As the NFL season approaches, we are entering a critical window to buy and sell players before they put production on tape in 2026. Let’s take a look at some of the most-traded players of the last week and determine if you should be buying or selling based on recent real-life Sleeper trades.

For this exercise, we’ll take a look at the OTC Trade Database, the OTC Consensus Rankings (including Jax, Joe, and Trav’s rankings, plus DH and KTC ranks), and the Trade Value Tool.

Here’s a snapshot of the 10 most-traded players across the last week:

Jaylen Waddle

• WR24 in consensus ranks

• #60 overall in SF rankings

• #65 in KTC rankings

• 27.2 points in OTC Trade Value (WR27)

Jaylen Waddle has been one of the buzziest players of the offseason, after he was acquired by the Denver Broncos to become the #1 option in the passing game. This is an upgrade in nearly every way for Waddle, who has flashed as a #2 in Miami the last several years. Because we haven’t seen him in this Denver offense yet, we’ve got a unique buy/sell window with Waddle. Below are some recent trades from the OTC Trade Database.

Jaylen Waddle --> Javonte Williams

Everyone in the OTC space favors Waddle by a wide margin in this deal. Jax, Joe, and Trav all have a 30+ position gulf between the two in overall ranks, but DynastyHelper and KTC both suggest this trade is achievable. DH ranks Waddle at 71 and Williams at 73, while KTC ranks Waddle at 65 and Williams at 76 overall. Whenever you see this much of a discrepancy between the OTC rankers and the internet, this presents a nice BUY opportunity. My move: BUY Waddle

Jaylen Waddle --> Bayshul Tuten

Another smoking hot name this offseason, Tuten is another black box player for 2026. All the rankings (OTC, DH, and KTC) have Waddle higher, so the only way I’m valuing Tuten over Waddle is if I’m super thin at RB. We won’t really know what Tuten’s role will be in the Jacksonville backfield until we see it in action. Chris Rodriguez could steal goal-line work, and LeQuint Allen could steal passing-down work. We could be looking at a watered-down Bucky Irving type of situation for Tuten this year. My move: BUY Waddle

Jaylen Waddle --> Bucky Irving

Speaking of Irving… I covered him in my last BUY/SELL article, and (spoiler alert!) I’m not buying much of him this offseason. All reports are that Kenneth Gainwell is his equal, and Sean Tucker is still hanging around as well. Plus, with all pass-catchers mostly healthy to start the season, we should see more of the passing game go through the WRs in 2026. My move: BUY Waddle

Jaylen Waddle --> 2027 1st

This one may be as simple as assessing whether you are a Contender or Rebuilder in your dynasty league. I own one share of Waddle on a rebuilder team, and I used the OTC Bulk Trade Tool to send him to every manager for a 2027 1st. Anecdotally, I didn’t get any bites on the offer, but I think this is a totally fair ask, and I'll likely offer it again once Waddle has a big week. I think Waddle could smash this year, so if I’m a contender but need one more strong WR/FLEX, I’d strongly consider doing this deal. There’s a decent chance we are nearing the end of Courtland Sutton’s career in Denver. Although Waddle will turn 28 this season, he should be able to put up two or three more strong seasons. The OTC Trade Calculator values a 2027 1st at 28.2 points and Waddle at 27.2 points – a near toss-up. My move: BUY Waddle for a Contender, SELL Waddle for a Rebuilder

Verdict: BUY Waddle – I think Waddle is in for a huge season in Denver, but once we see it on the field, his trade value will surge. I’m getting in while I still can and going along for the ride.

Zay Flowers

• WR25 in consensus ranks

• #62 overall in SF rankings

• #50 in KTC rankings

• 28.4 points in OTC trade value (WR24)

Despite being ranked right next to Waddle in the OTC consensus ranks, Flowers carries quite a bit more weight to the average consumer via the KTC ranks (#65 overall for Waddle, #50 overall for Flowers). Maybe it’s the 2-year age difference, because otherwise, these players offer a fairly similar profile, in my opinion. Flowers really broke out last year, finishing as WR7 in PPR, after finishing as WR25 and WR31 in his two years prior. His volume and efficiency both increased, and things are looking up for another strong year in 2026. Below are some current 1-for-1 trades involving Flowers.

Zay Flowers --> Makai Lemon  

It’s always tricky trading away a proven commodity for an unproven one. In a case like this, I tend to defer to the guy who has shown it to me on an NFL field. My gut says stick with Flowers. However, there are a couple of data points that have me questioning my gut. For starters, the OTC WR Prospect Model is one of the very best WR projection tools on the market, and this model highly favors Lemon’s profile coming out of college over Flowers’. Secondly, and maybe unsurprisingly, Trav and Jax rank Lemon > Flowers by a substantial margin (66 to 85 for Trav, 39 to 57 for Jax), while Joe ranks them only 2 spots apart (44 to 42). I still think whether you are a Contender or Rebuilder needs to be considered in this particular trade, but in a vacuum, I have to lean Lemon. My move: SELL Flowers

Zay Flowers --> Rome Odunze

This is a bit of a wild one, as KTC has these players ranked very evenly – but we all know Trav (Mrs. Odunze, if you nasty) absolutely LOVES him some Rome Odunze. His love of Rome and apparent hatred of Flowers (ranking him nearly 30 spots below the next lowest ranker!) pulls the consensus ranks heavily in Rome’s favor (Rome checks in as WR17 to Flowers’ WR25). But I’m on record as being a huge Luther Burden stan, and this is my Lee Corso “not so fast!” moment – give me Flowers as the true WR1 in his offense. My move: BUY Flowers

Zay Flowers --> Tetairoa McMillan

I get that Lamar Jackson >> Bryce Young, but this one is way too cute for me. Tet showed out as a rookie (en route to Offensive ROY honors), and at 6’5”, he’s much more of a red zone threat than the 5’9” Flowers. I expect McMillan’s efficiency to improve, and I think his 7 TDs in 2025 is a floor number for his career (Zay’s career-high thus far is 5 TDs). Flowers may outscore McMillan again this year, but I think the long-term play is very obviously Tet. My move: SELL Flowers

Zay Flowers --> Cam Skattebo

Despite Skattebo being perhaps the most entertaining player in the NFL, his reckless play style makes me a bit nervous. Don’t get me wrong, I love rostering guys who are absolute characters, but Flowers is certainly the safer bet. Skattebo actually scored more PPR PPG than Flowers in 2025, and it’s not hard to imagine him doing the same in 2026. But I prefer WR to RB in dynasty, and the RBs I tend to roster are typically reliable grinders like Kyren Williams, Derrick Henry, and James Cook types. My move: BUY Flowers

Flowers has also been traded for Javonte Williams and 2027 1sts, just like Waddle. In those deals, I’m favoring Flowers as well.

Verdict: This one is a bit more split, which tells me the market isn’t quite as obviously advantageous for buying or selling. But your league is its own unique ecosystem, and I would recommend pushing the limits to see if you can find the edges. If you have Flowers, send him for someone like Tet or Lemon and see if you can get a bite; if you don’t have Flowers, try sending someone like Javonte, Skat, or Odunze, and see if you can upgrade. Overall, I’m more on the BUY side of Zay.

David Montgomery

• RB22 in consensus ranks

• #96 overall in SF rankings

• #111 in KTC rankings

• 17.0 in OTC trade value (RB26)

Montgomery is another hyped-up player this offseason, as he heads to Houston to take on presumptive lead-back duties. He started his career as a 3-down back in Chicago, before taking on the “Knuckles” role in Detroit’s backfield. Now, being 29 years old this season, in a new offensive environment, predictions range from “Workhorse RB1” to “washed-up, fading plodder.” The drumbeat of Woody Marks most naturally fitting as a pass-catching back has me nervous. Let’s see what kinds of deals are being made for Monty this week.

David Montgomery --> Brian Thomas

I get that BTJ was a rough watch last year, and I also get that the receiving room is awfully crowded in Jacksonville. But this is a much more competent offense and scheme, and BTJ is like 5+ years younger than Montgomery. I’m not even really buying Monty as a better player for a Contender this year, because BTJ could smash as he did in 2024. My move: SELL Monty

David Montgomery --> Quentin Johnston

The OTC boys all favor Montgomery in this deal quite a bit (30+ rankings spots). DH and KTC have this much closer. QJ started the 2025 season absolutely on fire, which gives me a bit of pause in dealing him away for Monty. What if he is healthy and featured again this year? What if Mike McDaniel helps him find more consistent success? He put together four top-25 weeks in a row last season (including two top-6 weeks!); that’s a ceiling that I don’t think Montgomery has anymore. However, until we see how the targets are going to be distributed in Los Angeles, it’s fair to question if QJ will lose more work to Tre Harris, Oronde Gadsden, or David Njoku this season. My move: BUY Monty

The good news is you can likely get more for Montgomery anyway, because…

David Montgomery --> Christian Watson, Harold Fannin Jr., Jameson Williams

What are we doing here, people??? This is your quarterly PSA that you absolutely need to shoot your shot when it comes to trades. If there is even one person in your league who believes David Montgomery is a league-winner this year, you need to take them to the cleaners. I’m not even saying this person is wrong; I know that a 29-year-old RB switching teams is very unlikely to be worth as much as any of the guys listed in this trade this year, and most certainly not over the next several years. My move: SELL Monty

Verdict: SELL Monty - While I do expect you'll get solid production out of Montgomery this season, I don't think his value is going to go any higher than it is right now. And if the woeful Houston offensive line can't open holes for him, or if his age catches up to him this year, you'll be glad you sold high.

As is the case with any of the hot names switching teams in an offseason, you owe it to yourself to test the market in your league to see if the perceived value has shifted. Put a player on the block and see what offers come to you; send out bulk trades via the OTC Bulk Trade Tool; and DM your opponents to get the conversation started. And again, timing is everything. If you can extract maximum value before the season starts, you’ll be in a position to crush your competition.