SuperFlex (SF) formats have become more and more popular over the last couple of years. In the FFPC Dynasty world, 42% of all startups in 2021 have been SF. This was the going rate back in 2020 as well. Before 2020, SF only made up about 11% of the total number of dynasty leagues on their site. Now it is closer to 26% and rising. I fell in love with this format and hold 19 FFPC SF dynasty squads.
I have written at length about how the FFPC dynasty format is unique in that it challenges owners to cut down to 16 players, including a kicker and a defense, by March 31st of each year. This is an underestimated and underappreciated market constraint, in my opinion. But in the SF format, this constraint is only that much more exaggerated. In single-QB leagues (1QB), owners often keep just one QB on their list of 16, but in SF they are hoarded. This makes it just amazingly difficult to manage the rest of the skill positions on one’s roster.
Sometimes SF and 2QB Leagues are Mentioned Interchangeably, but they are NOT the Same!!
In 2QB you are required to start two QBs each week, whereas in SF you have the option to start two. There is no mathematical argument in favor of not starting two QBs if they are both quality starters. QBs just score more than other positions. We know this. But in FFPC we start 10 spots. One of them is a regular flex spot and one is the SuperFlex spot where the second QB can go. So you are talking about your RB3 or WR4 or TE2 if you only go with one QB in a given week. Think about how deep SF rosters are and whether your RB3 or WR4 or TE2 options are really that awful.
It is not a death sentence to start just one QB
Ok, so we talk so much about not wanting to go along with groupthink and the crowd and such. We zig when they zag. Or is it to zag when they zig? Whatever gets us a unique advantage, I suppose. We also talk a lot about waiting on QB in 1QB formats. Would it be so nuts to try it in SF? How bad would a SF team be if I waited on taking my first QB for a long time in a startup? If I made myself super-elite everywhere else? What would that look like? The general wisdom seems to be that QBs are worth their weight in gold in this format, and it isn’t that I disagree but rather I don’t think people appreciate how difficult it is to hoard in this format.
You CAN Find QBs
Last year I drafted one startup using the “wait-on-QB” approach and I also did one this year. I love both teams. The first one made the playoffs last year in year one and I think it is one of my strongest teams going into year two. I didn’t take my first QB off the board until 8.11, where I took Gardner Minshew (QB – JAX). Lemme remove the puke from my stomach via my mouth cavity real quick after typing that. I then took my second quarterback, Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI), at 11.02 and Big Ben at 11.03. Yeah. Those were a bit better. I actually have some faith in Minshew but he isn’t the starter anymore and that ship has sailed for the moment. Pretty weak sauce at QB in a format that values them so highly.
It Was A Playoff Team And I took Barkley In The First Round
Now, going into year two of this league, I hold Josh Allen and Aaron Rodgers at QB now, after having moved Jalen Hurts in one deal and Saquon Barkley (RB – NY) in another. I also hold the pair of Minshew (I previously dropped him and then redrafted him in the rookie/free agent draft in May) and Marcus Mariota (QB – LV) in case something crazy happens between now and Week One.
By punting on QB in the startup, however, I was able to build what I think is an elite squad. I am sure any number of people could argue that point, particularly at tight end with Noah Fant (TE – DEN), but the point is more about roster construction than arguing about specific “my guys” vs “your guys.” I am sure if you executed this strategy you can find similarly ranked players that you might prefer. Nevertheless, here is a snapshot of my team as I have it in my roster spreadsheet, including my version of its franchise value, a concept I developed and detailed here.
The black line under Higbee is the projected cutdown-to-16 line on March 31. The black cell is likely a week one waiver target to get to 20 in-season. The numbers are my combo of trade value and career production advantage. In my notes section in my sheet, I have “upgrading at TE” as a priority.
Now, going into 2021, I was very pleased with the results I saw from this team as well as my only other SF team at that time, which I had drafted during the maiden startup in 2019. But alas, I did not make the playoffs despite taking Mahomes at 1.01 in that one. I did win the title in 2020, however. I drafted three SF startups this year and waited on QB in one of them. But before going further, I need to acknowledge an incredibly important detail about this format.
FFPC SuperFlex Only Allows Three QBs To Be Drafted During The Startup
It is possible I would rescind any and all of the advice in this article if the above detail weren’t true. You simply can’t get away with hoarding past a certain point during these startups. There is no limit to how many QBs you can hold after the startup, but while it is in progress you can leverage this little-known fact. In my 2021 wait-on-QB draft I took CMC at 1.06. That seems like a good place to start if you’re not going with a quarterback. I didn’t take my first one until Matt Ryan (QB – ATL) at 7.06. I then took Jameis Winston (QB – NO) at 8.02.
While the draft continued to unfold I saw that by this point nearly every owner had drafted three QBs and would be prevented from drafting another by the software. As a result, I continued to fill in my roster at other positions until the last possible moment, when I took Tyrod Taylor (QB – HOU) as the very last pick of the entire draft at 20.12. Now let me remove some more puke from my stomach again. Here is my finished team going into its inaugural season. We have no idea what this team is going to do but I want to post it here so it can be revisited.
Typically, I spend a future first-round pick during a startup to acquire as much talent as possible upfront. It doesn’t always play out that way but it did here. I gave 6.07 and 10.07, along with my future 1st, to move to 3.10 and take Travis Etienne (RB – JAX) and also got a later pick back in the deal, 14.11.
I want to close with one final point, which is to say that the bulk of the new popularity of this SuperFlex format has been at lower money levels. 35% of the $77 leagues are SF, 22% of the $250 leagues are SF, and only 18% of the $500 and up leagues are SF.
I have heard lots of high-stakes players say they don’t like the SF format because of how hard the system constraints are, like cutting down to 16 or 20, how expensive QBs are, etc. But if that means there are fewer sharks and more guppies playing, someone like me can theoretically eat more than I would in 1QB leagues, where I already believe I have a strong niche and advantage over much of my competition. Applying some of the same concepts should only squeeze the noose tighter. One of many obvious risks and dangers to my approach here, besides being potentially weak at QB for quite a while, is that due to the shallow rosters and QB hoarding:
Lots Of SuperFlex Rosters Look Unbeatable
It is possible I am kidding myself about how strong my rosters are, but I am going to trust my process here. I guarantee if you wait on QB in this FFPC SuperFlex format, you will be pleased with the results. Injuries happen, NFL depth charts churn, and QBs become available. Trading is always encouraged. You can find QBs. It isn’t easy but it can be done.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to reach out to me to chat about fantasy football on Twitter @Ship_Chaser and follow along with me on my journey as I chase six-figure paydays! Look for my new articles soon!
