An Introduction to Fantasy Football Dynasty Leagues for Beginners

Here at RotoBaller, we continue to expand our dynasty content. Our goal is to provide you with all of the necessary resources to conduct thorough research in order to crush your startup draft, become a savvy trader, and make optimal starting lineup selections every week. The dynasty community is growing at a rapid pace and we are here to help you dominate your leagues for years to come!

I had typically only been a regular redraft player for a long time until several years ago. I hadn't ever thought of doing a dynasty league or had even thought about what a dynasty league is until I started seeing more people on Twitter posting about it. I was just of the mindset that all I do is play fantasy football for four months of the year while having to redraft new players every year and that was basically it outside of a few weeks of research and preparation before my league's annual draft at the end of every August. While I was still invested in the NFL offseason from the perspective of a dedicated fan, as a fantasy football player much of went on during the offseason didn't impact my teams all that much since I wouldn't be drafting them again for several more months.

If you are someone who typically finds yourself bored from early February once the Super Bowl is over until the NFL training camps begin, then a dynasty league is for you. Once I started playing Dynasty, I can honestly say there was very little going back to redraft for me. It might be time for you to consider getting into it too!

What is a Dynasty League?

Similar to an NFL roster, most of your roster will carry over from the following season. Trading occurs pretty much all year long (outside of a normal trade deadline before the playoffs). You are always scouting the incoming rookie class in dynasty and every offseason like a linear (non-snake) draft that takes place for rookies. Just like the NFL, the team with the worst record usually gets the first pick. In dynasty, you can even trade your rookie picks for proven talent instead much like Les Snead and the Los Angeles Rams prefer to do every year.

What is great about dynasty is that you are the GM! There is a great reward in being able to identify incoming rookie players who you feel may be good or make an instant impact right away. One of these players for me was Justin Jefferson before the 2020 season began. He absolutely lit it up with Joe Burrow during his time at LSU and won the national championship. While he wasn't a big receiver, he played bigger than he was, and his route running was just incredible, something that typically rookie wide receivers have to learn when they come to the NFL. JJ is one of "my guys" and I can root for him and benefit from his production on my dynasty teams for years to come.

The pendulum could swing the other way, as a poorly prepared startup draft strategy and execution can leave you rebuilding your team for many years. This is the first of many guides I will be producing for RotoBaller and my intention is to introduce you to the basics of dynasty and provide you with a foundation that you can build your teams on for years to come.

There is also a deeper connection that each individual team owner feels with their team in a dynasty league versus a redraft. The stakes are greater when it comes to rookie draft picks and trades, as bad ones can haunt you for years to come! Many people dream of being the General Manager of their favorite football team in real life. We are always commenting on draft day of players we would have taken instead, and take to Twitter to express our outrage when bad trades and free agent signings happen. Dynasty is your opportunity to show that you can make the right calls and build a successful team from the ground up.

In the startup draft, draft slots are usually allotted 1-8, 1-10, 1-12, and even 1-14 depending on how large your league is. If you are going to have a Superflex or 2QB format, I do not recommend having more than 12 teams. 10 teams are optimal for 2QB leagues and 12 is perfect for Superflex. I prefer the Kentucky Derby approach when it comes to assigning the draft order and I prefer a Third-Round Reversal. Before we dive in on a full seven-course meal on dynasty, today I am just going to give you an overall bird's eye view of a dynasty league and what you can expect.

Startup Draft Strategy

While a startup draft is in some ways very similar to an annual draft in a redraft league, team managers will likely prioritize youth over players like DeAndre Hopkins, Darren Waller, and Derrick Henry who typically all go at the beginning of Superflex "redraft" leagues.

One of the biggest mistakes that I see people making in early SF Startups is being too worried about what their lineup will look like in September. The strategy should always be value-focused, especially at quarterback. My plan is to always draft for value, you can always trade for needs later.

I always like to take a "win-now" approach due to the fact that youth is mostly over-prioritized in startups. Many team managers take the "long view" when it comes to drafting. While this isn't always a bad approach, I have seen too many dynasty owners over the years still playing for tomorrow in Year 4. When you draft for later, you do so with the expectation that you will build a true dynasty that will dominate for years to come. As a dynasty owner, you also have to factor in your yearly league dues plus deposits. By playing for tomorrow, you are already in the hole after year one due to the fact that you didn't draft a more competitive team. The following below is a better approach.

I am not telling you to just draft a roster full of old players. What I am saying is to strike a balance between youth and overall talent. I like the idea of finding some younger players to add to my roster to be my cornerstones for the next five years, but not with reaching and overpaying for talent just solely because that player is young.

Quarterbacks are a Limited Resource in Superflex

I always prefer to take a quarterback early in a startup. Last year, I grabbed Kyler Murray at the 1.03 in one and Justin Herbert at the 1.06 in another. While running back timeshares and teams with three wide receivers on the field at once abound, there are only 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL and only about 20 are dependable starters for fantasy on Sundays. In single QB leagues, the quarterback isn't a priority, but in Superflex, it is always wiser to take one versus playing a dangerous game of chicken with the rest of your league mates. There is nothing worse than getting stuck at the end of the run on QBs.

A startup is also the cheapest price to acquire quarterbacks as well, so I am always looking for value, even if it's drafting a guy like Jordan Love later on and stashing him away with the premise that eventually he will see the field. One thing to consider as well, the shelf life of quarterbacks in the NFL is longer than it is at RB, WR, & TE.

Acquire a Future Rookie Pick

Dynasty owners always underestimate their team's chances in the upcoming season. As we know in the NFL, injuries always will happen and will do so in an unpredictable fashion. Team managers who were left holding players like Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Michael Thomas, and Darren Waller suffered greatly from their injuries last season.

What I typically like to do is trade out of my sixth-round pick in a startup and acquire that team's future first-round pick in next year's rookie draft. This helps to give my team added flexibility for the future and gives me extra ammo at the trade deadline if I am contending and need to add a piece in Year 1. Plus, with the 2023 rookie class looking very star-studded, this may be harder to as startup season approaches.

One thing I will tell you is that there is nothing worse than holding an underperforming team at the end of Year 1 that didn't live up to expectations and also traded away its top draft capital. I've seen it happen too many times and it makes it that much harder to become competitive again. I typically don't like to trade away future picks as well unless I am absolutely all in for the current championship and have no other choice.

Conclusion

There is no right or wrong way to play dynasty. The most important thing is that you find a good group of people, enjoy the platform it is on, and ultimately have fun. As someone who has over a dozen dynasty teams, I can tell you that it adds an entirely new element to the offseason. I hope you enjoyed this brief introduction to dynasty and follow me on Twitter to get updates on new dynasty content down the road.

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