For some, entering Dynasty Fantasy Football can be the biggest hurdle. For the most part, the most straightforward path is to find a startup draft and set sail on that adventure. While startups reign supreme, far too often, we join up with fickle managers who barely make it through the first season.
There is nothing wrong with starting with a startup. But for true Dynasty managers or even someone looking for a challenge, taking an orphan from an existing league is truly the way to get into Dynasty fantasy football. Taking a team through choppy waters and finding land (a championship, in this case) is a completely different and rewarding experience.
Introduction to Dynasty
For people looking for something beyond their home redraft league, which they do every year, Dynasty fantasy football may be what they need. The basics of Dynasty can be defined when comparing it to redraft leagues. With redraft leagues, you draft your full roster at the beginning of the NFL season and compete with that roster. Dynasty means you start with one drafted roster and retain those players each year. Each offseason, you still draft, but only incoming rookie players.
If you want to build a year-round roster, Dynasty is for you! Regardless of how you get in, the strategy to create an elite roster and truly make a “dynasty” will be the same. One of our founders, Chalk, has already laid the groundwork for you with The Art of Dynasty Fantasy Football series. You can always build the team according to your vision, but we provide some tips and guidance.
Mastering Dynasty
The basics are in the previously stated, but mastering the core principles of Dynasty fantasy football will take time and experience. The skills it will take to master it will be honed with more leagues you enter, and even with the quality of managers, you are in league with.
Rookie player profiles, asset evaluation, and roster management are some of the new vital skills you will develop as a Dynasty manager. I can keep plugging our Art of Dynasty series, but if you want to master these skills – join a league and start playing.
Player evaluations are where you start to set yourself up for success. Learning when to trade away players for future draft picks or finding a player that someone is looking to move for cheap are just some examples that Dynasty managers must learn as they navigate the season. In Redraft, you are just looking for one single-season use, so there are fewer variables to consider when managing your roster.
Building from Scratch – Startup Team
— 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨 🚫 (@ChalkLeagues) January 12, 2024
Let’s Paint the Picture
You see this tweet from Chalk Leagues: boredom sets in after or during the NFL Playoffs. It’s tough to resist the urge to join, but you were embarrassed at the company Christmas party when Tina from Accounting asked how many leagues you are in. You ask her how many drinks she has had: an hour later, you get the email alert you have a meeting now with HR, but you open up the Sleeper app anyway. “This was my year….” a familiar saying repeats in your head, and then you reply on the X post…” I’m in.”
The Plan is Imperative
There are different draft strategies to implement for a startup, but there is one core principle I implore everyone to have: Always have a plan. Not having a plan for your team’s appearance can set you back before the league starts. It’s okay to be flexible and see how the draft begins in the first few rounds. But if you intend to build with youth and then draft Aaron Rodgers in the third round – you deviated from the plan.
You Play to Win the Game
Sticking with this example, if you plan to draft some proven veterans – you are looking to win immediately. That is an acceptable strategy! You play to win the league, so if you think you can draft players to win now, do it! The other side is drafting younger players and looking to set up for multiple years of success, including future draft picks. It is a balancing act, and it doesn’t mean you won’t immediately compete in drafting youth.
I entered a startup before the 2023 NFL season and executed a simple strategy I call “Twenty-Five.” It’s simple: draft only players under the age of 25. Here is how that draft started. So, as you know, it’s a Superflex (SF) league.
Both Youth Movement and Win Now strategies have their place in Dynasty leagues. I want you to know that knowing what you are doing and sticking with that plan is very important. Mixing them will cause your team to be constantly rebuilding.
Leading by Example – Higher Stakes Startup
It was a fantastic start, but we decided we would not win this year after a massive run on quarterbacks (eight in the first round). We traded back in the third round and took our first QB…..CJ Stroud. He was the fifteenth QB taken in the draft, which is pretty crazy value if you look at where he is ranked now. But, as stated, we were set on getting last place and waited until the ninth round to grab our second QB….Jordan Love – the twenty-fifth QB taken in the draft. Trey Lance went before Jordan Love in this league.
This story hits on a couple of points I am trying to make for Dynasty managers. First, player evaluations are essential. I was very high on CJ Stroud, and since you were not in the Undroppables Discord, you also missed out on my stating that (it’s not a fantastic receipt, but I’m proud of it).
CJ Stroud was a top prospect for me during my evaluations and has been a top prospect since I started focusing on incoming rookies. I just loved what I saw on film, and during his interviews, I could tell he was a leader ready to take over a team and franchise.
The second point is sticking to a strategy. I never wavered from it, and now I have an incredible roster to try and win. It has yet to cost me any draft capital. I lost in the playoffs, but I am confident I can make another run this year in that league.
Reviving and Rebuilding – Orphan Team
We have reached the portion that inspired this article. I like taking over Dynasty Orphans. These are abandoned teams for one reason or another. They deserve a second chance at a championship. The previous owner needed to understand what they had, the neglect and the damage.
If you take on an orphan for your first Dynasty team, it will be a crash course for everything. You will learn to evaluate your roster, build assets, and start looking to develop a core roster. It is a much more formidable challenge when compared to a startup, but that is part of the adventure.
Still have a couple of dynasty orphan teams.
2024 is on the house!
DM for details.
— 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨 🚫 (@ChalkLeagues) February 1, 2024
You will get a chance to evaluate the roster before committing. Most leagues post the roster and advertise league settings. This information is an excellent advantage since you can devise your plan before committing—no stress of being on the clock with the draft. Learn who gets traded away or if you are close to a championship and need to make minor moves.
Adopting > Creating
Humans like to build, especially rebuild things that once were broken. The car industry thrives, and people take on old cars to restore and modify them. The same can be said for Dynasty fantasy leagues. So many teams look rough on the surface, but nothing is more rewarding than taking a last-place orphaned squad and getting them to be a competitor. It’s easy to take a draft and win from there; it takes real talent to start with a turd and turn it into a championship-caliber team.
It’s an exciting way to get into Dynasty football, and orphans are always available. Look for them posted on social media and dive into a massive rebuild!
Decision Time
Whether you pick a startup or an orphan, at the very least, you are getting into a Dynasty league. This new fantasy football game will add life to our great hobby. Dynasty is a long journey, so be patient and diligent with your team(s). Follow everyone at The Undroppables, and join our Patreon to access the greatest-growing Discord community for all things fantasy football.
