dynasty

mike

Second Round Dynasty Sleeper: Mike Washington Jr.

Dynasty, Rookie, Rookie Player Profiles / By /

From the University of Arkansas, Mike Washington Jr. has the potential to be one of the second-round steals in 2026 Dynasty Rookie Drafts. The 22-year-old put up some impressive numbers during his final collegiate season. At 6’1” and 223 pounds, his power and speed combination is built to handle a heavy workload. Washington Jr. can run through and past defenders in a hurry, and he’s someone who could very well outperform where he’ll get drafted. To put things simply, he’s someone who will be a problem in the NFL. Washington Jr. is a player who, depending on where he ends up, could quickly become an NFL starter immediately or at some point during the season and become a very valuable Dynasty running back. Let’s take a closer look at him. * Within this article, the statistics were pulled from Sports Reference, KeepTradeCut (KTC), and Sleeper. College Production (2021 – 2025) Washington Jr., a two-star recruit, committed to his first three collegiate seasons at Buffalo, transferred to New Mexico State before entering the transfer portal one more time for his final year of eligibility, where he ended his collegiate time at Arkansas and saw career highs in all statistical categories. This past season, Washington Jr. earned second-team All-SEC, where he rushed for 1,070 yards with eight rushing touchdowns. Additionally, he’s shown he can also be a dual-threat, adding 28 receptions on 226 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.  In 2025, he became the 16th player in Arkansas history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards, and he was named second-team All-SEC. The highlight […]

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mcgowan

Seth McGowan: The Long Road Back

Dynasty, Rookie, Rookie Player Profiles / By /

Seth McGowan’s path to the 2026 NFL Draft is one of the more unusual stories in this class. Early in his career at Oklahoma, he looked like the next talented running back to come through that program. Instead, a legal incident nearly ended his career before it really started. What followed was a long road back through smaller programs and multiple stops before he finally returned to the SEC and put himself back on the NFL radar. A Promising Start That Fell Apart In 2020, McGowan showed real promise at Oklahoma. The former four-star recruit played in eight games as a freshman, rushing for 370 yards and catching 13 passes for 201 yards. His 143 total yards in the Cotton Bowl showed the kind of playmaking ability that had people believing he could become the next productive Oklahoma running back. That momentum ended in April of 2021. McGowan was arrested following an armed robbery investigation and was dismissed from the Oklahoma program. He later pleaded guilty to felony larceny, served three months in jail, and received a year of probation. Just like that, his football future was suddenly in doubt. The Long Road Back McGowan did not play football for two seasons while rebuilding his life and career. His first stop was Texas College, an NAIA program where he never appeared in a game. From there, he transferred to Butler Community College in 2023, where he played 6 games and began rebuilding his football reputation. In 2024, McGowan returned to the FBS level at New Mexico State. The talent was […]

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stowers

Eli Stowers: The Tight End Built for the Modern Game

Dynasty, Rookie, Rookie Player Profiles / By /

Modern tight ends have one job above everything else: catch the football. Blocking matters. Athleticism matters. But if you can’t be trusted in traffic, none of it plays. Eli Stowers gets that. And it’s why his transition from quarterback to tight end has turned into one of the most impressive developments in college football. Stowers didn’t just convert positions. He became the focal point of Vanderbilt’s offense. In 2025, he led all FBS tight ends in receiving yards, and he did it by winning the same way every NFL tight end has to win: hands, feel, toughness, and consistency. At 6’4” and around 235-239 pounds, Stowers isn’t built like an old-school in-line blocker. He’s built like a modern weapon. And he plays like one. Production That Matters The breakout didn’t come out of nowhere. It was built year by year. In 2025, Stowers caught 62 passes for 769 yards, the most receiving yards by any tight end in the country. He averaged 12.4 yards per catch and played all 12 games as a centerpiece of the offense. The year before, he put up 49 catches for 638 yards and 5 touchdowns, earning First Team All-SEC honors and Mackey Award semifinalist recognition. Across three seasons at Vanderbilt and New Mexico State, he finished with 146 catches, 1,773 yards, and 11 touchdowns. That’s not gadget production. That’s real usage. How Stowers Wins Stowers catches the football first. That’s the foundation. He has strong, reliable hands and shows comfort working through traffic. He doesn’t panic when bodies are around him. He secures the […]

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payton

Cole Payton: The Small-School Quarterback You Need to Know

Dynasty, Rookie, Rookie Player Profiles / By /

Cole Payton is one of those names that sneaks up on you if you’re not paying attention. Small school. Limited starts. Left-handed quarterback. Easy to overlook if you’re skimming box scores. But once you actually watch him and dig into the season he just put together, it’s hard not to come away impressed. Payton just finished a record-setting year at North Dakota State and put himself firmly on the NFL radar for the 2026 Draft. He’s not a finished product, but the upside is very real, especially in a quarterback class that doesn’t have many players separating themselves. A Late Bloomer Who Made It Count This past season was Payton’s first full year as the starter, and he made the most of it. He led North Dakota State to a 12–1 record and played with a level of efficiency you don’t usually see, regardless of level. He completed nearly 72% of his passes, threw for 2,719 yards with 16 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions, and consistently took care of the football. What really jumps out is how clean the overall production looks when you factor in what he did with his legs. Payton rushed for 777 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. He wasn’t scrambling just to survive. Designed runs, short-yardage toughness, red-zone scores. He became a legitimate problem for defenses once plays broke down. By the end of the year, he finished as the highest-graded quarterback in the FCS and set school records for efficiency and total offense per play. That doesn’t happen by accident. How […]

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fields

Malachi Fields: Why He Wins Without Elite Speed

Dynasty, Rookie, Rookie Player Profiles / By /

Malachi Fields looks like an NFL “X” receiver the moment he walks on the field. At 6’4” and over 220 pounds, he brings prototype size and play strength to the position. What he does is win at the catch point and make defensive backs feel small in the air. Fields isn’t a burner. He’s not going to win with suddenness or quick separation. He wins with size and strength when the ball is in the air. Production That Matches the Role Fields spent the majority of his career at Virginia before transferring to Notre Dame for the 2025 season. Across three seasons, he totaled 165 catches for 2,479 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging just over 15 yards per reception. In 2025 at Notre Dame, he caught 36 passes for 630 yards and 5 touchdowns, averaging 17.5 yards per reception. When the ball went up, he gave his quarterback a chance. He wasn’t a target magnet. He was a chain mover and a scoring option who finished plays down the field and in the red zone. How Fields Wins Everything with Fields starts with his frame. Defensive backs struggle to slow him down once he gets moving. He builds speed as he goes, and that shows up in his routes. Against press, he can be a bit of a slow starter and will need to refine his release package at the next level. Once he gets moving, though, his size becomes a problem. Defensive backs struggle to reroute him, and he uses his body well to shield defenders on verticals and […]

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The Beginner’s Guide to Dynasty Fantasy Football

Dynasty / By /

Around this time each season, the dynasty community seems to grow a little bit bigger. There is a resurgence of enquiring social media posts along the lines of “Has anyone played dynasty fantasy football? It looks really fun but I’m not sure where or how to begin”. Every time I see one of these, I get excited. So excited in fact I have decided to write an article, for you – the enquiring mind. Here at Dynasty Football Factory, we want to ensure that all levels of dynasty players are catered for – from the beginner who has never been in a league, to the most seasoned of players. 

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