Every time I sat down to write and prep pods this week, I kept firing off dynasty trade offers. That’s the hazard of keeping too many tabs open as a modern dynasty manager. Some prefer to sit back and let the season breathe, but Week 1 feels like a free look, Week 2 teaches us more, and by Week 3 the picture starts to sharpen. Week 4 is the capstone to that first mini-season — once Monday Night Football ends, we’ll have a full month in the books. In most leagues, that’s roughly 28% of the regular season.
Here’s the thing about dynasty trade timing: there’s never a bad time to make a deal that strengthens your roster — or, if you’re rebuilding, advances your plan. Yes, you can wait and let desperation push prices, but if the value is right, pull the trigger.
So what trades did I complete this week? Two big ones.
In an FFPC $1250 single QB league (TEP, two flex that I have won for consecutive seasons, I paid the iron price to acquire Quentin Johnston. I had two second-rounders to work with, and while this may end up being a slight overpay, one of the 2nds should be a late one. I also need to play catch-up with my exposure to one of fantasy football’s best early-season success stories in Johnston. This team is RB-dominant and needed another WR. Johnston has the potential to start many games for me this season and is another solid piece to my WR room, including Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, Jordan Addison, and Jerry Jeudy. While this team lacks a top-end lock and loaded dynasty WR1, I will Billy Beane it at the position and lead on a RB room featuring Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkley, and James Cook.
In another league, I made a huge decision that carries with it some risk but potentially huge rewards. In an FFPC $500 entry start 10 TriFlex format (TEP, Superflex, start 3 WR, start two additional flex), I sent CeeDee Lamb and RJ Harvey for Puka Nacua and Javonte Williams. I am taking a significant risk on trading Harvey before a potential breakout or takeover, but Williams' role is locked in for as long as he can stay upright. This was not my only share of Lamb in dynasty, but the potential to pivot from an injured player to a player with a great shot at finishing as the WR1 overall was something I could not pass up. I won this league in 2022 and 2023, but fell well short last season, making the playoffs but finishing 3rd.
Both trades support my current team goals, and I’m glad I made them. My leaguemate probably walks away thinking they can win the deal, too — and that’s fine. We’ll both remember that we got a deal done. Not every trade needs to be an unequivocal win; in the long game of dynasty, it’s +EV to stay active and complete lots of deals.
You’ll remember the trades you won — and the ones you lost — even more vividly. But unless the trade happened during a rookie draft or at the deadline, you won’t remember when you made it. Outside of those windows, timing the trade is overrated.
Shameless plug: Make sure to check out my most recent episode of Dynasty Life. I had Dwain McFarland from Fantasy Life on, and we discussed a few players in this column, and more. Dynasty Life has grown significantly over the last few years, and I am thrilled that it is now part of the Fantasy Points podcast network. Most weeks, I have a fantastic guest from both inside and outside of Fantasy Points, but some weeks, I record solo pods. Subscribe for weekly episodes, and if you enjoy it and it helps you win in dynasty, consider giving it a five-star rating wherever you get your podcasts. Redraft ends, but Dynasty is Life.
Stock Up
Omarion Hampton, RB, LA Chargers
LFG time. Hampton hive…we are now officially buzzing. I may have overreacted a little last week, but we are now back on track. Did Najee Harris’ season-ending injury aid Hampton’s usage increase? Sure. But headed into Week 4 there is no rookie running back — including Ashton Jeanty — with a brighter outlook. Hampton will have RB1 usage on one of the league’s better offenses. Wheels up.
Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
If you heavily target a WR1 every week, eventually that player is going to post big fantasy numbers, right? It’s the “if you build it, they will come” mentality. And with Chris Olave, few receivers are seeing this level of weekly opportunity. The offense is bad, and the Saints could be in the mix for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. But there has been a clear commitment to targeting Olave at a level we haven’t seen in his career. He currently leads all receivers in targets.
His usage and role have been outstanding, and are indicative of potential high-scoring weeks to come. Olave has a 13.9% designed target rate to go along with a 29.4% target share and 35.7% air yards share. The 25-year-old has a chance to reestablish himself as a dynasty asset this season after a frustrating 2024.
Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants
It took only three games for Dart to be named the Giants’ starting quarterback. The first-round pick now takes over a situation with some flaws but plenty of positives. Dart rushed for nearly 1,500 yards over three years at Ole Miss, and his rushing upside could be on full display under head coach Brian Daboll. In 2022, Daniel Jones rushed for 700+ yards, and we could see similar success from Dart. The offensive line is far from strong, but Andrew Thomas is back, which should help stabilize things. Dart also has strong pieces to work with, including Malik Nabers, arguably one of the most talented wide receivers in football. Dart has a chance to climb into the QB1 ranks this season and could be a fantasy-friendly asset for dynasty managers for years to come.
Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears
There hasn’t been a whole lot of talk about it around fantasy circles, but Caleb is the QB3 overall heading into Week 4. A QB1 overall weekly finish against Dallas (four passing TDs) vaulted him up the fantasy scoring leaders column. He also had a strong Week 1 (QB9) against Minnesota. There are still detractors who aren’t buying the start, but this represents significant progress.
Williams is tied for second in the NFL in touchdown passes (7), and he has 97 rushing yards. There is cautious optimism that this red-hot start could translate into a big 2025 fantasy scoring season from the 2024 NFL Draft’s #1 overall pick.
Quinshon Judkins, RB, Cleveland Browns
In the history of writing this article, I have never included a player in the “stock up” category for two consecutive weeks until now.
Quinshon Judkins has gained more dynasty value than any RB this season, bar none. He went from missing Week 1 after a tumultuous summer — where there was fear he might not play a single down in 2025 — to looking like Cleveland’s heir apparent to the long-time RB1 reign of former Brown Nick Chubb. Judkins led the Browns to a sensational, come-from-behind win over the previously undefeated Packers. After completely shutting down Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Week 1 and the entire Washington backfield in Week 2, Green Bay gave up 94 rushing yards and a TD as Judkins put the offense on his back. 87 of those 94 yards came after contact. He looks like an absolute beast.
His upside is capped by the Browns’ offense, but expect more than a few 20-touch weeks soon. Judkins profiles as a bell-cow RB; he was a top-40 pick with extensive college pedigree. He’s on his way to being Cleveland’s offensive focal point for the near future.
Stock Down
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville
What is going on with BTJ? Twelve targets with almost no production in Week 3 signal a commitment from Jacksonville to get him heavily involved. Week 3 was a significant setback with only five targets, salvaged by a 40-yard catch in the second half. Jacksonville is 2–1 to start the season (and could easily be 3–0 if not for the loss to Cincinnati). Some things are working on this team, but BTJ is far from one of them. He’s gone from one of the hottest dynasty acquisitions of the summer to a player who has lost value.
Am I being too reactionary? Would you rather have Tetairoa McMillan or BTJ in dynasty? Emeka Egbuka or BTJ? JSN or BTJ? During dynasty startups this summer, he was going well ahead of all three. There’s still plenty of time for him to turn this around — we’ve already seen his ceiling after a sensational rookie year. Whether it’s Trevor Lawrence’s inconsistent quarterback play, Liam Coen (with a heavy dose of “fantasy-villain” Shane Waldron mixed in), or BTJ’s wrist injury, something just isn’t right in Duval.
Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are in a complete freefall. I discussed Joe Burrow in last week’s Market Report, and today we need to take a look at his running back, Chase Brown. Brown has been a frequent name in this column — after a meteoric rise last season and an offseason in which Cincinnati passed on several prominent backs in the 2025 draft (including Quinshon Judkins and Cam Skattebo) despite being linked to them in the pre-draft process.
When Burrow returns as the Bengals’ starting QB in 2026, will Brown remain his running back? Right now, it’s looking very, very iffy.
It’s easy to pin Cincinnati’s problems, including low-quality line play, on Brown’s rushing inefficiency, but sub–3.0 yards-per-carry backs often concede touches to teammates — coaches won’t tolerate that level of futility. Brown has failed to reach 3.0 yards per carry in any game this season.
Factor in his outlier status as a Day 3 pick who punched above his weight last year, and there’s a real chance Brown could be a one-year wonder. If he’s going to get his fantasy scoring on track this year, it will likely have to come via his pass-catching usage — a prospect that looks a bit brighter with Samaje Perine now banged up.
Hold on tight, Brown managers. Your sell window is closed in most leagues, due to the dip in quality of the Bengals' offense coupled with Brown’s dip in production, and 2025 could be a rough ride.
Watch List
Oronde Gadsden, TE, LA Chargers
Oronde Gadsden looks to continue the trend of the 2025 TE class making instant fantasy impacts. His debut performance was a very strong one. Gadsden was targeted 7 times on only 15 routes run, finishing with 5 catches for 47 yards in LA’s comeback win over Denver. He has drawn countless praise from multiple Chargers coaches, including Jim Harbaugh. Gadsden was a high-level producer at Syracuse and has high-level athleticism (4.61 40). He has a chance to climb up the dynasty TE despite robust target competition.
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Jordan Addison makes his 2025 debut after serving a three-game suspension. Addison was electric in 2024, finishing with a career-high 14.2 PPG and an outstanding run in the fantasy football playoffs. Addison is already a strong dynasty asset, but does the 23-year-old take the next step in terms of usage this season? He has scored 19 TDs in 32 career games and instantly makes Minnesota a more dynamic and explosive offense.
Jaylin Lane & Luke McCaffrey, WR, Washington Commanders
Terry McLaurin is now dealing with a quad injury, and he could miss multiple weeks. The Commanders' younger wideouts should see increased opportunities this week in Atlanta.
Woody Marks, RB, Houston Texans
Woody Marks played a season high 49.2% of snaps in Week 3. His role is ascending and he could take over an offense badly in need of any kind of a spark. While he lacks the upside of rookies like Judkins and Skattebo, he could provide plenty of utility for dynasty managers.
