Dynasty League - Do you have a dead period between seasons? (1 Viewer)

[Gally]

Our dynasty league has a dead period every year. It begins the Saturday after the NFL Super Bowl and ends June 1st. No transactions are allowed during this time period. After this dead period we take the first two weeks of June to allow for anybody to propose any rule changes. Once those are finalized, they are put to vote (two weeks). Trades are allowed starting June 1st but no free agent signings are allowed until after the draft/auction date which is always the Saturday before Labor Day weekend.

I just wanted to see what the majority of leagues do and to see if anybody has any pros or cons to the way they do things. Thought it might make for some good discussion. Enjoy!

 

[sushinsky4tsar]

Free agent pool is on lockdown from the end of the regular season until the combined rookie/free agent draft in August. I like this because it definitely saves me from myself, and also helps supplement the rookie talent pool with some interesting un-rostered options that have seen an offseason value boost.

Trades can happen throughout the season, but the league is pretty dormant for offseason trading, at least until excitement builds for the rookies.

 

[Crippler]

Things are slow till April
Draft almost done
Things will slow till August but we do have open waivers as only allowed 30 pickups per season. So some action June-July but overall dead

 

[BigJim®]

Our league used to have a no-transaction period which ran from week 10 of a prior FF season to <> May for trading and after the July rookie draft for Free Agency. Around 7-8 years ago we began opening trading earlier (right after the NFL super bowl) in hopes it would facilitate more off season activity, but really has not had much impact.

 

[Gally]

Things are slow till April

But do you have a dead period where activity is prohibited regarding transactions (trades/FA activity)?

 

[JohnnyU]

We have a rule that if you don’t check in at least once a week you are paid a visit by Guido and could be subject to swimming with the fishes.

 

[Dez]

From the end of week 17 until the Friday of the Sweet 16 (Near end of March) is our only dead area in the huddle leagues.

 

[joey]

Our dynasty league has a dead period every year. It begins the Saturday after the NFL Super Bowl and ends June 1st. No transactions are allowed during this time period. After this dead period we take the first two weeks of June to allow for anybody to propose any rule changes. Once those are finalized, they are put to vote (two weeks). Trades are allowed starting June 1st but no free agent signings are allowed until after the draft/auction date which is always the Saturday before Labor Day weekend.

I just wanted to see what the majority of leagues do and to see if anybody has any pros or cons to the way they do things. Thought it might make for some good discussion. Enjoy!

3 of my 4 Dynasty leagues are FFPC, so while trades are always allowed in the off season , it’s the FAAB waiver moves that are locked down from the last waiver run after week 17 until a few days before the NFL a regular season starts. Weird to not be able to make any moves at all besides trades in between the May rookie draft and NFL Week 1, but you get used to it.

My 4th dynasty league I co-commish on sleeper and we lock down all free agent/waiver moves from right before the NFL Draft until right after our rookie draft (usually 2 weeks before NFL week 1). Trades always allowed in the off-season.

 

[joey]

But to answer what I thought you meant when I read the title…my sleeper league is freakin dead dead dead between the end of the NFL regular season and a few weeks before our league’s rookie draft in mid-August, in terms of chatter and general activity. Getting replies from folks in the Jan-July period on possible rule changes, off-season trade offers or general taunting is like pulling teeth. I’ve co-run that league in some form or another for over 15 years and it’s partly grown out of our 29 year redraft league at work, so it’s a bunch of old timers for the most part who thought it would be fun to add a dynasty league to the mix, but only 2 of the 12 (myself included) love talking football all year long. The rest like “some time off from football”. What is wrong with these people?!?!!?

This is the main reason I’ve joined those other 3 FFPC dynasty leagues over the past 7 years…to increase the potential for offseason activity and owner engagement. For sure, every FFPC league is different with some turnover of owners every year, but in general FFPC has 50% of owners who are there to compete and wheel and deal. Love it.

 

[zed2283]

There are no transactions from the end of the regular season until the Tuesday of week 1.

Trading is open all offseason, but we very rarely have any trades before the NFL draft happens.

 

[sushinsky4tsar]

I think this thread was the nudge I needed to throw out an offer to move up for the 1.1. Figured if trades are allowed in our offseason, I might as well shoot my shot instead of waiting for everyone else in the league to wake up in August.

Went hard to the hole with a '26 1st just to move up two spots. I was expecting that he would never see the offer this time of year, reject it outright, or at least want to see what other teams would offer closer to our August draft.

To my surprise, it was accepted within 5 minutes.

 

[Lansdowne]

My league is dead from Week 18 (the week after our league championship) until late July of the next season when everyone is brought back to post their final roster cuts before the rookie draft. It’s a very casual league with few trades if any. It’s a group of my friends along with friends of their own. It’s been a frustrating experience for me because I inherited the worst roster and am now on year 5 of a rebuild effort and it’s been harder to improve my roster due to lack of trade partners. 1QB. Rosters are small (18 + 2 IR) and there is no taxi squad. But it’s how the league has been for forever so I have to accept it as is. But it’s really sucked having to drop so many dart throws only to see them finally pop off on someone else’s roster.

 

[waiver wire]

end of week 17 until Mar 31 we still have FCFS then stop any waivers until 24 hours after our draft ends in the 2nd week in May

 

[scothawk]

We have a rule that if you don’t check in at least once a week you are paid a visit by Guido and could be subject to swimming with the fishes.

That's absolutely ridiculous. I would quit that league immediately and not have anything to do with this style of management.








Check in 3 times a week minimum or its game over. Commish needs to get with it.

 

[Keith R]

Everything is on lockdown from the end of Week 17 until the Tuesday after the Super Bowl, only because of the limitations of the website. Once that Tuesday hits, trades are allowed as are IR moves and cuts (mostly to make room for picks pre-draft) but free agent acquisitions are not allowed until the draft is complete.

 

[Crippler]

Things are slow till April

But do you have a dead period where activity is prohibited regarding transactions (trades/FA activity)?

Just from end of season till MFL upgrades to new season. Than open all season long

 

[B Maverick]

4 leagues and no lockdown. Once the FF playoffs end and a champion crowned, trading opens again, FA opens again...
3 leagues have roster expansion in the offseason so some minor drops (kickers, def) and roster churns. Maybe some draft trading as we get toward the NFL and rookie drafts.
4th league is slow, might get some movement as we get close to protected lists and contracts being done for the regular draft.

But overall its usually slow in the offseason.

 

[lsutigers]

Wide open year long (although offseason certainly slows down) for trading and drops. Waivers in season and then adds locked in offseason.

Previously, we had a no trade beginning in Week 11 through the end of the playoffs that was removed. Adds an interesting dynamic as last year teams mortgaged future picks for win now rb's in the playoffs (1st for Henry, 2nd for Mixon, 2nd for Etienne/Corum).

 

[Lehigh98]

I think everybody needs a break or they get burned out.
All of our transactions lock after the playoffs until the managers are paid up for next year, then only trading turned back on. FA's still locked.
We have the rookie draft a few days after the NFL draft but FA's are still locked.
Blind bidding opens up end of July (had been a couple weeks before the season starts but people asked to move earlier)
The first BB run is fun because its all the undrafted rookies and FA's from last year that may have gotten new teams, etc.

 

[Shrek]

It's always dead in our league from the end of the Super Bowl up until the pre-draft buzz starts (usually after college bowl season is over). We don't prohibit trades during that time, but they're rare. Once the draft gets underway, it ratchets up pretty quickly.

 

[Dacomish]

In the 16 team IDP league I commish, we are active all year round, FAAB is only during the season, and FCFS the rest of the year. Trades are re-opened after Ship game and happen year-round up till end of week 10.

To keep things active, we have multiple events in the off-season:

Jan - Just after regular season we hold a post season pick-em with the overall prize being a draft pick at the end of our rookie draft (4.01) which is tradeable and taxi squad eligible.
Feb - Devy moves for those players who declare for NFL Draft (place on taxi/active rosters)
Mar - 1 Round Devy Draft
April/May - NFL Draft Challenge (closest prediction of how the 1st round of the draft goes gets a pick at end of the rookie draft 4.02)
Apri/May - 3 Round Rookie Draft
May - Taxi Squad Demotions/Roster compliance for post rookie draft actions (need to get to 3 Taxi squad slots and 28 Active roster).
June-Aug - General banter, trades, talk. If we have a "dead time" it's here, but all 16 owners in my league are pretty active year-round checking in and doing FA moves/trades.

 

[kutta]

We don’t allow FA pickups once the season ends until the first week of the new season. Trades are allowed all offseason.
We do something that I love with our rookie draft. We do the first two rounds a couple weeks after the NFL draft ends (it starts today!)
The last two rounds are done after the third preseason game.

 

[joey]

and FCFS the rest of the year.

No complaints about people racing to the free agent wire on hot news ahead of others who might be in a different time zone and asleep? Or just not dialed in 24/7 during the off seasons?

 

[Dacomish]

and FCFS the rest of the year.

No complaints about people racing to the free agent wire on hot news ahead of others who might be in a different time zone and asleep? Or just not dialed in 24/7 during the off seasons?

To be honest it really hasn't been a major issue. We have very deep rosters (496 total roster spots/16 team league) so the players being picked up are really at the bottom of the barrel. League has been going for 8 seasons now and never had a complaint about it.

 

[darksideofoz]

yes.

waivers and FCFS end week 18.

the league gets rolled over to the next year in April so we can get the MFL early bird discount, but nothing else happens other than basic setup for the next season by commish (me).

first week of June I try to have it figured out if any owners are leaving and their spots need filled. As soon as all owners or spots are confirmed, then trading opens. Though, no one really does any trading until early August. if an owner makes a trade they must pay the entry fee for the season before it is pushed through. otherwise, they pay before they can draft. then we start the slow draft the same night that is the end of the 3rd preseason week (approx Aug 20th).

FCFS opens right after the draft concludes, which is usually a day or 2 before the 1st game of the season. waivers start week 2.

 

[wlwiles]

I'm in 3 leagues, all run by the same guy with a lot of the same players in them so they're all run the same way. There's no mandated dead period, but I've never seen a trade or anything happen between season end and the real NFL draft - all the owners just kind of take a break then. Trading is shut down at the Week ~10 or 11 deadline, but it's opened back up as soon as the league championship happens. Just had our first off-season trade out of any of the 3 leagues completed yesterday. Our rookie drafts are early August, and FA opens up the next day.