Dynasty Fantasy Football is becoming more popular with each passing season. There are certainly a few reasons for this, but an important one is the roster construction aspect. In a dynasty league, we choose how we want to build our team. If you “draft the best players,” you may very well win a title within the first year or two of your league’s start-up draft. You also might not; chances are, at least one other leaguemate is looking to win the inaugural season. Assuming all the talented, older players will be there for you at every turn would be a mistake.
Oftentimes, newer dynasty players will go the other way. Wanting to be relevant for the long haul, they focus seemingly only on youth. It’s become so prevalent in dynasty that fantasy players have borrowed a term for it: ageism. Or, to address the perpetrators directly, they would be ageists. That’s certainly not to make light of real-life scenarios; it’s simply the most apropos way to characterize managers who discriminate against taking older players… all in the name of dynasty.
Of course, either of the two extreme draft strategies could end up working out as intended. More often than not, however, some balance between them would be more advisable. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how to tackle roster construction from a few vantage points.
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Roster Construction | Your First Step Defines Your Angle
Start-Up Strategies
The dynasty start-up draft. To many, it’s the most seductive aspect of fantasy football. So enthralled by the idea of starting a team from scratch, gamers can end up managing 20 or so teams over a few years. Eventually, it leads to asking themselves, “How’d I get here?” Because start-ups are awesome, that’s how!
Here are a few basic ideologies for attacking a start-up draft. Each of these will be conditional, depending on multiple factors such as draft position, league mates’ strategies, trade activity, and other trends that ebb and flow within each draft.
Want to be the Inaugural Champ?
There can be only one champion every year, but being the first can be especially enticing. Throwing caution (and perhaps the future) to the wind, managers can potentially acquire some of the best older players in the league. There’s time later in the draft to take shots on younger players, right? This strategy can be fun, and if it pays off with a title, the future woes will be that much easier to navigate.
The First Year “Punt”
Much of the allure of dynasty is the thought of building a team over the course of a few years. The goal, naturally, is to build a real powerhouse that will contend for years to come. This strategy usually involves trading back early in the draft to accumulate picks for future years. Also, to acquire ammunition to navigate the start-up as the draft unfolds.
This strategy, as you might have already guessed, would aim at younger players. Taking shots on second and third-year studs, favorite rookies, and potential breakout candidates. Gamers drafting in this manner will be happy to buy the dip on a player like Marvin Harrison Jr., betting that the “bust” title is being slapped on the former top prospect a bit too soon.
Think You Can Straddle the Fence?
Perhaps you can thread the needle by stacking the perfect mix of older veterans while selecting the right young players who can develop into the core of your team as the veterans age out.
Leaning young studs early, and then filling out your roster with veterans as the draft moves along, gives you the most bang for your buck. Naturally, the more production/time you can extract from the earlier rounds, the greater your return on that investment.
Building a Dynasty
The start-up draft is just the beginning. Depending on that draft and the subsequent season(s), you’ll find yourself in one of three scenarios. Remember, each season in each league is unique. Given the ups and downs, transactions, injuries, and strokes of luck, good and bad, you could be at the top looking down upon your league mates, or the inverse. Here’s a closer look at what to do in each case.
Defending Champ (or serious contender)
It could be tempting to coast. You’ve obviously built a winning squad. Maybe you’re one piece away, maybe you’re not. No matter how great your team is, there are opportunities to be better. The average dynasty team has between 25 and 30 roster spots. Trading your lower first-round picks to hungry builders could land you the depth you need to bolster the bottom of your roster. Staying proactive and adding players with real potential is key.
Bottom-Dweller
It can be tempting for this manager to want to sell everyone and start completely over. Sometimes, this may certainly be the best course of action. More often, though, there will be one or two players worth holding onto to build around, unless, of course, the price is right. So many of these decisions are subjective. Not only does the value a player holds under a given manager vary, but league markets can also differ depending on the rate at which trades are made, the number of active traders, scoring settings, etc. Doing what is best for your team has to take precedence over whether or not you “won the trade” according to the league chat or Reddit.
The Dreaded “Middling” Team
Being the team that is on the verge of making the playoffs and just missing, or being bounced in the first round, is a tough spot. This team may think they are close to being a contender, and their 1.07 rookie draft pick, along with another move or two, could get them there. Maybe they’re right. Sooner or later, though (I typically give it two years, maximum), they’ll have to take a long look in the mirror. Realizing that finishing with a winning record is not the goal here, they come to grips with the fact that it is time for a total rebuild. This could mean selling players for a little bit less than you would like. It could also mean mortgaging another year or two, and committing to compiling some rookie picks (and making the right selections therewith).
Don’t Go On Autopilot
Remember, in dynasty, players are more than just their current value. Opportunistic buying and selling of players can be the difference in turning your “rebuild” into a “contender” seemingly overnight.
Finally, staying current with what is happening around the league can still provide an edge. Just because information is at everyone’s fingertips does not mean everyone is using it.
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Many Successes,
Kyle
