The Trade Deadline, Dynasty Edition
What the 2026 deadline means for your roster · November 11, 2026
The deadline came and went on Tuesday, and for dynasty purposes it came down to two teams, Minnesota and Indianapolis.
Kirk Cousins to the Vikings is the big one. Cousins has 20 touchdown passes in nine games this year. Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz have eight between them in Minnesota. Justin Jefferson is already a DPX Now decile 1 receiver, so he just got a little better, but nobody was selling him anyway. The guy I’d look at is Jordan Addison. He’s decile 4, he’s scoring 7.7 points a game, he’s 24, and he just got a real quarterback. If his manager is fed up, make the call. Just remember Cousins is 38, so treat this as a boost for the rest of 2026 and nothing more.
On the other side of that deal, Fernando Mendoza is now the Raiders’ starter. In superflex that matters. In my book, a rookie quarterback who plays is worth more than one who sits, and Mendoza just went from the bench to the job.
Now the Colts. They shipped Josh Downs to Kansas City and Keenan Allen to San Francisco, and those two had 115 targets between them this season. The winner is Tyler Warren. He’s already a decile 2 tight end at 12 points a game, with 53 targets in seven games, and he’s 24. If anyone in your league still prices him like a second-year tight end, buy.
Downs (decile 5) gets a big quarterback upgrade, from Daniel Jones (decile 8) to Patrick Mahomes (decile 3). But he walks into a room with Rashee Rice, and he’s in the last year of his deal, so I’d hold rather than chase. Allen is 34 and a rental in San Francisco. If somebody wants to pay for him, let them.
The IDP side
Two safeties and a defensive tackle moved at the deadline, and a bigger defensive tackle moved two weeks before it.
Amani Hooker to Buffalo got the headlines. He’s tied for the league lead with five interceptions, and he’s a decile 1 safety in DPX Now after sitting in decile 4 last year. I’d hold him, but I wouldn’t pay for the interceptions, because those come in bunches. His six tackles a game are the part you can count on.
Jessie Bates to Jacksonville matters more for who he left behind. Xavier Watts already has 56 tackles in nine games, he’s a decile 2 safety, he’s 24, and he just became the guy in Atlanta’s secondary. That’s my buy. Bates is 29 and on the last year of his deal, so he’s a rental in Jacksonville.
Jordan Davis also went to Jacksonville. He’s a decile 2 defensive tackle, but most of that is tackles. He has 1.5 sacks and three QB hits in nine games. Fine depth, not a needle mover.
Jeffery Simmons is the one to own. Chicago gave Tennessee two first-round picks for him on October 29. He’s a decile 1 defensive tackle for the second year running and is signed through 2030. He has six sacks and 11 QB hits through nine games, and now he does it for a contender. If you have him, you’re set at DT for years.