Dynasty Startup Strategies (1 Viewer)

Hey guys. First time poster here.

I’ve been playing redraft for 12-13 years or so and got invited to my first dynasty start up this year. Valuing players in dynasty seems to be a bit different. I’m interested in general draft strategies and picking your brains about how you like to approach the drafts. 

For instance it makes sense that the younger stud RBs would be taken first but after that what are your thoughts o how to go about drafting to win both now and in the future. Now I’ll just hang up and listen. Thanks!

draft young

Don't necessarily forget about the veterans.  Some can be had for virtually nothing and will help you this year over some hyped rookie that may take a couple years to develop. 

I tend to look at 2 yr intervals.  Most people look at 3-5 yr for dynasty leagues but I have found that to be too long with too many possible factors that change the outlook.  If I stay in evaluating 2 yr pictures I am usually in the top quarter of the league every year.  You get good value on older vets as teams trade them away because "it's better to trade them too early than too late".  Because of that good value can be had. 

I favor 3rd/4th year guys that have underachieved but are now in a different role with the opportunity to succeed.  Sometimes owners will give up on these type players because they will never pan out but if you do your homework and find these type players that are now starting or switched teams and will get the opportunity you can get good value there as well. 

Draft picks aren't necessarily gold.  I prefer proven talent over the shiny new toy in most instances.  Some owners covet future draft picks and end up always rebuilding.  I don't mine moving some future picks for proven scorers that sustain your team.  You do have to mix in some youth but if you do quality research you can find some diamonds in the rough for cheaper prices. 

Above all remember that winning the title is the point so very rarely throw away a season completely for the future because in many cases you end up always playing for the future and end up never contending. 

Mingooch said:

draft young

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I’d advise the opposite.  It’s been my experience in dynasty leagues that youth is overvalued and mid-career or later vets start to get progressively undervalued.  Take advantage of your leaguemates valuing and compete for a title right off the jump.  There’s always time to acquire youth in future drafts, and if you end up outside the playoff picture those productive older guys can net good trade value from playoff teams towards the trade deadline.

About 12 years ago I was in a startup with a bunch of guys I knew and they liked to trade. One guy made about 10 trades during the draft, took TEs with his first 2 picks (not TE Premium) and just picked value w/o considering positions. He was able to trade his way to a monster team. Now, if you try that in a league with guys you don't know, you might get stuck with a pile of crap.

About the op, don't go crazy trying to come up with a strategy. Let the draft come to you. If you have the 1st pick, you must choose Beckham. Don't be a sucker and grab a RB who loses value a lot quicker than a stud WR. 

I'd also disagree abt focusing just on youth. I'd say get your main stud or 2 that are younger but then go ahead and take those older guys and win the championship the first year or two while everyone else has a "future" team. 

I actually had joined a salary cap dynasty startup league 2 years ago and the league was set up very nice and the commish put a ton of work into it so it seemed like it would last for a long time. Well I went somewhat veteran heavy with AB, Jordy and McCoy as my main picks instead of the younger guys and traded my rookie picks right away and ended up winning the first year. Then as we were getting ready for the second year the commish had some personal stuff he had to focus on and the league folded so while others went and might have had a great team for 3-4 years in the future, I took advantage right away and won.

So basically I'm saying while going young might be nice, winning is even better so I'd focus on planning to build a team that can win right away

Bfrahm3 said:

I'd also disagree abt focusing just on youth. I'd say get your main stud or 2 that are younger but then go ahead and take those older guys and win the championship the first year or two while everyone else has a "future" team. 

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This is a point I brought up earlier in this post. You can both go young AND win your championship in year one. Does not need to be an either/or thing.  I keep doing it over and over. Not always winning year one championships but  I'm talking about consistently building powerhouse young teams right out of the gate but maybe they finish second or third in year one, when the season boils down to 2-3 weeks playoff all you can do is put yourself in the mix and I do that consistently while going super young.

Bfrahm3 said:

I'd also disagree abt focusing just on youth. I'd say get your main stud or 2 that are younger but then go ahead and take those older guys and win the championship the first year or two while everyone else has a "future" team. 

I actually had joined a salary cap dynasty startup league 2 years ago and the league was set up very nice and the commish put a ton of work into it so it seemed like it would last for a long time. Well I went somewhat veteran heavy with AB, Jordy and McCoy as my main picks instead of the younger guys and traded my rookie picks right away and ended up winning the first year. Then as we were getting ready for the second year the commish had some personal stuff he had to focus on and the league folded so while others went and might have had a great team for 3-4 years in the future, I took advantage right away and won.

So basically I'm saying while going young might be nice, winning is even better so I'd focus on planning to build a team that can win right away

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Out of curiosity, why didn't someone take over as commish instead of having it fold? 

Jello_Biafra said:

Out of curiosity, why didn't someone take over as commish instead of having it fold? 

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I'm guessing it woulda been a lot of work, salary cap with IDP. If I remember right he had it set up so FA could have taken up to 2 months and would have used one of his friends not in the league as a "neutral" commish during it. Was a fun league and first one of that kind I joined so was disappointed it didn't keep going but I know I would never want to spend that much time on fantasy football, atleast not at this time.

menobrown said:

This is a point I brought up earlier in this post. You can both go young AND win your championship in year one. Does not need to be an either/or thing.  I keep doing it over and over. Not always winning year one championships but  I'm talking about consistently building powerhouse young teams right out of the gate but maybe they finish second or third in year one, when the season boils down to 2-3 weeks playoff all you can do is put yourself in the mix and I do that consistently while going super young.

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Yeah I can see where sometimes it works out like that but sometimes people go too young is I guess what I'm getting at. 

The main pick that made a big difference was missing out on Sammy Watkins or I believe Keenan Allen and having to "settle" for Jordy only to have him be I think top 10 that year. Now I would have been in trouble the next year because Jordy went downhill fast and the young guys I did end up with weren't that good but I'm saying sometimes instead of going for a Mike Williams it can be much better to go with Larry Fitzgerald (not sure if they are actually close as far as ADP in startups goes but figured those are some common names)

Bfrahm3 said:

Yeah I can see where sometimes it works out like that but sometimes people go too young is I guess what I'm getting at. 

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I don't disagree and would say it's all about what the draft offers you. If you are in a draft with a bunch of other youth obsessed people it does make it harder to stay with a plan of going young and actually trying to be good.

Also another thing that should be mentioned when I talk about going young and competing in year one. I usually will spend around 2-3 of my top 6 picks  young RB's. If you are spending a bunch of your early picks on young WR's who have not yet taken off it's a lot more difficult to compete in year one.

And taking this a step further I play mostly in FFPC formats which gives you the 1.5 TE PPR. So big team construct I usually take is going young at RB and using a good amount of the more premium picks on RB's and TE's with maybe a young WR or two mixed in. My last FFPC startup  I took Mike Evans in round one and did not take another WR for 14 rounds and that guy did not even make my opening roster but I loaded up on RB's  and TE's. I drafted my 5th TE before I drafted my second WR. 

So league format really matters. FFPC as an example is usually fairly easy to find at least usable WR help. Give me a team strong at RB and TE and in that format and some waiver wire money and that's usually a playoff team in that format.

I'd have to study for 2018 to give specific advice (which I haven't done), but in general, don't be afraid to trade back some when it makes sense, especially at the point the studs are off the board.

Multiple later picks &/or rookie picks help you gain volume. The more players you acquire, the more chances you have of hitting.

I tend to value youth quite a bit, but there's a lot of ways to skin a cat.

I make no claim to have a comprehensive strategy but would offer these tidbits:

1. Know your scoring system- ppr vs. non-ppr, te premium, start 2 qb, superflex, etc... Format makes a huge difference when it comes to drafting a team. As an example, in a two QB league, QBs will be overdrafted. Know this and be prepared to either follow the herd, or perhaps, deviate a bit and obtain premium talent at other positions.

2. Youth is important, but not pivotal: start ups see talent trump production. Don't be afraid to take the proven 28 year old over the immensely talented but unproven 24 year old based on age alone. My personal inclination is to take proven commodities and win early. From an investment standpoint, many dynos fold and/or bring in new owners yearly- don't be afraid to get a good ROI early in the event the league folds. If the league is successful and your team is not- you can always deal talent for picks.

3. Check ADP at multiple sights and compare your personal views to consensus views- what are the outliers? If you see differences, try and move up and down the draft to get the guys you want at good value.

Bronco Billy said:

I’d advise the opposite.  It’s been my experience in dynasty leagues that youth is overvalued and mid-career or later vets start to get progressively undervalued.  Take advantage of your leaguemates valuing and compete for a title right off the jump.  There’s always time to acquire youth in future drafts, and if you end up outside the playoff picture those productive older guys can net good trade value from playoff teams towards the trade deadline.

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Agreed. Plus your league could fold after year one. Perhaps my best team ever assembled after the first year, I was loaded in a 2qb league. Rodgers, Watson, Goff, Mariota, Gurley, Kamara, Hopkins, juju, decent depth. Won the first championship but the commish disappeared and the league folds. We didn't even get our winnings from last year. So assess the risk that the future you build might not come.

Going older in startups can work, but you better hit on your early & mid-round vets. If things don't go well there, your strategy of doing well early failed & you also missed out on a lot of youth, ending up in purgatory. I've seen that happen to a lot of teams.

The vets available in the mid-ish rounds aren't typically long-term assets. Their ceiling is somewhat capped & what you could easily end up with is a team with a short-term window without much upside. It can be tough to get out of the middle of the pack. You're not good enough to win it & you don't get the top rookies each year.

I'd much rather use a shotgun approach by trading back when it makes sense acquiring younger players with more upside. I typically look to start trading back after the safer studs are off the board. You'd be surprised what kind of value you can get in a startup draft by trading back a bit. The extra startup picks & rookie picks can come in real handy. That said, I have traded up a few times when it makes sense.

It's obviously a little tougher to win the first year or two with this strategy, but definitely can be done with strong early picks. You should also have more/better assets to play with compared to most teams if it looks like you can make a playoff run. I find this approach typically puts you ahead of the pack beginning as early as year-2. By year-3, you can really have a leg up on your competition (if done well).

I know leagues can fold quick & many do, but I'd rather assume they'll make it. If I wanted to treat it as a redraft league, I'd just get in one. One caveat I want to add is I haven't studied the dynamics for startups in 2018 so my strategy could possibly change somewhat once/if I do.

I also like to swap a startup pick for a future 1st if there's a lull in value (on my board). I've gotten a future 1st for a mid-round pick. Sometimes you can acquire a future 1st & still get the top guy on your board with your next pick if there's enough lull in value (again, on your particular board).

If there's enough time between now and your proposed Draft Date, try to convince your League to hold an auction instead of a conventional draft.

I consider this an imperative for start-ups. Gives every Owner a shot at every Player, and allows each Owner the full potential to exercise their individual strategies right out of the gate, unfettered by any conditions besides their bankroll.

You got a lot of “don’t forget the Vets” comments in here. I don’t disagree, but if you field a team where it’s the majority Vets and you miss on one or two, it puts you behind the 8 ball quickly. 

Id suggest something more along the lines of draft youth and upside in your draft, then wait til mid season, find those 3 wins teams with guys like Demaryius Thomas and get them for pennies. They’ll be looking to grab anything for those vets. 

nittanylion said:

If there's enough time between now and your proposed Draft Date, try to convince your League to hold an auction instead of a conventional draft.

I consider this an imperative for start-ups. Gives every Owner a shot at every Player, and allows each Owner the full potential to exercise their individual strategies right out of the gate, unfettered by any conditions besides their bankroll.

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Great point. The value at the top of the first round is significantly greater over time than the value towards the back end of round #1.

Honestly, and this is besides the point, but auctions are the way to go in every league. Just purely a more equitable way to construct a roster.

bigmarc27 said:

You got a lot of “don’t forget the Vets” comments in here. I don’t disagree, but if you field a team where it’s the majority Vets and you miss on one or two, it puts you behind the 8 ball quickly. 

Id suggest something more along the lines of draft youth and upside in your draft, then wait til mid season, find those 3 wins teams with guys like Demaryius Thomas and get them for pennies. They’ll be looking to grab anything for those vets. 

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I agree. I call it purgatory. It's hard to get out of the middle of the pack.

You're not going to outdraft everybody in a quality league. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat, but you're kind of painting yourself in a corner if you focus mainly on production. Many of those players, while fairly productive, have a lowish ceiling. You end up with a shorter window & if you don't dominate the draft (which is very difficult to do against quality competition), it can be difficult to win early on (which obviously was your strategy) & it's hard to dig out.

I particularly look for edges via strategy. Eyeball scouting is still the backbone of FF, but with all the info available today, you simply can't rely on outdrafting/outwaivering/outFAing/outtrading everyone.

nittanylion said:

If there's enough time between now and your proposed Draft Date, try to convince your League to hold an auction instead of a conventional draft.

I consider this an imperative for start-ups. Gives every Owner a shot at every Player, and allows each Owner the full potential to exercise their individual strategies right out of the gate, unfettered by any conditions besides their bankroll.

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Auctions are the way to go for sure, if you have the time and inclination to put the work into setting yourself up well, knowing the values and are able to strategize. 

Drafts are just easier usually. 

nittanylion said:

If there's enough time between now and your proposed Draft Date, try to convince your League to hold an auction instead of a conventional draft.

I consider this an imperative for start-ups. Gives every Owner a shot at every Player, and allows each Owner the full potential to exercise their individual strategies right out of the gate, unfettered by any conditions besides their bankroll.

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This. I would not even consider joining a league if the startup isn't auction.

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Additionally, I'd recommend getting rid of kickers and defense and replacing them with additional lineup spots (extra WR, extra flex, maybe even superflex, etc.). 

Go young if it isn't much more expensive. In my experience the big names still go for a lot even if they are old-ish. For example, I saw a 31 yo Marshall go for around a WR12 price a couple years ago. He was coming off a huge season, but still. This year I'd take Diggs over Hilton (4 year gap, but similar price), Barkley over DJ/Bell (5 year gap), Mixon over Gordon (4 year gap). But don't be afraid to grab an old vet if they're dirt cheap (Fitzgerald, Edelman, Lynch, Walker). They can help bridge the gap if some of your young guys need a year to incubate (maybe Chubb or Godwin). 

Nominate hype players like McKinnon or Engram. 

Look at your settings. If your league has cut downs or can only keep 20 players (or has less than 12 teams) then go studs and duds. There is no point in grabbing a bunch of value players if you're just going to have to cut them in the offseason. If you've got a deep league (~30 roster spots, ~10 starting spots), don't overpay for studs - focus on filling up your flexes with quality while the studs and duds teams will be left starting scrubs in the flexes to start the season.

What is the general rule for people trading down or out of a round?  Like if I trade out of the 1st how fair is a return?  According to the trade calculator a later 1st and a 2nd isn't enough, but that doesn't seem very realistic.  Or if I completely trade out of a round do I get a trade down plus a future 1st?  I did 1 startup last year, I moved like 2 picks total and I haven't done startups in a while which is why I'm asking.  Don't have a good read on those situations.  

Zyphros said:

What is the general rule for people trading down or out of a round?  Like if I trade out of the 1st how fair is a return?  According to the trade calculator a later 1st and a 2nd isn't enough, but that doesn't seem very realistic.  Or if I completely trade out of a round do I get a trade down plus a future 1st?  I did 1 startup last year, I moved like 2 picks total and I haven't done startups in a while which is why I'm asking.  Don't have a good read on those situations.  

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Depends where you are trading out from.  The higher up, the more you should get.

It varies depending on the perceived value and depth of the draft class.  Generally trading out of the top few slots should be worth multiple future firsts.  Trading out of the end of the 1st should only be worth the future 1st plus something like the 2nd you mentioned from either year.

I find I have more success trading up and down a board than straight up trading from one year to the next.  So in my league I usually structure things like higher 1st for lower 1st (or 2nd) in return for picks next year, or a move up by rounds in future drafts.  This gets me more takers than a simple 1.9 for next year’s first deal does, but your mileage may vary.

The approach of trading movements within a current round for moving up in future rounds also seems to work well outside of the first.  Thanks to tier breaks, people may perceive the difference in value between, say, 2.5 and 2.9 to be worth flipping a future 2nd for a 3rd.  Do this often enouh and you can accumulate a lot of mid-round picks to incentivize your upward movements in the first round of future drafts.

Thanks for your advice everyone.  I had my draft last night and it went ok. I was shocked at how early everyone was taking rookies. That left me some value with the older guys and ended up with more of a win now team.  12 team PPR 1221111

Brees, Winston, Jackson

Gurley, Freeman, Cohen, Hines, Barber, Buck

Demaryius, Fitz, Marvin, Gallup, Robby, Geronimo 

Gronk, Goedert

I'm joining a dynasty startup as well, so this thread has been very helpful.  One question I have that I didn't see addressed: 

What kind of roster construction should I be going for with 25 man rosters?  It's PPR, no positional premiums, we start QRRWWWTFKD - is 2 QBs too few?  3TEs too many?  Should I be loading up on just RB/WR and go with 2 each of QB/TE?  At the end of the year you can cut down to 20 (but don't have to, can be 24/23/22/21, and have a 5 round max rookie/FA draft after that to get back to 25. 

wlwiles said:

I'm joining a dynasty startup as well, so this thread has been very helpful.  One question I have that I didn't see addressed: 

What kind of roster construction should I be going for with 25 man rosters?  It's PPR, no positional premiums, we start QRRWWWTFKD - is 2 QBs too few?  3TEs too many?  Should I be loading up on just RB/WR and go with 2 each of QB/TE?  At the end of the year you can cut down to 20 (but don't have to, can be 24/23/22/21, and have a 5 round max rookie/FA draft after that to get back to 25. 

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Depends on what other owners do but at minimum I would probably go with something like this, just make sure the bye weeks are fine.  

2 QB's

5 RB's

7 WR's

3 TE's

That's 17 roster spots (19 if you include kicker and defense), leaving you 6 more to play with however you see fit.  PPR I would emphasize younger soon to be highly utilized players, as those last 6 spots.