Dynasty/Keeper Leagues: Making the Switch (1 Viewer)

[jdoggydogg]

This is an article I wrote that was rejected by FBG last year. No harm in posting it:

Dynasty/Keeper Leagues: Making the Switch Looking for something more than a standard redraft league? Tired of drafting an excellent team only to have it vanish at the end of the year? Then you should consider starting up (or switching to) a Dynasty/Keeper league.When your team retains players from year to year, fantasy football doesn't end in February. The NFL scouting combine, the draft, and mini camps become much more intriguing. What *was* a five month a year hobby is now a full-time pursuit. Don't worry...you don't have to watch countless hours of the NFL network. Footballguys.com has plenty of Dynasty cheat sheets and expert articles. With very little extra effort, you can participate in a league that raises the excitement to new heights.My redraft league made the switch to a Dynasty league a few years ago. I had my initial doubts. What if I draft a mediocre team? What if some of my players suffer devastating injuries? Will I be left with a bad team next year? How do I strike the ideal balance between young, upcoming stars and established vets?When people ask, "What if I get stuck with a bad team?", my response is, "What if you get lucky and draft a great team?" With a Dynasty/Keeper league, you get to retain some or all of that team. There are two easy ways to avoid getting stuck with a mediocre team year after year:1) In a Keeper league, you keep a set number of players - often two to five - every season. Therefore, the players that did not help your team are easily dumped. The RB that carried you to the playoffs stays on your team next year.2) In a Dynasty league, the simple way to promote player trades and talent-rich drafts is by installing a salary cap. With a salary cap, all the great players cannot be hoarded every year. If you want to retain Peyton Manning or Daunte Culpepper this year, you will need to spend a large portion of your cap space to retain them.A salary cap Dynasty league is just about as close to the real NFL as a fantasy league can get. Not only do you draft players - you get to play General Manager and decide who's worthy of remaining on your team. Some Dynasty leagues even use the "franchise player" rule - which allows you to keep one player per year at a low cap figure. If you don't have software to calculate your league's salary figures, you can easily grab salary cap cheat sheets on the internet.If you are considering making the Dynasty/Keeper switch, a fun way to launch your new league is with an auction draft. A traditional serpentine draft sometimes places team owners in a tough spot depending on their draft position. The auction draft eliminates being forced into a given pick. With an auction draft, you have a shot at the players you've targeted. If you want Ladanian Tomlinson and Randy Moss on the same team, you can have them. It'll cost you a large portion of your cap money, but you control your own destiny.The most significant change when switching to a Dynasty/Keeper league is your mindset. In a redraft league, Brett Favre is still a very solid #1 QB. In a Dynasty league, Carson Palmer has more value than Favre. Altering your wish list entering a Dynasty draft isn't difficult. Rather than simply focusing on a player's stats, consider his age. Even beyond age, does a given player demonstrate valuable upside? Upside isn't as abstract as it sounds. The Footballguys.com forums offer tons of great info on players. If you can't watch a lot of college games, you can be sure that the forum regulars have written excellent reports on many young players.Fantasy football has greatly enhanced enjoyment of the NFL. Dynasty/Keeper leagues can make that pleasure a little bit sweeter.

 

[MLBrandow]

This is an article I wrote that was rejected by FBG last year. No harm in posting it:

1) 2) #1

Needs more numbers.

 

[jdoggydogg]

This is an article I wrote that was rejected by FBG last year. No harm in posting it:

1) 2) #1

Needs more numbers.

There are plenty of people out there that are better with numbers than I am. I leave those articles to them

 

[Musesboy]

What you have written was very well done. It starts to entice the reader. If I had never played in those formats, it might have persuaded me to try it.

My guess as to why it was rejected is the length rather than the quality (under 700 words). How long was your successful auction piece this year?

You could possibly tweak this article for next year, but expand on it. Perhaps go into strategy a lot deeper. Do any positions have altered values in a league where you can retain players? How does average career length come into play? What about if you change the relative value of the positions by weighting the scoring to even things up? Maybe talk about some of the dynasty rankings at the time, and compare them to redraft rankings and explain the differences.

You might even give a hypothetical example of how your start up draft would be different compared to a redraft league. Show how you might balance young potential with veteran talent. If the rosters are large enough, would you draft the backups to your studs to promote continuity?

Mention how the annual rookie draft can add excitement to the league. Draft picks also become a trading tool. What is your attitude towards draft picks? Do you like to draft potential or trade the picks for proven talent? You can point all of these strategies out.

I like what you wrote here. It just feels incomplete. You can definitely write well. Thanks for putting it out there.

 

[jdoggydogg]

What you have written was very well done. It starts to entice the reader. If I had never played in those formats, it might have persuaded me to try it.

My guess as to why it was rejected is the length rather than the quality (under 700 words). How long was your successful auction piece this year?

You could possibly tweak this article for next year, but expand on it. Perhaps go into strategy a lot deeper. Do any positions have altered values in a league where you can retain players? How does average career length come into play? What about if you change the relative value of the positions by weighting the scoring to even things up? Maybe talk about some of the dynasty rankings at the time, and compare them to redraft rankings and explain the differences.

You might even give a hypothetical example of how your start up draft would be different compared to a redraft league. Show how you might balance young potential with veteran talent. If the rosters are large enough, would you draft the backups to your studs to promote continuity?

Mention how the annual rookie draft can add excitement to the league. Draft picks also become a trading tool. What is your attitude towards draft picks? Do you like to draft potential or trade the picks for proven talent? You can point all of these strategies out.

I like what you wrote here. It just feels incomplete. You can definitely write well. Thanks for putting it out there.

Thanks for the feedback. The auction strategy piece that FBG accepted is 832 words.

 

[Musesboy]

Thanks for the feedback. The auction strategy piece that FBG accepted is 832 words.

That's good to know. All my submissions were huge Maybe I will try to get to the point when I attempt another one

 

[jdoggydogg]

Thanks for the feedback. The auction strategy piece that FBG accepted is 832 words.

That's good to know. All my submissions were huge Maybe I will try to get to the point when I attempt another one

While I do think that FBG wants a comprehensive piece, I also think that both the staff and the readers do have a certain attention span that lends itself to brevity.

 

[Musesboy]

Thanks for the feedback. The auction strategy piece that FBG accepted is 832 words.

That's good to know. All my submissions were huge Maybe I will try to get to the point when I attempt another one

While I do think that FBG wants a comprehensive piece, I also think that both the staff and the readers do have a certain attention span that lends itself to brevity.

Mine were 2369, 3738, 4634, 4259, and 2374 words. I have no idea which one was selected. I probably put Clayton into a coma with the longer efforts.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Thanks for the feedback. The auction strategy piece that FBG accepted is 832 words.

That's good to know. All my submissions were huge Maybe I will try to get to the point when I attempt another one

While I do think that FBG wants a comprehensive piece, I also think that both the staff and the readers do have a certain attention span that lends itself to brevity.

Mine were 2369, 3738, 4634, 4259, and 2374 words. I have no idea which one was selected. I probably put Clayton into a coma with the longer efforts.

Wow. Looks like you worked hard. With my newest entry, FBG has now published three of my articles. When I set out to write one of these, I always write the piece to be as long as it needs to be. Since I am not a good numbers guy, my written work tends to be shorter than some.

 

[Musesboy]

Wow. Looks like you worked hard.

With my newest entry, FBG has now published three of my articles. When I set out to write one of these, I always write the piece to be as long as it needs to be. Since I am not a good numbers guy, my written work tends to be shorter than some.

It doesn't feel like work though, does it? Another outlet for all my random thoughts about football I can't wait to read yours