Regression on the horizon for Drake Maye?

Now that OTAs are on the way and the NFL hype machine is firing on all cylinders, we are now entering Narrative City. And it’s our job as good little dynasty managers to make all this offseason fluff and white noise work to our advantage.

With that in mind, here’s what the rad as hell members of us are Fantasy life discord want to know…

Join our newsletter

Trusted by over 400,000 fantasy football players. Get free access to Fantasy Life award-winning newsletter and toolsall in one step.

By registering or logging in, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Dynasty off-season mailbag

Do you strongly believe Drake Maye had a truly breakout season or was he a product of the easiest schedule in NFL history? The Patriots played a record 11 games against teams that fired their HC. Is Maye a hardline regression candidate or a top dynasty QB?

I had to double check that fact that the Patriots played so many teams that changed head coaches this season. Yowza! Shocking, but true.

The easy schedule probably helped Maye a bit, but he was already showing signs of being a fantasy star in 2024. In 10 full starts that year, Maye averaged 220+ passing yards and 35+ rushing yards per game, a performance that put him in rarefied air with the likes of Cam Newton, Josh Allen and Michael Vick. And he did it while throwing to Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper and a bunch of unproven wide receivers not named Stefon Diggs.

I listed him as one of my favorite trade targets at the time, so I may have some built-in biases, but his combination of hitting + rushing acumen + draft capital makes him a top dynasty guy. I don’t think a tougher schedule this season will change that.

Is it time to strike while the iron is hot on Rashee Rice?

Do we buy or sell the crazy Rice train? I have two shares and am not sure if I should have more or less.

I knew Rice would be a hot topic this week, with news of his prison sentence and knee cleanup still fresh in everyone’s minds. So I’ll answer this tag team of questions with this:

The iron is way too hot for my taste. I’m afraid the iron will end up burning my face, whether it’s out of season, later this year, or sometime down the line. And I love my face.

Ultimately, everyone has to determine their own comfort level with Rice. You could easily argue that Rice’s sentence of 30 days in jail is extreme given the offense (and I agree), but this is just one more example that shows poor decision-making on his part. Are there more bad decisions to come that could impact his ability to stay on the field? Personally, I don’t like dealing with all the headaches, especially for a player who has only shown glimpses of fantasy goodness.

But at least I know one person with a different perspective.

In my 24 team league I was offered Breece Hall and George Pickens for Ashton Jeanty. My concern is giving up a (hopefully) real superstar for two ‘just’ stars…

In such a scandalously deep league, I would be comfortable with that return for Jeanty. I hear what you’re saying about sticking with “real superstars,” but I have to be 99.9% sure Jeanty meets those standards to say no to that offer. But I’m not that positive. He doesn’t have the production history of Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs. And I’m still skeptical about how much the Raiders offense has improved in the offseason.

How do you determine which players to drop? I will have to drop two players if other players become IR eligible unless I can trade.

I don’t have an exact process, but after giving it my all to execute some trades (like you did), I usually ask myself two questions:

1) Which players are more likely to remain available on the waiver wire, so that I can pick them up later?

2) Can I live with myself if the player reaches his peak after I drop him?

It’s one thing for a player you dropped to give someone else a few flex-worthy weeks, but it’s another thing entirely to see him become a stud on someone else’s team. I’m not mentally strong enough to see that happen.

Is Ty Simpson worth a look for non-Stafford managers? I feel like just because he’s (probably) the second QB to jump ship doesn’t mean he’ll be of any value in four years.

I set Ty Simpson to 2.02 in my three-round Superflex rookie mock a few weeks ago, and that was even before Stafford signed an extension to stay with the Rams through 2027. I think Simpson could take over just fine if you have the bench space (and the patience), but I don’t see that much distance between him and Carson Beck in terms of dynasty value.

Thoughts on trading 2026 picks for 2027 picks since so many people are much higher in the 2027 class than the current class?

It’s a nice idea, assuming you get decent value in return. But I think too many people have the same idea, so the chances of getting that value are slim.

That’s why I debated doing the exact opposite. When everyone is super high in one specific draft class and way down in another, it can be a good idea to collect and extract as much value as possible. Additionally, managers are more likely to move on from 2027 firsts during the season.

Give us each a rookie player at QB, RB, WR and TE that you upgraded or demoted on your Big Board due to rookie camp and OTA rumblings

I hate to be the runny egg in your shoe, but I don’t normally move anyone anywhere based on the mid-May rumor mill. Most of this stuff is white noise. I remember way too many people pushing Ja’Marr Chase down the rankings because of bullshit rumors this time of year.

The only guy I’ve gotten a little down on is Ty Simpson, but that’s just passing through Stafford’s extension

Will you trade or ride with King Henry until he is deposed?

The “problem” with Derrick Henry in the dynasty is the same problem that plagued Tom Brady’s managers for years. He is too old to make much money in trading and too good to trade for peanuts. You’ll just have to hang in there and probably get another 1,500 scrimmage-yard season out of him. Poor you

What would you do in the competitions you participate in regarding the Brendan Sorsby situation?

First of all, I’m not the commissioner in any of my leagues, and I just feel a little bad about it. (It’s the best for everyone involved, I promise.)

For anyone who doesn’t know, the Texas Tech QB has been embroiled in some gambling allegations and recently had his request for reinstatement denied by the NCAA. This could mean he enters the NFL via the Supplemental Draft. Coach Gene Clemons provides a much more detailed overview of the situation here.

But assuming your rookie draft has already happened, there are a few ways to handle it:

You could manually block him from waivers until next year’s rookie draft.

You could have an all-out FAAB bidding war.

Or you can get really complicated with it and go through this year’s draft order until someone agrees to take Sorsby, losing next year’s corresponding pick. So if the managers with the 1.01 through 1.06 say no, but the person with 1.07 says yes, they get Sorsby and forfeit next year’s first round.

It’s a difficult situation and I’m so damn glad I’m not a commissioner at times like this!

Premium

Go for FantasyLife+

Your competition is unique. Your advice should be too. Get personalized tools, rankings and projections tailored to your fantasy football league setup.

More information