saying last year’s TE5 is going to lose value?ย
Because that finish is just smoke and mirrors. Jake Ferguson isn’t a true difference-maker, and with one of the toughest schedules for the tight ends this year, dynasty managers would be wise to deal him while they still can.ย
Jake Ferguson’s Advanced Metrics
The numbers from last year look enviable on the surface. Ferguson was third among all tight ends with 82 receptions and finished with a career-high eight touchdowns. However, he totaled only 600 yards, and his yards per reception were a paltry 7.3, which ranked No. 42 among TEs.
His efficiency metrics were nothing to write home about either:
- First downs per route run – 0.068 (TE28)
- Target separation – 1.83 (TE30)
- Yards per route run – 1.27 (TE33)
- Yards per target – 5.9 (TE40)
The tight end had some blow-up games, but most of them came early on, when CeeDee Lamb was sidelined with an ankle injury. Once Lamb returned and George Pickens had established himself as a dependable asset, Ferguson’s numbers nosedived. Lamb came back in Week 7, and from that point on, Ferguson didn’t top 12 PPR points in a single game.ย
Just look at this split:ย
Weeks 1-6: Ferguson was the TE1, averaging 16.4 fantasy points per game
Week 7-18: Ferguson was the TE17, averaging 8.1 fantasy points per game
If you have Ferguson in dynasty, now is the time to put him on the trade block. If nothing else, to see what you can get in return. Push those raw stats, point to his TE5 overall finish last year, and see if you can use him as a springboard to upgrade at the position.
Wolf Trelles-Heard is a fantasy football analyst for PlayerProfiler.
Follow @DynastyFFWolf
