Welcome back, Dynasty family! Today, I wanted to switch it up and talk about Dynasty startup strategy. There’s no reset button in Dynasty formats, so it’s crucial to come out of your startup draft feeling confident about your roster and plan. In this article, I’m giving you a list of fundamental principles to keep in mind when drafting your Dynasty team and during the season in Year 1. So, without further ado, let’s jump right in!
Contender vs. Rebuilder
If you’re familiar with Dynasty leagues, you’ve heard the terms “contender” and “rebuilder.” A contending team has the weapons to compete for a league championship in the current year, and a rebuilding team is looking to compete in the future. The best Dynasty owners are typically one or the other, rarely caught in the middle. The worst spots to finish in a 12-team league are 5-8. Finishing in this area likely means you weren’t a serious contender, but your first-round pick for the upcoming season isn’t early.
Let me expand on this point. You can acquire other teams’ first-round picks, so there’s still a path to drafting early in rookie drafts if you finish in the middle of the pack. But if you aren’t a serious contender, the easiest way to confirm you’re drafting early without giving up significant assets is to fully commit to a rebuild and hold onto your future firsts. As a contending team, it often makes sense to move your future firsts for veteran assets that can provide points today. In addition to improving your championship odds, that first-round pick may be less valuable than some realize, as it will be a late first. If you’re rebuilding, however, you want to hold onto your first-round picks at all costs. Those picks are the foundational pieces you’ll need to build upon if you want to transition to being a contender in the future.
Early Round Picks
When drafting in the first two or three rounds of your startup draft, there are a few things to be mindful of. Firstly, in Superflex leagues, the quarterback is king. These guys score more points than any other position in fantasy and have the most longevity, so building around a young elite QB makes a lot of sense. If you can grab two QBs that you feel good about within the first two rounds, that’s even better. Placing an elite QB projected 20+ points in your Superflex spot gives you a massive positional advantage over the teams that have to put a fringe QB or a different skill position in that spot.
The other thing to keep in mind here is not to be concerned with team identity too early. You want to pick the best player available in the first few rounds, plain and simple. Then, let those picks determine how you attack the rest of your startup draft. For instance, if you grab a veteran RB like Jonathan Taylor or Christian McCaffrey at the 2-3 turn, you’ll want to focus on drafting guys that can provide immediate production versus targeting youth. The RB position is generally one with a short shelf-life. If you draft a veteran RB, it’s essential to take advantage of that production before their Dynasty stock begins to plummet. On the other hand, if your first two picks are Trevor Lawrence and Anthony Richardson, you’ve drafted tons of youth and upside but not necessarily immediate championship production. At that point, I would insulate my roster with as much youth, upside, and longevity as possible.
Roster Construction
One concept to be cognizant of when completing your Dynasty startup draft is that value always trumps positional needs. This is not the case in Redraft, where it’s more important to ensure you have a balanced attack and no major weaknesses on your roster. As mentioned, in Dynasty formats, there is no reset. You’re stuck with the team you’ve got, so you can only trade your way out of trouble. When in doubt, I will always lean on taking the guy I’m confident will maintain or increase his Dynasty stock over the next year or so. If I’m grabbing the most valuable player with my pick versus catering to a positional need, I can always look to trade that player to fill a hole in my lineup later. And in theory, it should be easier to sell that higher-valued asset, provided the league values that player similarly.
For instance, let’s say you’ve taken two QBs and a WR with your first three picks in a Superflex League. We’re nearing the end of the fourth round, and you’re back on the clock. You don’t love the WR, RB, or TE options in this range, but Tua Tagovailoa is still on the board, who you are high on. Don’t be afraid to grab Tua if you believe in the player. Yes, you’ll be QB-heavy and have some work to do to fill your other skill positions, but if he is truly the best value on the board, grab him. Soak in the value where you can and worry about roster construction later. As long as your league mates are active enough, you can expect trades to take place all year long, and you’ll have ample opportunity to take advantage of the owner that needs a QB2 during the season and flip Tua into an asset or two that you feel great about.
League Size
Dynasty strategy is not “one size fits all” for every format. Instead, league and point settings should dictate how you set up your roster. 1QB vs. Superflex is a different story; we don’t need to discuss this. But specifically within Superflex formats, I want to discuss strategies based on league size and available starting spots.
In your standard 12-team league, you’ll want to find a good balance between elite players and depth. But you should be less concerned about this balance as league size changes. In a 10-team league, you want to focus on acquiring players with the highest ceiling. Fewer total players are rostered, so depth is easier to come by. The winning owners are typically successful in getting 2-for-1 deals done.
An example could be sending D.J. Moore and Christian Watson for Tyreek Hill. On the surface, it may look like the team receiving the package got the better deal. But I would prefer Hill in a 10-team league, as he has that elite, league-winning ceiling, and you should have enough depth on your bench to lessen the blow of losing an extra starter.
Conversely, leagues with 14+ teams should emphasize depth, as fantasy players are spread thin. This makes it difficult to put out a competitive starting lineup every week, especially when injuries and bye weeks come into play. Having bench players that you can feel confident about plugging and playing can make a big difference during the season.
Starting Lineup
The same principle applies to the size of the starting lineup. Normal-sized lineups typically include 10-11 total starting spots. If your league has 12 or more starting spots to fill, I would put more emphasis on acquiring depth. If your league has nine or fewer starting spots, I would be comfortable “overpaying” for top-tier players.
I’m doing everything possible to acquire two elite QBs in Superflex leagues with shallow starting lineups. Think about it like this; we already know the QB position produces more fantasy points on average than any other position. And owning an elite-level QB puts you at a significant positional advantage. In a “start 9” Superflex league, 2/9 of your starters can be a QB. That’s 22% of your starting lineup. If the position with the highest fantasy ceiling makes up nearly a quarter of my starting lineup, I’m more than willing to give up some other quality assets to make my QB room unstoppable.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you got some valuable information you can use for your fantasy team! If you’d like additional insight into Dynasty Football news and analysis, please follow me on Twitter at @DynastySavant. Until next time, keep grinding out there, Dynasty family! #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
