Dynasty Detour 🚧

Football is officially back—well, sorta. The Hall of Fame Game gave us a first look at some future breakout names (hi, KeAndre Lambert-Smith 👀) and reminded us that not all rookies get the red carpet debut. Meanwhile, Trey Lance might be cooking again, and Terry McLaurin? He's really over it.

From budding stars to boiling contract drama, dynasty season is heating up. Let’s hit the Detour.

-- Dynasty Detour Tom

📝 Traffic Report

🗣️ We made it to the HOF Game! Has a star been born? Plus more from the Terry saga.

Football is BACK…kinda. The very first play from Thursday’s Hall of Fame game was a fumble on the kick return. This wasn’t good news for those watching who were hoping to see Omarion Hampton’s debut. The Chargers started on the Lions’ 28 and, apparently, the Chargers were only planning to let him play for one drive.

⚡️ Omarion Hampton had only 2 carries for 9 yards — unfortunately getting stuffed at the goal line on an impressive play by a Lions cornerback.

• Dynasty Take: The best part of Hampton’s night was being pulled early. It’s clear that the Chargers see him as a focal point in the offense and he doesn’t need reps with a backup O-line to prove it.

The real story from Thursday’s game was Trey Lance and 5th round rookie WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith (KLS).

⚡️ Trey Lance, who’s battling with Taylor Heinicke to be Justin Herbert’s backup, had a very solid game tossing 2 touchdowns and posting a 114.6 passer rating.

• Dynasty Take: Not worth doing anything at this moment, but will be interesting to monitor and see if Lance wins out against Heinicke. If so, he may just have the makings of the next great QB comeback story. Lance is still younger than Saints rookie QB Tyler Shough 👀. But let’s pump the breaks on Lance for now until we see more.

⚡️ KeAndre Lambert-Smith looked like the stud we’ve been hearing about in camp. He burned coverage twice, once on a crisp over-the-shoulder 28-yard reception. His second catch, though, was special. KLS practically shook his cover out of his cleats, then cutting inside and catching a solid pass from Lance. Lambert-Smith’s night was done early finishing with those 2 catches for 43 yards (leading the team) and 1 TD.

• Dynasty Take: I am starting to love KLS. Everything I have heard is that he has been one of the biggest risers in all of Chargers camp (and maybe in the entire league). I mean just check out this Matthew Berry tweet:

The Chargers need receivers… and worth mentioning that fellow rookie Tre Harris didn’t show out in the game, failing to bring in his one target. I’m not too concerned about Harris— but I’m buying KLS at this dirt cheap value. Check and see if you can grab KLS on waivers and if not, he’s only worth a 4th round pick per KeepTradeCut. Fun fact: Lambert-Smith had 981 yards for Clemson last year…in just 12 games. If he had played as many games as OSU’s Emeka Egbuka, he would’ve had 1,308 yards (about 300 more than Egbuka).

Gonna be honest here…I love football—but I could not bring myself to watch the second half of that game. Bring on the pre-season this weekend!

First, let me just say…the Detour has been all over the McLaurin saga— so check out last week’s analysis for why we believe Terry is one of the premier win-now assets in dynasty fantasy football.

We found out Thursday that Terry McLaurin requested a trade from the Commanders, after contract talks continue to stall. While I don’t think a trade is likely, there has been some speculation on possible landing spots if the Commanders decide to deal McLaurin.

• Apparently, the Steelers have already reached out to the Commanders to inquire about Terry.

• Other possible landing spots include the Chargers, the Raiders, the Jets (this one makes the most sense), the Patriots, the 49ers, and the Browns.

   

I would love to see the Jets add another weapon to their awful receiving room which has little to offer beyond Garrett Wilson (and possibly Mason Taylor).

Dynasty Take: I seriously doubt the Commanders will deal McLaurin. But stranger things have happened in the NFL. His value will go up if he’s re-signed (75% chance IMO)— but honestly, his value could go up even if he is traded. We will just have to see. I wish Terry would just put it in reverse and re-sign for the Commanders.

You can count on the Detour for weekly coverage and dynasty takeaways as this develops 🫡 

-- Dynasty Detour Jesse

🚦 Scouting Stoplight

Reading signals and shifting gears - here are 3 players we’re going to give the green, yellow, and red light to for dynasty fantasy football…

🔴 DeVonta Smith, WR PHI, Age 26

• Smith recently signed a 3-year extension, locking him into Philly through 2028—but AJ Brown signed his own deal this offseason and remains the unquestioned alpha.
  

• The Eagles ranked 32nd in pass attempts per game in 2024 (just 25.7)—a brutally low-volume passing offense for sustaining multiple top-tier WRs.
  

• Smith sneakily turns 27 this season, and while still talented, he’s shaping up as more of a supporting piece than a centerpiece in this offense.

📝 Dynasty Take: In a low-pass environment with capped target share and fading age curve value, now’s the time to cut bait. Smith’s name holds more value than his actual dynasty ceiling.

🟡 Rome Odunze, WR CHI, Age 23 

• With Keenan Allen out of the picture, rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III are pushing for targets—but Odunze should have the leg up on both of them.

• Don’t forget that he was a top 10 pick in one of the most heralded WR draft classes in recent memory.

• His rookie year (54 catches, 734 yards, 3 TDs) wasn’t flashy—but there’s real growth ahead as he develops chemistry with rookie QB Caleb Williams.

• DJ Moore remains the primary target, but Odunze possesses the talent and upside to challenge or surpass him midseason.

📝 Dynasty Take: Don’t panic-sell—hold as Rome and Caleb continue to build a connection. This 23 year old has come nowhere near his peak value.

🟢 Chase Brown, RB CIN, Age 24 

• Once he got the starting job last year, Brown averaged 20.6 fantasy points per game from Weeks 9–17, the third-most among NFL running backs over that span.
  

• He finished the season with 990 rushing yards, 54 catches for 360 yards, and 11 total TDs. That lands him as one of the top PPR backs in 2024 despite starting just 10 games.
  

• The Bengals released Zack Moss this offseason, clearing the depth chart. OC Dan Pitcher confirmed Brown is their feature back, calling him a “pretty special player.”

📝 Dynasty Take: It’s nearly impossible to find a young, true alpha RB on one of the NFL’s most prolific offenses. Hold or buy aggressively—this is a true RB1 in dynasty.

-- Dynasty Detour Tom

Are you buying the Chase Brown love? Reach out and let us know. Stay tuned for another Preseason Pulse newsletter this time next week, and be sure to follow us @dynastydetour on Instagram and X/Twitter to get our reactions and opinions in between issues, as well as email us with any questions at [email protected]. See you out on the road 🚘️.