We saw yet another trade fest in Round 5 as 8 picks were acquired via transaction. I have to say that Rounds 1-3 played out pretty much as I expected but when we hit Rounds 4-5, that’s when the party started. As we progressed through the rest of the draft, the high level of activity continued and everybody pretty much agreed that the league was expected to be among the most active whether owners had small volume or crazy volume (40+ for yours truly). We wrap up our coverage with Part 5 of 5.
Settings
- 12-team SuperFlex with Full PPR.
- Half-point Tight End Premium.
- Start 11 with 2 RBs, 3 WRs, and 3 Flex.
- Third-Round Reversal.
- Rookies are included in the draft pool.
- We ran the 100 Yard Rush to establish our initial order, then derbied for final draft spots.
5.01 J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings – @Fantasybuff
TRADE UPDATE: The 5.01 I traded down for arrived, my original intention was to draft DeVonta Smith or T.J. Hockenson – the two players I was targeting this round. However, I couldn’t take my eyes off a QB on the board that should not have fallen this far. A QB value I can see a skyrocket in value during the 2025 season. The organization loves him as he was drafted as a franchise guy. I expect him to have a good showing in 2025, although not ever taken a snap in a regular-season NFL game.
I’m talking about 2024 rookie quarterback first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. He was much better in college than most think. As in an actual QB, and not having video game statistics. This is because of the system he played in with Michigan. Because when J.J. did pass, he was efficient. And when he did pass, the defense knew it was coming and still couldn’t stop J.J. and his efficiency. The kid just produced with each opportunity. Combining him with Coach McConnell, and all of these weapons the Vikings have at their disposal. I honestly expect J.J. to thrive early if his opportunity is here. And I think his chance will be early to be the starter, as last season he was ahead of veteran, journeyman quarterback, Sam Darnold before J.J. suffered his season-ending injury. Far is the value and super flex format. I feel great selecting J.J. McCarthy right here.
He may not be the best player on the board as of now as I do prefer DeVonta Smith. It’s the value to come in skyrocket I predict that makes JJ the better selection. And playing Superflex format, I’m a firm believer in having a third quarterback.
5.02 Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys – @FFDelly
TRADE UPDATE: After being sniped on both Cam Ward and J.J. McCarthy and QBs flying off the board I go to another vet in Dak Prescott who has been a great QB since his rookie year. He’s got one of the league’s best WRs in CeeDee Lamb and yet again another brutal offensive division where Dak will have to keep scoring to win crucial games.
Pick traded from @DFF_MR to @FFDelly.
5.03 Michael Penix Jr., QB, Atlanta Falcons – @DFF_Matt_T
TRADE UPDATE: In the fourth round, I got sniped and was unable to trade up. With the 4.04 pick, I was looking to select De’Von Achane, JSN, or Rashee Rice. With this, I decided to trade back and acquire more value in the 5th round as I didn’t see anyone that I really wanted in the fourth round. I traded the 4.04, 7.04, 15.09, and a 2026 3rd for the 5.05, 5.10, 15.05, and a 2026 2nd. Then when my 5.05 pick was approaching there was a run on QBs and I was trying to trade up a few picks but was unsuccessful again. My target at the time was Michael Penix who was selected at the 5.03. After Penix was selected I wanted to see what it would cost to acquire him. So I traded my 5.05, 8.04, and 12.04 for the 5.03 (Penix), 8.10 and 12.10 to acquire him.
I felt like the dropoff of QBs after Michael Penix was dramatic enough that I needed to acquire him. The QBs that were left in my eyes didn’t possess the ceiling that Penix can have in the Falcons offense or were older. Also, I targeted Penix as he’s only 24 years old, and having a long-term stack with Drake London was very appealing to me. Now with two top receivers and two legitimate QBs in a SuperFlex league, I’m in a solid position to still add more talent in the 5th round as I own the upcoming picks with the 5.09 and 5.10 to add more impact talent.
5.04 Omarion Hampton, RB, N/A – @FFChalmers
TRADE UPDATE: I’ve always had a saying. Buy into your guys before they become stars. Incoming rookie running back Omarion Hampton is that guy for me. My running back two in this class after Ashton Jeanty. This is a great time for this rookie class, a lot of teams are looking for running back help. While veterans are being phased out these young rookies are coming in to take over. Omarion Hampton has done nothing but ball out at Chapel Hill. Accruing over 3,565 rushing yards and 36 rushing scores. While averaging over 4.25 yards per contact in his sophomore and junior years. Let’s not forget his receiving upside! Catching 67 passes in his sophomore and junior years alone. I had to trade up to get my guy. But in my humble opinion, it was well worth it.
5.05 Shedeur Sanders, QB, N/A – @dirrim23
TRADE UPDATE: I originally selected Michael Penix Jr. at 5.03 but quickly traded him away to @DFF_Matt_T. I was not opposed to dealing Penix Jr. only because I thought long and hard about whether I wanted him or Shedeur Sanders at 5.03. The deal was mentioned above, but I ended up sending Penix Jr., the 8.10, and 12.10 for the 5.05, the 8.04, and the 12.04. I essentially went back two spots and selected Sanders, who was a toss-up originally at 5.03. And I moved up six sports each in the 8th and 12th rounds.
Sanders is regarded as a potential first-overall pick in this year’s draft. The destination is vital for his development but I trust the talent and believe he will serve nicely as my QB2 behind Patrick Mahomes. Now that I have two quarterbacks, I desperately need to add a wide receiver or two with my next couple of picks.
5.06 T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings – @FFDelly
It had been far too long for another Tight End to be selected in a Tight End premium, so I had to break the dry spell! I’m excited to bring T.J. to my roster especially since J.J. McCarthy will be behind center this season, in his time in Michigan he targeted his TE 26% of the time. With multiple top 5 TE finishes in his career and another year to recover from his knee injuries he should return to form in 2025 and beyond.
5.07 Tyler Warren, TE, N/A – @Fantasybuff
TRADE UPDATE: As the 5.07 time came, the second fifth-round pick I had, I was a bit bummed out as the pick before me snipped the TE I wanted to select this round, T.J. Hockenson. Delly selected him with perfect timing (nice pick Delly). My original plan was to take DeVonta Smith or T.J. Hockenson with this pick, as well as with the 5.01. But here we go again. As my brain was turning, I couldn’t get my mind off of DeVonta Smith. However, there were other options on the board at wide receiver that I could pivot to the next round, that was better options than I would have to punt on tight end here. DeVonta Smith was my highest-ranked wide receiver and highest highest-ranked of all players available. However, I wanted to leave this draft with 2 good tight ends and I wanted an upper-tier one. I felt it was important for my build.
My tight end #5 overall player was still on the board. He was someone that I didn’t see a possibility that would make it back to me next round knowing my league mates are rookie crazy, also very knowledgeable about college football. They all knew what was still on the board. The talent of the tight end I was eyeing. I’m talking about Penn State TE Tyler Warren. I do think in the correct scheme with the coach that uses him correctly, he could even blossom to the TE2 quickly. I know the TE position usually requires time to wait to get results. LaPorta and Bowers are still outliers. But I’m predicting Warren will be an outlier himself. I think he is that special.
It will take a while for anyone to overpass Bowers – an amazing prospect. Warren as a prospect isn’t close to Bowers’s level. Got it done at a much younger age. It took Warren much longer to produce, and he still didn’t do it in the way Bowers did. But I see that Warren has a chance to be the next big thing at TE. Grabbing here at 5.07, doing so I’m once again getting ahead of the value of someone I think will be a good chance to be a real superstar. An overpay now that will be an underpay tomorrow. Perfect timing to say this. I’m a firm believer in getting your guy. See this is my only and last chance to get the te I want who is next up on my big board. And behind Warran, I had Tucker Kraft. But I felt strongly that Tucker Kraft would be on the board for a while. So I had the thoughts of maybe grabbing him later if the opportunity represented itself. The entire Green Bay situation scares many away from pulling the trigger on Tucker Kraft as a top option. Not me! Then there is also Luke Musgrave, who was drafted ahead of Kraft in the NFL 2023 draft. Although Kraft has turned into the top go-to TE in Green Bay, Luke Musgrave is still there. But I’m going to be bold and trust the management and Green Bay to realize they have their guy in Tucker Kraft. What else does he have to prove?
5.08 – Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers – @alexgreco2
I wanted to take a WR here given I had just traded up to grab my anchor RB in Breece Hall, but the value was just too good to pass up on Jacobs. The top remaining WRs were Worthy, Egbuka, Hunter, Waddle, Olave, and DeVonta Smith. Why not get a strong RB2 to pair with Breece and lock down that position for the next 3-4 years? Jacobs finished as the RB6 in PPR just this past year and only scored below 10 fpts once in the 17 games he started. The Packers proved their dedication to Jacobs this last offseason signing him to a 4-yr, $48mm contract, making him a top-5 paid RB in AAV and the #1 paid RB in total contract value. The price of the 5.08 seemed like a steal here for Jacobs.
5.09 Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs – @DFF_Matt_T
I used my fifth-round pick for a WR as that position was starting to tier down too much for my liking with young talent. Additionally, Worthy had a mid to late-year breakout with the Chiefs and I like him to continue that breakout into year two as he’s proving to be a weapon for Mahomes in the passing game. Long-term he projects as a centerpiece of the Chiefs offense with Rashee Rice as TE Travis Kelce can be assumed only has a few years left. The upside with Worthy here at the 5.09 was too hard to pass up for a WR breaking out and he adds to a solid WR core as my third WR for my team.
5.10 George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers – @DFF_Matt_T
TRADE UPDATE: This was a previous pick I acquired in a trade (reference my 5.03 selection for trade details) and in a TE premium league I was hoping to take T.J. Hockenson here who’s a little younger but he went a few picks earlier at 5.06 and Tyler Warren went at 5.07 who I also like but his landing spot is unknown with being an incoming rookie. With TE starting to tier down dramatically in my view I took George Kittle who’s a slightly older player but he’s still only 31 years old. He’s as sure thing as they come at TE as besides his rookie season and one year he missed time due to injury he’s been a top-5 tight end in all the other six seasons of his career. This pick solves my tight end position in a TE premium league and gives me plenty of time to look for a long-term younger replacement at this position. In the end, Kittle was too much of a premium player to pass on him here in a tight end premium league.
5.11 Emeka Egbuka, WR, Rookie – @BWinkNFL
After seeing some of my colleagues move boldly to acquire their favorite 2025 mid-1st rookies, I felt inspired to follow suit here at the 5.11. Staring at Emeka Egbuka and newly minted Dolphins WR1 Jaylen Waddle both at the top of my queue did make this a tough decision, but Egbuka is in my opinion a fantastic prospect and a candidate to be my WR1 in the 2025 class, and my chance to snag him before anyone had a chance to take him from me here just before the 6th. I think Egbuka has a good chance to sneak into the first round, if not go close to the middle, and I think this enters him right into the early 20s range of the dynasty WR landscape with a high upside to break into the tiers above. Egbuka is a dominant slot threat, physical at the catch point and after the catch. He profiles as a potential target hog in a power slot role similar to someone like Amon-Ra St. Brown, which can be deadly in fantasy. If Egbuka can get confirmed as a 1st round talent, which I truly think he is, I believe his floor is around here in startup value and he’ll only go up.
5.12 – Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams – @alexgreco2
TRADE UPDATE; Man, the RB values in the 5th round were just too intriguing to try and ignore. I had a late 4th/early 5th round grade on Kyren and in a flex-3 league, I needed to trade up to get my guy. I sent away the 6.05, the 9.08, and a 2026 3rd to get the 5.12 and the 9.12. Having already taken Hall and Jacobs, I was rather hesitant to let my WR2 slide to another round, but I’m all about drafting the best player available and trading them later if needed. These three RBs make me very strong at the position and give me good longevity with Jacobs being the oldest in the group at 27 y/o. Kyren’s value surprisingly went down from last year even after Corum proved to be a non-factor. I will buy the dip all day and not think twice about it.
Fire over any questions or comments you might have about the league specifics. You can reach me on Twitter/X via @DFF_MR. And for those interested in an annual membership, visit us here for the next steps! #DFFArmy #DynastyFantasyFootball #AlwaysBeBuilding #NFL
