PB&J, Burgers & Fries, and Wings & Beer. Arguably some of the better pairings we’ve come to know and love, but there is another beautiful pairing that only comes around once a year; August & Fantasy Football. Redraft season is heating up, “rankings week” has many feeling like they’re at an adult summer camp with no children, and a lot of dynasty leagues that have been quiet since the NFL draft, have begun to stir.
Finding value within the dynasty landscape can sometimes feel like a daunting task. With all the takes, stats, and data points we have access to now via X (Twitter), it can feel like paralysis by analysis at times. Whether it’s trade calculators, different sets of rankings, or some of your favorite fantasy analysts having completely opposing viewpoints on the same player, defining value can be one of the more difficult avenues a dynasty player has to traverse. Specifically, the art of buying and selling and how to go about it. For the sake of this discussion, I wanted to share a couple of dynasty trades I recently made and discuss the value thought process. In addition, I identified three different options/scenarios involving dynasty running backs that could be buys/sells depending on where your team is in its current lifecycle/league landscape.
Buy or Sell? Dynasty Edition Read More »
In startup drafts, I believe it’s best to focus on RBs with contingent value in the later rounds, as it’s much more likely that these backups will hit your starting lineup than someone like Alec Pierce or Cedric Tillman. It only takes one injury for handcuff RBs to catapult into bell cow roles and potentially league-winning roles for your fantasy team. The 70th-best WR or 25th-best TE is much less likely to give you viable productivity during the season; too much would have to go right for them. As an example, Cedric Tillman (the current WR69, according to Bulletproofff.com) would need multiple injuries to the Browns’ receiving corps to see consistent targets in 2023. Even then, it would be unreasonable to expect Tillman to replicate the production of Amari Cooper.
Late-Round RBs Worth Buying Read More »
Welcome back, DFF family! On the docket today, I wanted to discuss Dynasty strategy as it pertains to buy-in size. Dynasty leagues have differing annual dues, so strategy should be tailored to the specific buy-in cost of each league. “High stakes” is a relative term. I consider this to be annual dues of $100 or more. For others, this may be $50, $250, $500…you get the point. However you categorize your small buy-in vs. big money leagues is fine. The purpose of this article is simply to get you thinking about how strategy should change depending on the buy-in requirement each season. Many fantasy owners take the same approach for all the leagues they play in, which is not necessarily wrong, but I choose to go about things differently. Let me explain what I mean.
Big Money Leagues vs. Small Buy-ins Read More »
For my first Devy article, I wanted to discuss the basic strategy behind a Devy startup draft. I’ve recently jumped into the Devy world, and I can safely say there’s no looking back. For those unaware, the Devy format is just a Dynasty league format, plus the addition of drafting current college players in a separate “Devy draft”. You roster these college players until they (hopefully) are drafted into the NFL, and you can place them into your weekly lineups. You can trade these players away like any other asset; they just won’t earn you points until they’re in the NFL (at least in standard Devy leagues).
Beginner’s Guide to Devy Startups Read More »
I am a massive fan of veterans in Dynasty Fantasy Football, thanks to their discounted price. A brief glance through my previous writing will reveal this. One downside of these players is that they are nearing a drop in value, and you may not be able to get a return on your initial investment. If we look at Dynasty as a purely stock market game, this is a complete disaster. However, Dynasty Fantasy Football is not a stock market despite having some elements of a stock market within it. The way you win in your Dynasty league is ultimately by scoring more points than your opponents. Players hold value based on their potential to score fantasy points for us in the future. But after those points are scored, a player will often not return to their previous value. When should we ignore conventional stock market strategy and hold on to an asset even if we know it will depreciate in value? What players should we take the loss on?
Going Down with the Ship Read More »
In the fantasy football Twitter space, different and new stats and metrics are thrown out constantly by people talking about their favorite and least favorite players. My job as a numbers-based analyst is to understand which statistics best project fantasy success. In this mini-series, I will go through each position and tell you some of my favorite stats, how much they matter, and stats I often see that do not matter as much as someone might want you to think. Let’s dive right in with our first position: wide receiver.
Breaking Down the Metrics: Dynasty Football Wide Receivers Read More »
It has become common knowledge in the Dynasty community that one should either compete for a championship or try to acquire future assets and secure a higher draft spot. While many can tell when it is time to “blow it up” and begin rebuilding on a team that was once a contender, the part often unmentioned is when to go from a rebuilding team to winning the championship. I have experienced the joy of earning the 1.01 as my rookie pick and winning a championship the following season, but I have also seen many teams stuck in the perpetual rebuild. Their roster and assets look great in any roster evaluation tool, but we aren’t here to have good-looking rosters. We are here to win championships. So how do we turn the corner?
Turning the Corner: The Transition from Rebuilding to Contending Read More »
Hello, fellow fantasy managers. I am Chris Miles, The Draft Director, and welcome to the first installment of my Dynasty Buy/Sells. I will be helping you determine what players value you should be taking advantage of in your dynasty leagues as we approach the fantasy playoffs and offseason. If someone’s value is too high I might tell you to sell. If I think their value will decrease soon, he could also be a sell. I will give my reasoning for why each player falls in a certain category. There will be advice for both contenders and rebuilders so whichever boat you’re in you can get information from these articles. I will attempt to have the format consistently be two buys and two sells for both rebuilds and contenders, but that may increase or decrease depending on the week.
Week 15 Dynasty Buy/Sell Read More »
While losing isn’t fun, especially in fantasy football, I would advise taking a different view of your team. Once you change your perspective, rebuilding can then be the real goal rather than winning week in and week out. Actually losing in your tanking efforts is now the mission. I am going to go over a few moves we can make at this point through the season while our teams cement themselves at the bottom of the league standings.
Moves to Make in a Dynasty Rebuild Read More »
