Players To Add In Dynasty Fantasy Football: Malik Davis Leads Most-Added Players On Sleeper
Sam Wallace breaks down the five most-added players on Sleeper and determines how to approach each in your dynasty leagues.
The 2026 NFL season is knocking on the door, and leagues are starting to get active, as evidenced by the Trending Up/Trending Down section of Sleeper's fantasy football app.
Whether or not these are players to add in dynasty fantasy football depends on your needs. Let's dive into the most popular adds over the last week.
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Players To Add In Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues
Malik Davis | RB | DAL
I would say that, for the most part, the dynasty community has gotten pretty sharp over the years. It's getting more challenging to accurately set yourself apart from the masses, especially when you are trying to identify the next wave of sleepers, breakouts, and busts. That's why it makes sense that Malik Davis is at the top of this column.
Every dynasty manager knows that if you have a top-end RB option on your roster, you better at least know who the backup is, even if you don't currently roster the secondary option. In Dallas, the incumbent is clearly Javonte Williams, who performed well in his first season with the Cowboys. He appeared in 16 games and tallied:
- 252 rushing attempts
- 1,201 rushing yards
- 13 total TDs
That type of production and what has historically been a top-end offense is why people are now flocking to Davis. Just last week it was reported that Davis looks to be the frontrunner for the RB2 position behind Williams, beating out both Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah. Let's be clear, Davis holds zero value on his own. His dynasty value is tied to the health of Williams, but he certainly offers high-end handcuff appeal in deep dynasty leagues.
Odell Beckham | WR | NYG
Odell Beckham is back in New York. However, what does that mean for fantasy football purposes? I cannot yet say. Regardless, managers are reacting appropriately and adding this once-talented wideout to their rosters.
Over his last four seasons, Beckham has played for the Browns, Rams, Ravens and Dolphins. His last time on the field was back in Week 14 of the 2024 season. While it remains to be seen what, if anything, he has left in the tank, his best seasons were with the Giants.
For now, the Giants are building around Jaxson Dart, Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo. Assuming full health, if Beckham plays a full allotment of snaps, I suppose there could be some viable fantasy performances. However, this is one of those instances where it likely makes more sense from a real football perspective than it does for fantasy purposes. While it might be fun to have Beckham on your roster again this season, it's going to be challenging to know if and when the big performances will happen.
I'm fine leaving Beckham on waivers at this point.
Darnell Washington | TE | PIT
Nine times out of 10, if you pay more attention to where teams spend their money and less on what they say, you'll have a pretty good bead on where the offensive opportunities are going to go. However, in this instance, I'm not entirely sure that a sizable contract will automatically translate to added fantasy opportunities.
The Steelers recently signed Darnell Washington to a four-year contract worth $42 million. The hulking TE (6-foot-7/264 pounds) has just 57 total receptions in his three-year career and has scored just twice. They also have veteran Pat Freiermuth, who is clearly the superior option in the receiving game.
Here's one more for you: Washington just posted a career-high mark in receiving yards last season with 364 yards. Freiermuth has topped that in four of five seasons, and the only season in which he fell short is when he only played in 12 games.
Candidly, I don't know what this season holds for Washington. He does have the contract that suggests the team has some plans for him, but we'll have to see what that looks like moving forward.
Zavion Thomas | WR | CHI
The Chicago Bears are an interesting landing spot for a rookie wide receiver like Zavion Thomas. He was drafted with the 89th overall pick (Round 3), so that Day 2 draft capital definitely matters and is something we need to take into consideration.
The Bears lost DJ Moore to the Bills and currently have Rome Odunze and Luther Burden as their top two wideouts, with Colston Loveland serving as another top option at the TE position. The WR3 role is currently wide open, so Thomas has an opportunity to slide into that role.
As for Thomas, across four seasons split evenly between Mississippi State and LSU, he only topped 500 receiving yards once (503 in 2023) and only has seven career receiving TDs. He does have elite speed as demonstrated by his 4.28 40-time (100th percentile) and 108.6 speed score (89th percentile).
We'll have to see how the Bears plan to deploy Thomas as an offensive weapon, but he has the tools for someone like Ben Johnson to get creative with. For now, I'm fine leaving Johnson on waivers unless I have a super deep bench or extra taxi squad slots. At best, Thomas will be the No. 4 option in the receiving game for the Bears.
Caleb Douglas | WR | MIA
Another Day 2 (Round 3) rookie wideout rounds out the most added players in dynasty fantasy football leagues. Caleb Douglas joins Chris Bell as the newest tandem in Miami in what currently is the worst receiver room in the league. Hopefully, Jeff Hafley and Malik Willis can make something happen in Green Bay South.
After two uninspiring seasons at Florida, Douglas transferred to Texas Tech, where he posted consecutive seasons of 800+ receiving yards and 6+ TDs. Douglas also has a solid athletic profile as demonstrated by his 4.39 40-yard dash (93rd percentile) and 115.5 speed score (97th percentile). His size (6-foot-4/206 pounds) should afford him an ample amount of downfield opportunities.
Bell (ACL) is working his way back from injury, and Douglas recently "tweaked something" last week during OTAs. In a room currently led by the likes of Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell and Malik Washington, there's plenty of opportunity for both Douglas and Bell to turn into meaningful contributors as early as this season.
Douglas is absolutely someone I am ensuring lands on the end of my bench or taxi squad when my rookie drafts come around.
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