As we hit the halfway point of the 2026 fantasy football season, things are starting to coalesce in the DNA Dynasty League. The contenders are starting to separate themselves from the pack, and the bottom squads are desperately looking to either avoid the Nerd Herd vote or to aggressively lean into a tear-down and throw themselves on the mercy of the readers. The NFL action has also been full of twists and turns involving last-minute heroics and heartbreaks, along with the usual injury woes and the random heroes emerging from the shadows. With all of this in mind, let us examine the upcoming Week 8 matchups and highlight the amazing week that was in the NFL.
NFL Week 7 Recap | Headlines
The Icy Hot Bowl started the week off as 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers and 40-year-old Joe Flacco had a duel for the ages. Fantasy points flew as both teams featured 100-yard rushers and receivers. But the QB duel was the highlight of the night with Rodgers putting up 249 yards to go along with 4 TD passes. Despite these fantastic numbers, Flacco got the better of the night, going for 342 yards and 3 scores after less than a week with the team.
The NFL Week 7 action saw yet another Mile High Miracle as the Broncos edged the Giants in dramatic fashion. Bo Nix and the Broncos were shut out through the first 3 quarters of game action before turning it on in the final frame. Their 33 points in the 4th quarter were the most ever in franchise history. Despite the dramatic loss, Jaxson Dart, Cam Skattebo, and the Giants gave us some nice points for our squads.
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Elsewhere around the league, Daniel Jones continued his bid for comeback player of the year with another win for the Colts. They outpointed the Chargers on their way to their league-leading 6th victory. Once again, Jonathan Taylor was a monster, coming away with 3 scores, upping his season total into the double digits.
Week 7 also saw the return of the real CMC. The 49ers rode their All-Pro RB to a much-needed victory. Christian McCaffrey put up 129 yards and 2 scores on the ground while also chipping in 7 grabs for an additional 72 yards in the receiving game.
Don’t look now, but the Chicago running game has come to life since the bye week. This week, the Bears sported a pair of playable RBs with D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai both putting up double-digit point weeks with a TD. Can they keep it going?
Are we seeing the emergence of a new No.1 overall WR? Jaxson Smith-Njigba put up a(nother) monster game. He helped pace the Seahawks’ victory over the lurching Texans with a healthy 8 grabs for 123 yards and a score. To say that he and new QB Sam Darnold are on the same page would be an understatement.
Standings| DNA League Snapshot
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3 Up & 3 Down: Which Dynasty Assets Are Producing And Who Is Letting You Down?
3 Up
- D’Andre Swift has been one of the hottest RBs in the NFL over the last two weeks, since coming out of the bye week. He put up over 100 rushing yards in each game with a trip to the endzone in each contest as the Bears have looked to feature the running game to open up the passing lanes.
- Jaxson Dart has quickly become a must-start in your dynasty leagues. The rookie out of Ole Miss has been a force of nature, shining new light on the Giants’ future. Just wait until he gets a healthy Malik Nabers back into the lineup. The sky is the limit for this kid. But for now, his high rushing floor and dynamic playmaking ability make him a must-start.
- With this coming Sunday being National TE Day, we would be remiss if we didn’t highlight the continued development of one of the league’s newest TEs. Chargers TE Orande Gadsden had another massive week. He turned a whopping 9 targets from Justin Herbert into 7 catches for 164 yards and a score, good for 31.40 fantasy points in the DNA League. Hope that you grabbed him early because the price just shot up.
3 Down
- The good news for his managers was that George Kittle was finally back in Week 7. The bad news is that he put up exactly zero fantasy points. I don’t expect this trend to continue, but for his dynasty managers, this wasn’t the type of week they were looking for in his return. Hopefully, we can expect better this coming Sunday with George’s favorite holiday (National TE Day).
- Woody Marks was the talk of he dynasty community following his big Week 4. Since then, his managers have gotten precious little from the rookie RB. Many were hoping for a new focus on the young RB out of the Texans’ bye week. What we got was a disappointing 1.5 ypc effort. As TD saved his day but his efficiency will need to tick up in a big way going forward.
- TreVeyon Henderson was one of he hottest names in the dynasty community following the NFL draft. Many expected the dynamic rookie RB to assume control of the Patriots’ backfield. Well, not only has that not happened, but he is also failing to put up any fantasy-relevant games. Week 7 marked the 6th week of the year which he failed to hit double-digit points. In fact, it was a season low of 0.5 points! Now is the time to send out those offers, as his managers may be getting antsy and he literally has nowhere to go but up.
DNA League Trivia | In honor of National TE Day, who was the first TE to have a 1,000-yard receiving season?
Notable Week 7 Injuries
Quarterbacks across the league were falling like Nancy Kerrigan as we lost three to leg injuries. Bryce Young, Jayden Daniel, and Michael Penix Jr. all suffered leg injuries. Penix appears to be ok, but we will need to keep an eye on Daniels and Young, with the latter all but certain to miss this week’s game against Buffalo. Fire up the Red Rifle as Andy Dalton will draw the start.
Proving that Saints can indeed be cursed, New Orleans RB Kendre Miller has suffered a season-ending knee injury. He was enjoying the best season of his career prior to the injury. This will open the door for intriguing rookie Devin Neal to grab some work behind team legend Alvin Kamara.
The WR position made it through the week relatively healthy. But, we did lose notable TE names such as Darren Waller and Cole Kmet to upper body injuries. Waller has been usable when healthy. While Kmet has been difficult to play, his absence would create an opening to use disappointing rookie Colston Loveland on National TE Day.
Week 7 Highlights
- No change at the top: Garret Price maintained his position at the top of the standings with the highest score of the week. His 207.33 point effort was spearheaded by Dak Prescott (29.01), Jahmyr Gibbs (37.55), AJ Brown (27.10), and newly acquired Davante Adams (25.00). Can anyone stop this runaway Skattebo train?
- Playoff Race Note: The race for the final playoff spot remains extremely tight. Mychal Warno maintains his grip on the last spot, but he is only a single game up on Jared Wackerly and Jon Glosser. Keith Ensminger and John Hammersmith can’t be counted out either, at just two back with plenty of games to play. This race is going to come down to the wire.
Matchup of the Week | Rich Dotson vs Jared Wackerly
- MVP of the Week: While Justin Herbert’s first half may have had Dynasty Rich pining for his old flame Danny Dimes, Justin put that thought to bed with a blistering second-half effort that saw him end the day with over 400 passing yards and 3 scores. He chipped in an additional 31 yards on 6 carries.
- Bench Blunder: The blunder of the week was unquestionably Jared Wackerly’s decision to play Chig Okonkwo over Pat Freiermuth. The Pittsburgh TE exploded for 28.60 points with a 5 catch for 111 yards and 2 score effort. The difference would have single-handedly changed the outcome of the game.
- Commentary: This one was a tight contest coming down to a 13.19 point margin of victory. Jared Wackerly could have pulled out the W had he put Jacoby Brissett and Kyle Monangai into his lineup. Both would have been bold plays given their recent efforts, but as they say, fortune favors the bold. Sometimes we see points on our bench that the weekly consensus doesn’t see. I, for one, would rather go down with my gut as opposed to losing with my guys on the bench. Just some food for thought.
Weekly Awards | National TE Day Addition
MVP of the Week
Nick Piovano takes home the honors this week. He squeeked out the tightest victory of the week with a 159.33 to 151.50 win over Matt Cooper. That is a razor-thin 7.83 point margin of victory. This contest featured 5 total TEs in the starting lineup, including TJ Hockenson, Tucker Kraft, Harold Fannin Jr., Zach Ertz, and Trey McBride.
Overachiever
Keith Ensminger was the overachiever of the week. His squad outscored their predicted total by over 20 points. He was helped in this effort by a big 16.10 point effort by Giants TE Theo Johnson.
Underachiever
Peter Monahan takes home the Razzie for Week 7. His squad performed below expectations, getting particularly poor performances out of Justin Fields (2.79) and Travis Kelce (8.90). Based on past performances, this team has the ammo to climb back up the ladder in a hurry.
Manager Spotlight | Interview With Garret Price | @Garret Price
Q: So tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from, what team do you root for, and how long have you been with Dynasty Nerds?
A: My hometown is Granville, Ohio. I am a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan. I have been with the Nerds for the past 7 years. I am a Co-Owner and head of content.
Q: How did you originally get into fantasy football?
A: I got into it the same way lots of us do, trash-talking about sports with my buddies in college.
Q: Correct me if I’m wrong, but you played some college football yourself, no?
A: I did indeed. I played Linebacker for the Malone University Pioneers, No. 35.
Q: How do you feel about your chances in this league?
A: Overall, I feel good about my odds of winning it. Between already being in 1st place and then making a big contender trade recently, I think I will be a tough team to defeat.
Q: What was your thought process when you made your big trade recently? Do you feel that fills the holes you had in your squad?
A: In this league, there are so many starting spots. Even with Skattebo and Javonte being very pleasant surprises this early, having a solid starting lineup during the bye weeks is almost impossible. With these 3 WRs, I should be comfortable as long as the injury bug doesn’t strike.
Q: Who do you feel is your biggest competition this year?
A: Rich has done pretty well, as have Peter and Doc, so I know that if I slip up, they are not far behind me.
Q: Do you have anything to say to the Nerd Herd or any trash to talk to your opponents this week? Anything at all you would like to say, this is your forum.
A: Nothing to anyone specific, more so just happy to show how much smarter I am than everyone else. LOL
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Trade of the Week
Since we talked about it, here it is. Garret Price looked to shore up his WR depth by acquiring Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, and A.J. Brown from Taylor Christianson. The move is a big gamble for Taylor because he has zero recourse other than to throw himself on the mercy of the Nerd Herd and hope that they allow him to see this rebuild out and make all of these high-end picks he is acquiring. The move obviously gives Garret some really nice depth and sets him up for a potential title run.
Elimination Watch | Bottom 3 in the Danger Zone
The Danger Zone
- Taylor Christianson (2–12): At this point, he will likely be looking for mercy from the Nerd Herd.
- Matt Cooper (3–11): The writing may be on the wall, but he still has time to climb to the #9 spot and avoid an elimination vote.
- John Hammersmith (5–9): Despite pulling out the double win last week, John slips to the #10 spot. Given that he is only one game behind the #7 seed, he has plenty of time to get this turned around and avoid an elimination vote.
Looking Ahead | Week 8 Preview
- Game of the Week Prediction: Although he has a better record and point total, Rich Dotson plays Nick Piovano with playoff implications on the line. Depth is becoming increasingly key in this league with the bye weeks at hand. Can Rich replace Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trevor Lawrence in his lineup, or will Nick take it home with zero key players on bye?
- Rivalry Watch: At 3-11, Matt Cooper takes on Jon Glosser this week. Matt is desperately looking to improve his record and climb the standings out of the bottom 3. Jon has enjoyed a better season to date at 6-8, but with Dalton Kincaid injured and Sam LaPorta on bye, can his squad hold up with Orande Gadsden at the TE spot?
- Upset Alert: Strange as it may sound, I have our top seed, Garret Price, 12-2, on upset alert in Week 8 against Peter Monahan, 9-5. Pete was at the top of the standings for most of the year, and if there were ever a week to catch Garret, it is this one. He has a ton of players on bye, including Jahmyr Gibbs, Ashton Jeanty, Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, and Sam Darnold! Will he have the depth to fill out a good enough lineup? We will see against a tough opponent in Peter.
Discord and Chaos | Your League, Your Community
As much fun as this league has been, the interactions on Discord have made this experience even better. Thank you for following along and always feel free to hit us up on the #Nerds-App-League channel. If you aren’t there, come and join us! We’ve been posting the latest moves and updates on there while enjoying getting to know readers like you.
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Trivia Answer | Mike Ditka — The Chicago Bears legend was one of the best TEs to ever grace the field before taking up the headset. He won both an NFL Championship and a Super Bowl as a player before winning it all as a coach of the legendary 1985 Bears. In his rookie season, he set the mark with 56 grabs for 1,076 yards and 12 scores in just a 14-game schedule in 1961. This rookie record held up until last season, when it was finally broken by Brock Bowers with 1,194 yards in 17 games. (click to return)
