We break down the notable stories from the Big Ten this season.
We take a very early look at the possible top options in your 2026 rookie drafts.
We take an early look at what your rookie draft options could be in 2026.
We take a very early look at what your rookie draft options could be in 2026.
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At DLF, we offer a variety of dynasty rankings to share our values and guide dynasty managers towards building dominant and competitive rosters for years to come. Those rankings offerings include regularly updated top-250 lists for 1QB and superflex leagues, along with rookie, devy, IDP, and the original set of Cornerstone rankings in the dynasty space. We pride ourselves on avoiding “cookie-cutter” rankings and allowing our team of experts to present the rankings that they themselves use to build strong dynasty squads.
With that said, when we see a player ranked much higher or lower compared to consensus rankings, it can sometimes raise an eyebrow. While I never doubt or diminish these ranks, I do sometimes wonder why. What am I overlooking about this player that led to the aggressive placement in the data set? That’s exactly what I will try to answer in this series.
I’ve reached out to each of our team members who contribute any type of rankings to Dynasty League Football, asking them about the players they are highest and lowest on, compared to consensus ranks. I hope this series will shed some light on the thought process of our team and potentially change your thinking about individual players.
This week, we are hearing from one of our devy experts, Joe Cretini. In case you’re not aware, devy refers to developmental, rostering college players on dynasty rosters before they actually make it to the NFL. We realize devy is a niche of our dynasty niche but it’s just so fun. Many dynasty managers are actually a bit intimidated to try devy from what I have seen, presumably because they do not follow college football nearly as closely as the NFL. Playing devy can also be very helpful to dynasty managers as you are simply exposed to these prospects earlier than you might have been otherwise. Finally, in some ways, devy is like IDP in that the rules from league to league can vary greatly. The most common setting allows for a team to roster between one and five devy players per year. Let’s get to our conversation with Joe.
| Higher | Lower | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | DLF Avgerage | Joe's Ranking | Difference | Player | DLF Avgerage | Joe's Ranking | Difference | ||
| Dallas Wilson | 56 | 28 | 28 | Nicholas Singleton | 7 | 13 | -6 | ||
| Julian Sayin | 39 | 26 | 13 | Jeremiyah Love | 8 | 15 | -7 | ||
| Bryant Wesco | 15 | 8 | 7 | Carnell Tate | 9 | 18 | -9 | ||
1. You’re very high on Florida incoming freshman Dallas Wilson, ranking him 28th overall compared to his consensus rank of 56. Wilson got off to a fast start in the Gators’ spring game, but the depth chart is crowded. In general, given the unknown factor and the expected long wait, how do you value freshmen in devy leagues?
Joe Cretini: I think Wilson has a lot going for him this season to skyrocket up rankings. I’m not terribly concerned about the depth chart at this point. Eugene “Tre” Wilson III will operate mostly out of the slot as the main target for DJ Lagway, but I anticipate DDJ Lagway, but I anticipate Dallas Wilson will compete with incoming redshirt senior transfer J Michael Sturdivant for the WR2 spot, and I personally like his odds of winning that battle.
Dallas Wilson | Credit: Matt Pendleton
As a part of a larger value conversation about devy players as dynasty assets, I believe that incoming, high-pedigree freshman offer some of the greatest upside in all of the format. A path to playing time is critical. The sooner they get on the field, the sooner you can get an idea of what kind of value trajectory they are on. Last year, we saw huge seasons out of many true freshmen, and now the 2027 draft class is looking to be an especially good one. Some freshmen I’m betting on to make an instant impact and rise up rankings into the season other than Wilson include Clemson running back Gideon Davidson and Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood. Spring practices are a great time to keep an ear out for good news on incoming freshman as well so you can get a better idea of who is turning heads and forcing their way onto the field in the fall.
