Dynasty Nerds 
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NerdHerd 
Four weeks down. We’re already about one-third of the way through the fantasy football regular season. The “it’s still early” excuse has officially expired, and bye weeks are upon us. August podcasts and preseason rankings are out the window, leaving half of the Dynasty Nerds App League staring the cold, hard reality of elimination square in the face. We’re on to week five, baby! Who’s emerging as a contender? Which teams are pretenders?
Keith’s Rant of the Week
(Cue slow-motion, black-and-white footage of a side judge staring blankly into the midfield while Sarah McLachlin’s “Angel” plays in the background…)
“Every Sunday, dozens of helpless NFL officials suffer in silence. For just $5 a month, the price of a cup of coffee, you can help rescue a ref who has been severely traumatized by a defensive lineman accidentally breathing on a quarterback’s visor, or a cornerback who maintained eye contact with a receiver who came back to catch an under-thrown pass. These poor, mistreated officials are forced to endure agonizing stress as they hunt desperately for illegal formation penalties. After all, there’s a good chance that tackle was lined up 0.0004 inches too far behind the center.”
“Call the number on the screen right now, 1-800-555-ZBRA, and we’ll send you a tote bag, a zebra-striped lanyard, and a picture of your adopted NFL official. The harsh reality is that while you were reading the last sentence, three more flags were thrown somewhere in America. Possibly England, if it’s before you wake up on Sunday in a panic that you forgot to take Terry McLaurin out of your lineups. Act now before another fantasy point-producing touchdown was overturned because a receiver didn’t complete “a third clear, athletic motion while surviving the ground.”
At this point, I don’t even know what holding is anymore, and apparently neither do the human beings wearing whistles on the field. The numbers show the truth. According to ESPN, the 963 accepted penalties through Week 4 are the most since the data was made available in 1978.
Even more surprisingly, only 960 of them were phantom late hit flops by Josh Allen! (I kid, I kid…)
DNA Trade Audit
Garret Price sends Denzel Boston, Ja’Kobi Lane, a 2027 2nd, and a 2028 1st to Doc Mitchell for Drake London.
- One of the biggest trades in DNA League history, Garret sent everything but the kitchen sink to get Drake London from Doc. In return, Doc gains two more high-value draft picks as well as two top young receivers in Boston and Lane. The opinions on this trade will vary, but the rewards for Garret were immediate. With the return of Michael Penix, Drake London has looked fantastic, hauling in 5 catches for 96 yards against the Saints on Monday Night Football.
Peter Monahan sends a 2028 3rd to Doc Mitchell for Ollie Gordon
- Devon Ach-who? If Ollie Gordon can consistently replicate his statline from Sunday (9 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown), this might end up being the bargain trade of the season.
Matt Cooper sends a 2027 3rd and a 2028 4th to Doc Mitchell for Jacory Croskey-Merritt
- On the other hand, giving up two picks for a player who was outperformed by the ghost of newly signed Austin Ekeler? Less than ideal. 9 carries for 15 yards just isn’t going to get the job done, and it’s no wonder the Commanders have turned elsewhere to help their floundering run game.
Contenders vs. Pretenders: Top 8 Tier List
Legit contenders
Peter Monahan
We have to talk about Peter’s performance in the DNA League. 861 points? That’s over 100 points more than Garret’s 8-0 second-place squad and 200 points over Jared’s fourth-place roster. Just crazy!
His starting lineup reads like a list of players who have all hit this season. Josh Allen. Derrick Henry. Kenneth Walker. Bijan Robinson. Christian Watson. Nico Collins. The man didn’t even start Ollie Gordon this week after trading for him! Can Peter keep up this start as we begin to navigate bye weeks?
Garret Price
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Garret is off to a great start at 8-0. His team was rock solid last season, making it all the way to the championship game before losing to inaugural champion Doc Mitchell. Garret did get a little bit of a scare this week, beating Matt Cooper by only 2 points. However, with a starting lineup which includes Jahmyr Gibbs, Ashton Jeanty, Drake London, and Zay Flowers, Garret is a near-lock to make the playoffs for the second-straight season. The return of a healthy A.J. Brown will only bolster his chances.
Keith Ensminger
Hey, this is the contending roster I thought would show up last season! What’s odd, though, is that the productivity is coming from places I wouldn’t have expected. Jayden Daniels exits my lineup again, only to replaced by the unexpected QB3 on the season, Bryce Young. Like many teams in a league where we start 12 players each week, I don’t have a ton of depth. Travis Etienne went to IR, and Tyquan Thornton joined him soon after. I’m going to have to tough it out and hope for the best through the upcoming stretch of bye weeks…
…wait, is that Keon Coleman‘s music?
Jared Wackerly
Jared’s team is a contender at the moment, but with injuries mounting, he might soon find himself on the outside looking in. He lost De’Von Achane and now Ja’Marr Chase likely has to sit for a week or two. He does have a few guys on the bench waiting to come in, such as Roman Wilson and Brian Robinson. Will that be enough? Does Jared have any moves left in him?
Matt Cooper
CeeDee Lamb, come on down with your 17 receptions, your 189 yards receiving, and your 10 (10!) first downs. Matt’s roster is up-and-coming with a good mix of veteran talent and young production. Along with Lamb, he has Carnell Tate and KC Concepcion at receiver. His team also laps the field at tight end, rostering both Trey McBride and Brock Bowers. Quarterback is his only weak point, but if he can keep Tyler Shough and Aaron Rodgers healthy, there might be enough here to make a playoff push.
Possible Pretenders
Rich Dotson
Sorry, boss. This just doesn’t look like it’s going to be your season in the DNA League. Rich is 4-4, but his record could have easily been worse had he not been matched up against the worst team in the league this past week. If Peter’s team is full of 2026’s fantasy who’s-who, Rich’s team is a list of this year’s fantasy duds. Justin Herbert. Saquon Barkley. Kyle Pitts. Marvin Harrison, Jr. Still, Rich has been around the dynasty block in his day, and with Jaxon Smith-Njgba, anything is possible. Besides, somebody here has to be the 6th seed, right?
Mychal Warno
Like Rich, Mychal’s team has a few albatrosses around its neck through the early part of the season. Ladd McConkey and David Montgomery have disappointed, as has Jalen Hurts. It’s tough, because who in their right mind would start their third quarterback, Deshaun Watson, over Hurts, right? Still, here we are, living in a world where Jalen Hurts is QB12 with 67.02 points and Deshaun Watson is QB13 with 65.9 points. With aging assets like Christian McCaffrey, Mark Andrews, and Alvin Kamara, Mychal’s upcoming fire sale might unlock someone’s path to the 2026 DNA League title.
Jon Glosser
You would think a team starting Drake Maye and Patrick Mahomes should have better than a 3-5 record, wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Jon’s team. Until this week, Maye was the anchor holding everyone who started him underwater, but with his breakout this week, perhaps Jon can begin to right the ship. The issue is that outside of an injured Breece Hall, there’s just nobody coming off of Jon’s bench who’s going to score points for him.
Rebuild Corner with Doc
“Doc, you went from inaugural champion to tearing it down for youth and draft capital. Looking at your roster today, what is your process for rebuilding here? How long do you think it will take?”
“I have to start off by saying mission accomplished. Last season I realized pretty early on that I had a pair of hammers in this league with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jonathan Taylor. I knew in a 12-man league with so many starting spots I would need depth. So, I traded away all of my picks in 2027 & 2028 to acquire the necessary depth to carry me to the title. But, my team was quite old outside of a couple of blue-chip players.
I decided to make use of my 3-year grace period. I couldn’t get my 2027 1st back, but I was able to get my 3rd, which, if it plays out the way I hope, it will be the 3.01 and almost as valuable as a late 1st with our format. Most owners have been unwilling to trade 2027 picks, so I shifted my focus to 2028, stockpiling picks in that year. I have also gone about collecting all of the injured players.
Jaxson Dart, Jayden Higgins, and De’Zhaun Stribling come to mind as players who will potentially have better long-term value than in this year. With the threat of being voted off being non-existent for the next 3 years, I figured I would take the W, put my name on the trophy, and use the advantage that title gave me and tear this baby down to the studs.”
“Who is the one player on your roster that everyone keeps lowballing you on?”
Drake London was a really tough player to deal. He is a blue-chip asset and someone you can absolutely build around. However, I needed to acquire multiple pieces to make it worth my while. Garret was one of the few managers with enough depth to make such a move and the roster to make it worth his while.
Denzel Boston was the big piece I got back. Living in the Baltimore area, I have also heard the drumbeat for Ja’Kobi Lane all offseason. As an injured player, he fit the bill for what I am doing perfectly. Then, managing to add in a 1st and 2nd gave me enough value back to pull the trigger. It was a true win/win in my opinion.
Garret lost to me in the final last year and has one of the most dangerous teams in the league once again this year. I do have a few pieces left to sell, which others have been giving me lowball offers on. Baker Mayfield, Tyler Allgeier, and Khalil Shakir come to mind as players with varying degrees of value still on my roster that I am willing to part with. Mayfield is hurt, so he is on the shelf at the moment, but with these deep starting requirements, I am sure I might hear a knock at my door when bye weeks start to hit. Say what you will, but Allgeier and Shakir look better than a 0 in someone’s lineup. I learned last year that in this format studs are golden, but depth is a real key to winning during the bye weeks and securing a bye in the playoffs, where anything can happen.
Week 4 League Recap
DNA League Week 5 Weekly Report
Week 5 Preview
It could be a rough week in the Dynasty Nerds App League for your favorite Dynasty Nerds podcasters.
First, Rich takes on yours truly. No Saquon Barkley and no Jalen Coker for Rich, and it looks like another week off for Dallas Goedert. On my side, I do lose Bryce Young to the bye week, but the benefit of having a deep quarterback bench gives me the flexibility of starting Cam Ward in my Superflex spot.
Matt O’Hara sits at 0-8, and with a matchup against the juggernaut that is Peter Monahan, I don’t think Matt’s getting off the schneid any time soon. Could Matt be our first one-and-done manager in the Dynasty Nerds App League?
Garret looks to have the easiest road this week, coming in firing on all cylinders and taking on Mychal. Garret’s squad is healthy and productive, so it’s going to be tough sledding for Mychal to pick up a win.
Don’t forget to take your Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers players out of your lineups!
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