Welcome to my Dynasty Diary! In this offseason series, I'll peruse the dynasty landscape for pertinent moves, updates, and information and bring you my thoughts in a semi-cohesive manner. Look for dynasty fantasy football trade suggestions, key insights, and more in the coming weeks and months.

Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets: Second-Year RBs

Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals

Looking back, knowing what we know now, how high would you have drafted Bucky Irving last season? He clocked in at No. 8 in our Rookie RB Model—apart from him, this class has greatly disappointed.

Couple the weak 2024 class with the supposedly strong/deep 2025 class and these sophomore RBs could quickly be forgotten. Even so, I'm curious about the dynasty outlooks of a few of these guys—specifically Trey Benson, Jaylen Wright, and Isaac Guerendo.

Benson backed up James Conner in Arizona last season and only managed 63 carries en route to 291 yards (4.2 YPC) and one TD before ending the season on injured reserve with an ankle injury.

For his part, Conner played exceptionally well, topping 1,000 rushing yards for the second consecutive season while also cresting 400 receiving yards for the first time since 2018. He parlayed that strong season into a 2-year, $19,000,000 contract extension that runs through 2026.

A closer look at the contract reveals that it's more of a one-year deal with a potential out after this upcoming season. That alone keeps me cautiously interested in Benson in dynasty formats. The Cardinals are going to funnel their ground attack through Conner who, barring injury, has demonstrated a willingness and ability to shoulder a large workload.

Benson might not be anything more than a handcuff this season but keep an eye on 2026 and beyond for this Day 2 draft pick.

Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins

It's a bit harder to be optimistic about Wright heading into Year 2. Stuck squarely behind De'Von Achane, Wright is nothing more than a speculative stash at the end of your draft or a high-end handcuff to Achane (who is just 23 years old).

I typed more than a few words about Wright last season, mostly drawn to his explosive playmaking ability and his desirable landing spot with the Miami Dolphins. However, he wound up being relegated to the No. 3 option behind both Achane and Raheem Mostert.

With Mostert now with the Raiders, there's at least a chance at fantasy relevance for Wright.

The former fourth-round pick was one of the younger players in his draft and he posted a 4.38 40-yard dash and topped 95th percentile scores in the 40-yard dash, speed score, and burst score. Opportunity be damned, this is the type of profile I want to invest in across my dynasty leagues.

Isaac Guerendo, San Francisco 49ers

I'm suddenly realizing that maybe I have a type.

 

Guerendo, like every RB in San Francisco, had a chance to show his stuff last season and he wound up tallying 84 rushing attempts for 420 yards (5.0 YPC) and four TDs. With both Elijah Mitchell (Chiefs) and Jordan Mason (Vikings) out of the picture, Guerendo suddenly finds himself as the No. 2 option behind Christian McCaffrey.

The 49ers have been moving off guys this offseason as they likely prepare to give Brock Purdy a massive bag. Even so, we've seen how fantasy friendly this backfield is so until they add someone else, Guerendo is a must-roster even if you don't have CMC.

Fantasy Football Breakout Candidate for 2025

Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

Following a disastrous rookie season, Bryce Young bounced back in a major way in Year 2. The question now remains—just how high can Young climb in his third season?

Let's conform to some recency bias for a moment (to be fair, this is the most recent information we have). Following his Week 11 bye, Young averaged more than 21 fantasy points per game. Perhaps most surprising, he tallied five rushing scores in his final six games.

 

The Panthers have to keep adding offensive weapons to help their franchise QB, right? Let's hope so. I'm cautiously optimistic about Young's continued development and have no problem targeting him both via dynasty startup and trade as a rising QB2.

Trading Dynasty Rookie Picks for Players

You can go really far off the deep end when it comes to dynasty fantasy football game theory, but even if you aren't a degenerate, here's a simple time-based concept to keep in mind.

As we near the NFL Draft, rookie picks are reaching their peak value. We don't have landing spots so the 1.06, for example, still has a wide range of names attached to it. It could be a high-end RB or perhaps a talented WR. We simply do not know.

Because of the unknown, rookie picks are worth the most right now.

If you are looking to trade away rookie picks and want to make top-dollar, do it over the next few weeks. In fact, if you're trying to figure out what your first-round pick is worth, check out this piece I just did. I'll be working on additional pieces for second-round picks and beyond in the coming weeks.

On the flip side, established players have the lowest value right now, relative to rookie picks. The dynasty community gets all excited about the shiny new prospects and inherently devalues the current crop of players.

Player values reach their peak heading into the fantasy football playoffs. As playoff-bound teams look to bolster their roster, they're more willing to trade away future picks for known commodities as they seek the ever-elusive title.

Knowing where your team is at throughout the course of the calendar year, and recognizing natural shifts in the dynasty market, will keep you on top of your game. It's always important to try and maximize value whenever possible.

Dynasty Fantasy Football Startup Drafts for Rookies

When I say "rookies" in this sense, I'm referring to those of you who are new to the dynasty fantasy football community.

Welcome, by the way. I hope you're ready to commit your life to this endeavor.

If you are getting ready for your first, and only, startup draft, recognize the impact this singular draft has. I don't say this to stress you out but to emphasize that you don't have to try and galaxy-brain your way through the draft.

While other managers may be looking to trade up or down during the startup draft, I always encourage new dynasty managers to just make their own picks as they come. Unless you have a strong sense of pick/player value, especially over multiple years, you can easily set yourself back several seasons with a misplaced trade during your startup draft.

Sit tight, make your own picks, and build the best team you can. We can always help you make improvements from there. That's what we're here for!