A Surprise Trade With A Vast Fantasy Football Ripple Effect
In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, a big trade impacts Denver and Miami, Tight End Rookie Super Model and the Jaylen Waddle trade breakdown.
I have to tip my cap to the NFL scriptwriters. Right when you think they’ve chewed through all of their offseason storylines, they serve up a plot twist no one saw coming.
Yesterday, the Miami Dolphins sent WR Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos in exchange for picks.
✍️ What was the deal? Miami received a 2026 first-round pick (No. 30), as well as Denver’s third- and fourth-round picks (94th and 130th, respectively). In addition to Waddle, the Broncos get the Dolphins’ fourth-round pick (111th overall). So effectively, Waddle for a first and a third.
🗑️ Wait, are the Dolphins tanking? Considering their WR room is now headlined by Malik Washington, Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert, I think that is a safe conclusion. The Dolphins now have seven picks in the first three rounds of the 2026 draft.
🧨 What is the fantasy fallout? It’s not as big as you might think …
Waddle/Sutton/Nix - neutral. Dwain McFarland told me he’s not moving Waddle in the ranks (he already had him at WR25). His words: “Talented player. Gets a QB upgrade. But gains target competition from Courtland Sutton (he is ranked ahead of Sutton).” Ian Hartitz is slightly higher on Waddle (WR20), but neither are adjusting Sutton nor Bo Nix much.
Malik Willis - oof. I was going to write “stock down,” but that doesn’t seem strong enough to describe what Willis is left with at WR. This is now the worst WR room in the entire league (congrats Buffalo, you’re off the hook!).
Miami WRs - ugh. The real winner here is not on the roster yet, as the Dolphins are now very likely to pull the trigger on a top wideout with the No. 12 overall pick—likelyJordyn Tysonor Makai Lemon. For more fantasy fallout on the Miami and Denver WRs, see Ian’s breakdown below.
The Fantasy Life NFL Draft Guide is a living, breathing draft hub with live updates as we head into the NFL Draft. Inside you'll find Matthew Freedman's Big Board, expert NFL mock drafts across the Fantasy Life team, Dwain McFarland's Rookie Super Modeland non-stop insights to get you ready for the NFL Draft.
Feeling slow today? We told you not to … stay up too late working on your March Madness bracket. Enjoy these features, and you can get even more here ...
While the rookie TE class may not have star-level players like Brock Bowers and Colston Loveland coming out, but it’s a pleasant surprise to see that this might be the deepest tight end class in a long time. Dwain McFarland continued his deep dive into the Rookie Super Model with the TE position and found that this class has the most good prospects (RSM rating of 70 to 79) since the model’s inception in 2018. This could mean some late picks end up popping in your dynasty rookie drafts. And while we’re talking about the model, the WR class also has a plethora of prospects to keep an eye on.
Jaylen Waddle is on the move, though not on the football field. Waddle is taking his talents FROM Miami and is off to the Rocky Mountains, where he makes the Denver Broncos even more of a Super Bowl contender. In the process, Waddle will form a 1-2 receiving punch with Courtland Sutton to make QB Bo Nix’s life extra fun, and possibly more fantasy points all around.
Waddle has been prolific in Miami, even though he’s been in the speedy shadow of Tyreek Hill for a good chunk of his career. Over five seasons, Waddle has averaged 75 receptions, 1,008 yards and 5.4 touchdowns. In breaking down the deal, Ian Hartitz projected how this will impact the Denver WR room:
Longtime No. 1 WR Courtland Sutton is a dominant presence in the red zone and remains a rock-solid possession receiver.
Rising second-year WR Pat Bryant is more in the mold of Sutton and doesn't exactly instill a lot of fear in opposing secondaries as a downfield threat.
Bo Nix had some rough downfield chemistry with Troy Franklin to put it nicely. Feel free to reference this chart if you ever don't want to put it nicely.
Marvin Mims has flashed the ability to win deep over the years, but Sean Payton and company have continuously refrained from putting a full-time role on his plate.
Ian delves deeper into what a great fit Waddle will be in the Sean Payton offense. As for the Dolphins’ WR depth chart, let’s just say they’ll be plenty active in adding to that group in the NFL Draft. ⤵️
