In Season

Somebody Has to Beat Dave Eventually

Dave is the last unbeaten team in the league, and this week Swap gets the next crack at him. Nobody needs a Dave loss more than Mike, who can't gain ground in the East on his own, and Swap needs this one to climb back to .500 after five weeks of bad breaks.

John leads this series 10-7, and Brad would love to chip into it. Brad's backfield, Bijan Robinson, Ashton Jeanty and Jaylen Warren, reads like three separate lead backs. John answered with the week's biggest waiver bid, $17 for Jacory Croskey-Merritt, a sign his own backfield needed help.

Dave is the league's only unbeaten team, and losing ends that run. Swap, the league's unluckiest team, needs a win to get back to .500. Dave's doing it without Jahmyr Gibbs, one of the league's best backs, on bye. Xavier Worthy over Stefon Diggs is a call Dave barely has to sweat.

Richie's counting on lightning striking twice after last week's loudest number, since a repeat pulls him back to .500. Bubar, with Travis Kelce and a crowded receiver room, can't let it happen again; a loss drops him to 1-5. Khalil Shakir over Dontayvion Wicks is about as thin as calls get.

Vick controls his own West race and won't help Mike close the gap on Dave in the East. Vick cooled off after a big Week 4. Mike counters without Amon-Ra St. Brown, one of the league's best receivers, on bye. Woody Marks over DK Metcalf comes down to a tenth of a point.

Kyle's Jared Goff is on bye, so $13 of his FAAB went to Jordan Love. A win gets Kyle back within a game of .500; a loss drops him to 1-5. Brandon's issue is bigger: Jalen Hurts has no healthy backup, and he needs a transaction before kickoff to field a lineup.

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Keep an eye on Brad. He sits third in the standings despite ranking ninth in points scored, about as lucky a formula as any team is running. If it keeps working, the West has a real problem on its hands.

The Dolf Finally Goes Nuclear

Richie detonated for a 178.9, the loudest final line the league has produced this season, riding three different wide receivers to a laugher over Swap. Vick's unbeaten start died in prime time instead, his 104.3 the week's lowest score and his first real stumble all year. Dave rolled to 5-0 and now looks like the clear favorite for a playoff bye, while Mike's offense has gone cold across three straight weeks.

Joe Burrow anchored Brandon, but James Cook and Blake Corum erupting Monday night erased the deficit and stole it by well under a point, extending Brandon's hold on this series. Mike's stars barely got him across the line, DK Metcalf going quiet at the worst moment while Saquon Barkley rode the bench doing nothing. Brandon's final-window rescue held up by the skin of its teeth.

Bubar's flex spot did him in: Deebo Samuel's near-silent afternoon stayed in the lineup ahead of J.K. Dobbins, who piled up vastly more sitting uselessly on the bench. Isaiah Likely became a genuine difference-maker for Kyle, who finally climbs out of the winless column behind that and a big Jared Goff outing. T.J. Hockenson's early exit wasn't the problem here; the lineup card was.

Vick's unbeaten season ended with a decision that'll sting all week: Alvin Kamara stayed in the lineup over Justin Jefferson, whose bench line comfortably outscored him anyway. Brad needed a full Monday-night rescue from Matthew Stafford after trailing most of the weekend, with Jaylen Warren doing the heavy lifting underneath him. Vick's run is over, and his own flex spot ended it.

Jahmyr Gibbs looked like a cheat code, and Dave's bench barely needed to wake up, more proof his unbeaten start isn't an accident. John got a monster day from Josh Allen but was playing from behind most of the afternoon, and TreVeyon Henderson barely got on the field before exiting, a rough break rather than a lineup mistake. Malik Nabers made sure the deficit never closed.

Richie's receivers went nuclear together: Christian Watson, Parker Washington and Puka Nacua all turned into legitimate league-winners the same Sunday. Even that only drags Richie back to break-even, proof of how deep his hole had been. Swap had a perfectly respectable week by most standards and still got buried, running into the one score nobody was beating. Kyren Williams gave him a late push that arrived too late.

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Brandon and Swap sit just outside the cutoff and need results, not patience, to climb back in. Bubar and Kyle are both running real Sacko risk, per the league's playoff odds, and neither can afford another quiet week. Mike's offense has gone cold over the last three weeks and needs waiver-wire help before the slide turns into a pattern. Everyone else can exhale, for now.

Gooses Owed

None this week. Every starter put up points.

Perfect Records Meet Division Rivals

Two unbeaten teams walk into division buzzsaws this week. Dave's spotless record runs into John's desperate East rival, and Vick's grip on the West gets tested by Brad the same Sunday. By Monday night, the league could be down to one unbeaten team, or none at all.

A Mike win keeps him glued to Dave's hip atop the East; a loss hands Brandon a badly needed win after three losses in four. Mike's toggling Matthew Golden and David Montgomery, a few tenths apart. Brandon's outlook may hinge on whether Ja'Marr Chase, who didn't practice this week, actually suits up.

This is the East basement decided live: a Kyle win is finally his first, while a loss drops him to 0-5 and hands Bubar room off the division floor. Bubar's $10 flier on T.J. Hockenson already mans his tight end spot. Kyle's still deciding between Jameson Williams and Ladd McConkey.

The division and Vick's unbeaten streak are both in play: Brad snaps the run and climbs over .500 in the West, or Vick cements his grip on first. Vick's outlook may hinge on whether Tony Pollard, who didn't practice this week, suits up. Brad's $11 waiver flier on Matthew Stafford mans his quarterback spot.

John snapping Dave's run would be the division upset of the year and drags him back into the race; a Dave win makes it five straight with nobody else in his division close. John's week may turn on whether Malik Nabers, who didn't practice, actually plays. Dave, for once, has no decisions to make.

A Richie win pulls him level with Swap in the division loss column; a Swap win puts real separation between them in the West. Richie's outlook leans on whether D'Andre Swift, who didn't practice this week, actually goes. Swap arrives averaging over 120 the past three weeks, his hottest stretch yet.

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The real traffic jam sits right at the cutoff: John, Swap and Brad all sit at 2-2 and hold a playoff spot, with Richie and Bubar outside it at 1-3. Richie and Swap play each other this week, so that gap either closes or stretches by Monday night.

Two Perfect Records, One Big Crater

Two teams are now a perfect 4-0, and the gap to the rest of the league keeps widening. Vick authored the week's most absurd line and ran away with the top score in the league, while Dave quietly matched him stride for stride. Mike's unbeaten start died in the week's single worst outing, and Kyle's winless run rolls on into a fourth week. Swap and John both climbed into the playoff picture off wins this week, while Richie and Bubar slid outside the cutoff.

Tetairoa McMillan erupted for a monster day that buried Bubar almost single-handedly. Bubar's real mistake was bench-bound: starting Dontayvion Wicks over Ollie Gordon, who outscored him by nearly 14, is the kind of flex call that's hurt this team all month. Lamar Jackson left his game early and still outscored half of Bubar's lineup.

Kenneth Walker III ran wild for Dave while Mike's roster simply no-showed to the worst score anybody put up this week. Starting Josh Downs over Rhamondre Stevenson was the flex call that backfired hardest, leaving real points stranded on the bench in a week Mike could least afford it. Saquon Barkley left his game early through no fault of his own, but there wasn't enough juice left regardless.

Brandon's receivers did the heavy lifting, with Chris Olave and Jaylen Waddle combining for one of the stronger weeks in the league and finally breaking a long skid. Ja'Marr Chase left early and still chipped in useful points, pure bad luck rather than a lineup mistake. Richie's night collapsed everywhere Puka Nacua wasn't, and Rashee Rice's early exit didn't help a receiving corps already running thin.

Kyle's still hunting for his first win, and starting two tight ends over Kyle Monangai, who outscored both of them combined from the bench, is exactly the kind of call he keeps making. CeeDee Lamb went off for John and covered for a bench mistake of his own, sitting Rome Odunze in favor of TreVeyon Henderson, who didn't deliver anything close to it.

Swap's backfield had an absurd day, with Kyren Williams and Emanuel Wilson both erupting to build a cushion that looked safe through the late window. Brad spent Monday night watching Bijan Robinson nearly erase the whole thing by himself, falling just short in his final push. Nico Collins also went off for Brad, which makes this one sting more as a near-miss than anything else.

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Richie and Bubar both need bounce-back weeks now that they're outside the cutoff, with Richie sitting on a 39% playoff shot per the league's playoff odds. Kyle's winless at 0-4 and needs the waiver wire more than a pep talk, given a recent scoring stretch that's been ice cold. Mike's unbeaten run is gone and his recent form has cooled too, so that Lawrence-LaPorta combo could use reinforcements fast.

Gooses Owed

• John (1): Saints D/ST, DST, NO, -3.0
• Richie (1): Rashee Rice, WR, KC, 0.0 (exited early)

Collision Course in the East

Three weeks in, the East already has a logjam at the top, and it's settling itself in-house. Dave sits 3-0 and leads the division; Mike sits 3-0 and somehow doesn't. Someone's perfect record ends this week, and for once nobody else gets to take credit for it.

Vick's bid to stay unbeaten hits a wrinkle: Justin Jefferson missed practice, and whether he suits up decides the margin. A win keeps Vick perfect; a third loss leaves Bubar, outside the cutoff, needing more than his $27 pickup to climb in. Deebo Samuel Sr. or Courtland Sutton is Vick's quieter call.

This is the East's unbeaten logjam settling itself: a Mike win hands him the division lead he's missing despite matching Dave's record, while a Dave win keeps the division and the league's top scoring mark. Mike spent $20 on Braelon Allen and doesn't have him in the lineup yet. Dave's weighing Stefon Diggs against Jakobi Meyers.

Brandon and Kyle are the league's only winless teams, and a loss here drops Brandon to 0-4, while a Richie win keeps him inside a playoff spot he's holding at just 1-2. Richie's been quietly steady three weeks running without shaking that record. Brandon's TE streamer, Kenyon Sadiq, cost $7.

Both of these East also-rans are still chasing a first division win, and the loser risks becoming the group's punching bag before October starts. John's somehow 1-2 despite ranking near the league's scoring lead, while Kyle's winless at 0-3 with the sharper roster on paper. John's torn between TreVeyon Henderson and Dalton Kincaid.

Vick's clear in the West, so this is a fight for second: a Brad win keeps him the division's only other winning record, while a Swap loss drops him further back. Brad's hoping Jalen Coker, who missed practice, suits up. Swap leans on a $2 quarterback, Jared Goff.

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The real crunch isn't at the top, it's the four teams tied at 1-2 (John, Richie, Swap, Bubar) boxing in the playoff cutoff, and all four play this week. One bad Sunday could flip two of them in or out of the top six before the leaves finish turning.

Undefeated Trio, Winless Duo

Three teams are still perfect through three weeks — Dave, Vick, and Mike have all steamrolled to 3-0 starts while Kyle and Brandon sit mirrored at 0-3, both still hunting for their first win. John's offense has been one of the league's best on paper, but a rough week dropped him to 1-2, and he's clinging to a playoff spot alongside Richie, who's lost two straight despite outscoring plenty of teams that are winning.

Richie jumped out early on Christian Watson's Thursday night while Dave had nobody playing yet. Jahmyr Gibbs erased that and then some in the early Sunday games, going off for 37.9 points. Dave still couldn't help himself, parking Jakobi Meyers on the bench while Xavier Worthy delivered basically nothing from his flex spot. Richie got a big afternoon from Brock Bowers, but DeVonta Smith and D'Andre Swift went cold right when he needed one more push, and the comeback died in the final window.

Harold Fannin Jr. exploded from the bench while John's flex option, Brian Thomas Jr., barely registered — exactly the swap that turns a winnable week into a loss. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was brilliant, but even a big receiver day can't cover that much unused bench production. Bubar got the win despite De'Von Achane's early exit, now confirmed as a season-ending torn ACL, so Bubar will likely be starting J.K. Dobbins from here on.

Vick's night got tense when Justin Jefferson left early with an ankle injury, though early word suggests it isn't the disaster it looked like in real time. George Kittle carried the offense instead, which is exactly why parking Tony Pollard behind Tetairoa McMillan's quiet game barely cost Vick anything. Swap got 18.8 points from Kyren Williams in the final window and nearly erased the whole deficit, leaving him to wonder what one more series might've done.

Brock Purdy exploded for 31.2 points, enough of a cushion that a modest day from the rest of Mike's skill players barely mattered. Kyle, meanwhile, started two tight ends and left Luther Burden III on his bench, where Burden outscored both of them combined. Jeremiyah Love quietly turned in the best game on Kyle's roster, which makes the second tight end sting even more.

Bijan Robinson went nuclear for 34.3 points, the only reason Brad's slow start turned into a real week. Brandon got big showings from Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, but none of it covered for the costly swap that left Jordan Addison on the bench while Jadarian Price no-showed his flex spot. Addison's line looks even worse next to the margin of that loss.

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Richie's holding a playoff spot but carries the shakiest odds of anyone still in it at 56.7%, per the league's playoff odds, so a bounce-back matters. John needs one too, to keep his own spot secure. Down at the bottom, Brandon and Kyle are both still averaging under 107 points with nothing to show for it — time for both to actually spend some FAAB instead of running the same lineup back.

Gooses Owed

• Brad (1): Eagles D/ST, DST, PHI, 0.0
• Brandon (1): Packers D/ST, DST, GB, -2.0

Bubar Hits Rock Bottom

Bubar posted a 68.7 last week, the ugliest number in the league, and heads into an East floor fight against John, who's coming off a 172.3 outburst and hoping week one's stumble was the fluke, not the preview.

Dave's East lead is spotless, but a win lets Richie muddy an already crowded West. Dave starts $11 waiver pickup Tyler Shough; Richie starts Aaron Jones Sr. off a missed practice. Worthy or Tate is Dave's real headache.

This is the East cellar fight: John's 0-1 in-division start meets Bubar's winless one, and the loser drops to 0-2 in the division. John's a certified Tinkerbell, sweating Brian Thomas Jr. over Michael Wilson.

Vick's West lead is unbeaten, but Swap already has a division win banked despite sitting outside the cutoff overall. A Swap win erases Vick's cushion. Vick's real call: Egbuka or Vele, a point apart.

Kyle's 0-2 and needs a division scalp before this gets away from him, while a win keeps Mike level with Dave atop the East. Set Matthew Golden's Thursday game before kickoff; Mike's call is Golden or DK Metcalf.

Brandon's still 0-2 and needs this one — a third loss digs a real hole, while a win breathes life into a lost-looking West. Brandon dropped $26 on Denzel Boston, who isn't even starting.

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The tightest race isn't a race yet — it's a tie. Dave and Mike sit 2-0 atop the East, split only by 15 points for. Mike gets a shot at separating from a division rival; Dave settles for a cross-division test. A split result finally breaks the deadlock.

The Week Everything Went Sideways

Brad opened the season 1-0 and then delivered the ugliest score in the league this week, a genuinely rough Sunday that will sting for a while. John did the opposite, torching the league for the week's best number to even his own record right back up. Kyle's now 0-2, and Bubar sits right there with him, still winless and freezing cold across two straight weeks of production.

Josh Allen's 40-point outburst arrived a week too early for anyone hoping to slow John down, and CeeDee Lamb turned in one of the best receiver lines of the week to bury Swap early. Swap's real crime was starting Caleb Williams over a benched Dak Prescott, a call that aged like milk once Prescott went off from the sideline. John barely needed to sweat it.

Davante Adams' huge outing did the heavy lifting for Dave, whose early Jayden Daniels exit barely mattered once the receiver got rolling. Kyle got a monster game out of Jonathan Taylor and basically nothing else, his receiving corps combining for barely enough to matter, with Taylor doing all he could as a one-man show.

Brad's lineup wasn't just cold, it was rotten top to bottom: DJ Moore finished below zero, and Nico Collins, Marvin Harrison Jr., RJ Harvey, and Zach Charbonnet all failed to show up at all. Richie leaned on a near-29-point game from Patrick Mahomes and cruised. Brad might want to shred this exact lineup card before Week 3.

Bubar's finished back-to-back weeks getting nothing from his receivers, and this time Zay Flowers added a zero while Drake Maye's modest night didn't help either. Mike didn't need drama: Amon-Ra St. Brown's 30-plus-point week did the heavy lifting, and Saquon Barkley's early exit barely dented a bench-deep roster. Bubar's still hunting for one receiver who'll actually show up.

Brandon grabbed a Thursday head start from James Cook. He still had Vick in reach heading into Monday night, needing just 10.5 from Jaxson Dart, who left on the Giants' first drive. That was the ballgame, a brutal way to drop one that was sitting right there. Vick didn't need a signature performance, just a credible floor from everybody, with Justin Jefferson's quiet outing barely denting a lineup where nobody had to carry the load alone.

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Swap's outside the cutoff now and needs a bounce-back fast, sitting on a decent shot per the league's playoff odds with little margin left. Kyle, Brandon, and Bubar are all still hunting their first win. Bubar needs the waiver wire most, riding the coldest recent stretch around. Brad better trust his lineup card again soon.

Gooses Owed

• Brad (1): DJ Moore, WR, BUF, -0.1

The Whole League Is a Coin Flip

Nine managers face at least one genuinely tough lineup call this week, eight of them three apiece. The real story is health: Ja'Marr Chase and Malik Nabers are both starting on knee designations, while Kyle's nursing both Jeremiyah Love (ankle) and Ladd McConkey (rib). Thursday locks in Dave, John, Brad, Brandon, Mike and Kyle first.

John vs Swap is a coin flip. John's tough call is Rome Odunze, questionable with a calf, against TreVeyon Henderson off his bench — injury, not the numbers, makes it close. Swap can afford to bench a 19-point Dak Prescott behind Caleb Williams without blinking.

Dave's favored at 55%, comfortable enough to trust a questionable Malik Nabers on Monday night. Kyle's stuck starting Jeremiyah Love (ankle) and Ladd McConkey (rib) both through designations, then still has to pick Kyle Monangai or Bhayshul Tuten — dead even at 9.1 apiece.

Even money here. Richie's dilemma is real: Brock Bowers, knee, didn't practice, against Parker Washington on his bench — injury makes this one close, not the numbers. Brad's just trusting a limited-practice Nico Collins to deliver like nothing happened.

Coin flip on paper. Bubar's call is real: Zay Flowers, hamstring, didn't practice, against J.K. Dobbins on his bench — that's the whole reason it's close. Even his kicker, Eddy Pineiro, didn't practice this week. Mike's stashing Trevor Lawrence behind Brock Purdy because he can.

Dead even at 122.0 apiece — a coin flip. Vick's tough call is projection quibble, not injury: George Kittle over Michael Pittman Jr., who's actually projected higher on his bench. Brandon's starting through Ja'Marr Chase's knee while benching a limited Joe Burrow behind Jaxson Dart.

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Kyle's the low man this week at 114.0 projected, starting Jeremiyah Love (ankle) and Ladd McConkey (rib) through designations on top of three separate close calls. Bubar's right behind him, juggling Zay Flowers's hamstring and a kicker, Eddy Pineiro, who didn't practice at all.

Mike's projected for a league-high 129.8 with zero starters carrying a designation. Dave's the only manager ESPN favors this week, at 55%. Brad and Vick are also designation-free, and Brad's steal, Ashton Jeanty, is doing much of the lifting alongside Mike's steal, Sam LaPorta.

The Bench Regret Games

John dropped 140.4 points, the second-best output in the entire league, and still walked out 0-1 after Mike's 143.2 beat him by less than three. Meanwhile Brandon posted 93.5, way below the league average, and still couldn't beat Swap's equally lifeless 98.6 -- the week's two worst scores met in the same building. Brandon and John both come away 0-1 with plenty of season left to fix it.

Jalen Coker's 29.8 rotted away on Brad's bench, but Ashton Jeanty and Bijan Robinson did plenty on the field to cover for it and hold off Kyle anyway. Kyle got big nights from Jalen Hurts and Jonathan Taylor and still lost, the kind of week where the studs show up and the opener slips away regardless. Isaiah Likely flashed at tight end, but the rest of Kyle's lineup never got going.

Josh Allen throwing for 35.5 should have been enough to win, but John left Dalton Kincaid's big tight end output on the bench in favor of Harold Fannin Jr.'s quiet line, and that gap alone outweighs the final margin. Mike got just enough everywhere else to survive. John's tight end call is the one he'll be replaying all week.

Both benches out-quarterbacked the actual lineups: Swap sat Caleb Williams' monster line for Dak Prescott, and Brandon mirrored it by benching Jaxson Dart in favor of a quiet Joe Burrow. Ja'Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle no-showed on top of that for Brandon, sinking him to the week's low. Swap survives, but shelving Caleb Williams while starting Prescott is a call he'll be asked about all week.

Dave's running back duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and Kenneth Walker III combined for absurd production and did the heavy lifting all by itself. Bubar's night came down to one flex decision: Terry McLaurin barely moved while Deebo Samuel piled up a big line for nothing on the bench, and that gap alone was bigger than the final margin. About as backbreaking a bench call as you'll see in a week one loss.

Derrick Henry's 34.8 did the heavy lifting for Vick, plain and simple. Richie got a monster line from D'Andre Swift, but Kyler Murray was concussed after 11 snaps and left him playing a man down at quarterback all afternoon. Vick banks the win almost entirely off one workhorse back.

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Brandon's 93.5 was the week's low, and with a 47.3% Sacko probability already attached, he needs the waiver wire more than anyone. Swap's 98.6 win doesn't inspire much confidence either. John still fields one of the best rosters in the league at 0-1 and needs results to match it, while Bubar, Kyle, and Richie all need wins fast to climb back into a playoff spot before the gap widens.

Gooses Owed

• Brad (1): Colston Loveland, TE, CHI, 0.0
• Kyle (1): Texans D/ST, DST, HOU, -2.0
• Richie (1): Kyler Murray, QB, MIN, -0.5 (exited early)

Wall-to-Wall Coin Flips

Lineup problems are already real: TreVeyon Henderson (Out-Ankle) leaves John digging through his bench, and Brock Bowers (did not practice-Knee) does the same to Richie. Nine managers face three flagged lineup calls apiece. Puka Nacua, Christian McCaffrey, Davante Adams and George Kittle all kick off Thursday, locking Richie, Swap, Dave and Vick in first.

Pick'em. Kyle starts Isaiah Likely over a Jonathon Brooks projected two and a half points higher. Brad's stacked three lead backs in Bijan Robinson, Ashton Jeanty and Travis Etienne Jr., yet sweats a receiver call. Kyle's ankle-limited Jeremiyah Love needs to deliver.

Another coin flip, and riding Sam LaPorta over the higher-projected DK Metcalf is stubborn loyalty. John's down TreVeyon Henderson and needs Harold Fannin Jr. to offset Mike's deeper group of backs. Garrett Wilson and Amon-Ra St. Brown make Mike hard to expose.

Coin flip. Brandon must pick between Tucker Kraft and a higher-projected Blake Corum, who kicks off Thursday, so lock that one early. Swap's leaning on Christian McCaffrey and Kyren Williams, both kicking off Thursday too, while his own bench collects dust behind them.

Dead even. Dave's call is Kenny Gainwell, sharing Tampa's backfield with Bucky Irving, over a thumb-limited Jakobi Meyers, a strange thing to sweat with Jahmyr Gibbs anchoring things. Bubar counters by burying Travis Kelce on his own bench, trusting Dallas Goedert instead.

Coin flip. Vick starts Mike Evans, who kicks Thursday, over higher-projected Michael Pittman Jr., so lock that before early games. George Kittle was limited in practice with an Achilles issue but starts anyway. Richie leans on Michael Mayer to replace a knee-limited Brock Bowers.

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Richie brings the week's lowest projection at 112.1 and the league's only starting backup, Michael Mayer, filling in for a knee-limited Brock Bowers. Swap sits behind at 112.6, and Vick's 113.8 leans on an Achilles-limited George Kittle more than anyone would like.

Mike tops the board at 126.4, the week's highest projection, with zero injury designations or backups in his lineup. Steal Sam LaPorta gives him tight end value most managers envy, and Brad sits close behind at 119.6 with his own steal, Ashton Jeanty.

The Board Fills In Columbus

The Dolf's draft convened September 7 in Columbus, Ohio, ten managers working through sixteen rounds apiece. Keepers set the early shape at a few rosters, real values turned up late as always, and a couple of reaches arrived right on schedule.

Dave (pick 1) opened with Jahmyr Gibbs, paired Trey McBride and Malik Nabers, then circled back for Davante Adams, about a round early at wide receiver. Keeper: Kenneth Walker III, Round 5.

Brad (pick 2) didn't attend, out of the country for a wedding in Greece, so Chandler drafted on his behalf. The proxy landed Bijan Robinson and Nico Collins early, found Ashton Jeanty about a round late in round three, then reached for Quentin Johnston about two rounds early. Keeper: Travis Etienne Jr., Round 11.

Swap (pick 3) built around Christian McCaffrey and George Pickens, adding Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin Jr., about two rounds early in round six. His round-ten pick of Josh Jacobs comes with a real complication: Jacobs is on the NFL's Commissioner's Exempt List in connection with a domestic violence case and may not play this season. Keeper: Tyler Warren, Round 8.

Brandon (pick 4) paired Ja'Marr Chase with Chris Olave, taken about half a round early in round two. Tucker Kraft arrived about two rounds late in round nine, a quiet boost at tight end. Keeper: James Cook III, Round 3.

Richie (pick 5) started Puka Nacua and Brock Bowers back to back, then added DeVonta Smith and D'Andre Swift for depth. Tyler Allgeier, nearly six rounds early in round nine, was the strangest call of his draft. Keeper: Rashee Rice, Round 7.

Kyle (pick 6) went Jonathan Taylor and A.J. Brown at the top, then doubled up on running back youth with Jeremiyah Love. Kyle Pitts Sr. slipped to him about a round and a half late, offsetting a reach on KC Concepcion about two and a half rounds early. Keeper: Luther Burden III, Round 14.

Mike (pick 7) paired Amon-Ra St. Brown with Saquon Barkley. MarShawn Lloyd came about a round and a half early in round eight, but Sam LaPorta fell to him nearly two rounds late shortly after. Keeper: Omarion Hampton, Round 3.

Bubar (pick 8) took De'Von Achane and Drake London, then added Breece Hall and Zay Flowers for a deep receiving corps. Courtland Sutton arrived about a round and a half early in round seven, with Travis Kelce added at tight end. Keeper: Javonte Williams, Round 12.

John (pick 9) opened with CeeDee Lamb and Chase Brown, then took Josh Allen in round four. Harold Fannin Jr. fell to him about four and a half rounds late, arguably the best value anyone found all day. Keeper: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Round 3.

Vick (pick 10) closed the first two rounds with Justin Jefferson and Derrick Henry, about as safe a 1-2 punch as the league has seen. Emeka Egbuka came about a round early in round three, doubling receivers while the backfield stayed thin behind Henry. Keeper: Quinshon Judkins, Round 10.

John and Brad walked away with the draft's best values, Harold Fannin Jr. and Ashton Jeanty landing well past where the market had them. Vick and Brandon both paid a premium for name-brand receivers earlier than necessary. Dave and Bubar built the deepest skill-position rosters, stacking running back and wide receiver depth straight through the middle rounds. Swap's outlook now carries a real question mark at running back.

The single biggest reach of the entire draft belongs to Vick, who took Emeka Egbuka about a round early in round three. That costs more than a late-round flier ever could: Vick's backfield now leans almost entirely on a round-ten keeper, while a workable back like D'Andre Swift was still sitting on the board six picks later. Vick got his receivers. He just paid full round-three price to jump the line.

Ten rosters are locked, waivers are already moving, and Columbus produced its usual split of clean boards and head-scratchers. Vick spends the next few days explaining a round-three reach, John quietly built the best value sheet in the league, and everybody else gets a week to find out whether draft-day theory survives first contact with a real box score. The Dolf awaits.

The Dolf Returns

Good morning Dolfettes, wherever you're reading this from — probably work, probably not doing whatever you're supposed to be doing. The draft is in a couple days, which means it's time to stop pretending you have a plan and start actually making one.

Quick refresher, since half of you couldn't tell me who won last year if your keeper depended on it. Brandon took home the Dolf, with John right there in the finale before choking it away. Kyle's sacko again. Meanwhile Vick, Mike, and Dave are trying to remember what a playoff bracket even looks like — many of you haven't been in the playoffs in a few years. Get it together.

Does Brandon have what it takes to go back-to-back on his first ever Ship? Does Richie, sitting on four of them, even remember what it's like to not be in the conversation?

Vick's clearly decided sitting still isn't an option anymore, leading the league in trades last year, while most of the room barely touched the phone. Whether that aggression turns into a return trip to the Dolfoffs or just more shotguns owed to the group chat is the real question of 2026. Will this be the year Bubar makes his first trade? Probably not — Brad, I hope you're not laughing at that.

Nobody's traveling this year. The draft is in Columbus because half the league already lives there, and calling that a "destination" is generous. It doesn't matter — being stuck in the Midwest isn't stopping anyone from getting overserved before the third round. Vegas gave us MGM and nights half of you don't remember; Columbus just means you're doing it closer to home. And yet somehow, Swap thinks he can get away with forgoing a drive down to Columbus to draft for the day. Talk about starting the season off with some bad karma.

So here we are — a defending champ, a stacked group of playoff-drought teams looking to break through, and a room full of managers who all think they're smarter than they were last August. They're not.

Sharpen the rankings, respect the waiver wire, and don't be this year's Johnny Reacher. It's the Year of the Baby. For all the new and expecting dads out there, sack up. It's football time.