Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets Ahead Of Week 1: Buy Kaelon Black

The market in dynasty fantasy football never sleeps, and even with rookie and startup drafts in the rearview mirror, it's important to stay active. Let's dive into my dynasty fantasy football trade targets before Week 1's kickoff tonight.

Trade Targets In Dynasty Fantasy Football For Week 1

Brian Robinson, RB - Falcons

One of the most important offseason moves you can make in dynasty fantasy football leagues is to secure the RB2 behind any elite RB you have. If, for some reason, you were unable to do so, there's still time, but the window is closing fast.

If you have Bijan Robinson on your team, you need to do (nearly) everything you can to trade for Brian Robinson before the season gets started. We know that it's essentially Bijan and Gibbs at the top of every draft board, so securing the backup Robinson should the starter Robinson get hurt is critical.

Aside from the obvious confusion about there being two B. Robinsons in Atlanta, Brian has been a steady producer throughout his career. He topped 700 rushing yards in each of his first three seasons in Washington before moving to a more complementary role in 2025 with the 49ers.

Word from camp is that Brian will have a goal-line role this season, which will likely cause some Bijan managers to have PTSD from Tyler Allgeier and his eight rushing TDs from a season ago. Regardless, this backfield certainly belongs to Bijan, but managers should do what they can to secure Brian.

However, if you already have Brian (but not Bijan), I would be fine holding him as he may offer some standalone flex value in deeper formats. Then, if Bijan does go down with an injury, the asking price for Brian skyrockets.

Kaelon Black, RB - 49ers

Once again, the health of the 49ers offensively skill position players is squarely in the spotlight as we head into the 2026 season. Despite heading into his age-30 season, the 49ers are likely going to need Christian McCaffrey to handle another massive workload.

For context, his 311 rushing attempts in 2025 were a career high, and his 102 receptions were good for third-most in his career.

Understandably, this all begs the question … who will back up CMC should the injury bug (or age) finally get to him again? It's looking like an older rookie has the inside track to this highly coveted, fantasy-relevant role.

The 49ers spent a third-round pick on Kaelon Black, the 24-year-old out of Indiana. In his National Championship season, Black racked up:

186 rushing attempts
1,040 rushing yards (5.6 YPC)
10 TDs

Earlier this offseason, I said this about Black:

Normally, I'd hesitate about drafting an almost-25-year-old RB; however, if that player is a Day 2 pick that lands on a Kyle Shanahan-led offense, that more than makes up for it. Dynasty managers should feel comfortable drafting Black and even taking him a bit earlier than ADP, especially if you also roster CMC.

Similar to Bijan, there's no reason why CMC managers shouldn't exhaust every possible outcome to land Black on their roster. We have plenty of historical evidence that shows how fantasy-relevant this offense can be even for the relatively unknown players. Secure Black and pray that you never have to rely on him to win you a week in 2026.

Tank Bigsby, RB - Eagles

Over his first three seasons in the league, Tank Bigsby has given dynasty fantasy football managers mixed results. He was inefficient and ineffective as a rookie, scoring just twice on 50 rushing attempts while averaging a paltry 2.6 yards per carry. However, in 2024, he tallied:

168 rushing attempts
766 rushing yards (4.6 YPC)
7 TDs

After his two seasons with the Jaguars, Bigsby made the transition to Philadelphia in 2025, where he served mostly as a change-of-pace option behind Saquon Barkley. With Barkley coming back to earth last season after a stellar 2024 campaign, Bigsby is, once again, in line to serve as one of the top handcuff options in fantasy football.

It's hard to believe that Barkley is entering his age-29 season already. Life comes at you fast. We'll have to wait and see exactly what the identity of this Eagles offense is in 2026 and how much they'll continue to lean on Barkley. I would anticipate some additional reprieve for Barkley throughout the season, which could wind up meaning Bigsby has some additional value.

Much like we've seen with the aforementioned players, Barkley managers need to ensure Bigsby is on their roster before Week 1 officially kicks off.

Emmett Johnson, RB - Chiefs

We're going back to the rookie well for this last one. The Kansas City Chiefs will enter 2026 with a totally revamped backfield. They added Super Bowl Champion and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker and then drafted Emmett Johnson in Round 5 this past spring.

Coming in at No. 5 in our Rooke RB Model, Johnson was a late bloomer who never really did much until his final season in college. However, that final season was pretty special. Courtesy of Rotoballer, Johnson was the only player in college to average 150+ total yards per game last year. In addition, he finished first in the Big 10 with 1,451 rushing yards and finished second among all RBs in receptions (46). He capped off last season by also scoring 15 TDs.

Dwain McFarland gives these three players as Johnson's closest comps in his Super Model:

It's a mixed bag, but landing with the Chiefs could give the edge to a more positive, long-term outlook.

Recent reports out of camp have praised Johnson for his pass protection, which we know is a surefire way for a rookie RB to get on the field. Considering the Chiefs are hoping Patrick Mahomes (knee) is back to full strength, there's added optimism that Johnson could see the field more than we might expect early on.

Walker has had the benefit of Charbonnet balancing out some of the workload throughout his career. Will he be able to hold up under a full workload for the second straight season? Before we find out, dynasty managers who roster Walker should ensure that they have Johnson stashed before Week 1.