We have preseason football!! It means everything and nothing all at the same time. Plenty of starters are seeing little to no snaps, so we are left projecting preseason production over 17 weeks of the regular season for non-starters. But to take a glass-half-full approach, I will parse through the preseason noise and find some agreeable dynasty trades. This week features a late-preseason free agent tight end, a sophomore running back in a crowded backfield, and an intriguing group of pass-catchers on a potentially productive offense.
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Trades were sourced from the Dynasty Daddy trade database. Trades were based on the following settings:
Quarterbacks: 2 (Superflex)
Scoring Format: 1 (Full PPR)
Tight End Premium: 0-0.5
Team Count: 10-12 (Draft pick range noted below extends to 12-team leagues)
Starter Count: 9-11
Bestball: False
Every player has Buys (trade-for) and Sells (trade-away), regardless of whether I am “Bearish” or “Bullish”.
Darren Waller | TE | CAR
📈 Bullish: Darren Waller joins a Panthers’ offense that wouldn’t mind another big-bodied pass-catcher, offering huge touchdown upside as a red zone threat.
After briefly stepping away from football to focus on his music career, Darren Waller rejoined the NFL ranks last year as a member of the Dolphins. To say he was a monster in the red zone in 2025 is an understatement. On a measly 34 targets, seven of them came in the red zone, and six were caught for touchdowns. Now a nearly 34-year-old joins a Panthers team that wouldn’t mind having another pass-catcher.
Waller was limited to nine games in 2025, but by all accounts, he joins the Panthers healthy and ready to go. The Panthers’ offense may not be the highest-volume passing team in the NFL, but after Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, there is an opening. Also, with Tommy Tremble serving as a road-grading blocker, Waller offers a pass-catching complement when the Panthers deploy 12 personnel. Outside of the top tight end options, who have sizeable target volume, I look to stream tight ends with touchdown upside, and Waller is just that. And he shouldn’t cost much as an aging player joining a balanced offense.
➕ To BUY:
Darren Waller ←→ ‘27 3rd
3rds are already a dice roll, so why not get a veteran tight end with touchdown upside?
Darren Waller + Deebo Samuel + Tyjae Spears ←→ Stefon Diggs
Diggs immediately steps into the WR-2 role in Washington, but the upside of Waller and Samuel is a better hedge than all my eggs in one Diggs-shaped basket.
➖ To SELL:
Darren Waller +’27 2nd + ‘29 3rd ←→ Parker Washington
I will acquire Washington anywhere I possibly can, and this is just too much to pass up.
Darren Waller + Aaron Jones ←→ ‘29 2nd
These veterans are slated to contribute in 2027, but nothing is certain beyond that.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt | RB | WAS
📉 Bearish: Bill was shot out of a cannon in his rookie season, but a re-tooled Commanders running back room could limit his role.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, or “Bill”, had a meteoric rise in his rookie season after falling to the 7th round in the 2025 NFL Draft. Brian Robinson had left town, and the Commanders were looking for production following an Austin Ekeler injury. Bill gave the Commanders just that, with 4.6 yards per carry and eight total touchdowns.
No matter the surprise production from Bill in 2025, the Commanders invested in the running back room in the offseason with Rachaad White and Jerome Ford as free agents, as well as Kaytron Allen in the NFL Draft (along with some other additions). White provides the Commanders a solid overall back, with most of his value coming on passing downs. Allen is an intriguing between-the-tackles option after a successful career at Penn State. Ford is a depth player who, like White, is a bit of an all-around back. This group lacks a bell-cow back, so weekly touches may be murky. The one thing I feel confident about is that White will be a primary focus, and I simply do not trust Croskey-Merritt to maintain a large enough role to remain fantasy-relevant. But the story has been exciting!
➕ To BUY:
Jacory Croskey-Merritt + Courtland Sutton ←→ Rhamondre Stevenson
Stevenson is slated to split touches with TreVeyon Henderson, but Sutton has huge touchdown upside even with the addition of Jaylen Waddle.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt + ‘27 2nd ←→ Jaylen Warren + ‘27 3rd
I like Warren over Bill, but jumping from the 3rd to the 2nd makes this worthwhile.
➖ To SELL:
Jacory Croskey-Merritt ←→ Nicholas Singleton + ‘28 2nd
Singleton has a chance to earn the ground work in Tennessee as Tony Pollard’s contract nears its end. Oh, and there is a 2nd round pick to boot!
Jacory Croskey-Merritt + ‘27 3rd ←→ Daniel Jones
Reports have it that Jones should be back sooner rather than later from his 2025 Achilles injury, so getting a top-24 starting quarterback at this cost is a no-brainer.
Dolphins | WR | MIA
💤 Sleeper: The new-look Dolphins offense may have more upside than expected, with an interesting mix of veteran and rookie receivers helping a resurgent Malik Willis.
Instead of picking one name, this week’s sleeper play is the Dolphins’ wide receiver room. The offense was looking questionable after a new coaching staff and front office cleared out the roster.
Miami made a bold move, trading away Jaylen Waddle and releasing the aging, injured Tyreek Hill. The remaining primary receiver was Malik Washington, and then the Dolphins got to work, adding free agents Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell. Then Miami drafted Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell in the NFL Draft, with the former getting rave offseason reviews while the latter was just activated to start practicing following a collegiate ACL tear. Malik Willis has his first real starting opportunity since his time in Tennessee, and it looks like they will need to put up points to stay in games. With so much uncertainty surrounding the Dolphins’ pass-catchers, don’t be afraid to trade for one or two to see what cream rises to the top.
➕ To BUY:
Malik Washington + ‘27 3rd + ‘28 2nd ←→ Michael Penix
I have serious concerns about Penix's longevity and production while healthy, so I'm not waiting around, but getting a Dolphin receiver and a pair of picks works for me.
Caleb Douglas ←→ Adonai Mitchell + ‘27 4th
Douglas may or may not be the WR-1 in Miami, but he should have more opportunity and production than Mitchell, the latter of whom I was not too high on out of Texas.
Chris Bell + Brenton Strange ←→ D’Andre Swift
Swift was a pleasant surprise in 2025, and with Kyle Monangai's recent knee injury, he should remain relevant in 2026. But I've long believed in Strange, which his new contract supports, and Bell has huge upside.
➖ To SELL:
Malik Washington + ‘27 4th ←→ ‘27 2nd
I like Washington, but a 2nd is too much to turn down for one of many options as Miami’s WR-1.
Caleb Douglas ←→ ‘28 2nd
The offseason hype for Douglas has been strong, but I have a hard time turning down a 2nd for a Dolphins’ receiver not named Chris Bell.
Chris Bell ←→ Christian Watson
I am normally not a proponent of 1-for-1 trades with players at the same position, but the stars appear to be aligning for Watson as the WR-1 in Green Bay after surging back last year from an ACL injury.
So you made it this far, and hopefully you enjoyed it (that’s what she said). If you wouldn’t mind sharing this in your group message with your fellow fantasy football degenerates, I would greatly appreciate it!
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