Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Strategy: Who's Worth Your Second-Round Pick In Rookie Drafts?
Sam Wallace highlights five players worth targeting in dynasty leagues and using your second-round picks in rookie drafts as trade chips.
I've been on record saying that I enjoy the offseason more than the actual NFL season in my dynasty fantasy football leagues.
Yes, of course, I love tuning in on Sunday afternoons but the offseason is when the foundation is laid. It's when trade discussions heat up, free agency hits, and the NFL Draft kicks off.
Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Strategy
One of the most common questions I get from our Fantasy Life Community Discord this time of year relates to how to properly value draft picks. The Family Guy "mystery box" gif is commonplace in our channels as we all anxiously await landing spots for the incoming crop of rookies.
Second-round picks have one of the widest ranges of any round in a rookie draft. That's what makes them so versatile and why I generally use future 2nds as the main component of any deal I am trying to get done.
The 13th overall player is going to be much different than the 24th overall player. Both are technically second-round rookie picks, but one is a fringe first-round player while the other is a fringe third-round player. If you're using 2026 picks (or beyond), you won't know the specific pick in each round for quite some time. Use this range of potential options to your advantage.
All that being said—if you're looking to move off your 2025 (or 2026) second-round pick(s), who are some players you might consider targeting? Let's break down five potential trade targets.
Make sure to check out my other pieces in this series:
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Strategy: Who's Worth Your First-Round Pick In Rookie Drafts?
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Strategy: Who's Worth Your Later-Round Pick In Rookie Drafts? (coming soon)
Who's Worth My Second-Round Rookie Draft Pick In Dynasty Leagues?
Joe Mixon, RB - Texans
I have a macro strategy when it comes to RBs in dynasty formats. In a perfect world, I draft them and hold them for almost the entirety of their rookie contract. Then, I generally flip them for future capital and/or depth pieces. However, once they hit about 28 or 29 years old, I try to buy them back to bolster my championship rosters.
This is what makes Joe Mixon such a great trade target for win-now rosters.
His age (almost 29) means his dynasty value is well past its peak. However, he still offers significant upside in the short term. In his first season with the Texans, he finished as the RB8 in points per game.
He topped 240+ rushing attempts, 1,000+ rushing yards, 10+ rushing TDs, 50+ targets, and 300+ receiving yards. His dynasty value is down at RB22, but he's a near-lock (pending health) to finish well above that in 2025.
Those are the types of profiles I look for when shipping away future-round picks for established players in my dynasty leagues.
Jakobi Meyers, WR - Raiders
Death, taxes, and Jakobi Meyers perpetually being an underrated fantasy asset year after year. I know he was the poster child for not scoring TDs early in his career, but he's finished as a top-30 wideout in each of his last four seasons. In fact, he's progressively finished higher each year.
- 2021 - WR30
- 2022 - WR28
- 2023 - WR24
- 2024 - WR19
He also topped 1,000 receiving yards for the first time last season. Yes, Brock Bowers is the No. 1 option in the passing game but all Meyers has done throughout his career is quietly produce for fantasy managers. He's still only 28 years old and, for now, is the WR1 on the Raiders moving forward.
Meyers carries a dynasty ADP of WR49. If you're telling me that I can get a WR2/3 that is valued almost outside of the top-50 at his position, who is still under 30 years old with a proven track record of production, I'll be sending away future 2nd your picks for that every time.
Jalen McMillan, WR - Buccaneers
Let's move away from proven veterans with a few years left of solid production and focus on upcoming players who could soon be stepping into larger roles.
Jalen McMillan was drafted in Round 3 and came in as the WR16 in our Rookie WR Model. After Chris Godwin was lost for the season, the rookie stepped up in a big way, especially over the final five weeks of the regular season.
With both Godwin and Mike Evans looking to run it back next year with Baker Mayfield at the helm, McMillan will be no higher than the No. 3 wideout in this offense. Even so, while I am not a believer in WR handcuffs, we saw McMillan's contingent value on full display at the end of last season, especially his nose for the end zone.
If Evans (age) and/or Godwin (injury) struggle to stay on the field at any point in 2025, McMillan has already demonstrated an ability to step into a key role for Tampa Bay. His high-end blend of route participation, target share, and air yards share as the No. 2 option alongside Evans hinted at some enticing long-term value.
For a mid/late second-round pick, I'd much rather have someone like McMillan rather than just running it back with whatever player I can draft outside of the top 16 in rookie fantasy drafts.
Khalil Shakir, WR - Bills
In three quick seasons with the Bills, Khalil Shakir has certainly made drastic improvements. Just take a look at these sizable gains from year to year:
- 2022 - 20 targets, 10 receptions, 161 receiving yards, 1 TD
- 2023 - 45 targets, 39 receptions, 611 receiving yards, 2 TDs
- 2024 - 100 targets, 76 receptions, 821 receiving yards, 4 TDs
Shakir managed to turn seven career receiving TDs into a four-year extension worth $53 million this offseason. That's not bad.
Now, I'm a bit surprised he landed that type of contract but I will never hate the player for securing the bag when he gets the chance. Even better, based on his most recent production, his newly signed contract, and his ties to Josh Allen, I am suddenly much more interested in Shakir from a dynasty perspective.
Shakir's 100 targets actually led the team last season (talk about spreading it around) so, in theory, he's the No. 1 option for an Allen-led offense. That obviously has value. Shakir is just 25 years old and now has significant job/role security. I'm more than fine sending a mid-second-round pick to land him on my dynasty squad, despite the lack of a strong historical production profile.
Tucker Kraft, TE - Packers
Looking for a TE who won't break the bank but offers you upside in a young, ascending offense? Let's take a closer look at Tucker Kraft.
Kraft has the size you want (6'5"/259 lbs) and in just his second season, he posted a line of 50/707/7 TDs on 70 targets. The Green Bay offense is widely known for lacking a true No. 1 option in the passing game and soon they'll have to decide about paying some of these players. It's not likely that all of Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Jayden Reed get second contracts with the Packers.
The natural turnover at the position will continue to result in Jordan Love needing someone who can dominate over the middle of the field—Kraft is exactly that type of player.
When targeting the next crop of fantasy viable TEs, I look for young, athletic playmakers tied to great QBs on well-coached offenses. The Packers check all those boxes.
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