Warning! Dynasty Leagues are NOTHING like Redraft leagues!
Posted on 03. Jul, 2010 by Andy Miley in Columns, Draft Strategy
If you’re anything like me, then you started out playing in redraft leagues and have had success at that level. Now you’re ready for more. How hard could it be to make the jump to Dynasty leagues? I mean you still play every season to win right, how much different can it be?
It is thinking like that which can get a fantasy owner in trouble quickly playing Dynasty Fantasy Football. Let’s explore some common issues that first time Dynasty owners have.
Pay attention to age: For the first time you really have to take age into consideration if you want to build a solid foundation for years to come. Many new Dynasty owners will either tend to stay with the established veterans that are getting up in age or will go for complete youth. In actuality you need to have a nice compromise of both age and youth to make your dynasty team a team that can win now and is still built to continue to grow into a strong fantasy Dynasty. Guys like Randy Moss and Fred Jackson will fall a little in initial drafts as your fellow drafters take the young guns like Miles Austin and Pierre Thomas.
This is a solid strategy; however, WRs like Hines Ward and Derrick Mason are great examples of bargain flex players as they can be drafted later than their younger counterparts. Blending a team with rookies, talented 2nd to 4th year players, and established reliable veterans is the best of all worlds. A team that is too young will take a lot of time to develop.
Remember it is difficult to predict the NFL landscape more than one to three years down the road. Some sure-fire rookies never amount to the hype that they were given. In 2008, Devin Thomas was considered the best fantasy WR coming out of the draft, but it was DeSean Jackson and Eddie Royal who shined that year. Now, after last year, it may only be Jackson that is a true fantasy force. A team that is too old may win you a title, but then it will take a few seasons to rebuild your dynasty. Having a balanced team will give you the flexibility to trade when you need to trade and never get too old or too young.
Don’t fall in love with your players: The truth of the matter is players get old and sometimes hype is bigger than reality. Trading away a big name player before they start to decline is the key, never be holding the bag on the next Shaun Alexander. For example, last year I needed RB help so I traded away Josh Freeman, a 2010 2nd, and 4th for L Tomlinson as he was getting the goal line carries and I needed a 3rd RB. I already had Rodgers and Campbell so I felt comfortable trading my 3rd young QB. LT filled in nicely and I probably gave up a little too much for him, but I ended up making the playoffs. It was worth it to me; I traded LT for the 2.08 rookie pick this year before he signed with the Jets. Hype is another tool to use. If you think that Darrius Heyward-Bey (DHB) is being valued too much, see what you can get for him, even if you are a Raiders fan (God bless you if you are). Flavor Flav always said “Don’t believe the Hype!” BUT feel free to use the hype to set up a trade that will benefit your team in the long run.
Don’t sell tomorrow to win today: In most Dynasty leagues you can trade for future draft picks. Try not to be one of those owners that is always selling next year’s picks for value this year. Sometimes it is worth the risk, but if you do it too often, you will find that you are always continually behind the eight ball when those great draft picks of next year are going off the board and you are sitting there trying to trade for those draft picks. Use your future picks wisely, the value of those picks won’t be known until the end of the current season and the pick you traded away thinking it would be a late pick, may very well become the 1.01 pick in 2011. I know a guy last August who traded away his 2010 1st round pick for Steve Slaton. That 2010 pick become the 1.01 and eventually RB Ryan Mathews. Who’s laughing now?
Remember that draft picks hold more value as they get closer to the actual draft.
Don’t trade just to trade: Trading is often an important, and fun, part of playing Fantasy Football, but don’t be one of those owners who just trades for the sake of trading. You’re team will never be settled and one of two things will most likely happen; either you trade out of a good team to a bad one, and/or other owners will start to be afraid to trade with you since you do it so much.
Sometimes it is better not to make the trade than to make it. I have been one of those silly owners as I traded Vincent Jackson for Mark Clayton in 2007, because I wanted to shake things up. Next time I want to shake things up I will go to my local ice cream shop for a chocolate shake. Duh!
The waiver wire management is very important. Be smart about it. Many teams have been ruined by using 98% of their waiver wire funds on a player like Mike Bell, a few years ago, when he was announced as the Denver RB starter. The team then had little room to maneuver on the waiver wire and couldn’t make trades to stay competitive. Set waiver wire limits for your team. Don’t spend more than 50% on a specific player and keep some in reserve as even kickers get hurt or cut in the final 10 games.
Don’t get caught sleeping! Stay active! You joined a dynasty league for a reason, because you wanted a challenge and to build a juggernaut. If you want to be the best you need to follow the NFL Draft, free agency (NFL’s and your league’s), and coaching changes 12 months a year. Taking 20 minutes daily to read up on your players, and logging into your dynasty league to check for activity and trades can be the difference between making the playoffs or the toilet bowl. Good owners don’t want trade offers sitting around for days or weeks; have the common courtesy to get back to people in a timely manner. As I have said before, the NFL can change in a New York minute. Owners that adapt win; owners that don’t adapt donate the league fee and end up quitting, because they just can’t handle the pressure or correct their mistakes.
Let’s break it down: Have a balanced team with rookies, talented 2nd to 4th year players, and veterans. Don’t fall in love with your players. Use name recognition and hype to your favor. Try not to trade next year’s picks for this year’s picks. Don’t trade just to trade. Use your waiver wire wisely. Be an active owner.
Good luck.
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