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The votes are tallied, and America has spoken.
And through eight weeks of the NFL season, a call has likely been made on your dynasty season. There are no recounts. No runoffs. Whether you accept the results or not, as they say, “ball don’t lie.”
Like you, the twelve staff members in the Dynasty Nerds App league are staring at the same exit polls. Nobody gets an exemption from the injury bugs or the disaster that was the Tampa Bay passing game. Really, Baker? The last time I had zero completed passes on three attempts was at a bar back in college.
As the games rolled on, we all shared the same experience of sitting on our couches staring at our phones, ignoring the barrage of political texts while checking our matchups. At the end of the day, whether a candidate wins or loses a distant state is completely out of your hands, but watching your flex play get vultured on the one-yard line feels strictly personal.
Obviously.
Thanks for reading, and as always, thank you for making Dynasty Nerds your home for dynasty fantasy football. Check out all our DNA League articles if you’re still catching up. Now, let’s dive into the rest of this week’s action!
Keith’s Rant of the Week
I need to rant about trade deadlines.
I am going to say what a lot of dynasty managers are thinking: trade deadlines in dynasty leagues are silly and need to be abolished forever.
Dynasty is supposed to be a year-round format. That is the entire selling point over redraft! We scout, claim, and trade the players on these rosters all year long. Yet, when we reach an arbitrary date in mid-November, we’re suddenly locked out?
No, thank you.
If you want to argue against trading during the playoffs, I will at least respect that plan. But why any earlier? If a contender loses their starting quarterback in Week 14 right before the playoffs, why shouldn’t they be allowed to make a trade? That contender is desperate. They are willing to overpay with future draft picks just to keep their championship dreams alive. That gives rebuilding teams maximum leverage to demand top-tier assets for aging stars. Locking trades right when desperate buyers are willing to pay peak prices deprives non-playoff teams of their absolute best selling window.
While we’re on the subject of trading, can we please, as a community, agree to stop sending messages that just say, “Is Player X available?” or “What do you want for Player Y?”
Put a real offer on the table.
I don’t need three days of awkward negotiation small talk before you finally unveil your top secret agenda, asking for my best wide receiver in exchange for a third-round rookie pick and Marshawn Lloyd.
I have a job. I have two kids. I have prep to do on my PS5’s hard drive to clear enough space when I download GTA6.
Respectfully, if you want a player, send an actual trade proposal. Stop playing coy. Don’t make the other manager do the work.
Of course, it’s nice to have the Dynasty Nerds App to help you navigate the process. A trade calculator? A league analyzer? Custom rankings? Just the beginning. #ShamelessPlug
Even worse are the managers sitting in last place who refuse to trade aging veterans because they think a three-game winning streak is magically coming. You know who you are. Holding onto 30-year-old running backs while your season withers away is how managers stay stuck in mediocrity for the next three years. If you are 2-6, bite the bullet, sell the points, and stack up future draft picks before your league’s (silly!) trade deadline passes you by.
DNA Trade Audit
Breaking news! Earlier this week, this trade went through:
Taylor Christianson trades Malachi Fields and George Kittle to Keith Ensminger for Cam Ward and Travis Etienne, Jr.
Taylor and I both have 8-8 records, but our teams are going in opposite directions. For Taylor, he just picked up his third win in a row, while I have fallen flat in two straight weeks.
My team’s strength has always been at quarterback, and with Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, and Bryce Young on the roster, I could afford to trade Cam Ward. On the flip side, Taylor just lost Lamar Jackson, perhaps for the season, so he hopes that Cam Ward can provide a floor of stability in the midst of making a playoff push.
George Kittle may be an aging (or just flat-out “old”) asset, but it shores up my issues at tight end. With a tough stretch of matchups upcoming, my roster needs the help.
Is Cam Ward’s recent blowup game a sign of things to come or is this a sell-high moment to take advantage of?
Midseason Accolades
The Draft Heist Award
In a 2026 rookie class full of Poop Sandwiches, our five-round rookie draft was full of Turd Fergs (thanks, Rich.) Were there any late-round steals? Congratulations to Matt O’Hara, because you are the winner here, landing Caleb Douglas at 4.05!
The competition was not fierce. In fact, of the 48 players taken in rounds 2 through 5, I count over 30 players who have barely seen more than a few snaps all season. As we long suspected, what a terrible, terrible draft class.
The Unsung Heroes Award
Taylor Christianson made a bold move with his rebuilding roster, trading Drew Allar for Kirk Cousins. How has that worked out so far? Cousins is QB3 on the year and has Taylor on the verge of a playoff appearance.
In a year of mostly chalk at the top of the running back rankings, who would have predicted Jaylen Warren would be RB7? Steven Pintado might be on the outside looking in at 7-9, but Warren could make a valuable trade chip down the stretch.
With respect to the phenomenal seasons from Christian Watson and Tee Higgins, we have to give some love to WR20, Tre Tucker. Jared Wackerly’s team once again defies expectations and finds production from the strangest of places.
Three Raiders on this list? Why not. It isn’t unheard of for a team to have two high-scoring wide receivers near the top of the rankings, but outside of the days of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, I can’t think of another case where a team led the way with multiple tight ends. Am I talking about Brock Bowers? No! I’m talking about his teammate Michael Mayer, currently ranked TE9 in our league’s scoring.
The Buyer’s Remorse Award
On September 20th, 2026, Mychal Warno traded not one, not two, but three draft picks – a 2027 3rd, a 2028 2nd, and a 2028 3rd to Doc Mitchell for the ghost of David Montgomery.
Here’s his game log since the trade. Return to sender, anyone?
Rest of Season Predictions
Using the Dynasty Nerds App’s contender rankings, it’s clear that this season is Peter Monahan or Garret Price’s to lose. The rest of us are merely fighting over the scraps. What could change their fortunes?
For Garret, his quarterbacks could be his Achilles’ heel. Dak Prescott anchors the way, but his other options are Sam Darnold and Michael Penix, Jr. Darnold has been in and out of the lineup due to injury, and Penix is… well, Penix.
For Pete, he has talent and depth from top-to-bottom at every position, but rare is the team that could survive an injury to a player like Josh Allen or Bijan Robinson. We know from past history that Kenneth Walker III has a tough time staying healthy. Should any one of these players get dinged up, it just brings Pete’s team one step closer back to the pack.
Week 8 League Recap
Week 9 Preview
In a matchup of momentum versus granite, can Taylor’s team keep it rolling against the juggernaut that is Garret Price? Elsewhere, we have the annual Battle of the Matts as Matt O’Hara faces off against Matt Cooper. Finally, will Rich run the score up against Jon’s fading roster? Or, will our IDP expert pull off the upset?
Stay tuned, and thanks again for reading. Until next time, #NerdHerd!
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