So you consider yourself a savvy fantasy footballer and feel you may be ready to take on a dynasty team, eh? Sure, you’ve won your work league and your friends league once or twice over the years, and that is awesome! Congrats on that! If I may now burst your bubble, please allow me to tell you that redraft, as fun as it is, is a walk in the park, a piece of cake, like taking candy from a baby, when compared to being a dynasty league player. The premise is essentially the same, draft a team, set your roster, hit the waiver, etc. However, there is one key element that is at the very core of everything that dynasty leagues are which separates them from redraft and keeper leagues: commitment. If you have agreed to or are thinking of taking the plunge into a startup dynasty league this year, then you need to read on and learn how to prepare yourself for one of the most fun long-term relationships you’ll ever have.
If you are reading this, I am going to assume that you have basic knowledge of fantasy football concepts that will not be covered extensively here, such as not drafting defenses and kickers until the last rounds. The article is a little long, as dynasty leagues are complex and deserve complex attention in order to succeed, but if you’re short on time just skip to the end for a cheat sheet on all the important stuff you need to know before draft day comes, then come back and read the full article when you have a bit more time on your hands.
Setting Up Your Dynasty League
Before we delve completely into strategy for a startup draft, I need to mention a few things up front that I believe are incredibly important when building a dynasty league. You need a commissioner who you can trust to do what is best for the league no matter what, you need the league to be composed of players who are serious about this commitment and won’t bail on you after year one, you need a hosting site that can accommodate all of the custom settings you want to have even if you have to pay for it, and no matter how hard or easy you want the league rules to be, above all else, you need to make your league fun for everyone involved. Following those simple guidelines will save you a lot of headache down the road because, after all, you may potentially be stuck with these league-mates for a loooooong time.
Win Now or Win Later?
There is no right way to approach building a dynasty team, which is probably what makes it so great. The flexibility and freedom you have to cultivate a team over the years is meant to mimic the ownership of a real team, and it means you can create your team however you want to. Though you can’t lump all dynasty startup strategies into these two categories, it is generally accepted that there are two schools of thought on building a dynasty team: Win Now or Win Later. Rather than being a choice between winning now or later, it is more of a spectrum with those two statements at either end of the extremes. Before you even start your research on players and strategies, you need to decide where you want to fall in that spectrum and approach your research based on that choice.
To illustrate each of these approaches, let’s examine a potential start to your draft from each of these extremes. If you are firmly in the Win Later group, the first 5 rounds of your startup draft might look something like this:
Odell Beckham Jr., Todd Gurley, Amari Cooper, Russell Wilson, and Travis Kelce.
If you are a potential Win Now candidate then the first 5 rounds of your draft may go this way:
Calvin Johnson, Marshawn Lynch, LeSean McCoy, Emmanuel Sanders, and Drew Brees.
I’ve exaggerated these potential picks a little to illustrate the point that no matter what you decide, you can end up with a team you’ll be really happy with. The hypothetical Win Now team has a high floor and ceiling, but limited longevity due the average age and wear of those players. The guys on the Win Later team still look like a pretty good squad, and the oldest of them is Russell Wilson at age 26. Barring major injuries, it is conceivable that you could still have every one of those guys on your team in ten years time. I can tell you right now that almost everyone in your league will likely have the goal of winning both now and later (just like real NFL teams) and that means that plenty of current studs with at least 2 years left of elite production may still go early.
Know Your League Rules/Scoring
Once you’ve figured out where you want to be competitively in the short and long term, you need to carefully study your league’s rules, especially scoring rules. I cannot stress this enough as it has everything to do with who you will want to draft, where you will draft them, and how competitive you will wind up being. Some leagues have 6 point passing TDs, some have -4 or -2 points for interceptions and fumbles lost, some leagues offer points per reception and points for return yards. Knowing things like how big your rosters are going to be each year, whether you are in an IDP* (individual defensive player) league, what the starting lineup configuration will be, and whether it is PPR (points per reception) or not will be equally crucial to your draft day success. Learn and know your league’s rules before taking any additional steps to prepare for your draft. Once you are comfortable with those, it is time to get into player research.
*If you’re in an IDP league, there are an abundance of quality IDP players and ranks are easy to find. Think of it like having multiple kickers, no way to predict how much opportunity they’ll get, but talent is paramount to value. J.J. Watt tops the list.
Research, Research Mock Draft, Research
The biggest advantage you can have in dynasty leagues is knowing which players have the most potential to benefit your team at any given round of your draft. This is accomplished by researching as much as you can about all the players you are considering, alternates with similar ability, and strategies relevant to your league. This research has to be more in depth than just their 2014 stats, it must include other factors too, such as career stat history, injury history, contract situation, new teammates or coaches that change a player’s situation/role, and of course, their age. Through the course of your research, keep notes and start a ranked list of players you know that you want to target. You’ll want that list with you for your mocks and on draft day. Once you have done enough research to name the starting offensive lineups of almost every team in the NFL, you are ready to mock draft.
Mocking is fun and easy because it is all pretend, so you can be as bold or as risk averse as you want. Find a site that hosts mock drafts that closely simulate your dynasty league’s scoring rules and size. There aren’t many dynasty mock draft rooms out there where you can draft against other live people, so you may have to try a combination of redraft mocks and dynasty rookie draft mocks in order to practice your strategy at different draft positions. If you’re serious about your real life startup draft, you’ll want to mock draft at least ten times at various draft positions to hone your strategy and get a better idea of who will fall to you in any given round.
Once you’ve researched and mock drafted, go back to your notes and organize your most wanted player list into tiers. A tiered approach can help you choose the players that are best for your team at each draft round by placing players of similar value/talent into ranked groups of 3 or 4 players you like by the round you think they’ll be available. There are numerous sites out there with dynasty rankings, articles, and cheat sheets, and I advise you to absorb as much of that information as you can, but your opinion of players is all that matters in the end. There is one place that I would recommend you visit above every other site out there, and that is Reddit’s Dynasty Fantasy Football Subreddit, /r/DynastyFF (www.reddit.com/r/DynastyFF/) Here you will find a collection of news, discussions, and an active community that is ready and eager to help you become the best dynasty player you can be. No matter what external ranks, cheat sheets, opinions, or ADPs you are looking at, remember to always draft the guy who is highest on YOUR board. Drafting according to someone else’s ranks or ADPs or the hosting site’s default rankings is the quickest way to draft a mediocre team.
(I am aware that many of you reading this will likely have found this article because you followed a link from Reddit, so welcome Redditors! Congrats on being smart about your approach to Dynasty Leagues!)
Player Evaluation
Even if you want to win now, you’ll likely want to have a player that lasts longer than one or two seasons. Some people go so far as to make strict rules for themselves to not draft a player over the age of 27 (which is a very Win Later thing to do), but it is important to be flexible when your pick comes. An interesting bit of information you may want to consider here is the differing longevity of players by their position. Wide receivers and quarterbacks typically have the longest careers in the NFL (other than kickers) and as such a little more value can be placed on young, elite WRs and QBs (depending on your league’s scoring rules.) Running backs are obviously important since there is a relative scarcity of production past the top tier, and most leagues will be starting two RBs each week. The physical nature of their position typically means that they won’t last as long in the league, though, and this needs to be understood and addressed in your startup draft and future rookie drafts/trades. You’ll need running backs on your team, but most importantly, you need talent and at least some longevity to become and remain competitive.
A common mistake in any league is drafting someone too early because you have a position you feel you want or need to fill, and it can be the kiss of death in a dynasty startup. It is so important to be flexible when your turn comes around, but if you believe someone is ranked too low, it can definitely be worth it to take them a round or two before where their ADP is. However, if you are passing on guys like Alfred Morris and Lamar Miller in the 5th round to reach for the QB you want, you are going to be filled with regret when you look back at what you’ve done. Always know what a player is worth to you, and similar worth players you can draft that you’ll still feel good about if your first pick is taken. This is why making a list of players you want with suitable alternates is so important, you’ll want to be flexible enough to get a great talent when they fall to you, and have a plan to fill your other positional needs in a later round.
Draft Day
It’s here! You’ve studied your league rules, researched, mock drafted, and have all of your notes on player evaluation in front of you. Exciting isn’t it? The time has come to put everything together and execute the draft that will shape your team for years to come. Grab a cold drink and some snacks, mess with the other owner’s heads a little if you’re in the same room, and get focused. Once the draft begins, watch the other player’s actions closely to see if you can gauge their strategies. There may be a run on a certain position such as RB or QB, which could create opportunities to grab multiple players from your top tiers.
First 6 picks are running backs and you didn’t get one? Snag Antonio, Odell, or Dez.
Luck, Rodgers, and Wilson just left the board back to back in the second round? Grab Gronk then C.J. Anderson in the frenzy.
Follow your rankings, grab the best player on the board (according to you) at every opportunity, don’t ever pick someone who plays for a team you like over a more talented player, and remember that talented players who are younger with long careers ahead of them are worth the most.
Don’t be afraid to come up a little short at a position if you are grabbing the highest value guys every round, because in the end you’re going to have a lot of value on your roster and can use your depth to work out trades with other owners who were probably less prepared and more impulsive than you were. Even if you wind up taking 5 straight wide receivers in the first 5 rounds, you might end up a little short at RB but with an otherwise well rounded team that includes Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, Mike Evans, Jordan Matthews, and Amari Cooper. You better believe that someone in your league will give you good trade value on one of those guys and you’ll still be stacked at the position after you fill your gaps.
Have Fun
At the end of the day, dynasty league fantasy football is still a game, and it should be fun. It takes a lot of energy researching, following news, working the waiver wire and trades to be successful whether you’re in year one or year twenty, but no matter what you should have fun doing it. There will be heartbreaking losses, triumphant wins, waiver wire gems found, busts held onto for too long, and if you’re lucky maybe even a playoff run in your first year. No matter what happens, find and stick to a strategy that works for you and simply enjoy the game you’re playing.
Don’t hesitate to hit me up on Reddit or Twitter with any questions about Dynasty and Keeper Leagues, Player Rankings, Startup Drafts, Rookie Drafts, Snake or Auction Drafts, differing player evaluations from dynasty to redraft leagues, or literally any other #fantasyfootball or #DynastyFF question you have. @Dieseltruck81
Dynasty Startup Draft Summary and Cheat Sheet (TL;DR for the Redditors)
For those of you short on time or whose draft is about to begin, just follow the instructions below and you’ll be fine.
Decide how much you want to WIN NOW or WIN LATER.
KNOW YOUR LEAGUE RULES/SCORING!!! (You have time for this, trust me.)
Research every player and strategy that you have time for. (No time? Check the links below.)
MOCK DRAFT until your eyes pop out.
Evaluate every player according to talent, age, your personal opinion of their potential, scarcity of talent at their position, and team situation in that order. Don’t reach to fill a position!
Create your own sheet of personal notes and rankings.
Draft based on highest value available at your pick as often as you can. You can always trade your depth to get help at lacking positions later.
HAVE FUN!
Resources to Seek Out
Best Overall Source of Information: DynastyFF Subreddit
www.reddit.com/r/DynastyFF/
Get into the discussions, read the tutorials, spend some time here. Just go there, you’ll see.
Best Dynasty Rankings and Resources: FantasyPros
http://www.fantasypros.com/nfl/rankings/dynasty-overall.php
FantasyPros has a wide range of tools and rankings that can help you place value on the players you want to target.
Most Comprehensive Individual Player Information: RotoWorld
http://www.rotoworld.com/playernews/nfl/football-player-news/?rw=1
If you need to quickly check a certain player’s recent news or overall evaluation just type their name into a search on RotoWorld and you’ll get what you need.
Most Up-to-the-Minute Player Information: Twitter
www.twitter.com
Follow all of your favorite sports reporters and fantasy experts, all the major fantasy sites, the NFL and it’s various other twitter handles such as NFL Injury News, and anything/anyone else that helps you.
Easiest/Most Convenient Way to Keep Track of All Player News/Players On Your FF Team or That You Are Targeting: Bleacher Report’s Team Stream App
http://bleacherreport.com/mobile
Team Stream aggregates news from all kinds of sources all over the country including Twitter, major news and sports networks, official team sources, and many insider experts and team fan sites. It will send you push notifications with breaking news about players and has been essential to me over the years, especially in regards to whether injured players will be starting in a game or not.
Download the app, select whichever real NFL teams you want to follow but most definitely add the NFL News, Fantasy Football News, and My Fantasy Team to your streams. Go into the My Fantasy Team stream and edit the players, adding every player you want to hear news about. Again trust me here, and no they didn’t pay me to write this.
That’s it! Happy drafting and have a great season!
The post The Fantasy Report’s Complete Prep Guide to Dynasty Startup Drafts (Including Quick Reference Cheat Sheet and Links) appeared first on The Fantasy Report.