THERE IS NO-OFFSEASON

We’re officially a fortnight from the first round of the NFL Draft, and we know who the first pick of that first round will be. All signs are pointing towards the Titans selecting Miami QB Cam Ward with the first overall pick of the NFL Draft. It’s been the expected outcome for months now, but the Titans basically made it official this week. They cancelled all of their future visits with other prospects, including Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders. 

In March Mock Dynasty Drafts, Ward was the 22nd quarterback selected. Trevor Lawrence and Anthony Richardson were the two quarterbacks selected directly before him, while Tua Tagovailoa and Bryce Young were selected after him. It isn’t exactly the best landing spot for a rookie quarterback. The group of pass catchers, led by Calvin Ridley and Treylon Burks do not inspire a ton of confidence. Meanwhile, Pro Football Network gives the Titans offensive line a D- grade, despite the nice play of Peter Skoronski last season. 

To find out if Ward has the talent to overcome the shortcomings on Tennessee’s roster, you need to check out Alex Sheldon’s profile of Miami QB Cam Ward. In the profile, Sheldon says Ward “isn’t a top-tier prospect and a guaranteed hit for NFL teams or dynasty managers.” He continues, “If his poor decision making and boneheaded plays that plagued him in previous seasons return, we could have a situation similar to Will Levis.” It certainly isn’t a glowing outlook, but if Ward does succeed in the pros, it will be on his arm, which is absolutely the best one in the class. He has an ability to win from the pocket, and create outside of it. He also showed plenty of growth throughout his extended college career. 

Once Ward gets selected, the eyes of the draft world will turn to the Browns and their decision with the second overall pick. The rumors this week appear to link the Browns with the most exciting player in this draft class, Travis Hunter. No matter where Hunter ends up, the most important question on dynasty manager’s minds will be his upcoming usage. Will he play both ways, or will he focus on offense or defense in the pros. I’ve been outspoken, saying that Hunter is most valuable to an NFL team as a wide receiver primarily.

Regardless of my thoughts, the decision will come down to the team that picks him. Unfortunately for dynasty managers, it’s likely to remain a mystery by the time rookie drafts come along. I’ll bet on the talent of Hunter with a late first round pick, but it’s extremely risky. In a non-IDP league, that pick would be a total waste if he plays on the defensive side of the ball. But, if he does play wide receiver, Hunter could be elite.

The NFL world carries on, with contract extensions and roster moves, but all of the fantasy football headlines are on the draft. If you haven’t caught up on this year’s rookie class yet, DLF is the place you need to go to learn about the future stars of your dynasty teams. The 2025 Rookie Profile Series is rolling along, with new profiles coming out every day! All of the top quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and even a cornerback will all be profiled before the start of the NFL Draft. Check back every day and catch up with the profiles you missed, like Quinn Ewers, Jalen Milroe, and Mason Taylor!

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With the hype around this rookie class growing, especially at the running back position, I thought it’d be a good idea to look back at one of the top running backs from last year’s rookie class, Cardinals running back Trey Benson. He was a third-round pick and the second running back off the board, after Jonathon Brooks was taken in the second round. Benson’s rookie season really never got off the ground. He was the RB69 on the season and only earned 63 attempts and six targets in the passing game. Despite the lack of usage, he was explosive, rushing for 4.62 yards per carry. 

Benson was as high as the 68th pick in startup drafts last season after he was selected by the Cardinals. James Conner was still on the team, but he was aging and has always been overlooked by the fantasy football community. We were ready to crown Benson the future of the Cardinals backfield before he even took a snap. 

After an underwhelming rookie season, his ADP this off-season bottomed out at 122.33 overall, over 50 picks lower than his peak last summer. DLF’s Trade Analyzer values him between pick 2.02 and 2.03 in this year’s 1QB rookie drafts. It’s a nice reminder to dynast managers that there are no sure things in rookie drafts. Even the players with the draft capital, opportunity, and talent can lose value in their rookie season. It’s important to remember this as we head into rookie draft season. I find that oftentimes it’s better to trade for assets we know, rather than mystery box assets coming out of the draft. Benson was a mid-first-round pick last season, now he’s worth a second in trades. James Conner signed an extension last season, keeping him in Arizona through 2026. Benson could be years away from production, unless he can beat Conner out for touches this season. 

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REFINING PROCESSES: QUANTIFYING SUBJECTIVITY

Dynasty is a game of trial and error. There is no such thing as the “perfect strategy”. I can almost guarantee that you will make mistakes. We are all relatively bad at this game we play, because predicting the future is hard. All we can really hope for is to be marginally better than our league mates when it comes to making decisions. This Refining Processes series is aimed at improving our decision-making processes through experimentation. Some avenues we explore may be completely fruitless, while others may yield useful results. Regardless of the outcome, there will still be many valuable lessons to learn along the way. It’s all part of the journey to becoming a better dynasty manager.

What Informs Your Opinion?

A big part of the appeal of playing fantasy is the ability to call the shots, constantly making decisions to improve your team. For most players, the content they consume plays a large role in shaping their decision-making process. That’s natural — after all, consuming content is one of the most efficient ways to sharpen your skills as a dynasty manager, outside of gaining experience through playing the game.

Think of it this way: fantasy analysts spend countless hours researching stats and breaking down film. When you tune into your favorite podcast or fantasy show, you’re essentially delegating much of the hard work. Instead of diving deep into the details like analysts do, you can take a broader approach — drawing from multiple trusted sources to inform your own opinions.

The real skill here lies in selecting the most valuable content and determining how to mentally weigh each source. Think of it as curating your own dynasty content diet, where the better you construct it, the more informed you will be. The key to a good dynasty diet is to seek out content that approaches the game differently than you do which in turn helps to minimize your blind spots.