It’s hard to believe, but the 2024 Dynasty football season has officially come to a close! Hopefully, you came away with a championship or two and made a little cash as well. The most beautiful part of Dynasty is that the action can (and should) continue all throughout the offseason! In this article, I wanted to discuss a few basic “Dos and Don’ts” of the Dynasty offseason to put you in the best position to succeed in 2025 and beyond. This article may be most beneficial for those of you who are still fairly new to Dynasty, but it’s still a worthwhile read for those of you who have been playing for decades, as it never hurts to reinforce good habits. So, let’s jump right in and take a look at my top tips for this offseason!
1. Take inventory of where you finished (max PF, not playoff finish. One game elimination is too volatile to be concerned with an early exit). If you missed the playoffs entirely and were outside the Top 6 in max PF, what kind of assets are you currently holding? Are they generally older veteran players whose Dynasty value we can expect to decline over the next eight months? If so, we may need to seriously consider tearing things down and beginning the rebuild process. You’ll want to reach out to the legitimate 2025 contenders and try to sell these veteran players early before their value drops any further. On the other hand, if your roster value is primarily being stored in future picks and young ascending assets, you’re likely in good shape and may be best suited to sit on your hands as those assets continue to accrue value in the offseason.
2. Do not trade for players this early into the offseason unless there is an undeniable market value to take advantage of. Too many things can happen between now and next September that could drop the value of the player you are looking to acquire. Instead, look at acquiring 2025, 2026, or 2027 picks. As we move into the offseason and rookie analysis begins to pick up in the Dynasty community, so will the excitement surrounding these rookie picks, meaning their value will increase. Future draft capital is the safest asset to invest in, as these picks are not yet tied to a particular player, so they can only increase in value. And 2026 and 2027 picks will remain relatively cheap all offseason, as all the focus will be on 2025 prospects. If you feel your team is still likely another year out from truly competing, it would make all the sense in the world to go out and buy those discounted 2026 and 2027 picks right now.
3. This should go without saying, but make sure you have every roster spot filled out that you possibly can. If you have players on IR sitting on your bench, put them in an IR spot (assuming you have space) and place a bid for a young prospect who may have a shot in hell. Nine times out of ten, they will amount to nothing, and you’ll end up dropping them in-season, but you want as many bullets in the chamber as possible during the offseason. You never know what can happen!
4. In the same vein as number three, don’t leave any FAAB if you can avoid it. (This is assuming you cannot roll your FAAB into the 2025 season, of course.) Place aggressive bids; you can’t take the fake cash with you, so you may as well ensure you get your guy!
5. Take a breath. I know the 2024 season has come to an end, and we’re all eager to start tinkering with our rosters to put them in the best position moving forward. Still, you don’t want to make any rash decisions out of excitement or pure boredom. It’s a long offseason, and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to make moves. Ensure you are seeing all negotiations through before pulling the trigger on a particular deal to maximize your return.
6. Don’t worry about roster construction! It’s the offseason; you don’t need to put out a starting lineup for another EIGHT MONTHS. Your primary focus should be maximizing your total roster value; you can worry about filling in the holes later. If someone reaches out to you to acquire “their guy,” make sure you are selling at a premium. Don’t be afraid of selling players for picks, even as a contender. As mentioned before, storing your roster value in draft picks is the safest way to navigate the offseason. As long as your league is active enough, you can always flip those picks back for real players closer to the rookie draft date. And that pick is almost certain to get you a more significant return than what you bought it for earlier in the offseason.
7. Last tip: Trust your process. If your team sucks, get out there and make some moves to make it better. Don’t be afraid to make an aggressive move because you feel like the rest of the league won’t agree with your take. If you are confident in your take and your process, #PlantYourFlag and make that deal. Some of the best trades I’ve made over the years were the ones where I was roasted the worst in the chat immediately following the deal. At the end of the day, we don’t have this game down to a science. Anyone who wants to act like their player takes are Gospel will get humbled quickly.
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 @jim_DFF. Until next time, keep grinding out there, DFF family! #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
