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. Often in the off-season we choose to look at positive news as that which is most actionable. It makes sense – as a seller you can theoretically dictate a higher price, or as an owner in general you can get more excited about the seasonal prospects. When you’re not playing with live ammo, it’s easier to view things through rose-colored glasses. But the other side of the coin may be equally valuable, and that’s using negative information to our advantage. One good example is Jadarian Price , who started the off-season with positive momentum upon news he was being utilized as a pass catcher, but has more recently been dinged by news he won’t be a full-time player. Considering he was a first-rounder in both real life and dynasty rookie drafts, it’s easy to see why this could be damaging to his immediate prospects. To that I would say, if you believe in his talent, then who cares? Let the news dictate moves to others, and choose to be the one to instead take advantage of it. Even though it shouldn’t be the case in a dynasty format, owners still do let news about rookies who haven’t even taken a snap yet impact their mindset. If you can get a player like Price on a discount because of it, then I say go for it. 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 Twitter… The Goldsmith @EDH_27 I’ve got a ? for you that’s at least interesting to me…If Jeremiah Smith came out in the 2026 draft & chosen @ Tates spot, where would you rank him among dynasty wr? I’m trying to move to the 2027 #1 (w/o earning it) & determining how much to give up to get there. — Eternal vessel of Grace (@Dallonntm) June 28, 2026 It’s an interesting question, and one where I’d further like to invoke another former Ohio State receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr . While I agree that Carnell Tate ’s inclusion in the equation is sensible enough, the fact is this year’s draft class just wasn’t as highly thought of as those previous. This isn’t an attempt to take anything away from Tate, but rather it’s an acknowledgement that he’s not entering the league with the same stature as someone like Harrison, or likely Smith next year. As shown above, upon entering the league Harrison was already viewed as a mid-first round pick in startup drafts. To use a current comparator, Justin Jefferson is the sixth player off the board in the June 2026 ADP, going as the overall WR4. Not shockingly, it would take quite a bit to attempt to acquire his services. Still, something always gets lost in translation when it comes to ADP versus trade value. The former is a good indicator of the latter, but ultimately a startup draft isn’t the same as a trade market in an established league. Further, I would posit that in a draft class that is expected to be more robust, and when there’s a player such as Smith who will be well above his compatriots a la Ashton Jeanty last year, the going rate is going to exceed what is shown in the hypothetical Jefferson trade. Shown another way, Tate has a current ADP of 27.8, but this value actually appears to exceed that of the early 2027 first-round pick. Given what was stated above regarding Harrison’s initial entry into the ADP, I’d expect Smith to fall quite a bit higher…