Dynasty Film Review: Week 6 (Fantasy Football)
No more undefeated teams as the Eagles and Bills both notch their first “L” of the season, and the Chiefs have a stunning “L” of their own on the MNF stage. Speaking of “L’s,” Borg opens the episode, introducing Jason and Betz as “Dynasty losers,” to which both of them object. Betz notes he and Borg are in a “tank-off” where a loss for Betz is really a “win” as the jockey for prime 2026 draft position. Kyle won last week on the back of Rico Dowdle, who absolutely went off in Week 5. Jason, who handed Betz his much-desired loss, is really in the same boat as the other two, with only one more win than each of them. Kyle touts his recent successful rebuild with Jeremy, which went Nuclear last week, but Jason is coming for them. As the crew discusses the concept of “league villains,” Jason identifies Andy as his personal career-long villain in all of his leagues.
Before jumping into the Weekly Rewind, the Ballers discuss the RB situation in New England, ultimately preaching patience if you have TreVeyon Henderson. Betz is even looking to acquire Henderson from scared owners while this window remains open. Borg reminds us of the Rest-of-Season Rankings, a tool he and Mike leverage for their co-managed Dynasty squad and trades quite often.
Before we get into it, remember to listen to The Fantasy Footballers podcast, available wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Weekly Rewind
Drake Maye
Drake Maye‘s outlook is still uncertain, despite his passing performance against the Buffalo Bills in primetime. Betz appreciates Maye’s recent ceiling performance but expects a slight regression to the mean. However, Betz listed some important metrics for Maye: 5th in YPA, 4th in CROE, and 6th in EPA per dropback! He is generally ranked outside the immediate top 12 at the QB position (around QB14-QB16). Maye has high long-term dynasty potential, but the surrounding team talent and instability in New England are major immediate hurdles. As Borg poses the question, “Patrick Mahomes or Drake Maye?” Betz leans toward the youth of Maye, while Jason prefers Mahomes because of the potential trade value of Mahomes one year from now.
Darren Waller
Jason identifies Waller as an immediate fantasy value spike, especially as a waiver wire acquisition. Waller turned in a “phenomenal” fantasy performance, scoring two TDs on limited offensive snaps (around 16). With the injury to Tyreek Hill, Waller is expected to become a more integral part of the passing attack, especially down the seams. This upside makes Waller a solid add/roster hold for contending teams. Borg points out how dire the TE position is this season, touting Waller’s two-game production as greater than T.J. Hockenson‘s and only one point behind Brock Bowers. A 2026 third-round pick plus an upside WR3 should be the max compensation when trading for Waller, as a one-year rental.
Sam Darnold
Borg came away impressed with that battle between Seattle and Tampa Bay and recommends watching/re-watching that game. Darnold is currently first in pass success rate and YPA, while also leading the league in pass TDs in the intermediate area of the field! Add on top of that, 87% of his deep throws have been catchable. Darnold had a strong performance against the Buccaneers (tossing 4 TDs), making him a viable streaming option or high-end QB2 for the rest of the season. Jason and Betz believe Darnold is here to stay over the next few years, given his production, contract, and the presence of weapons in the offense. The consensus view is that while he can provide valuable fantasy production, his play-to-play volatility and historical track record suggest his rest-of-season rank will remain in the mid-range (QB12-QB15). Borg and Betz concur that the price to acquire Darnold should be a late 2028 first.
Dynasty Mailbag Takeaways
Is Javonte Williams Here to Stay?
Brian Schottenhimer stated, “Javonte’s the bellcow, and he’s earned that.” Williams is a strong buy-low/hold as a key trade target for contenders following his “explosive debut” and strong showing. Betz is confident Javonte is fully back, 3 years removed from his ACL injury. For those in the rebuild phase, selling now for no less than a first-round pick is advised. For contentders, hold and ride the best rushing success rate in the league. Jason posed the “Derrick Henry or Javonte Williams” question, and both Borg and Betz leaned toward Javonte, though the decision almost broke Betz’s brain.
Malik Nabers: Sell or Hold?
Given the injury, a contending team seeks guidance on whether to sell at a discount to try to recover their season or be patient for Nabers’ return in 2026. Betz is optimistic for a Week 1 return in 2026, and he recommends managers look to take advantage of a buy window. Nabers’ rookie production was historic (fastest to 100 receptions), and he is ranked as a top-5 dynasty WR despite poor surrounding factors, including O-line and QB play (which has seen recent improvement with Jaxson Dart).
Puka Nacua Sell Window?
A manager is concerned that Puka’s value is tied to Stafford, who could retire any time, and is wondering if now is the time to cash in. The Ballers’ consensus response is, “Do Not Sell!” Puka has a confirmed WR1 status. His production is safe given his great chemistry with Matthew Stafford, a reliable scheme, and an elite head coach. Puka was ranked Top-5 in predictive metrics during his rookie year, solidifying him as a safe, top-tier dynasty WR asset. Borg points out that any fear of “the bottom is going to fall out” is unrealistic for a WR performing on Puka’s level.
Jameson Williams: Decoy or WR1 Upside?
Jameson Williams has one game in his four-year career with more than five receptions. Betz points out that Jamo’s ADot is much higher than last season (19.9 in 2025 – 3rd highest vs 12.4 – tied for 29th; min 10 and 50 targets respectively per PFF). At this point, Jamo is a Boom-or-Bust Hold. He is a great “high-ceiling flex play” for teams with a solid foundation, but you have to take the lows with the potential highs. The Ballers generally advise holding him because his draft capital and talent are undeniable, and selling him now would likely be selling at his floor.
Week 5 Film Deep Dive
This week, TE tape caught my attention, and the time is right, given the dire TE landscape Betz pointed out. Theo Johnson is intriguing, as pointed out by Dan Lovi, especially with Jaxson Dart as a rookie QB. Johnson certainly has red zone upside (earning 37.5% red zone target share on 30 routes), but there are two other TEs to which we should pay attention.
AJ Barner
Seattle TE AJ Barner had a nice week catching all seven of his targets, including three red zone targets (good for 3rd among TEs with five total) and two TDs in that barn burner against Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have given up the 11th-most points to TEs so far this season, so what can we really take away from this performance? Can we begin to build trust with Barner as a TE asset for our Dynasty rosters?
Barner put out some good tape in Week 5, demonstrating his impact on the rushing and receiving game. Watching Barner consistently displace Hassan Reddick from the run game was eye-catching. While this doesn’t directly impact his fantasy outlook, we must consider what consistency in run-blocking provides. Doing the dirty work well earns you more opportunities that impact our fantasy bottom lines. Additionally, if you have Kenneth Walker (or Zach Charbonnet), Barner’s ability (66.3 PFF run-blocking grade) impacts their outcomes. We get a taste of this on this Outside Zone play that was called back for holding. Watch how he creates a clean running lane with a good seal to help the LT (#67) get leverage, then climb to the LB. Helping create lanes like this means more explosives for Seattle RBs.
Respect of AJ Barner's blocking allows #Seattle to scheme him in play-action plays like this. Though there was no backside defender to consider, this would be a high percentage play anyway. pic.twitter.com/S1Fn37i8Hy
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) October 7, 2025
Barner’s effectiveness here will also help him on play-action plays like this (above). To the defense, this appears like a Split Zone run to the right where Barner is a threat to block the backside DE or OLB on the line of scrimmage. On this play, OLB Diaby bails into coverage, so it is a non-issue, also giving Barner a free release into the flat. Typically, OLBs with this alignment are looking to backdoor runs like this, so they do everything they can to avoid this split flow block. Because Barner blocks effectively, feigned blocks in these situations will be effective to get open looks on play-action.
The play-action plays where he leaks into the defense are just one way the Seahawks are scheming looks for him. This is extremely encouraging, and we see more examples of this. On this play, we see a Twins passing concept that looks like a compressed Hi-Low Diagonal-7 combination, where Barner runs a flat route from the inside while Kupp stems inside on his Corner route. Kupp’s stem creates traffic for Barner’s defender, giving Barner space to work. After the catch, we see Barner earn the TD through good contact balance, play strength, and competitive toughness.
AJ Barner has a lot of fantasy upside for a TE if #Seattle plans to continue scheming him opportunities like this… pic.twitter.com/O0bBR6OuVB
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) October 7, 2025
In the desert-like Dynasty TE landscape, we need to look for potential gems. We need to see more from Barner and how the Seahawks deploy him, but a 31.3% red zone target share is attractive. This may be a flash in the pan, but if an acquisition can catch fire, we should be all about it.
Mason Taylor
Mason Taylor, the Jets’ 2025 NFL 42nd overall draft pick, earned 12 targets on Sunday! This is the current peak of an upward trend in his usage, production, and catch rate, as we can see below:
Potentially more important is his snap count, which Nate Henry notes he earned 84% of snaps against Dallas. So far in 2025, Mason Taylor is second in snap percentage among Jets skills players behind only Garrett Wilson. The snap counts, targets (19.2% target share, #8 among TEs), and production all have the potential to elevate Mason Taylor into a solid asset, but does the tape show the sustainability of this production?
Right off the top, most of the plays Taylor is involved in weren’t “flashy”, but I would say that they were effective. Eight of his nine receptions could be evaluated as successful, and five of them went for first downs. Justin Fields has been in desperate need of a third target, and so far, Taylor fits the bill.
As I said, most of these plays weren’t flashy. Taylor mostly ran short hitches, made the catch, turned away from the closest defender, lowered his pad level anticipating contact, and plowed upfield. It’s impressive how consistently effective he is in doing this, demonstrating good field awareness.
Another TE I liked in Week 5 was Mason Taylor. He had 5 first downs on 9 of his receptions. His effectiveness to move the chains is largely how simple he keeps his actions after the catch. May look boring, but it's effective and valuable. pic.twitter.com/aVauH4s61c
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) October 7, 2025
While there isn’t a lot of Pisazz in this sample, and we wouldn’t expect that from a 251-lb TE. With that said, Taylor showed off his upside in his catch radius and body control. These types of catches are “trust-builders” that should provide Fields confidence in Taylor as a target.
The way the #Jets' Mason Taylor produced against the #DallasCowboys wasn't flashy, but there were a few spots that both show his upside and build trust w/ Justin Fields, who needs additional options that can increase the margin for error… pic.twitter.com/tSTXzA0RqH
— Vernon Meighan (@FFB_Vern) October 7, 2025
Conclusion
Neither of these TEs is at the Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, or George Kittle level, but there are never enough to go around. Both TEs are demonstrating capabilities that could make them valuable 2nd-tier assets for your Dynasty squads. It is imperative to remember that players grow, as does chemistry with their respective signal-callers. The situation may be a little more stable for AJ Barner than Mason Taylor, given their franchise situations. Contenders working with aging TE assets (e.g., Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews) should look to add depth; it would be worth a late second or early third-round pick. For rebuilders, a move to get back one of these TEs in a package for an aging but productive asset is something to consider.