The long wait is over. The NFL preseason is officially here, and with it, the undeniable buzz of fantasy season. For those in dynasty fantasy football leagues, now is the crucial time of the year to evaluate your rosters and position your team for long-term success.
In this article, I’ll share a few players I’m targeting in dynasty leagues as we head towards Week 1. These players are ones I’m particularly high on compared to expert consensus rankings (ECR) on FantasyPros. Below, you’ll see my dynasty rankings versus ECR, based on Superflex PPR formats. I’ll also provide some specific trade ideas to help you acquire these players and bolster your team’s long-term prospects. Let’s dive in.
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Dynasty Rookie Draft Simulator
- DBro’s Dynasty Rookie Draft Primers
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings
Dynasty Fantasy Football Targets
Bryce Young (QB – CAR)
- My Rank: 63
- ECR: 76
Bryce Young had a rollercoaster Year 2 in the NFL, to say the least. Two weeks into the season, Young was benched for veteran Andy Dalton, sinking his dynasty stock. Just when everyone was ready to throw in the towel, Young found himself thrust back in the starting role after Dalton suffered a thumb injury from a car accident. Young was far from perfect, but he showed enough flashes in the second half of the season to remind us why he was the top overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Young averaged over 20 fantasy points per game in the final seven games of the regular season, throwing 11 touchdowns to just three interceptions in that span. He also proved to be a legitimate threat on the ground, rushing for a combined 178 yards and five touchdowns in those seven contests.
Fast forward to 2025, and things are looking much more hopeful for this Carolina franchise. The Panthers added rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan to the roster, who projects to be Young’s top target for the foreseeable future. They’ve also bolstered their defense with the signings of Tershawn Wharton, Bobby Brown III and Patrick Jones II.
Young is in an excellent position to establish himself as a high-end QB2 in dynasty moving forward. I think he’s more than capable of averaging 17-18 fantasy points per game as a starter across a full season. Let’s not forget just how good he was at Alabama. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2021 as a sophomore, was an early-declare and arguably a top-20 quarterback in collge football history.
Here are a few trade scenarios I’d be willing to make to acquire Bryce for my dynasty Superflex teams:
- Bryce Young for Rome Odunze
- Bryce Young + 2026 second-round pick for Kyler Murray
- Bryce Young for a 2026 second-round pick + a 2027 second-round pick
- Bryce Young for Jared Goff
George Pickens (WR – DAL)
- My Rank: 64
- ECR: 78
Talent has never been an issue for George Pickens; it’s always been the situation that has capped his fantasy ceiling. In 2024, Pickens posted a target rate of 26.5% (WR14) and ranked fourth in the NFL in deep targets (29). Unfortunately, Pittsburgh’s passing offense was underwhelming, finishing 29th in pass attempts and 26th in passing yards.
Luckily for Pickens, he no longer has this issue in Dallas. With a healthy Dak Prescott, Pickens should be playing in one of the more potent passing attacks in the NFL. In 2023, when Prescott finished as the QB3 overall, Dallas was third in the NFL in passing yards and first in passing touchdowns.
Though Pickens will no longer be the No. 1 WR on his team, I don’t see his per-route efficiency dropping much, if at all. He and CeeDee Lamb will earn the majority of targets in this offense, and I expect Pickens’ target share to remain in the 25-26% range. In addition, Pickens’ fantasy numbers should improve just from increased passing volume, as Dallas should project to throw the football 600+ times in 2025. Lamb and Pickens should help take attention off one another, making it easier to expose defenses. I fully expect Pickens to jump from 12 fantasy points [er game, which he’s been sitting at since 2023, to 14+for the next few seasons.
Below are a few trades I’d be more than happy to make to acquire Pickens in dynasty:
- George Pickens + a 2026 second-round pick for DeVonta Smith + a 2026 third-round pick
- George Pickens for Zay Flowers
- George Pickens for Ricky Pearsall + a 2026 third-round pick
- George Pickens + a 2026 second-round pick for Tee Higgins
Geno Smith (QB – LV)
- My Rank: 99t
- ECR: 120
Geno Smith has had an unusual NFL career, serving as a backup most of the time before getting his shot in Seattle in 2022. All he’s done since then is produce, posting two top-15 finishes in fantasy in the past three seasons. Smith signed a two-year, $75 million deal with the Raiders this offseason, virtually locking him into a starting role through 2026. He gets to throw to the best tight end in the NFL in Brock Bowers, as well as a criminally underrated receiver in Jakobi Meyers. On top of this, Vegas just drafted Ashton Jeanty in the first round, who has the potential of becoming an NFL superstar and making Smith’s life substantially easier.
Is Smith the most exciting pick on the board? Of course not. While he did provide some rushing production in 2024, Smith is still classified as a pocket quarterback. While scoring 20+ fantasy points per game likely isn’t in Smith’s range of outcomes, the floor here is extremely high. I don’t see a world where he isn’t scoring 16+ fantasy points per game, if Smith and his surrounding cast remain healthy. You can potentially draft Smith in the double-digit rounds of your Superflex startup, which screams value to me.
Below are some trades I’d be willing to make to grab Smith for my dynasty squads:
- Geno Smith for a 2026 second-round pick + a 2026 third-round pick
- Geno Smith + a 2026 first-round pick for Jordan Love
- Geno Smith + a 2026 second-round pick for Josh Jacobs
- Geno Smith + a 2026 second-round pick for Jared Goff
Thanks for taking the time to check out my article. I hope you gleaned some valuable information to apply to your dynasty teams. If you have any dynasty, devy or C2C questions for me, I can be reached on X @jim_DFF. Best of luck this fantasy season.
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