Dynasty Detour 🚧

News on contract disputes, ankle scares, and Raiders WR hype — it’s a wild one this week. Terry McLaurin showed up limping and unpaid, Joe Mixon is already on the shelf, and Kyle Pitts might actually be… back? It’s chaos, and we’re here for it. Let’s hit the Detour.

-- @dynastydetourtom

📝 Traffic Report

Training camp is here… let’s see what’s happening around the league

The Facts:

• The Commanders offense would not be close to what it was last year without McLaurin, even with the addition of Deebo Samuel. If they’re going to try and build on the momentum of last year, they need to sign their franchise wide receiver.

• The Commanders have $45M in cap space, and could easily get a 3-year deal done that’d take McLaurin to the end of his good years (~32 years old) just in time to need to start paying big money to Jayden Daniels.

• McLaurin has devoted his entire career to the Commanders, and though new ownership may not have overseen these dark times, they have to know what McLaurin has meant to the fans and franchise. The fact that the sides “are not close” is a bad look for the organization.

• There’s no reason to believe the ankle injury is significant.

Dynasty Outlook:

McLaurin will be re-signed if the Commanders are not completely inept. The current turmoil might bump his price down, but last year’s WR7 should be headed back to a very nice situation once again. McLaurin turns 30 in September, but is one of the premier win-now additions in the league right now. McLaurin came into the league at 24 years old and is more of a technique and IQ receiver versus an athletic specimen, so he may still have 3-4 decent years in the tank in a situation that just resulted in the best season of his career.

The Facts:

• Mixon was placed on the Texans Non-Football Injury list for an apparent foot injury, the details of which are still unknown. It is said he will be re-evaluated closer to the beginning of the season. Sounds significant.

• The Texans added Nick Chubb in free agency and drafted Woody Marks in the 4th round this year. The team also has Dameon Pierce still on the roster, though he has been placed on the Non-Football Injury list for a quad injury that should resolve soon. Lots of competition for touches coming.

Dynasty Quick Take:

Mixon had some monster performances last year, but with this bad offensive line possibly getting worse and the competition for touches on the rise, this situation looks messy already. Compound that with Mixon’s injury and things really get ugly. Nick Chubb had seemingly lost a step last year, but ACL injuries have been known to require a year of ramping back up to full capabilities, especially with this being Chubb’s second, the severity of the injury, and his age. All of these guys could have some workload, but I don’t see one of them having one that results in consistent fantasy output. Stay away.

The Facts:

• Judkins was arrested July 12th in Florida after his girlfriend called and reported having been punched in the mouth. It seems like Judkins is guilty of some degree of domestic violence. Precedent would tell us he will likely avoid prison, but should face a ~6 game suspension whenever the NFL concludes their own investigation.

• Browns GM Andrew Berry have said he doesn’t expect to see Judkins at camp any time soon, which doesn’t bode well for his outstanding contract. The Browns may be taking a harder stance on Judkins as an example after a recent string of misconduct from rookies in recent draft classes. It’s hard to imagine they wouldn’t sign him, but they may be willing to play hardball.

Dynasty Quick Take:

Judkins’ value has taken a hit in rookie drafts, and this contract turmoil is probably going to cause that to continue. The fact is that Judkins on the Browns is still an elite athlete in a perfect position, so long as Sampson isn’t a complete rock star. Veteran RB Jerome Ford has been missing practice with an undisclosed injury, which means rookie Dylan Sampson has been seeing an unexpected amount of involvement this early. Pierre Strong has been getting a lot of the work with the first team, but all reports say Sampson has been looking like the best RB in camp right now. I’m still in on Judkins and monitoring Sampson, who may just be the RB1 when Week 1 rolls around.

Facts:

• Jefferson’s injury is not supposed to be anything serious. He is receiving an MRI and will be re-evaluated this week, but the sentiment in Minnesota seems to be that there is nothing to worry about.

• Jefferson does have a history of lingering hamstring issues. What was supposed to be a mild strain ended up lingering through seven weeks of the 2023 season. We have no way of knowing if this case is similar, but these things can be pesky.

Dynasty Take: 

There really is no reason to panic now. Even the possibility of this stretching out much longer than expected should not enough to alter the value of one of dynasty fantasy football’s premiere assets. Were this to stretch out into the second large stretch of time missed with the same injury in three seasons, then maybe it’s time to worry, but hold on. Missing time with new QB J.J. McCarthy isn’t ideal, but Jefferson stands no risk of losing out on touches because of his absence, no matter how long.

Also some other news…

• Treylon Burks fractured his clavicle and should miss considerable time ➡️ Rookie WRs Elic Ayoumanor and Chimere Dike both could get some looks. Both are good last-round additions or waiver adds.

• Anthony Richardson getting first team reps, Daniel Jones with the second team ➡️ It’s going to be Jones’ job, give it time. Keep buying in.

• Josh Palmer has been impressing at Bills camp ➡️ Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman are still the guys, but if Coleman doesn’t take a step Palmer could very quickly become involved. Worth a stash.

 -- @dynastydetourryan

🪫 Still Gas In the Tank

Dynasty managers are asleep at the wheel on these names. Redraft says they still matter—so what gives?

Dynasty’s all about the long game… but what if a few guys still matter right now—and we’re just too low on them?

I compared FantasyPros Superflex Dynasty and Redraft rankings (PPR) to find players under 27 who are clearly undervalued in dynasty formats. These aren’t just dart throws—they’re redraft-relevant today, with paths to legit dynasty upside.

Here are three names that still have some juice left in the tank:

✈️ Justin Fields (QB NYJ, Age: 26)

• Rankings: QB22, 69th overall in Dynasty | QB14, 25th overall in Redraft | +44 ranking difference

• Reason For Being Underrated: People are terrified he’s not the long-term answer in New York. If the Jets stumble (and with that WR room, they might), Fields could be out the door by January.

• My Take: This is classic boom-bust, and I’m in. Fields is going in the top 25 for redraft—that tells you everything about his immediate upside. Mobile QBs win leagues, plain and simple. You can get him for a late 2027 1st on KTC? Smash that buy. If he clicks, he’s a rocket ship. 📈

   

🐻 D’Andre Swift (RB CHI, Age: 26)

• Rankings: RB27, 114th overall in Dynasty | RB21, 80th overall in Redraft | +34 ranking difference

• Reason For Being Underrated: Many think Swift is on his last legs. He had a career low 3.8 yards per carry last year. Yikes…

• My Take: But the Bears didn’t replace him with a premium rookie—they brought in 7th-rounder Kyle Monangai and are still rolling with Roschon Johnson. Ben Johnson’s offense will lean run-heavy, and Swift is the most proven back in the room. You can probably get him for a mid-2nd—which is a steal if you’re a contender. Cheap RB1 upside on a much-improved offense? Yes please. 💪

⭐️ Jake Ferguson (TE DAL, Age: 26)

• Rankings: TE17, 141st overall in Dynasty | TE11, 120th overall in Redraft | +21 ranking difference

• Reason For Being Underrated: The 2022 4th round year 4 TE had rough luck, spraining his MCL in week 1 (affecting a lot of his season), dealing with an unhealthy QB, and missing 2 games due to a concussion. Ultimately he finished TE25 in PPR and TE30 in Half-PPR. Redraft managers are clearly more bullish on Ferguson’s potential for this year.

• My Take: Ferguson just signed a 4 year $52M extension with the Cowboys. The team is confident they have their guy. In 2023, Ferguson finished TE9 (PPR) and TE8 (Half-PPR). With Dak (who loves leaning on his TEs) returning to health, if you’re desperate at TE, he’s worth a look. But at a late 2nd price tag, I might pause. He’s not a league-winner, even if he lands at TE7. Solid asset—but I’d rather search for upside elsewhere. 🛑

   

 -- @dynastydetourjesse  

2 Tweets and a Lie 📱

Discerning the meaningful tweets from the smoke and mirrors 💨 

Is this finally the season where Kyle Pitts breaks out???

A-Rich looking like Lamar in training camp 👀 

OBJ thinks he’s identified the next breakout WR in Vegas… 

Let’s Judge 👨‍⚖️

🟢 The Kyle Pitts x Michael Penix III connection

• Look — we’ve all been burned by Kyle Pitts at least once. But I’m ready to get hurt again and here’s why: After a rookie year where he topped 1,000 yards while lining up as a true wide receiver nearly 65% of the time, Pitts was stuck inline more than ever in 2024 — and his production suffered. Now, in 2025 camp, he’s working almost exclusively in the slot or out wide, even doing individual drills with the wideouts — and by all accounts, he’s been the star of camp. It also doesn’t hurt that after playing with six different QBs since entering the league, he may finally have some stability with Michael Penix Jr. under center.

   

❌ Anthony Richardson — training camp merchant

• Don’t be blinded by the flash plays. Richardson still has immense physical upside, but if the shoulder isn't right or accuracy issues persist, the long-term value won’t be there. Richardson completed just 47.7% of his passes in 2024—lowest among QBs with 250+ attempts since Tim Tebow. That’s not a typo, that’s historically bad accuracy at a quarterback position that demands precision. Take a look at last week’s preseason pulse to see why I’m in on Daniel Jones in Indy.

   

  Live look at the Indianapolis QB competition:

🟢 Dont’e Thornton Jr breakout SZN

• Las Vegas Raiders 4th Round WR, Dont’e Thornton Jr., has been steadily growing buzz in camp. Surprisingly there’s been a lot more buzz on Thornton than fellow Raiders draftee Jack Bech. While I still prefer Bech, the path to playing time is a bit easier for Thornton, as he plays on the outside, while Bech and Meyers operate in the slot. Thornton is 6'5" and ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash at the combine joining Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson as players at that height to be that speedy. While he may not be the next Megatron — I’ll join OBJ in buying the hype in LV.

   

-- @dynastydetourtom

What training camp buzz is keeping you up at night? Let us know in the comments. 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 🚘️.