The NFL Draft is FINALLY here! The biggest day of the year on the dynasty fantasy football calendar has arrived! Tonight, 32 prospects will have their NFL dreams come true. We’ll know where they’re playing, and who the players are that get that coveted first-round draft capital. It’s safe to assume that Fernando Mendoza will go number one overall to the Raiders. Jeremiyah Love, Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, and Makai Lemon are all expected to be selected tonight as well. Then there’s the borderline players like Kenyon Sadiq, Ty Simpson, Eli Stowers, KC Concepcion, Omar Cooper Jr, and Denzel Boston. Obviously, the players that fall out of the first round will still have plenty of fantasy football value, but the first round picks are the prizes of fantasy football rookie drafts. 

The ability to trade picks in rookie drafts is one of the best components of dynasty fantasy football, and the Cincinnati Bengals know all about that. This weekend, they traded their 10th overall pick in this year’s draft for Dexter Lawrence, one of the best defensive tackles in the league. The Giants are now in a fascinating spot, owning the fifth and tenth overall picks tonight. They do have multiple holes on offense, but I believe they’ll split the picks on both sides of the ball. It makes sense to go with a defensive player at five, and their favorite wide receiver is still available at ten. Cam Skattebo managers cover your eyes, but if Jeremiyah Love is available at pick five, that might be the direction that they go!

Beyond the Bengals trade, rumors are running wild around the league with more players potentially on the move. We got more news about a potential AJ Brown trade this week, with Adam Schefter saying that, no matter what happens this weekend, a “trade to the Patriots is still on the table and still tracking to happen on or after June 1.” This is the first major reporter to say that a trade is likely to happen, and to say that the trade is likely going to involve the Patriots. AJ Brown would be New England’s best receiver by far, and would be a huge boost to Drake Maye’s value for now and for the future. I’d be a bit worried about the volume Brown would see on the Patriots, as Josh McDaniels likes to keep things balanced, even favoring the running game at times last season. But, McDaniels hasn’t had a WR of this caliber since Randy Moss was catching passes from Tom Brady, so all of that could change with this potential acquisition. 

For in-depth coverage of the NFL Draft from pick one all the way to Mr. Irrelevant, Dynasty League Football is the best spot to go! We have a rookie draft profile completed for all of the offensive dynasty-relevant players that are likely to hear their name called this weekend! We’ll also have instant draft analysis from Rob Willette on his running blog and daily recaps highlighting the news and headlines from each day of the draft. Once the final name is called on Saturday, we pivot immediately into post-draft mode, getting you ready to win your rookie drafts with strategy and analysis on all of the players and their landing spots. The 2026 Rookie Draft Guide is LIVE right now, the best guide in the fantasy football industry that focuses specifically on rookie drafts! Enjoy the festivities this weekend!

We partnered with Novig to put together something worth knowing about.

Make your first $5+ purchase on Novig, and you'll receive a coupon code for an annual DLF plan…A full year of access for the cost of a single entry.

Here's how:

1. Create a Novig account and deposit five dollars.

2. You'll receive a coupon code by email within minutes.

3. Apply the code at checkout on DLF for an annual plan.

^{This applies to first-time Novig depositors only.}

With AJ Brown rumors swirling, we need to take a look at who would be left behind in Philadelphia at wide receiver. They’ve done work this off-season, bringing in some mid-level veterans, like Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, and Elijah Moore, but the major benefactor would be DeVonta Smith. Smith spent his rookie season with the Eagles before they made the trade to bring in AJ Brown. Since then, they’ve been one of the better dynamic duos in the NFL. Does Smith have the juice to carry this WR room, and what is his trade value with Brown’s departure “likely” on the horizon. 

Since he was a first-round pick in 2021, Smith has almost always been a top 60 player in one-quarterback dynasty drafts. He was the WR26 in April dynasty drafts, going off the board at 44 overall. That’s just after Makai Lemon and Jameson Williams, just before Brian Thomas and his teammate for now, AJ Brown. The DLF Expert Rankings are significantly higher on Smith than the ADP, pushing him up nearly a full round. He’s the WR20 in the rankings and the 35th overall player. That’s slightly bumped up from 39th overall, which is what he was ranked last month, so the experts are likely moving him up with the increased trade rumors. 

Smith is coming off a season in which he finished as the WR2. He had his best season back in 2022, when he finished as the WR9. That was the first season he played with Brown. He’s an undersized receiver that plays out of the slot nearly 60% of the time, but he may be asked to play more on the outside this season, especially with the additions of Brown and Wicks. I’m worried that this may limit his potential to hit his ceiling, which grows even higher with the absence of Brown. Looking at the DLF Trade Analyzer Values in 1QB leagues, he’s being valued right in between the 1.02 and the 1.03 pick in this year’s rookie draft. With that price likely going up even higher after an AJ Brown trade, I’d be prepared to sell high when that trade finally goes through.

If you’ve ever wanted to jump into an FFPC dynasty league, here’s your shot! It’s orphan season, so you can grab a team for less than the normal entry price. There are discounted teams available from $77 leagues to the $2500 Main Event!

Make sure to use our link below (or code DLF) to save $25 off your first league!

2026 Rookie Draft Coverage

Instead of highlighting one individual article, I thought I’d touch on some of the recent rookie draft coverage we have as we go into NFL Draft week…here’s just a sample of what you can find in our Rookie Draft Guide:

• 2026 NFL Draft Class Overview Series

• 2026 Pre-Draft Rookie Profile Series

• Past/Present/Future Rookie Pick Value Series

• View from the X.XX Rookie Pick Series

• Rookie RBs by ADP Series