Cashing Out or Buying In? Dynasty IDP Trade Targets for 2026.
Eric Harms digs into the numbers, contracts, and coaching shifts to spotlight the biggest IDP value swings heading into 2026.
The fantasy season is over—which means now the fun begins! I love looking forward to the next season and trying to find ways to take advantage of what just happened versus what I think will happen in the next season. Before we start hitting the rookie content hard, let’s look at some players I think you can sell for more than they are worth in fantasy and some that you may be able to get for less.
I used a combination of PFF and NFL+ Next Gen Stats for my data. All scoring references are using Big 3 Scoring. I have included Adam Marcum’s trade value in parentheses after each player. The trade value is expressed as a 2026 draft pick in a 12-team league. All recent trades referenced were found on IDPTrades.com, created by Jacob Lundsford. League size is given after each trade for some reference, but check out the IDP Trades website for more information and more trades.
Sell: Devin White, LB, Free Agent (4th)
Devin White had a resurgence in 2025, tying Jack Campbell for the 3rd most fantasy points among all IDPs. His value will likely never again be higher than it is right now. White is an unrestricted free agent this year. Even if he were staying in Las Vegas another year, I would be concerned with the coaching change.
The uncertainty of his landing spot and poor performance prior to joining the Raiders have me wanting to cash out. That may also make it harder to trade White, but there may be managers in your league who are overlooking the effect a change in team or coach could have. Let’s take a look at some recent trades to gauge the market:
Devin White for Will McDonald and a 26 1st (32-team)
Devin White for Chris Godwin, Zack Baun, 28 2nd, and 28 3rd (12-team)
Devin White for a 27 1st (12-team, made in December, so probably someone making a run in the playoffs).
There is likely someone in your league willing to give a 4th+ for White. I’d take it.
Buy: Josh Hines-Allen, EDGE, Jacksonville Jaguars (2nd)
Josh Hines-Allen is always solid and has had one spectacular year. He was 21st in scoring among EDGE rushers in 2025, and being at the bottom end of the top 24 EDGEs is his floor. The underlying numbers were great as usual. He was 12th in pass rush grade, tied for 2nd in pressures, 2nd in QB hits, and 13th in win percentage.
He is bound to have another boom year at some point. With the Jaguars’ offense making strides under Liam Coen this year, his pass rush opportunities may even increase. Given this year’s draft, I would trade a late 2nd for him in a heartbeat, and you might be able to get a little better deal depending on your league.
Recent trades:
Hines-Allen, Rachad White, and a 2027 2nd for Patrick Mahomes (10-team, 1 QB league). That is basically a throw-in.
Hines-Allen, Demtrius Knight, and Dorian Williams for a 2026 2nd (14-team).
Sell: Bobby Okereke, LB, New York Giants (4th)
The Giants can save $9 million by cutting Bobby Okereke. With all the free agent LBs available and new coaches coming in, I would be surprised if Okereke was not cut. The Giants will likely be active in the free agent market for an LB with Okereke, Darius Muasau, and Chris Board the only linebackers signed for 2026.
Even if Okereke remains a Giant, there is a decent chance he becomes second fiddle to another linebacker. He didn’t grade well per PFF, logging an overall grade of 56.3. Poor grades don’t matter much for fantasy; a player can still score points with poor grades, but poor play does matter to the coaches. There is enough uncertainty for me to trade him now as he comes off a good fantasy year.
Okereke had the 14th most points among linebackers in 2025 and has a name that is tradeable. I think there is a good chance you can get a 3rd for him.
Trades have been all over the place for Okereke, but here are some recent ones:
Okereke for Jaelan Phillips, Tyquan Thornton, and a 3rd (32-team league)
Okereke for a 2026 2nd (12-team)
Okereke for Jaylen Waddle and Xavier Legette (10-team).
So, it is possible to get good value for Okereke now, depending on your league.
Buy: Abdul Carter, EDGE, New York Giants (2nd+)
Abdul Carter may be hard to get in a lot of leagues because of sunk cost, but it is worth looking into. He finished 41st in points among edge rushers in his rookie year, spending the first half of the year splitting time with Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Other than disappearing against Dallas in Week 18, Carter finished the year well, averaging 17.6 points per game from Week 12 to Week 17 with no single-digit performances. On the year, he was tied with Nik Bonitto for the 10th highest pass rush grade, was 11th in pressures, and tied for 5th in QB hits with Byron Young.
2026 should be a much better season for Carter. Check with the Carter manager in your league and see if you can get him for a 2nd. If you have Byron Young, see if you can trade him for Carter.
Recent trades:
Carter and Trevor Lawrence for Patrick Mahomes (10-team, 1 QB).
Carter and Nick Bolton for a 2026 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
Sell: Quay Walker, LB, Free Agent (3rd+)
Quay Walker has been consistently good for fantasy managers over his first 4 seasons. His tackle grades have been very good but his coverage and overall defensive grades have been pretty bad. Green Bay did not exercise Walker’s rookie option, so he becomes an unrestricted free agent for 2026.
Will he land in a starting role somewhere? Yes, most likely. Could he end up in a logjam at LB somewhere, like we saw in Houston and Dallas in 2025? It’s certainly possible. He could also end up in a more man-heavy scheme that doesn’t translate to tackles as well as Green Bay’s zone-heavy scheme. Ultimately, I like the trades I’m seeing for Walker given the relative uncertainty of the future.
Recent trades:
Quay Walker for Cedric Gray (12-team, late November).
Walker and Kyle Hamilton for a 26 1st (12-team, January 20th).
Yeah, sign me up for both of those trades.
Buy: Jaelan Phillips, EDGE, Free Agent (3rd)
Jaelan Phillips was 33rd in points for EDGEs in 2025. He has a ton of potential, finishing 14th in win percentage among edge rushers and 9th in pressures, with 41 of his 73 pressures in his 8 games with the Eagles. I’d love to see Phillips stay in Philadelphia and hopefully that happens. Phillips has always been good; he’s just had trouble staying healthy, which tends to lower his value in the eyes of many.
He is certainly worth a 3rd round pick. The trades have been all over the place, but for the most part, he is being traded for less than a 3rd in 12-team leagues. See if you can get him for a 4th in those leagues.
Recent trades:
Phillips and two 2026 3rds for Mac Jones and a 2026 4th (10-team, 2 QB).
Phillips, Jordan Love, and a 2026 4th for Barrett Carter and a 2026 2nd (20-team)
Phillips for Keaton Mitchell (18-team).
Sell: Eric Wilson, LB, Free Agent (5th)
Thirty-one-year-old Eric Wilson was the 15th highest scoring LB last season, racking up 259 points. The last time he scored over 150 points was in 2020, which is also the only time he has scored more than he scored in 2025. If you can take advantage of his great season and sell high, you should. With Wilson rising from the dead this year, there might even be newer managers who don’t realize Wilson is an older player.
Wilson is a free agent in 2026 and should sign somewhere and get playing time, but there are also a lot of good LBs in free agency this year, so there is no guarantee.
Recent trades:
Wilson for Jalen Carter (14-team).
Wilson for a 26 3rd and 27 4th (12-team).
I’d trade him for a 4th easily, and it appears you may be able to get more, especially if there are less experienced managers in your league.
Buy: Danny Stutsman, LB, New Orleans Saints (3rd)
Danny Stutsman wasn’t drafted in many 12-team leagues and may still be on the waiver wire in your league, making him a “cost of mouse click guy” (shout out, Johny the Greek). Stutsman logged 91 of his 204 snaps the last 3 weeks of the season and had 14 combined tackles (13 solo) over those 3 games. His overall PFF defense grade for the year was 71.5. Demario Davis is an unrestricted free agent, and while Pete Werner started hot last year, he cooled down significantly as the season went on.
I think Stutsman showed enough to go into 2026 as a starter. Werner will definitely still be on the team, as his cap hit is lower than his dead cap, but he just hasn’t played as well the last few seasons as Stutsman did in his limited time last season. The Saints may also bring one of the many free agents in, but I believe Stutsman would be the second starter in that case. Based on trades I’m seeing, Stutsman is going for a 5th or as a throw-in. Grab him off the waiver wire or get him for a low-end draft pick now.
Recent trades:
Stutsman for a 2026 5th (10-team).
Stutsman, Michael Penix, and Kirk Cousins for Ricky Pearsall. (10-team, 2 QB).
Stutsman and a 2026 3rd for Brian Cashman (12-team).
Sell: Andrew Van Ginkel, EDGE, Minnesota Vikings (3rd)
Andrew Van Ginkel will be an unrestricted free agent in 2027. His contract isn’t a good one to cut (not that the Vikings are motivated to do so), which means he has one more year in Minnesota unless he is traded. It is looking less likely that Brian Flores will get one of the few remaining head coach positions, so he’s likely back.
Jonathan Greenard is signed through 2027, and while his contract makes him a more likely cut candidate than Van Ginkel, I think Minnesota keeps him. The Vikings also have Dallas Turner on his rookie deal through 2027 with an option for 2028.
So, barring a trade, all three players will remain with Minnesota for at least one more year. Turner made some strides in 2025 with more playing time and deserves to continue to see playing time. If Eric Wilson departs in free agency, does Minnesota move Van Ginkel more into that role and decrease his EDGE snaps? Or is it finally Ivan Pace Jr.’s turn? Either way, I expect an increase in Turner’s playing time this year and a change in Van Ginkel’s in some way. If all three of them are splitting the EDGE snaps, I hope Van Ginkel gets some time at LB too.
Recent trades:
Van Ginkel for Nick Herbig and a 3rd (10-team)
Van Ginkel, a 3rd, and a 7th for D.J. Moore (12-team).
If you can get more than a 3rd for Van Ginkel, don’t hesitate.
Buy: Leo Chenal, LB, Free Agent (3rd)
Leo Chenal has been stuck behind Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill the past couple of seasons, but he has played well on limited snaps. His PFF total defense, run defense, tackling, and coverage grades were all above 70 in 2025. As a free agent for the 2026 season and still just 25 years old, he may finally get his shot.
I think you may be able to do better than his 3rd round trade value, but even getting him for a 3rd is worth it in a 12-team league. He could be worth more after we get through free agency in March.
Most of his recent trades have been in 32-team leagues. In one of them, he went for a 3rd round pick. Doing the math, that is somewhere beyond pick 64. You may be able to get him for a 5th in a 12-team league.
Sell: Byron Young, EDGE, Los Angeles Rams (3rd+)
Byron Young finished tied for 5th in points among defensive linemen with Jeffery Simmons and was just a point ahead of Will Anderson Jr. I just don’t expect Young to repeat that type of finish. He had 9 sacks in the first 7 games of 2025 and then only tallied 3 more the rest of the way. He’s a good young player coming off a huge year, so other managers in your league are going to want him.
Recent trades:
Young for two 2nds (12-team).
Young and a 2026 7th for a 2027 2nd and 6th (12-team).
I expect Young to continue to be good, and I love that he is good for 4-5 tackles a game, but I don’t know that his value will ever be higher. With the Rams drafting Josaiah Stewart, I think Young has one more year in Los Angeles and will likely sign elsewhere in free agency for 2027. If you can get a 2nd from someone now, do it.
Buy: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Philadelphia Eagles (2nd)
Nakobe Dean is a free agent, and I don’t see the Eagles re-signing him, leaving that spot for Jihaad Campbell to fill in 2026. Campbell played well when Dean was out with an injury. He had very good grades across the board for a rookie. He averaged 13.2 points per game in the 9 games he had over 85% of snaps. I’m expecting big things from Campbell in 2026 with a full, healthy offseason.
Recent trades:
Campbell for a 3rd (12-team)
Campbell for a 3rd and 4th (14-team).
I have also seen him traded straight up for Nick Bolton, which is a fair trade, but I like the Campbell side with Bolton being 4 years older.
Sell: Jefferey Simmons, DT, Tennessee Titans (3rd)
Jeffery Simmons scored the 5th most points among all defensive linemen in 2025 and was the top DT by a wide margin. Simmons is a great player and still only 28, but he just scored 50 points more than he had in any of his previous 6 seasons. Sure, he could repeat the year he just had, but it’s more likely his value will never be higher.
If you are playing in a DT-required league, now is the time to see what you can get in a trade. I think you may be able to get a 3rd plus for Simmons.
Recent trades:
Simmons for a 26 1st, 27 2nd, 27 3rd (32-team)
Simmons for Zach Allen and a 26 2nd (8-team league).
Simmons and a 26 2nd for Myles Garrett (this is a fun one).
Look for a trade partner that needs a DT and see if they have a good surplus somewhere that can give you extra value.
Bonus Sell: Defensive Backs
I’m going to combine all these guys together because defensive backs are more replaceable than other positions. In general, if you can get good value for a defensive back, do it. Defensive backs are always tradeable.
We saw an influx of good safeties in the draft last year, and it appears there are going to be more in the 2026 draft. In a lot of leagues, you can find good, startable safeties on the waiver wire early in the season and often even later.
I’ll give a few examples here.
Kyle Hamilton, S, Baltimore Ravens (2nd)
Kyle Hamilton is getting a new coaching staff. Will the new staff use him the same? Probably, but I’m happy cashing out for a 2nd. In an 8-team league (yes, 8 teams), Hamilton was traded for a 2027 2nd. Sign me up for that.
Nick Cross, S, Indianapolis Colts (4th)
Nick Cross is a free agent. If I can get a 4th, I’m trading him, and I think you may be able to get a third or a 4th+. A good strategy with Cross is to combine him with a pick to get a good offensive piece. One manager traded Cross and a 2nd for Jameson Williams, and another manager used the same combo to get a 1st. Cross was also traded straight up for Jalen Pitre and Pat Bryant.
All of these trades were made in January, and I love them all.
CBs Kamari Lassiter, Tyson Campbell, Mike Jackson, Alontae Taylor, and Riley Moss
All these guys had great years and may also be useful as an addition to get a deal done. I am willing to trade every cornerback that isn’t returning kicks or playing offense. I even traded Cooper DeJean in a league this past offseason, and I love DeJean.
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IDK, I really think Bobby O stays. They can restructure. Weak position group already. PFF grades are only that. He played well for what he was asked to do. Team captain and team Walter Peyton nominee, I could see him staying.
We start 3-DL’s / 4-LB’s / 4 DB’s every week all the DL’s can be edge rushes and all the DB’s can be safeties anyways always looking for some depth at LB and I like the J. Campbell but I offered a low 2nd but I know he’s going to want some Lagniappe and Kaleb Johnson would get the trade done is Kaleb Johnson doomed to be a backup if so I don’t mind doing it what’s your opinion a low 2nd & Kaleb Johnson for Jahiid Campbell?