Today is going to be a changing day in your life. It's the NFL trade deadline. Multiple moves at the wire created some value shifts in fantasy football along with 2024's all too familiar roulette wheel of weekly wide receiver injuries. 

This article will discuss deep league waiver additions, focusing on Dynasty league formats. 

Players will fall into four primary categories: 

• Short-term Starters - Players capable of providing immediate production in deep leagues. 
• Proactive Pickups - Players who need the depth chart to be clear before them but are more available than other players in a similar role. 
• Deep Darts - Speculative players who have a chance at value.
• Dynasty Buys - Players whose values have changed, and the market may not have caught up.

Quarterback

Short Term Starters

Cooper Rush, Dallas (5% Sleeper rostered) 

Dak Prescott is on IR with a hamstring injury. We have at least four weeks with another quarterback leading the Cowboys. Rush is the early favorite to hold the duties.

Rush falls into the "somewhat competent" section of backup quarterbacks. His only extended playing time was in 2022,  Weeks 2 through Week 6. He was QB24 during that stretch, winning his first four starts and averaging 224 yards with 1.33 touchdowns per game before the wheels started to fall off. 

A recurring theme in Superflex Dynasty is every quarterback is worth rostering. The NFL backloaded bye weeks in 2024, and the field could get thin over the second half of the season. Rush is worth adding to deep Superflex. 

Proactive Pickups

Trey Lance, Dallas (32% Sleeper rostered) 

While the smart money is on Rush, Lance is the much more fun option. It has been 779 days since Lance has played in an NFL game. The Rams were the reigning Super Bowl champions, and Patrick Mahomes II only had one ring. Lance has looked rough in limited preseason work. The situation needs to get desperate before Lance gets a chance. 

But if he does…

Lance's rushing ability makes him much more intriguing than Rush. Look back at Malik Willis in Week 3. A limited passer could use his legs to turn in a top-six fantasy performance. Many deep Dynasty Superflex leagues kept holding Lance. Unless the Cowboys release some shocking news, he is only a speculative stash, but he is one step closer to getting his next opportunity. 

Running Back

Short Term Starters

Audric Estime, Denver (75% Sleeper rostered) 

Before Week 9, the Broncos beat reported that Estime would see more work. He did not. After the game, the beat said, "No, really, we mean it next time."

In the past, Sean Payton has utilized three-player backfield rotations, notably featuring players like Mark Ingram II, Pierre Thomas, and Darren Sproles. The Bo Nix-led Broncos do not have the offensive ceiling of those prime Drew Brees-led teams, but they have improved dramatically as the season progresses. Estime is a touchdown-dependent flex play, assuming that neither Javonte Williams nor Jaleel McLaughlin disappears. But a must-add in Dynasty with Williams, a pending free agent. 

Proactive Pickups

Khalil Herbert, Cincinnati (60% Sleeper rostered) 

Zack Moss's regular season is over, and the Bengals made a deadline move for Herbert. Herbert has shaken free in some deep leagues, spending most of the season as a healthy scratch. Expect much more involvement in Cincinnati. Chase Brown took 100% of the backfield opportunities in Week 9 and dazzled, but the coaching staff has been reluctant to turn the job entirely over to him with Moss's presence. The Bengals have a short week, playing Baltimore on Thursday night, likely leading to another heavy game for Brown. 

The passing game work will be interesting to monitor. The Bears eliminated Herbert from that aspect, and with Justin Fields, the running backs were not active targets. At least in pass blocking, the team has been hesitant to trust Brown. We all hope Brown can still be the league winner if he locks in the passing game role while still leading in rushers. With this move, Herbert goes from buried in a mediocre offense to one of the highest-valued handcuffs in fantasy. He is a must-add where available. 

Dylan Laube, Las Vegas (52% Sleeper rostered) 

Laube was the talk of the Raiders preseason, and this is the 13th time I have mentioned him in 8 weeks, but with a new offensive coordinator, the Raiders could have a chance to reset and play younger options. 

Entering Week 9, Alexander Mattison had a lock on the Raiders backfield rotation. So naturally, Ameer Abdullah led in snaps, and Zamir White vultured a touchdown. Scott Turner steps in for Luke Getsy. Turner leaned heavily on Antonio Gibson for much of his time with the Commanders while utilizing satellite backs like J.D. McKissic and Jaret Patterson. Abdullah could see that work, but at 2-7, the Raiders should play the rookie. 

Jordan Mims, New Orleans (3% Sleeper rostered)

Kendre Miller is on IR. Jamaal Williams missed Week 9. Taysom Hill is the de facto backup to Alvin Kamara, but Mims drew positive preseason reviews and will get a chance if an opportunity presents itself. A Saints offense without Alvin Kamara / Chris Olave is too horrifying to consider, so we will stop there, but in your deepest leagues, Mims has a potential path to lineups. 

Wide Receiver

Short Term Starters

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee (22% Sleeper rostered)

Westbrook-Ikhine's third consecutive game with a touchdown earned him a mention in Week 9's column. His fourth straight game earns him a promotion to potential starter. Westbrook-Ikhine is playing nearly every snap for the Titans, whose passing game has improved with Mason Rudolph. 

Only consider Westbrook-Ikhine in the deepest leagues or Best Ball formats, but with byes increasing, if you are desperate, he catches touchdowns weekly. 

Kendrick Bourne, New England (36% Sleeper rostered) 

The Patriots' passing attack has crystalized with Bourne's return. Bourne and Kayshon Boutte are the outside options. DeMario Douglas handles the slot. Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker took some backup reps in Week 9. Like the Titans, the Patriots' passing attack looks functional after their quarterback change. Bourne was WR29 through the first half of 2023 before an injury ended his season. He should be added to the deepest leagues and has a chance to return value. 

Ray-Ray McCloud III, Atlanta (70% Sleeper rostered) 

Drake London is expected to miss some time with a hip pointer. KhaDarel Hodge will likely handle most of his snaps, but expect more targets to be funneled to Darnell Mooney, Kyle Pitts, and McCloud. McCloud is already amid the best season of his career, though his production has slowed from the first five weeks when he was pacing toward a 71-779 season. He scored his second career receiving touchdown in Week 9 and can chip on some points via the run game. He plays only in the deepest leagues but is worth adding to your radar.  

Mason Tipton, New Orleans (36% Sleeper rostered)
Cedrick Wilson Jr., New Orleans (8% Sleeper rostered) 

Chris Olave left Week 9 with a scary head injury, his second concussion in a month. Expect a conservative approach to Olave's return with the Saints already moving on from coach Dennis Allen. The wide receiver room is a complete toss-up. Tipton has run at a snap share close to 80% since week 7, but a 6-45 line in Week 7 is his only game over 15 receiving yards. Wilson has been more productive, with 119 yards over his last three games, including a 6-57-1line in the Week 7 contest Olave missed. He and Marquez Valdes-Scantling are the most experienced options, and Wilson garnered some hype after a strong 2021 season. Wilson profiles best as a player who can contribute volume in the short and intermediate game, but with an eye toward the future, the team could opt to work Tipton harder. 

Deep Darts

Jonathan Mingo, Dallas (59% Sleeper rostered) 

CeeDee Lamb is optimistic his shoulder injury will not cost him the Week 10 Philadelphia game. The Cowboys need him without Prescott already. But they made a deadline trade for Mingo that created attention on its own. Mingo had created some positive momentum in the preseason but fell out of the rotation entirely in favor of Jalen Coker and David Moore of the last month. The Cowboys need a big-bodied receiver like him. Jalen Tolbert has been the starter opposite Lamb with Brandin Cooks out, but he does not bring physicality at the catch point or in the run game. Cooks is now eligible to return from IR, and he is optimistic that he will return soon. But the Cowboys' offense was underperforming with Prescott and Lamb; it is fair to wonder about their bottom without them. 

Ramel Keyton, Las Vegas (0% Sleeper rostered) 

The Raiders offense is a blank slate following Getsy's dismissal. A healthy Jakobi Meyers has combined with Brock Bowers as the primary target. That should not change. Tre Tucker has emerged in moments, though a lack of consistency has prevented him from locking down a role. Keyton is a UDFA out of Tennessee who was just signed to the active roster in Week 9, where he immediately out-snapped D.J. Turner. He brings the size that Tucker and Turner lack. Keyton is only an add in the deepest leagues but a name to add to radars in an uncertain situation. 

Johnny Wilson, Philadelphia (34% Sleeper rostered) 

A.J. Brown seems to have dodged significant injury, holding a day-to-day designation after leaving Week 9 early. Brown missed time early in the season; then the Eagles funneled targets to DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert.  Goedert has been out since a hamstring injury in Week 6.  Expecting Wilson or Jahan Dotson to emerge as a meaningful presence feels like a long shot, but Wilson has generated positive news in the windows of his rookie year. 

Tight End

Proactive Pickups

 AJ Barner, Seattle (30% Sleeper rostered) 

Barner took advantage of Noah Fant's missing Week 9 to showcase his potential as an every-down tight end. His line was modest, with four receptions and 27 yards on seven targets. He made his presence known with a late first-down reception and a kamikaze hurdle attempt. Fant's contract ends after 2025, but he enters the year with a $13.5 million cap number and the Seahawks $2 million over the cap, the third least space in the league. The Seahawks can shave $9 million off their number if they trade or release Fant. Fant is on pace for his best season with the Seahawks, but the tight end position has not been a focal point. Barner is a young stash capable of realizing an immediate offseason value bump.