Draft Strategy for Dynasty Startup (1 Viewer)

[hulaman100]

I am in a ESPN 8 person dynasty start up league Full PPR. Since we couldn't get more people we increased starters and bench spots to accommodate. What would the best strategy be since I am picking 7th? It is a Snake draft and includes veterans and rookies. My question is what would be a good draft strategy for this unique format?

Just to note my initial plan was to go WR with my first pick. Take Achane in the second round. Then Chase Brown in the 3rd but I am worried if he will not make there because I have the second to last pick in the third. When I do mock simulator he is always there for me but I'm not sure player like Henry will be taken before him even though ESPN ranks him behind player like Henry, Jacobs, Irving, Ladd Tyreek, Davantae, Higgins, etc. Most of the league has casual or beginner players. From my knowledge there are only two other mangers who pay attention to an extent and they both pick earlier than me in round 3. So I am a little concerned that they could take Brown. I'm just very high on him and Achane so I was debating using my first two pick with and build up wr later

Starters:
2 QBs
3 WRs
3 RBs
2 TEs
3 Flex (WR/RB/TE)

20 bench players (not joking)

 

[Gally]

Take the best player available. Don't worry about a lineup. Just get value and best players as you can.

Since it's a 2 Qb league I would assume those guys will fly off the board but being only 8 teams it might not be your typical two QB draft situation. How long can you keep players for? Is it a contract/salary cap style or just keep forever? How many players do you keep year to year?

I would highly recommend trying to flip it to an auction as that is the best way for a dynasty start up so you aren't a slave to get lucky by picking the right number out of a hat.

Again, it's dynasty so worry about getting the best player available and don't force a particular position. Get value and don't be afraid of veterans. Many people will draft extremely young in a dynasty start up and will be chasing being competitive for a few years because of it. I like a solid mix of youth and vets and want to be competitive right out of the gate.

 

[hulaman100]

Take the best player available. Don't worry about a lineup. Just get value and best players as you can.

Since it's a 2 Qb league I would assume those guys will fly off the board but being only 8 teams it might not be your typical two QB draft situation. How long can you keep players for? Is it a contract/salary cap style or just keep forever? How many players do you keep year to year?

I would highly recommend trying to flip it to an auction as that is the best way for a dynasty start up so you aren't a slave to get lucky by picking the right number out of a hat.

Again, it's dynasty so worry about getting the best player available and don't force a particular position. Get value and don't be afraid of veterans. Many people will draft extremely young in a dynasty start up and will be chasing being competitive for a few years because of it. I like a solid mix of youth and vets and want to be competitive right out of the gate.

We keep all players as long as we want. No salary cap. We didn't do auction just because most of the league is new to fantasy football. I would of liked that but only a couple of us have experience.

 

[Gally]

We keep all players as long as we want. No salary cap.

Draft best player available for most of the draft. Worry about lineups later. Start with a quality foundation of players that will be starters. You can always trade for fill in for roster construction.

 

[Tonycarpenter]

GUIDANCE:
Based on your description you're in great Shape for success in this league.
#1 Don't Worry. Be patient.
#2. Avoid RBs until RD 7/8 and delay QBs until Rd 5/6 turn.
#3. Play the long game. BUILD A DYNASTY. Acquire Value. Thats your job.
#4. You get to keep players as long as you want. So it's important to acquire difference makers (like Bowers) at key positions. Nabers, BTJ. Some people will treat this like a redraft. They'll trade for older players to win now. . Be the one that sells to them.
#5. Embrace sucking. Get it out of the way now and never suck again. Don't try to win/now. If it' happens. that's Great. Focus on building value and acquiring extra draft picks. Plan for things to come together in year 3. But I don't want you to just WIN. I want you to win for 3 years in a Row.... like a true dynasty (Year 3 is 1 complete player window) . NEVER REBUILD Just RELOAD. WHen your team is finally loaded, You'll be in a position to OVERPAY for players you want.
#6. Write out your picks i.e.: #7, #10, #23, #26, #39, #42 and so on through 264 players. 8 x 33 roster. 264 rostered Try to out perform each pick but focus on youth. You'll see who stands out. Ideally you can acquire starters all ranked in top 66 players Top 25% of total Rostered players. It will be possible over time. Overall Rostered Players in Top 132 overall rankings. That's only Top 50% of all rostered 264 players. Why? You don't fill your roster with scrubs. If you have 5 of the top 10 WRs that means someone probably doesn't have any.
#7. Think in PLAYER WINDOWS.. A player window is about 3yrs long. How many Players windows does each player and position have?
#8. QBs can have 3-8 players windows. They have the longest shelf life. OFFs run through them. Passing league.
#9. WRs have about 3 player windows on avg or about 9years. But their value dropps significantly in that last player window as they near age 30. A 29yo Top 5WR doesn't have the same TRADE VALUE as a 24yo Top10 WR. No Teams will pay for a 3yr outlook. 1-or 2 maybe? Even if they're top 10 for 5 years. It was always +1 year. Ride them into the ground. I try to trade Top WRs by age 27 or 28 while there's still meat on the bones. I love that you can start 6WRs each week. Carry as many top WRs as you can.
#10. RBs have the shortest Player Windows typically. Having Young Top RBs is likely via trade or premium trade. BUT this position has high turnover. Rare for 30yo RB to League leader. BUT it happens. Henry, Saquon, Kamara, Solid RBs. They're relatively cheap compared to Gibbs, Bjian or Jeanty. I'm saying BUILD QB, WR, TE positions and find RB last for elite squad. When you need them they'll be available at a reasonable price. If you add them....Trade them for 2026 1st rounder. for bad teams and 2nd rounder for good teams if you snake draft.
#11. TEs. Are very Hit and miss. Brock Bowers is a difference maker and the new Travis Kelce and we've not yet seen his ceiling. He's Tier1 on his own/scoring advantage. Tier 2: McBride and LaPorta,. I'd put Kittle in Tier3 due to age. Outside of top 6 TEs production is very spotty. TEs can have a longer shelf life but can take longer to emerge. We're still waiting for Kyle Pitts to live up to his hype. Kelce still playing but not at the time top tier level. Kincaid didn't produce liek his Rookie season. Crap shoot.
#12. TEs don't typically score as much as WRs, RBs or QBs so outside of elite TEs. a TE heavy Starter roster is often a folly. Carry 4 TEs max. If you have more than that look to trade them. UNLESS you're in a TEP league scoring setting. If you want a 5th with upside and have BN space no sweat.
#13. I don't know how ESPN ranks their players. It's important to know your scoring settings. How'd players do last year. What changes have occurred off season to impact future projections? Many owners just go by rankings in the system or last years points. INJURED players that missed games that are good might be rated lower Godwin, PUka, DAK) etc Be aware of this.
#14. NO FLEX FILLER. I do NOT fill my roster with flex players that have no trade value. I'll grab players hoping their value increases for trade. OR I'm targeting future RB1, WR1 types. I focus on talent over situation. Kendrick Bourne is a good dude from home town. But he doesn't have trade value. He won't be on my roster even though I'm rooting for his success. GO AHEAD AND LOSE A WEEK: I will EMBRACE THE SUCK of losing a particular week and even the season if it helps my long term value. I start a full roster each week so I'm never tanking. I don't drop a prosect I like for a Bye Week Filler that I don't want to keep. I try to plan ahead and avoid situations. AND I avoid having too many players from 1 team.
#15. Acquire, Trade Repeat: .... I'll acquiring Rising FAs.... for free. I'll trade them at a discount for draft picks. By doing this I cashed out my profits. I traded Tank Bigsby for 2nd last year before Etienne returned from injury. Marvin Mims might have a 2026 RD 2 value but if he's not starting on my team I'm happy trading him for a 3rd Rounder or 2027 2nd. It's all profit. AND if I do this 5 times throughout the year I'm always getting ahead. I can afford to overpay for premium players I like or trade up in the draft. There's NO LIMIT TO THE # Of draft Picks you can have.
#16. I'll bundle and trade up draft picks. "I'll give you 3x 3rd rounders for your 2nd rounder. This does a few things: It frees up roster space to acquire more FAs. It upgrades your draft picks.
#17. I try to trade for 1st round pick early in the season. I will look at someone's roster. "Would you like DHenry for 1st round 2026? Cool. If My team is good. I'll be picking in the back of the draft. BUT if their team is bad I'll be picking early. This is how you reload without rebuilding. IF you can have 2 extra top 16 draft picks each year it's like you're acquiring players as fast as less active owners.
18. Extra Picks can allow you to dictate the draft order to some extent. Take players early so other players fall. This logic is why I took Nabers and Bowers #1, #2 even though t's a reach for Bowers. I don't expect him to be available for #3, #4 round picks. Plus, if it keys a run on TEs oh well.


DRAFT RESULTS:
#7. WR Malik Nabers. 22yo. #5 overall Win/Now and #5 Long Build player in Waldman's RSP.
#10. TE Brock Bowers. 23yo #20 Win/Now overall player and #11 Longbuild overall palyer (3 years from now). Taking Bowers #10 because likely gone by your #3 pick.
#23. WR Brian Thomas Jr. 23yo #25 Win now overall player. #10 Long Build overall Player. They're not necessarily rates as high and with guys grabbing QBs you're loading up.
#26 WR Drake London 23you #24 overall Win Now and #14 overall Long Build it seems crazy but with Top RBs and QBs I see this happening. CD Lamb, JChase Jefferson. There's people to acquire ahead of them.

Round 5 & 6. Take QBs. Temptation for McBride or some elite player though if they drop. But QBs

#39 QB: Caleb Williams 24yo #47 overall in WIN/NOW but #26 overall in Longbuild. Take any of these QBs if they drop: LJAX, JAllen, JDaniels, JBurrow, PMahomes, Caleb Williams, J.Hurts.. They should be long-gone but maybe not Caleb. if He's gone.... Read next pick.
#42. QB Bo Nix 25. #48 Win Now #59 in long build but holds his QB positional Ranking as players pushing his overall ranking down are not QBs but WR/RB/TE types. By selecting QBs in 5th and 6th Round you're still in the top half of QBs in the NFL If 7 other teams take 2 QBs by this pick that's 14QBs. targeting mid tier guys with youth and upside/consistency. IF you're wrong it's not the end of the world. But you're still i the top half to compete with stronger QB teams. Your Position players are superior though. Caleb Williams not available and #9 is Bo Nix, #42 could be M Penix, BPurdy. I have you grabbing 2 at the turn at just the right time.

RD 7/8.
#55: WR Luther Burden III, I would also would accept Rome Odunze or Colston Loveland. It's only coincidence that these are all CHI players. These are value players with promising upside in a potentially exciting offense.
#58. RB: Kaleb Johnson? 22yo Rookie RB Finally RB. I'm looking for 22-23yo rookie or Y2 RB on rookie contract, talent, upside and decent situation. Other examples could be Q.Judkins, Treyveon Henderson,

RD 9/10
#71: RB Q.Judkins. (Unless he's in jail). Evaluate who has fallen: QB3,? Brock Purdy/Penix/JLove/ARichardson/BYoung/CamWard? RB2? Judkins, THenderson? TE2, Loveland? ? WR5 JWilliamson? Due to glut of solid WR2 I know there will be options. I'm not in a hurry there. Fill out other positions. Young upside talent even if they're not starting.
#74. TE C. Loveland. Repeat above evaluation. Went TE because Loveland is TE5 long term right now and it's hard to get top 5 anything in Round 10 of 8 team league. That's a good get even if he doesn't live up to expectations.

RD11/12 QB3/4
#87: QB Anthony Richardson/ Risk Reward player. Waldman likes tape on him but realizes there's risk. BUY at this price. Baker Mayfield, Geno Smith had unique career arcs Darnold improved. Richardson young and fast and solid arm an decent legs.
#90: QB Brock Purdy. I don't know if all of these guys will be available at this time But PURDY is steady. High floor. Any one of these 4 drafted QBs would be solid fit. Could start. If he's not available Michael Penix. If Penix not available DMaye. I'm saying you have options While other guys still filling WR/RB TE roles. Because you're picking 3 picks apart at the turn you can go late for QB3/4.

RD 13/14
#103: RB RJ Harvey
#106: WR Matthew Golden.

 

[Tonycarpenter]

******My Roster for you: *********
QB1 Caleb Williams 24
QB2 Bo Nix 25
WR1 Malik Nabers 22
WR2 Brian Thomas Jr. 23
WR3 Drake London 23
RB1: Kaleb Johnson 22
RB2: Quinshon Judkins
TE1: Brock Bowers 23
TE2: Colston Loveland 21
Flx1 LutherBurden 21
Flx2: RB RJ Harvey 22
Flx3 WR Matthew Golden 22
BN:QB ARchardson 24
BN:QB BPurdy age 26
It's full of youth and promise. There's no veteran filler. You've got your starters and back up QBs. By focusing on the young studs you prevent others from acquiring them. Zero Sum game in that sense early on. Let someone take Saquon and DHenry and Davantae Adams. I would avoid those players for your long term starter outlook (Qb1-4, WR1-7 RB 1-5, TE1-3) I'm not going to pass on DHenry, GKittle, Davante Adams as Bench players.... If I acquire them though I'm looking to trade them. Can i get a JGibbs, Bijan? LaPorta?, LaddMcConkey?

 

[Tonycarpenter]

I did 14 round simulation from #7 spot and built you a dynasty down below. (Half way down)
I would drool over your amazing team I built LOL.
Before you read that though I provide background, guidance methodology on my experience and what works and why I have success.
My point isn't to brag but show results/gain credibility.
2018 We started Dynasty League with AutoDraft. (all screwed equally).
Rather than rush to Win/Now. I focused on adding value and Announced "I'll win the league in 3 years".
These were redraft guys that knew football but weren't patient. I did win in 3 years and nearly had a 3peat.
In 7 years I've been in the title game 5 times. won it 3 times. never missed playoffs.
2018 6th,
2019 2nd.
2020 1st
2021 1st
2022 2nd
2023 5th
2024 1st.
*Damar Hamlin death/revival cost ended my 3peat bid I was down 3 pt about to kick FG to tie when game was suspended.
Our 10 team league: 30 roster spots 4 IR and start 2QB, 3WR, 2RB 1 TE. 1WR/TE 1WR/RB 1WR/RB/TE K, DEF, IDP-DB, IDP DL, IDP LB.
My roster:
QB: Dak, Tua. JLove, Flacco
WR: JJefferson, Puka, AJ Brown, Drake London, Ladd, Olave, Godwin, TDell, MMims, Legette,
RB: JTaylor, JCook, TTracy, RIco Dowdle, JKDobbins, NCHubb, TyJae Spears, BCorum, JBrooksIR,
TE: BBowers, DKincaid, Cade Stover
Of this Roster:
PLayers I drafted as rookies:
TUA, DLondon, Olave, TDell, LEgette, JKDobbins, NChubb, Tyjae, Corum JBrooks, Bowers, DKincaid.
* My RBs in year 1 were so bad that I was starting CHUBB when he was getting 2-3 carries a game. This was by design. I was embracing suck. I actually started him when he had 3 carries for185 yds 2 TDs. Then he became the starter.
Traded For Players:
Dak, JLove, Godwin, JTaylor, JCook,
FA Acquisitions/WW:
Jefferson, AJBrown, Puka Flacco, Mims, Tracy, Dowdle, Stover.
Draft Picks/Trades/Be Active
You have limited roster space....but unlimited capacity to own draft picks.
I acquire Players for free off FA/WW then look to trade them. It's easy for owners to say YES to 3rd round pick. Then when I have 2-3 3rds I'll bundle for a 2nd. Do that until for a 1st mabye.
I sold Baker Mayfield for 2x 2nd rounders. The guy dropped him. I grabbed him and sold him to someone else after his bounce back. AJ Brown/Jefferson off WW not common both scenarios were impatient owners dealing with rookie coming off injury early in the season. Mostly I'll grab someone like Tank Bigsby last year. He became starter. I traded him to RB needy team for 2nd. Both sides happy. Owners come back because I'm not over charging them. Having More picks = also means I don't need my only 1st rounder to pan out. One year I owned 5 of the top 15 picks. I dictated the drafted and made sure certain players fell to my other picks. I'm made terrible trades and draft picks but if I'm right 3of5 times I'm 60% accurate and coming out ahead. Also freeing up roster space via trades allows you to continue to acquire sleepers/prospects.

 

[Hurl Bruce]

You're going to lean towards younger players, but don't be afraid to jump on a veteran stud. They'll fall and be great value for a win-now mode type of team.

 

[Gally]

to them.
#5. Embrace sucking. Get it out of the way now and never suck again. Don't try to win/now.

I could not disagree with this statement more. I have seen way too many owners with this approach that end up always playing for next year and never being competitive. The object is to win. Always try and win. The key is balance. Be Goldilocks. Don't be all old or all young. Find a balance. That is the best way to be competitive every year.