We are BACK after a bit of hiatus. Hopefully everyone out there has been better behaved than Rashee Rice and Terrion Arnold since our last check in, but if not we’re at least probably the first dynasty fantasy football newsletter read in prison. If someone wants to take one for the team and make that happen, it would be pretty cool. Anyway, this is Dynasty Detour Ryan coming at you with an updated rookie rankings and my read on the 2nd and 3rd rounders this year, because I don’t think there’s ever been a draft board so all over the place. It’s been too long Detourists…

The same seven players seem to come off the board in some order in just about every draft. Here’s how I rank them:

The full rankings will be at the bottom, but I just wanted to square away the consensus top seven before we dove into placing the rest of the top 36. Let’s take a drive.

These guys are going nowhere and just simply don’t seem worth it to me, regardless of your team need or trajectory.

Elijah Sarratt, WR BAL

Some may remember that I haven’t liked Sarratt since the second I turned his film on. He’s clunky, can’t separate, and if he had to be placed in a category it would be jump ball specialist, but he’s not even particularly elite at that. Couple that with him joining the NFL’s lowest volume passing attack last year that has two receivers with recent contract extensions, a Pro Bowl tight end, and a rookie wide receiver taken ahead of him in Ja’Kobi Lane, I just don’t see what I’m expecting to get out of Sarratt. He’ll live and die by red zone production, and I think Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman, and Ja’Kobi Lane all profile as better red zone options, not to mention Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry getting their share of red zone work on the ground. As Sleeper’s current rookie WR9 and the consensus 17th player off the board, I can’t get away fast enough.

The exception here would be adding Washington as a Jeanty owner. Gotta grab your handcuffs. Outside of that, I really don’t know what the Raiders plan is. I liked Washington’s tape a bit, and his speed and size were enticing, but he is just miles behind Jeanty as a running back. The Raiders took Jeanty sixth overall last year and clearly invested in an offensive line that can hold up long enough to let him do his thing. Giving Washington a sizable chunk of the carries would be borderline malpractice. New head coach Klint Kubiak did like his two man game in Seattle last year, but I simply do not know where Washington can be utilized other than the occasional change of pace rep. If the picks had fallen a different way in April I might be all over Washington, but unfortunately I see no world he isn’t trapped in an unproductive role for a long time. Even in a weak draft class, there are guys around him (RB6, Player 21) at the back of the second that have a significantly better chance at carving out a meaningful role.

While not as hopeless as the last two, these are guys who will need some luck to find enough action to be worth adding to your team.

Jonah Coleman, RB DEN

I came away from Coleman’s film a good deal lower on him than consensus, but there was so much love out there that I thought maybe in the right situation he might just go out and prove me wrong. This is not that situation, at least not right now. Having just taken R.J. Harvey in the 2nd round last year and seemingly picking up J.K. Dobbins’ team option for $10M this year, the Broncos are quite invested in multiple running backs. RB3 on a team that finished in the bottom half of the league in rush attempts is not a fantastic opportunity for a guy I was already unsure of. That said, the Broncos clearly have some vision for Coleman. At 5’8” and 220 lbs, Coleman could be productive as a short distance and goal line option. He also was productive as a receiver at the college level. With the Broncos likely moving on from the fragile soon-to-be 28 year old Dobbins, there could be some opportunity for Coleman to contend with Harvey for a good chunk of the work going forward. As the 3rd RB and 12th player off the board, he feels expensive for what he is, but in this class you could do worse.

Yet another prospect I was not thrilled about, Bernard lands in one of the more complicated situations around the league. The Steelers invested heavily into Aaron Rodgers’ last ride, trading for and extending Michael Pittman to go alongside D.K. Metcalf and then moving up to select Bernard in the second round. Bernard does offer a different set of skills than the two big body WRs he’s charted behind, but with Michael Pittman likely running out of the slot frequently, Bernard will be forced outside more than I would like. In an offense that failed to get a single receiver to 100 targets last year and led by a QB notorious for avoiding rookie wide receivers, it’s a recipe for an inconsistent season at best for Bernard. With a new QB coming from God knows where next year, and the Steelers likely to (in my opinion) opt out of Metcalf’s contract next year, things could open up for Bernard. I don’t feel fantastic that they will, but they might. At WR8, Player 14 there are worse bets, but probably better ones too.

Nick Singleton, RB TEN

I sound like a broken record, but Singleton is another prospect who’s tape I was unimpressed with. He currently slots in the depth chart behind Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears, and I don’t have much faith in Singleton to produce enough from the jump to surpass either one. Both Pollard and Spears do enter this season on the last year of their current deals, and with the recent regime change and not particularly stellar output from either to date, I wouldn’t be surprised if both are gone come 2027. I would, however, be quite surprised if the team does not invest significantly at the position to replace them as they try and resurrect one of the NFL’s worst offenses last year. Could Singleton end up the top guy? Potentially, but I wouldn’t bet on it unless he slid back a bit from his current spot of RB4, Player 15.

While maybe not immediately impactful per se, these guys have the potential to turn into something big down the line

Omar Cooper Jr., WR NYJ

My love for Cooper has been no secret since my film breakdown, so much so that Dynasty Detour Jesse actually took Cooper and extorted me in our league (shameful). I absolutely love the prospect, and though it’s historically a sucker’s bet, I do think the Jets are cooking something up. Even if they don’t land the top pick, they should be bad enough to fall into a highly touted QB prospect next offseason, and they have the draft capital to move even higher if they need. Though Sadiq came off the board before Cooper, my question marks around him lead me to believe that Cooper will be the second best weapon in this passing attack. I don’t think being the second option for gunslingin’ Geno Smith on a team that will be passing the ball down late in games this year is a bad spot, but Cooper’s high ceiling just may be realized if the Jets get this right. Cooper was my WR4 in the class, and that has not changed. He’s currently drafted as the WR5, Player 9, and you’re foolish if you’re not moving up to get him if he falls there or later.

Ty Simpson, QB LAR

Playing the waiting game on Simpson has deterred some folks, and there are actually a good deal of voices in the dynasty community that don’t love him as a prospect, but I am all over him as the 10th player off the board. We don’t know exactly how long Matt Stafford will hang around, but with the biggest knock on Simpson being his lack of experience as a starter, I’m not upset at all at him getting a few years under his belt learning from Stafford and McVay. The Rams offense should be perennially elite with McVay in the building and Puka Nacua certainly there for the long haul, and when it’s time for Simpson to take the reigns, I have supreme confidence that managers that didn’t get in on the ground floor will regret it.

Other names in the category: Denzel Boston, Eli Stowers

These guys can be immediately productive with situations that are good or getting better

Chris Bell, WR MIA

Despite being the second of two wide receivers drafted by the Dolphins in the third round, the fantasy community seems largely in agreement that Bell is the better of the two prospects and probably the best receiver in this horrendous wide receiver room, currently drafting him as the 7th WR off the board, 14th player overall. Bell is an explosive, big-bodied weapon with decent tools that should be an immediate asset to Malik Willis as he tries to resurrect his career in his first opportunity as the full time starter since his days in Tennessee. I don’t expect a ton out of the offense this year, but either Willis will prove to be a good starting QB or the Dolphins will be in the mix to draft one in 2027. As the Dolphins try and turn this thing around, it will likely involve drafting or signing one or multiple wide receivers next offseason, but Bell is a good talent and will have the advantage of an extra year of experience in the building.

Antonio Williams, WR WAS

Williams is currently coming off the board as the WR10, Player 22 overall and I have already made the mistake multiple times of thinking he won’t come off the board earlier. As Brandon Aiyuk’s move to Washington looms, Williams’ standing in this WR room Week 1 is uncertain, but between Terry McLaurin starting to show his age a bit and Aiyuk being a straight up disaster, even the worst outcome for Williams is one I’d still buy into. Williams did have a tendency to get banged up in college, but the talent is evident, and he should be part of the equation as Washington tries to set Jayden Daniels up well in what needs to be a big year for the third year QB.

Chris Brazzell II, WR CAR

Brazzell wasn’t my favorite prospect as I thought him to be a bit one dimensional, but of all the guys I profiled as pure deep threats, I saw just the slightest hints in his game that make me think he could develop some secondary abilities.

In what needs to be a big year for Bryce Young, Brazzell seems to me the second best option (Sorry CokeHeads) in this passing attack. His downfield threat should profile immediately, and I think he will have plenty of opportunity to try his hand at short and intermediate routes. As the current WR8, Player 18 off the board, he’s someone I have been grabbing amidst a sea of shaky assets.

Other names in the category: Zachariah Branch

And now, my full 3 round rankings:

Thanks for sticking with me, it’s oh so good to be back.

- Dynasty Detour Ryan

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