Using Historical NFL Combine Data To Find 2026 Dynasty Fantasy Football Buys
Sam Wallace looks at young players who posted good historical NFL Combine Results and breaks down how to approach them in dynasty leagues.
The 2026 NFL Combine is right around the corner, which means it's time to look back and see just how useful this event has been for dynasty fantasy football managers in recent seasons. Does the 40-yard dash even matter anymore? Does this event just help confirm our priors? Let's take a closer look and see what we can find.
RELATED: How much does the NFL Draft Combine matter for fantasy football?
Dynasty Fantasy Football Buys With Strong Combine Testing History
Jaylin Noel | WR | HOU
When I first started looking at previous combine results, I simply went back one season and started pursuing results from the WRs. If these results mean anything, then Jaylin Noel is a screaming dynasty trade target with significant upside.
Drafted in Round 3 by the Houston Texans, Noel had a disappointing Year 1 for a Day 2 rookie wideout. He failed to reach 300 receiving yards despite appearing in all 17 games and only scored two TDs.
However, it's easy to forget that he dominated the combine. Here's how he stacked up against fellow wideouts:
- Vertical Jump - 41.5 (1st)
- Broad Jump - 134 (1st)
- Bench Press - 23 (1st)
- 20-Yard Shuttle - 4.12 (2nd)
- 40-Yard Dash - 4.39 (9th)
While his 40-time placement of ninth isn't anything special on its own, the fact that he did everything else super well and still ran in the 4.3s is something worth mentioning.
Noel fell out of 3-WR sets this season behind Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins and Christian Kirk. While Collins is the clear-cut No. 1 option and Higgins has established himself as a solid No. 2 option, Kirk is a free agent heading into this offseason. The Texans have little incentive to keep him, considering they have both Noel and Tank Dell waiting in the wings.
We shouldn't automatically chase high-end combine performers, but when they check that many boxes, earn Day 2 draft capital, and land in a solid offensive environment, they are likely worth being patient on in dynasty formats.
Refresh yourself on recent combine performances and go trade for players like Noel.
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Bhayshul Tuten | RB | JAX
The 2025 NFL Draft Class gave us yet another player we needed to exercise just a bit of patience on in Year 1 before they truly broke out.
While I laid out the combine/offensive environment case for Noel, many of the same talking points apply to Bhayshul Tuten.
Selected by the Jaguars in Round 4 last spring, Tuten dominated his position group at the combine. Among all RBs:
- 40-Yard Dash - 4.32 (1st)
- Vertical Jump - 40.5 (1st)
- Broad Jump - 130 (2nd)
Tuten appeared in 15 games this season but spent all of them behind veteran Travis Etienne, who appeared in all 17 games and is going to get a nice contract from someone. Etienne is one of the top RBs to hit free agency this offseason, and with Javonte Williams signing an extension in Dallas, the options for teams are dwindling.
Recent news has suggested that Etienne has significant interest in joining the Chiefs. While I don't like projecting talented FAs to the Chiefs any more than you do, it is an area of legitimate need for Kansas City. While some have projected the Chiefs to draft Jeremiyah Love, there's a world where they sign a guy like Etienne.
Elite combine, decent draft capital, good landing spot … the stars aligned for Noel, and it appears as though they are doing the same with Tuten. Don't let the combine be something you watch once and never look at again. It's a useful data point for painting broader pictures and storylines each offseason.
Hope For The 2024 RB Class In Dynasty Fantasy Football?
The 2024 RB Class was lacking in clear-cut, top-end talent (at least early on), but it did ultimately give us Bucky Irving.
What about the rest of those guys? I'm talking about:
And there are even a few others that have flashed at various times, like Kimani Vidal, Tyrone Tracy, Ray Davis and Blake Corum.
It's become a weirdly deep class with more questions than answers, but there still might be some upside lurking beneath the surface.
While three different players ran sub-4.4 40s and a few others posted solid marks in other events, it's guys like Wright and Benson that continue to catch my eye. Wright has the speed and explosiveness to flip the field on a single play, but he's stuck behind De'Von Achane. Benson does a lot of things well, but has been stuck behind James Conner and has struggled to stay healthy over his first two seasons.
While it looks like Conner could be a cap casualty this offseason, Wright isn't getting by Achane anytime soon.
Sometimes, even the most promising prospects wind up in situations they just can't break out of, no matter how talented they appear on paper.
Here's also one final shoutout to Lloyd in the hopes that he can finally become even a small something in Green Bay.
Buy or Sell Ben Sinnot In Dynasty Fantasy Football?
Let's finish up by showing some love to the TEs.
We all know it's a position where you either have a top-end option you feel good about each week … or you don't. Even so, it's fun to look for hidden gems before they break out into a significant role.
A guy who fits that archetype is Ben Sinnott.
The Washington Commanders spent a second-round pick on him back in 2024 and proceeded to throw him the ball just 18 times in 33 games over his first two seasons. That's either a really bad knock on Sinnott or the Commanders just haven't found a way to integrate him into the offense.
Sinnott has played behind veteran Zach Ertz over the last two seasons, but Ertz is old, has a torn ACL and is a free agent. That doesn't bode well for future job security.
Is now the time for Sinnott to shine? Well, his combine certainly tells us it's possible.
Back in 2024, Sinnott topped his position in both the Vertical Jump and Broad Jump, and finished third in the 20-Yard Shuttle. He's an above-average athlete with strong draft capital for a TE. He's also on a productive offense led by one of the better young QBs in football, Jayden Daniels.
That all adds up to a promising outlook heading into Year 3.
The metrics and draft capital were there; all that was standing in his way was Ertz, and it looks like that won't be a problem moving forward.
Another instance of being patient, even when the stars were all aligning. Go make some trade offers for Sinnott before Ertz is let go and the hype train inevitably starts to build.
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