Dynasty Fantasy Football Mailbag

Player mentions

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Welcome back to the DLF Mailbag, the preeminent mailbag in all the dynasty fantasy football land. In a previous iteration of the Mailbag, I spoke about how the Miami Dolphins were going all in on an organizational overhaul and rebuild, signaling their intent to wave the white flag and build through drafting and developing talent. On the other end of the spectrum are teams like the Seahawks and Patriots, who are doing what they can to stay on top, including drafting and signing talent for need. Then there are the Pittsburgh Steelers. After stalwart head coach Mike Tomlin departed, they imported the uninspiring Mike McCarthy. And while I like the additions of Michael Pittman and Germie Bernard , running it back with a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers seems like a move designed solely to tread water. Perhaps they’ll again make it to the playoffs, but even in a wide-open year where the Chiefs missed out, they were one and done, watching former also-rans like the Broncos and Patriots leap past them. If they were a dynasty team, they’d be in the worst possible place. Not good enough to win it all, and not bad enough to nab a top pick. And while it’s true no one can predict the future, an aging roster that isn’t good enough in 2026 isn’t going to be better in future years. Perhaps another mediocre season will see them decisively pick a lane moving into 2027. As a reminder, there are multiple ways to pose your burning questions! You can send me a tweet on Twitter/X ( @EDH_27 ), and you can also reach out using our Discord channel, or the old-fashioned way ( via our online webform ). Let’s get to it! From Discord… To the Hamptons! Which side do you prefer for a contending team in a 10-team, PPR, superflex, and tight end premium league – Omarion Hampton and Sam LaPorta , or Bryce Young , TreVeyon Henderson and 2026 rookie pick 1.10? I’ll have to confess a little bit of surprise on this one. Not with the overall outcome of the trade, but rather with the valuations of its principals, particularly running backs Hampton and Henderson. As we know, through little fault of his own, Hampton received something of an “incomplete” rookie grade, due to the fact he only played in nine contests. When he was able to suit up, he broadly functioned as a startable asset, as shown below. There were a few clunkers, particularly when he didn’t get into the end zone. But Hampton showed strong use in the passing game with nearly four receptions per game, and had double-digit carries in all but one contest. All told he was a weekly PPR RB1 thrice, with three RB2 finishes, as well. While Henderson had his rookie compatriot bested in counting stats, with nearly 1,100 total yards, it was a more circuitous route. He was extremely slow out of the gates, as the game initially seemed a bit too big for him, surprising many analysts given the seeming pro-readiness of his pass protection and blitz pickup. But when teammate Rhamondre Stevenson went down in a week eight contest against the Browns, Henderson ripped off six straight top-25 weekly finishes, including going nuclear with three top-four outings. In doing so, he handled the bulk of the work in the ground game, while also corralling 18 receptions over this stretch. He scored seven times, nearly willing the team to victory in week 13 against the Bills. Finally, he was showing the promise that led to his selection in the early second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In a league often defined by its collection of “what if?” scenarios,…