- Justin Herbert is in a position to be even better under Mike McDaniel: Already a top dynasty asset, Herbert could be gifted far easier throws in McDaniel’s scheme. Still, the Chargers will need to get their supporting cast in decent shape.
- Zach Charbonnet’s torn ACL clouds his future in Seattle: The 25-year-old is entering a contract year and may miss the first quarter or more of the 2026 season while he recovers. His dynasty value takes a sizable hit as a result.
- 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
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We’ll be taking stock of dynasty fantasy football assets each week of the offseason. Here are two players whose stock is trending up, two whose stock is trending down and one who carries stash potential.
Stock Up: QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Mike McDaniel is a home-run hire at offensive coordinator for the Chargers. Regardless of the Dolphins’ lackluster records over the past two years, McDaniel’s offense tended to catch fire in his stint in Miami.
With Justin Herbert helming his attack, the sky is the limit.
McDaniel worked magic with Tua Tagovailoa, who managed eight weekly top-five quarterback fantasy finishes across the past four seasons. Over the same span, Herbert racked up 11.
Herbert is clearly the better quarterback of the two, having earned two 90.0-plus PFF overall grades in his career despite seemingly being held back at times by a shaky supporting cast and a declining offensive line.
McDaniel’s offenses tend to deploy plenty of motion. The Dolphins ranked first three times and second once (2025) in motion rate in his four seasons in Miami, shifting opposing defenses around to manufacture easier throws for Tagovailoa.
With the help of motion, Tagovailoa threw the fourth-most passes in less than 1.5 seconds in the NFL under McDaniel. They were designed to be easy completions, and Tagovailoa accumulated 1,764 yards and 13 touchdowns on those plays.
Herbert, meanwhile, logged 795 passing yards and only three passing touchdowns on the same plays over those four years.
Look for McDaniel to make things easier on the 27-year-old quarterback, boosting his dynasty stock in the process.
Bottom Line: Mike McDaniel will create more “easy” throws for Justin Herbert. While the Chargers need to prioritize shoring up their offensive line, Herbert is already in a better spot for dynasty than he was a week ago.
Stock Down: RB Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks
Charbonnet tore his ACL in the Seahawks’ divisional-round win over the 49ers — a devastating injury, exacerbated by its occurrence so late in the season. The injury’s recovery timeline is generally 8-12 months, which would put Charbonnet on track to return in mid-September (around Week 3) at the earliest.
The injury may derail what will be a contract year for the 25-year-old, who enjoyed a career-best season in 2025 (90.5 PFF rushing grade) and could have been in line to be Seattle’s lead running back with Kenneth Walker III set to hit free agency this offseason.
Charbonnet logged 12 rushing scores (tied for fifth most), produced 3.33 yards after contact per attempt (12th best) and averaged 0.24 missed tackles forced per attempt (seventh best). The latter figure put him ahead of tackle-breakers Ashton Jeanty, Jonathan Taylor, James Cook and Cam Skattebo, among others.
The ACL injury casts a shadow on that otherwise stellar season, understandably lowering Charbonnet’s long-term dynasty value. Still, it’s likely best to hold him in dynasty formats unless another manager comes knocking with an offer that values him as a future RB1.
Bottom Line: No ACL injury is a positive development, but Zach Charbonnet’s couldn’t have come at a worse time. His chances of leading Seattle’s backfield in the future have been significantly reduced.
Stock Up: WR Pat Bryant, Denver Broncos
The postseason was unkind to Bryant, who appeared to be a big part of the Broncos’ plans against the Bills in the divisional round — catching three passes on the team’s first drive — before suffering a concussion that ended his outing. Then, Bo Nix’s broken ankle left Bryant without his quarterback for the AFC Championship game, and he logged one catch for two yards in the snow.
Still, Bryant appears set to take on a more featured role in Denver’s offense moving forward.
The Broncos’ wide receiver room is admittedly crowded. Courtland Sutton, now 30 years old, is playing on a big contract extension signed this past summer and should be locked in as Denver’s top wideout. Behind him are Troy Franklin, Bryant and Marvin Mims Jr.
From Week 8 through the end of the playoffs, Bryant caught the third-most passes among Broncos wide receivers. Over the same span, only five rookie receivers hauled in more throws than him, three of whom were first-round picks.
Bryant, a third-rounder, should be a bigger part of Denver’s offense in 2026, potentially to the level of his usage on the Broncos’ opening drive against the Bills.
Bottom Line: Bryant worked his way into a bigger role for the Broncos as the 2025 season progressed. Nothing indicates he won’t be capable of seeing 30-40 more targets next year.
Stock Down: WR Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets
The 23-year-old Mitchell is a promising receiver who landed in New York via a midseason trade that sent star cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Colts. He became a far more productive player after the deal, with all three Jets quarterbacks — Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook — peppering him with targets from Week 11 through the end of the regular season.
Unfortunately, not many of those passes ended up in Mitchell’s hands.
In that eight-game stretch, Mitchell recorded the lowest catch rate (42.9%) among receivers who saw at least 25 targets. Only 31 of his 56 targets as a Jet were deemed catchable, and he dropped a league-high six others. Not to mention, injured star receiver Garrett Wilson was never on the field at the same time as Mitchell.
The 2026 NFL Draft’s lack of top-tier quarterback options compounds the issue. Oregon’s Dante Moore announced he would be staying in school, leaving New York with no viable quarterback choices at No. 2 overall. The offense is set to enter the 2026 season without a proven passer, although an offseason move seems likely. The front office could get aggressive and trade for Kyler Murray, who seemed to fizzle out in Arizona in 2025 before landing on injured reserve with a foot injury.
Until we know more about the Jets’ quarterback situation, Mitchell, despite his age, feels like a sell if you roster him and something of a trap in dynasty startups.
Bottom Line: The Jets’ quarterback situation is messy, and Adonai Mitchell, despite seeing a flurry of targets in New York, is not currently in a position to succeed.
One Sleeper To Stash: WR Theo Wease Jr., Miami Dolphins
I’m going to do my best to provide real sleepers in this section each week. Wease is off most dynasty managers’ radars as an undrafted rookie free agent who played in only three games this season.
I’m stashing him in deep leagues for several reasons. First and foremost, it appears Tyreek Hill’s time in Miami will be coming to an end one way or another. The soon-to-be 32-year-old carries an absurd $51.9 million cap hit for 2026 and would be due $11 million if he’s on the roster by mid-March, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.
Secondarily, Wease impressed on limited snaps as a rookie. During the preseason, he caught 10 passes with no drops and racked up 104 receiving yards and two scores. He was inactive for almost all of the regular season, until the Dolphins elevated him for Week 16 against the Bengals. He finished his brief rookie season with six receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown.
Take a chance on a young receiver who has only produced when given a chance. He may end up getting more involved in the Dolphins’ new-look offense in 2026.
Bottom Line: Theo Wease Jr. is young and oozes potential. The Dolphins’ offense could look a lot different in 2026, in which case Wease would have a small chance to emerge as a featured receiver.
