Dynasty Detour 🚧

Strap in. Emeka Egbuka is heating up, Stefon Diggs might be the cheapest WR1 rental in fantasy, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba has us questioning everything we thought we knew about breakout years. It’s a dynasty newsletter with speed, spice, and just a small dose of Sam Darnold propaganda — let’s hit the Detour.

-- @dynastydetourtom

📝 Traffic Report

Rookie WR Emeka Egbuka making a name for himself at Buccaneers OTAs…

🤔 Does it mean anything? Let’s look at the facts:

• Egbuka was billed as one of the more pro-ready WR prospects this year

• His prototypical size (6’1 205lb) and polished routes and releases make him a weapon everywhere, and now Baker and others say he has the IQ to do so

• Chris Godwin “hopes” to be ready for Week 1, but will seemingly not be involved much in offseason work as new OC Josh Grizzard installs his offense with the team

👀 All that’s great, but are we getting ahead of ourselves?

• Grizzard was an internal promotion, so in theory not much has changed. Godwin and the team also are plenty familiar, so when he is ready to return, he shouldn’t have too much to work on

• Jalen McMillain had a very effective rookie campaign as the third WR (37 catches, 461 yards, and 8(!) TDs in 13 games)

The fact remains that the Buccaneers thought it worthwhile to take Egbuka with the 19th overall selection this year, despite being set at the position, at least for this year. Mike Evans enters his age 32 season on the last year of his deal. It is hard to believe he and the Bucs won’t work something out to bring him back as long as he wants to play, but his retirement could come sooner rather than later.

It is also worth mentioning that Chris Godwin will have to show us in his age 29 season that he can bounce back from this injury. Though not your prototypical ACL or Achilles tear, the time away is harder on players at this late stage of their careers.

All this to say, it may not happen right away for Egbuka, something I think a lot of us are aware of. This buzz, however, even further bolsters my confidence that he will be a focal point of this offense sooner than previously thought. I see no universe where both Evans and Godwin are both contributing the same way they did last year come 2027, and it is worth noting the two of them and Jalen McMillan all missed some time last year. Egbuka will get time to flash this year, and will overtake one if not more of the guys currently ahead of him on the depth chart come year’s end.

This is dynasty. If you’re a win now team picking at the back end of the first round, I understand you want instant contribution, but I am quite confident Egbuka could start to see the opportunity and flourish the way McMillan did (~20 ppg weeks 14-18) last year, and I feel even stronger that he will be a coveted asset in this league for many years afterwards.

-- @dynastydetourryan

🚙 Cheap Rentals

Contending assets with short-term horsepower at bargain-bin prices.

🐦️ James Conner

• Just turned 30 — age cliff panic is real, but wear & tear? Not so bad.

• RB11 in 2024 (15.9 PPG) — missed 1.5 games, still produced.

• Fantasy playoff monster — 14+ points in every healthy playoff week since 2021.

• Trey Benson looms, but Arizona extended Conner for a reason.

• Current Cost: ~RB30 on KTC — great flex/RB2 rental for contenders. 

Looking to add a cheap RB to help you contend in 2026? Look no further. Conner is a plug & play RB2/3 that will come in handy throughout the season.

 🟨 Pat Freiermuth

• Age 26, TE9 last season, and still somehow buried at TE25 in value.

• Signed a 4-year extension — team clearly sees him as part of the plan.

• Rodgers > Russ when it comes to feeding fantasy TEs.

• Projected #2 target in a decent offense.

• Buy Price: Future 2nd. Likely return? Top 10 TE with spike-week upside.

Getting a guy that should be the clear second option in a half decent offense for the cost of a 2026 2nd rounder, positioned to once again be a top 10 fantasy tight end? Sign me up.

 🇺🇸 Stefon Diggs

• Age 31, averaged 15.2 ppg in 8 appearnces last season, before tearing his ACL

• Recovered well— participating in voluntary workouts when he is not consuming unusual substances on boats

• The Pats shelled out $63.5 million across 3 years to secure his services— making him a top 20 WR on a per year basis

• Locked in #1 target for Drake Maye in an ascending New England offense

• Buy Price: KTC has Diggs at WR 60. Try trading: Marvin Mims? Xavier Legette? A late 2027 2nd?

Give me the known commodity with top-20 upside in a system that just paid him like a franchise piece. A contender’s dream flex at an extreme discount.

 -- @dynastydetourryan

🚘 A Look Under The Hood

Jaxon Smith-Njigba…biggest range of outcomes of any top WR?

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN) transformed his game from a modest 628-yard rookie effort to a breakout sophomore season, sparking fresh optimism among dynasty managers and signaling smooth roads ahead for the young receiver. But before we celebrate, it’s time to take a closer look under the hood.

JSN turned heads last season with 1,130 receiving yards—ranking 12th in the NFL—and 6 touchdowns, which landed him at WR9 in PPR formats. As of now on KeepTradeCut, he’s ranked as the dynasty WR12, outpacing names like:

• Garrett Wilson (WR13)

• AJ Brown (WR14)

• Travis Hunter (WR15)

• “Tet” McMillan (WR16)

…and trailing just behind options such as:

• Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR11)

• Ladd McConkey (WR10)

• Nico Collins (WR9)

Coming from THE Ohio State University (aka WRU), JSN was the first receiver off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft at pick 20, and many have him primed for a breakout third season. But are the roads ahead as smooth as they seem?

New OC, New receiving room, New QB. Is there another returning top WR in the NFL with less continuity? Let’s break it down.

📝 New Offensive Coordinator

Following a 10 win season, Seahawks upper management decided to bring in new OC Klint Kubiak. Under last year’s direction, Seattle were the 5th in passing play percentage. The Saints, Kubiak’s former team, ranked dead middle of the league— 16th.

Reports indicate that Kubiak is looking to bring a more balanced offensive scheme. More notably, Kubiak’s Saints were top 5 in two Wide Receiver formations. 

Projected impact: Slightly Negative

👥 New Receiving Room

Out:

• DK Metcalf: 992 receiving yards, 5 TDs, 66 receptions, 108 targets, 12.7 PPR pts per game (15 games)

• Tyler Lockett: 600 receiving yards, 3 TDs, 49 receptions, 74 targets, 7.1 PPR pts per game (17 games)

In:

• Cooper Kupp: 710 receiving yards, 6TDs, 67 receptions, 100 targets, 14.6 PPR pts per game (12 games)

• Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 411 receiving yards, 4 TDs, 19 receptions, 44 targets, 6.0 PPR pts per game (14 games)

• Rookie TE Elijah Arroyo, 2nd round Pick 18

• Rookie WRs Tory Horton (5th round), Ricky White III (7th round)

Kupp and JSN will likely alternate slot snaps, with JSN likely getting more opportunities outside due to DK’s departure.

Projected impact: Too hard to tell, but possibly slightly negative for JSN due to less slot targets. That said, he COULD thrive with additional snaps on the outside.

🏈 New Quarterback

Sam. Darnold. 4,319. That’s how many passing yards Darnold had in, what many are calling, the comeback year of the century. This crazy passing output put him at 5th in the league in terms of passing yards. Can he do it again for his new team, the Seattle Seahawks? I’d be lying if I could tell you definitively.  

Would you be surprised to find out that departing QB Geno Smith had 4,320 (1 yard more than Darnold)?

Projected impact: Too hard to tell. Do you believe the Darnoldaissance was real, or just a flash in the pan? Geno was probably more of a sure thing.

I can’t think of another top-tier wide receiver with as many open questions as Jaxon Smith-Njigba. If he can thrive outside the slot in Kubiak’s scheme, he has a clear path to dynasty stardom. But there are real detours to consider: What if Sam Darnold regresses? What if Cooper Kupp siphons meaningful volume in this new-look offense?

JSN carries one of the widest range of outcomes among top-20 dynasty receivers. I’ll leave you with this: excluding players who played fewer than 10 games, JSN ranked WR17 in PPR points per game last year. Include everyone? He was WR20. And yet—he currently sits at WR12 on KeepTradeCut.

At that price? I’ll be taking the next exit.

 -- @dynastydetourjesse

Hope you didn’t blink—Emeka Egbuka’s already merging into the fast lane at camp. If this pace keeps up, he might just pass a few big names on the depth chart and in dynasty rankings. 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 🚘️.