In a sharp departure from years past, the NFL trade deadline was actually interesting this year. In addition to the New York Jets’ fire sale of defensive players, there were also several moves affecting dynasty values around the league.
I’ll be taking dynasty owners through each fantasy-relevant move and explaining how to react.
Breece Hall Non-Trade
With the Jets loading up on draft picks, particularly in the vaunted 2027 NFL draft, one would have thought that getting something of value for Breece Hall would have been a priority. This picture is somewhat complicated by compensatory pick math, but in general it would have felt like a win-win for a team such as the Chiefs to get a deal done for Hall.
On a Jets team that is likely to bottom out the rest of the year, my main takeaway is that Hall is no longer a priority add for contenders. Between questions about the Jets’ offense the rest of the year, and the fact that tanking teams can be unpredictable during the fantasy playoffs, contenders should pivot to other targets if they’re prioritizing production down the stretch.
On the other hand, I really like Hall for retooling teams who are trying to get the jump on 2026. With the Jets rebuilding for the long haul, it’s easy to imagine Breece Hall leaving for a better team next year. His worst-case scenario is to return to the Jets, but with a new quarterback and contract insulation.
A big loser of this non-trade is anybody stashing Isaiah Davis hoping for a Breece Hall deadline move. You can officially feel ok about churning Davis off your roster if you have other stashes/projects in mind, but we’re also likely to do this whole rigamarole again during the offseason. The value proposition hasn’t really changed.
Seattle Seahawks Acquire Rashid Shaheed
This is the dream landing spot for Shaheed, who is reunited with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, the architect of his breakout season in 2024 before tearing his ACL.
So far this season, Shaheed has been just ok, but without the explosive plays that made him such a solid fantasy asset at the beginning of last season. Under Kubiak, expect Shaheed to be activated as game-breaker with shot plays off of play-action. The long touchdowns are back on the menu.
The big question for Shaheed is whether he can earn a target floor on an offense that’s extremely concentrated, going through Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a startling extent.
At 27 years old, Shaheed isn’t a priority acquisition for rebuilding teams, but competing teams in need of depth could do much worse than to add Shaheed. While the target floor isn’t immediately clear, I am confident he brings more potential for spike weeks than your typical glue guy / depth option. Contending teams in need of wide receiver depth should offer a 3rd+ for Shaheed.
Jacksonville Jaguars Acquire Jakobi Meyers
On the one hand, getting off a struggling Raiders team can only be a good thing for Meyers. Geno Smith was struggling to run a competent passing offense, and Meyers may or may not have been mailing it in to angle for a move off the team.
While I have my doubts about Jakobi Meyers in a crowded room, and with Trevor Lawrence’s inconsistency, this position group is more ambiguous than people realize. Brian Thomas Jr. has been struggling mightily, Travis Hunter is now injured and really only getting on the field in three-receiver sets, and Parker Washington isn’t a consistent target-earner.
Down the stretch, it’s about equally likely to me that Meyers is completely irrelevant as he is to actually lead this receiving room for the rest of the year. At cost, this makes Meyers a low-risk buy for contending teams in need of depth.
Similar to Shaheed, I would try to offer a 3rd+ to pry him loose. I’m not in a hurry to give up a 2nd rounder for him.
New York Jets Acquire Adonai Mitchell
Ok I’ve buried the lede a little here. The full trade involved Sauce Gardner being traded to the Indianapolis Colts for two first-round picks and Adonai Mitchell.
Mitchell is walking into a big opportunity as the only compelling option to be the Jets’ long-term WR2 behind stud Garrett Wilson. Previously on the Colts, Mitchell was unable to unseat Alec Pierce, and was also behind Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs in the pecking order.
For my part, and I cannot stress enough that this is purely my scouting take on Mitchell, I am not a believer in Mitchell as a player. If I had any Mitchell shares, this would be the beginning of my sell window.
To me, there is a signal in the fact that Mitchell was unable to beat out anybody in the Colts’ receiver room, despite the Colts investing a second-round pick in him. Stylistically, I prefer reliable, consistent players in my wide receiver room. Dating back to Mitchell’s time at Texas, I was never bought in on his tendency to fade out of games and lack of attention to detail.
On the other hand, if you do believe in Mitchell as a talent, this is great news for you, as he’ll finally get a chance that he wasn’t likely ever to receive in Indianapolis. Don’t let my personal views on Mitchell sour what is otherwise a huge win for you. You’ll finally have a chance to properly evaluate Mitchell, as he’ll receive an extended audition over the next year and a half.
Tucker Kraft Bonus Round
I won’t belabor the point here, but since this is most likely my last article before many owners’ trade deadlines, let me just say that Tucker Kraft is a priority buy for any team that isn’t competing in 2025. This is one of those situations where you should be willing to lose some value to make sure you secure an ascending talent for the long haul.