A league-winning rookie WR?

6 risers and fallers + top 5 player insights

August 13, 2025

Yooo!

I got nothing for the intro tonight so here’s a random picture of Santonio Holmes. You guys remember this catch?

Here’s what else I got for you tonight:

  • From our friends at Dynasty Pulse

  • Trade advice poll

  • 6 rankings risers and fallers

  • Top 5 player insights

Giddy up.

Dynasty Pulse… wait a minute, I know them.

Well of course I know him. He’s me.

I was re-recording an onboarding video for premium members and thought it might be useful to share with any of you who might be on the fence about trying out the membership.

So here’s a quick video that walks you through how to get the most value and insights out of your membership. Hit me up if you have any questions.

The results from last newsletter’s trade poll are in. I asked what you thought of this trade submitted by David:

Very important context: This is a 16-team 1-QB dynasty league, and Team A already had Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels.

Team A receives:

  • Joe Flacco

  • 2026 1st round pick

  • 2026 3rd round pick

Team B receives:

  • Joe Burrow

Survey says… Team B comes away with 65.18% of the vote.

Here are some additional comments left by the voters from each side:

Team A voters (Flacco + 26 1st and 3rd):

  • “It's 1 QB league and you already have JD. Take the picks and draft Sellers next year.”

  • “I don't think the Team B voters read the "very important context"”

    • ^ this comment made me laugh

Team B voters (Burrow):

  • “In 1QB I'm absolutely in favor of tiering down from Daniels or Burrow, but in order to make it work I would want a QB in a more steady situation than Cleveland, who probably finds a new starter by next season, and would want another startable player on top. the 3rd round pick is a non-factor and in 2026 you'd really just be hoping that 1st gets you close to the production you'd be losing with Burrow. Get an established player to push closer to a championship rather than lottery tickets!”

Fair for both sides voters:

  • No comments 😴 

Our take:

  • It’s hard not to look at this deal on paper and think this feels light for Burrow. But it also feels like one of those scenarios where the league format (1-QB) and team context (Burrow on his bench) could’ve artificially pushed Burrow’s value down on the trade market, knowing Team A didn’t have much leverage. Since the 2026 class might be leaning QB-heavy talent-wise, I would’ve preferred a RB or WR instead of the 1st rounder.

Today’s contestant…

This trade comes in from your fellow sub, David. Everyone say, “HI DAVID.”

^ That’s not a typo. 4 of the last 7 trade submissions have come from a Dave or David. Those are some elite advanced metrics.

Team A (Contender) receives:

  • Joe Burrow

  • 2027 3rd round pick (early/mid)

Team B (Rebuild) receives:

  • Drake Maye

  • 2026 Late 1st Round

  • 2027 2nd Round

  • Jalen McMillan

Which side got the better deal?

(Vote to see live results)

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Want your trade reviewed?

Just reply to this email with any trade completed in your league (or a trade you’re considering) and I’ll add it in a future newsletter. 🤝 

The next open slot is 9/7.

We updated our consensus rankings on Monday (as is tradition).

Here are some notable risers and fallers from the past week (all quotes are pulled from our Dynasty Pulse Premium feeds):

📈 Risers:

📉 Fallers:

Check out the fully updated rankings below!

Note: If you don’t see the correct “Last updated: 8/11/2025” date, try clearing the cache or opening the rankings in an incognito window.

QB - Caleb Williams

  • Caleb Williams didn’t play the first preseason game while most starters around the league did; camp reports cite slow processing and pace compared to Case Keenum/Tyson Bagent running the offense.

  • Silva flagged league execs (via Mike Sando’s QB Tiers) and Terron Armstead noting processing speed concerns — a worry after taking ~70 sacks last year; Ben Johnson has to fix it fast behind a rookie LT.

RB - Zach Charbonnet

  • Zach Charbonnet already flashed league-winner upside: three top-8 weekly finishes and 19 points per game in five contests over 70% snaps when Kenneth Walker III sat, validating his second-round pedigree.

  • With Seattle’s scheme changes (Klint Kubiak, increased fullback usage) likely consolidating RB touches and Walker on a maintenance plan, Charbonnet was picked as the best bet to smash if thrust into the lead role.

WR - Jayden Higgins

  • Higgins brings an impressive collegiate profile to Houston, including a 31.4% target share (93rd percentile) and 37.2% college dominator (76th percentile). His senior year production was outstanding with 87 receptions, 1,185 yards, and 9 touchdowns, while maintaining excellent efficiency with only 7 drops on 350 career targets.

  • The Texans' offensive situation appears ideal for Higgins, with new offensive coordinator Nick Caley bringing experience from the Rams' receiver-heavy system (72.1% of targets to WRs in 2023). C.J. Stroud's tendency to target outside receivers heavily (third-highest out-wide target share in NFL) aligns perfectly with Higgins' expected role.

  • As the No. 34 overall pick with a 9.63 RAS score and 4.47 forty-yard dash at 6-foot-4 and 214 pounds, Higgins could benefit significantly from defenses focusing on Nico Collins, potentially leading to favorable one-on-one matchups. His current WR53 price tag comes with minimal risk while offering significant upside, especially if Collins misses any time.

WR - Jalen Coker

  • Jalen Coker came in after Xavier Legette’s ejection and ‘balled out,’ prompting HC Dave Canales to say they’ll ‘play the best guys’ and call Coker ‘one of the more reliable guys.’

  • Silva still expects Legette to open as a starter but believes the staff won’t hesitate to elevate Coker if Legette doesn’t play well.

TE - Trey McBride

  • McBride demonstrated elite performance in 2024 as the TE2 in fantasy points per game, leading all qualifying tight ends in target share and showing exceptional efficiency by ranking second in receiving yards per game and third in yards per route run.

  • Despite ranking second in red zone targets, McBride experienced unusually poor touchdown luck, finishing with only two receiving touchdowns (four total). His actual performance of 15.6 PPR points per game fell below his expected 19.2 PPR points per game, suggesting significant potential for improvement.

  • The article suggests McBride could emerge as the clear runaway TE1 in 2025 if his touchdown efficiency normalizes, building on his already impressive performance metrics from the previous season.

Want insights like this daily for ALL players?

These player summaries are copied straight from our Dynasty Pulse Premium feeds. Learn more below:

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That’s all for today!

See ya pizza,

Joe

P.S. Don’t forget about these free dynasty resources you have access to:

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