The fantasy football process looks (roughly) the same, regardless of the format you play—fantasy football waiver wire research on Tuesdays, trade considerations throughout the middle of the week, and setting lineups toward the end of the week.
That said, there are subtle nuances that dynasty fantasy football managers have to pay attention to in order to alter their strategy. To assist, I'll be consolidating everything a Dynasty Fantasy Football manager needs to know to prepare for the week at hand.
Dynasty Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Target For Week 4
Emanuel Wilson, RB—Packers
One of the biggest early-season storylines has been the surprising play of Malik Willis, who has done an exceptional job filling in for Jordan Love (knee). Willis is 2-0 as a starter, has accounted for 3 total TDs, and (most importantly) has not turned the ball over.
Head coach Matt LaFleur has done an outstanding job coaching in scheming to Willis' strengths over the last two weeks, which has included a heavy dose of the run game. Aside from Josh Jacobs getting a sizable workload, sophomore Emanuel Wilson has quietly surprised and dynasty managers should take notice.
I highlighted Wilson during the preseason as someone to keep an eye on and with rookie MarShawn Lloyd officially on injured reserve, Wilson has stepped up in a big way, especially this past weekend.
Week 3
- Jacobs—15 total touches, 48 scrimmage yards
- Wilson—14 total touches, 85 scrimmage yards, 1 TD
With Love expected to return next week in a pivotal matchup against the undefeated Vikings, expect LaFluer to continue working in both Jacobs and Wilson as a way to balance out the offense. Finally, if Jacobs were to ever miss time, Wilson would immediately slide into a very fantasy-friendly role.
Trade Targets for Dynasty Fantasy Football
Braelon Allen, RB—Jets
It looks like the Wisconsin Badgers have continued their tradition of producing quality RBs who can produce at the NFL level.
James White, Melvin Gordon, Jonathan Taylor, and now Braelon Allen. It's a pretty incredible run of talent. Allen finished his three-year collegiate career with an impressive final boxscore:
- 597 rushing attempts
- 3,494 rushing yards
- 5.9 yards per carry
- 35 TDs
- 49 receptions
- 275 receiving yards
The youngest player in his class, Allen came in at No. 4 in our Rookie RB Model.
Allen landed with the Jets after being selected in Round 4 of the NFL Draft and has quickly worked his way into the rotation.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. Breece Hall is the clear-cut RB1 for this franchise. He's averaging 20+ touches through 3 games and is involved in the passing game as well. However, Allen has seen his involvement steadily increase as well.
- Week 1—2 total touches
- Week 2—9 total touches
- Week 3—14 total touches
Much of this season depends on the health of Aaron Rodgers, but Allen is already entering flex-worthy territory on an offense that's starting to pick up some steam. Dynasty managers should not be afraid to aggressively target this still-20-year old talented player.
Bryce Young, QB - Panthers
Let's have some fun with this one. Bryce Young was benched following his Week 2 performance, but it's been reported that the Panthers are hoping to start him at some point again this season.
Could Young be a historic bust? Potentially. However, we've seen more and more examples this season of QBs getting in the right environment and thriving with the right system and right head coach. I'm willing to take that chance on Young.
Sam Darnold has flourished in Minnesota and only a few weeks after being traded from the Titans, Malik Willis went into Tennessee and beat his former team to move to 2-0 as a starter. If the Young manager in your league is just fed up and done with him, I would happily make a move to acquire him and be patient for the former first-overall selection.
Player to Trade Away in Dynasty Leagues
Dallas Goedert, TE—Eagles
Let's make something clear before we get further into this … I'm not suggesting trading away Dallas Goedert just because. We all know how difficult it is to find a reliable option at TE and this year hasn't done dynasty managers any favors.
However, coming into Week 3, Goedert had totaled just 7 receptions for 69 yards. (I can't even call that nice because, well, it isn't).
In Week 3, he erupted by hauling in 10 of 11 targets for 170 yards. That just simply won't happen every week. It's also worth noting that A.J. Brown (hamstring) has missed the last two weeks and he's likely due back soon.
Dynasty values can be fickle. While we know it's a long-term game, we shouldn't ignore fluctuations in player value that can happen on a week-to-week basis. If there's someone in your league who believes his Week 3 performance is a sign of things to come, and is willing to pay up for it, don't be afraid to capitalize.
Breakout Watch
DeMario Douglas, WR—Patriots
Let's get right to it: this offense is hard to watch. Through Week 3, the Patriots are averaging a paltry 13 points per game and, depending on your scoring settings, their RB1 scored negative fantasy points on Thursday night.
While we assumed that Hunter Henry was the sole diamond in the rough, it's looking like second-year wideout DeMario Douglas could offer some deep-league PPR appeal.
His 35% target share in Week 3 paced the team by a fair margin, and his 9 targets were 5 more than the next-closest player. Douglas finished the night going 7-69 (nice).
Rookie QB Drake Maye got some snaps at the end of the game so we'll see if that's a sign of things to come in New England. Regardless, Douglas is starting to get meaningful targets and the fantasy points are going to follow.