Dynasty Fantasy Football Adds and Drops: Darren Waller, Ja'Lynn Polk, and More

Every league has its own ecosystem— its own unique set of managers, rules, nuances, and tendencies. You tend to measure everything you hear against your "league of record". Even so, it's helpful to take off the blinders and get a sense of what the general community is doing and how they feel about certain players.

Using Sleeper's "Trending Up" and "Trending Down" feature, here are the most added and dropped dynasty players this week and how I would go about approaching them as a dynasty fantasy football manager.

*Not included are Jacob Cowing (WR, SF), who has vaulted into the most-added list after the reports of Jauan Jennings' trade/contract request, and Nick Nash, who appears as the most-dropped player. The remaining players on the list below are ones that I believe are worth far more attention, both good and bad.

Most Added Players in Dynasty Fantasy Football

Thomas Fidone - TE, Giants

The Giants selected Thomas Fidone in the final round of the NFL Draft this past spring, and the rookie could have an outside chance at earning a role this season.

Hailing from Nebraska, where he played under Matt Rhule, Fidone checks in at No. 15 in our Rookie TE Model. The Giants have a unique collection of TEs–Theo Johnson, Daniel Bellinger, Chris Manhertz, and Greg Dulcich. That means the rookie has as good a chance as anyone to rise to the top.

Fidone also drew some praise from Travis Kelce at Tight Ends University, which certainly doesn't hurt the rookie's case.

For now, he's only worth a stash in deep dynasty leagues with TE premium scoring. Otherwise, look for speculative additions elsewhere.

Raheim Sanders - RB, Chargers

The Chargers signed Raheim Sanders as an undrafted free agent following the NFL Draft. Sanders spent three seasons at Arkansas before he played his final season at South Carolina.

Despite the lack of draft capital, his measurables and landing spot are ideal for a rookie RB.

First, he's a plus athlete with excellent speed. His 4.46 40-yard dash (86th percentile) and 109.7 Speed Score (92nd percentile) show up on film time and time again.

As for landing spots, the Chargers offer about as good an offensive environment for RBs as any team in the league. They have a clear duo of options up top with Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris, but there's virtually zero meaningful competition for the RB3 role.

It might not sound like much, but that all adds up to someone whose name you should know as you build out the back-end of your dynasty rosters.

Darren Waller - TE, Dolphins

In a surprising move, Darren Waller came out of retirement after a single year and was promptly traded from the New York Giants to the Miami Dolphins.

Waller had consecutive 1,100-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020, but was never the same player afterward. He's certainly worth a speculative add in dynasty formats, thanks, in part, to his overall skill set and lack of high-end options at the position.

What makes this move a bit more intriguing is that it came on the heels of the Dolphins losing Jonnu Smith to the Steelers. Last season, Smith posted a solid line of 88/884/8 on 111 targets. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle project to be the top target earners, but Waller could still offer some decent weeks in his new home.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith - WR, Charger

Another Chargers rookie makes the list in KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Drafted in Round 5, he figures to compete for a depth role behind presumptive starters Ladd McConkey and Tre Harris.

After four seasons with Penn State, Lambert-Smith had a solid final season at Auburn when he tallied 50 receptions for 981 yards and eight TDs. His 19.6 yards per reception last year, along with his collegiate average of 15.4 yards per reception, show up in his 4.37 40-time (95th percentile).

The Chargers probably won't throw it enough to make more than a receiver or two fantasy viable, but there's a path for Lambert-Smith to haul in some beautiful Justin Herbert deep balls this season. Keep him on your dynasty radar for now or, better yet, throw him on your taxi squad and wait for the potential breakout in the future, especially as we monitor Harris' current holdout, as the Day 2 pick has yet to sign his rookie contract.

Chimere Dike - WR, Titans

I understand why we use cut-offs when it comes to differentiating between different players in fantasy football, but I can't help but look at players who are on the fringe.

For example, we know Day 2 picks (Rounds 2-3) have a higher chance of success than Day 3 picks (Rounds 4-7), but what if someone was the FIRST pick of Round 4?

That's Chimere Dike, whom the Titans drafted to kick off Day 3 of the NFL Draft.

After four years in Wisconsin and one in Florida, Dike's profile isn't anything special. He never topped 50 receptions, 800 receiving yards, or six TDs in a single season.

Even so, if Cam Ward turns into the type of player Tennessee hopes he can be, there's little depth behind veterans Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett. Dike is also an excellent athlete, as highlighted by his 4.34 speed.

In our Rookie WR Model, he turned in a somewhat-surprising ranking of WR15.

For a fringe-Day 2 selection, I don't mind getting in on cheap pieces of the Titans' offense, despite the fact that they still aren't likely to be very good this year.

Most Dropped Players in Dynasty Fantasy Football

Parker Washington - WR, Jaguars

This first one stings a bit because I definitely bought in too hard on a small sample size from a few years back.

The drafting of Brian Thomas last season and Travis Hunter this spring have all but crushed any hope that Parker Washington had at a fantasy-relevant role.

Washington has just 48 receptions across his first two NFL seasons. I'm fine dropping him for someone with a greater opportunity.

Gabe Davis - WR, FA

I find it challenging to justify rostering players who are currently unemployed. It's not a knock on them as players or people, but if the business that is the National Football League hasn't found a spot for them, I'm not sure why they should have a spot on my roster.

Sorry, Gabe Davis. You're only 26 years old, but you'll forever be remembered for your insane performance as a Buffalo Bill against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Devin Singletary - RB, Giants

Sophomore RB Tyrone Tracy carried the ball almost 200 times for over 800 yards and five TDs during his rookie campaign, which all but solidifies that he'll get the first crack at the starting job this fall.

Toss in the selection of fourth-round rookie Cam Skattebo, and the value of veteran Devin Singletary has quickly evaporated.

From a depth perspective, I don't mind hanging onto Singletary where I have him if there are no other promising options to take his place. He's still only 27 years old and has a history of solid production when called on. He quietly had 113 rushing attempts of his own last year.

Will Levis - QB, Titans

The Titans' selection of Ward has all but destroyed the dynasty value of Will Levis.

There's not much more to be said at this point. With Ward likely to get a long runway for at least two seasons, Levis remains nothing more than a deep bench stash in 2QB formats.

However, if you do roster Ward in 2QB/SF formats, Levis is a fine depth option if you have the space on your bench.

Ja'Lynn Polk - WR, Patriots

As a rookie, second-round pick Ja'Lynn Polk had about as bad of an inaugural season as you could imagine for the 37th overall selection.

He appeared in 15 games for the Patriots and finished with just 12 receptions.

Polk is currently recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and is expected to be ready for Week 1. The expected growth of Drake Maye and relatively open WR room means anyone can step up into a larger role this season, but managers would have liked to have seen more from Polk in Year 1.

I don't mind letting him go at this point, but this offense is one that I am closely monitoring in the coming weeks and months.