Dynasty league success (1 Viewer)

[Captain Spaulding]

I've never done a poll before so hopefully, I pushed the correct buttons to make it work.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Poll didn't work...oh well here was my choices, just comment I suppose:

a) Rookie Draft

b) Waiver Wire

c) Trades

d) All about equal importance toward dynasty success.

I personally think wavier pickups (whether in-season or off-season) are the most important to success.

 

[King of the Wolfies]

I treat every year the same way. Win now, but if choosing between players, go with the one with longer term benefits as long as it doesnt hurt you too much this year.

I chose D because it doesnt matter how you get the players that make you win.

 

[dgreen]

If you are a bad team, I think the draft and waiver wire are the best ways to get things started. Once you've drafted a stud or snagged a good player or two off the waiver wire, it's time to work the trade market to improve the team. Then, once you're good, I think the trade market is the best way to continue your success while filling in some holes through the draft and waiver wire.

 

[jeter23]

I think the startup draft has huge significance. One bad draft and it can put you behind for two years or more.

 

[Warpig]

I've made some key trades picking up young, promising talent. I've also aqcuired more draft picks to increase my odds at finding a gem.

I'm in a 32 team dynasty though so the draft may have more importance in that kind of a league. But I've seen people win both ways. If you wanna win now, you trade to pick up stable, productive vets. But if you truly wanna build a dynasty, then you build through the draft.

 

[sparkky]

I'd say "none of the above". I think talent evaluation and future potential trumps all in dynasty leagues.

 

[Crippler]

Keeping a mix of vets and youth are the way to go. A good drafter can get it done picking late every year and bringing in one or 2 new pieces each year.

In my one dynasty league, one owner has had 21 1st round draft picks in the last 7 years with quite a few high ones. He has missed the playoffs 4 years in a row now and only 1 in the last 6.

 

[coolnerd]

I picked D. You need to acquire talent. The how you do it does not matter. The situation of your league, WW rules, owner personality, length of draft, all influence the mix of methods. I can think of situation where I have been active and successul w/o doing one well or at all. Of course, I can also think of sometimes where I have done all three and none of them seem to work well enough. Still in the end, even if you prefer one, a player still needs to be able to not get destroyed at the others.

 

[SSOG]

It's all about acquiring talent. Whether you acquire it through good drafting, or whether you acquire it through good adds, or whether you acquire it through good trades is irrelevant- it's all about identifying talent and acquiring it.

If I had to choose between the three, I'd say making good trades is the biggest key, because it has the most unlimited talent pool available. When you're dealing with the rookie draft, the only talent you can acquire is rookies or players not yet rostered. Waivers can only get you unknown vets. Through trades, literally EVERY PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE is available to you... as long as you're willing to pay the price. If you think Brian Westbrook is going to blow up for 150 yards per game, then go get him. If you think that Brandon Marshall is going to become a 100-catch receiver, then go get him. If you think that Tom Brady is going to rewrite the record books, then go get him. As an added bonus, trades give you a chance to get value on the players who you own who you think are going to UNDERPERFORM general consensus. The rookie draft and waiver wire don't have any way to get something extra for including a bit of junk (that the rest of the league doesn't yet realize is junk).

 

[FUBAR]

I picked D. You need to acquire talent. The how you do it does not matter. The situation of your league, WW rules, owner personality, length of draft, all influence the mix of methods. I can think of situation where I have been active and successul w/o doing one well or at all. Of course, I can also think of sometimes where I have done all three and none of them seem to work well enough. Still in the end, even if you prefer one, a player still needs to be able to not get destroyed at the others.

This is why I like being in multiple leagues with different personalities. In some, so few trades take place and the owners are solid enough that you have to build through the draft and waivers, you simply aren't going to get the trades that will win it for you. In others, people love to get together, drink and trade without paying a whole lot of attention to ensuring they get the best value. In those, if you don't keep at it, you'll fall behind. In large leagues, it's difficult to build through the draft without trading up. In smaller leagues, this is more possible, although still a challenge.

 

[EBF]

There have been plenty of good posts so far. My answer echoes some of the sentiments voiced above.

Success comes down to all of the above.

It all starts out with the initial draft. You need to build a solid foundation that will give you a good chance to be competitive in the long-term. This comes down to a few things:

1. Know your league format - This is very simple, and yet many owners overlook it. You have to understand how the setup of your league affects the values of the available players. In a start 2 RB non-PPR league, Willie Parker probably has more value than Anquan Boldin. But in a start 1 RB PPR league, Anquan Boldin definitely has more value and is an elite player. You need to know which positions will be most valuable in your league format and you need to draft accordingly. Failure to do this will dramatically decrease your odds of consistent success in your league.

2. Don't believe the hype. Time and time again I see owners pass up proven veteran talent in the prime of their careers for unknown youngsters. Why take Vernon Davis when you can have Jeremy Shockey at the same draft slot? Why take Matt Leinart when you can have Drew Brees? Do not draft a guy with a 60% chance of becoming a star when there is a star still left on the board! That's like trading sixty cents for a dollar. Most of my worst dynasty draft picks happened when I assumed that a player I liked was going to break out. Don't be the clown who makes that assumption.

3. Know how to work the late rounds. Avoid veteran scrubs like the plague. Take lots of gambles on highly-drafted unproven prospects. Most of them will bust, but one or two of them will become stars for you. Happens to me every year. I've gotten Santana Moss in the 10th, Santonio Holmes in the 10th, Kevin Curtis in the 17th, Anquan Boldin in the 20th, and Michael Turner in the 30th to name a few.

Once the initial draft is over, success comes down to:

Trading - Buy low and sell high. If you can consistently do that, you'll stockpile value. It's easier said than done though since it can be very difficult to predict who's going to rise and who's going to fall. Bad decisions here can really come back to haunt you.

Rookie draft - Understand the value of your picks and maximize your selections. Don't be afraid to move down or up. The real trick is identifying the legit players and positioning yourself to get as many of them as possible. I've had some successes in the first round of my rookie drafts, but the picks I'm most proud of are when I've managed to snag a contributor from the late rounds (Patrick Willis in the 2nd, Kirk Morrison in the 5th, Justin Tuck in the 5th, Tamba Hali in the 3rd, Bernard Berrian in the 5th, etc). Even a blind squirrel finds a nut and even the worst owners in your league can hit with their first round pick. But being able to consistently pluck value from your 2nd and 3rd round picks can give you a huge edge.

Waivers - Take gambles on unheralded players who have the upside to become valuable commodities.

 

[TheSpecialOne]

This season I got involved in my first dynasty league.

We used fantasy auctioneer and we picked players with a salary cap. Basically you could have any player if you wanted to use your limited funds on someone.

The strategy that I used was to pick players that were talented with a preference towards younger players.

I spent most of my money on RBs. I drafted Stephen Jackson and Adrian Peterson.

I also ended up with Tony Romo, Big Ben and Marc Bulger.

This led me to having less money to spend on WRs. I drafted younger WRs. I got Brandon Marshall, DJ Hackett, Santonio Holmes and Calvin Johnson.

My TEs were good picks too as I got Chris Cooley and Jason Witten.

The reason why I was able to get these players is that most of the other teams overspent acquiring RBs and QBs and I waited for guys that were a bit cheaper.

The key takeaway that I got from our initial draft is to draft a team that you think would be good the following year. I think that has served me well this year and for the future.

There is more than one way to draft a team but IMO drafting an initial dynasty team that you think will be good the following year is a good strategy.

 

[FUBAR]

This season I got involved in my first dynasty league.

We used fantasy auctioneer and we picked players with a salary cap. Basically you could have any player if you wanted to use your limited funds on someone.

The strategy that I used was to pick players that were talented with a preference towards younger players.

I spent most of my money on RBs. I drafted Stephen Jackson and Adrian Peterson.

I also ended up with Tony Romo, Big Ben and Marc Bulger.

This led me to having less money to spend on WRs. I drafted younger WRs. I got Brandon Marshall, DJ Hackett, Santonio Holmes and Calvin Johnson.

My TEs were good picks too as I got Chris Cooley and Jason Witten.

The reason why I was able to get these players is that most of the other teams overspent acquiring RBs and QBs and I waited for guys that were a bit cheaper.

The key takeaway that I got from our initial draft is to draft a team that you think would be good the following year. I think that has served me well this year and for the future.

There is more than one way to draft a team but IMO drafting an initial dynasty team that you think will be good the following year is a good strategy.

I'm a bit stunned here. How were you able to spend less $ on WRs, but wind up with Calvin Johnson? He was one of the most sought after in my leagues.

When teams overspent on RBs, but you went for guys that were cheaper, how did you get SJax (#2 in most drafts last year) and AD (should have cost a lot, even as a rookie)?

When teams overspent on QBs, but you went for guys that were cheaper, how did you get Ben, Romo, and Bulger? These three were all top 10 picks in my leagues.

You even acquired 2 top 5 TEs.

This is either a small league, you're playing with kids, or something else is amiss.

 

[FUBAR]

2. Don't believe the hype. Time and time again I see owners pass up proven veteran talent in the prime of their careers for unknown youngsters. Why take Vernon Davis when you can have Jeremy Shockey at the same draft slot? Why take Matt Leinart when you can have Drew Brees? Do not draft a guy with a 60% chance of becoming a star when there is a star still left on the board! That's like trading sixty cents for a dollar. Most of my worst dynasty draft picks happened when I assumed that a player I liked was going to break out. Don't be the clown who makes that assumption. 3. Know how to work the late rounds. Avoid veteran scrubs like the plague. Take lots of gambles on highly-drafted unproven prospects. Most of them will bust, but one or two of them will become stars for you. Happens to me every year. I've gotten Santana Moss in the 10th, Santonio Holmes in the 10th, Kevin Curtis in the 17th, Anquan Boldin in the 20th, and Michael Turner in the 30th to name a few.

Well said, yet all too often, people do the opposite. Taking hyped younger players early and "safe" picks later. Sometimes this works, but often it does not. Basically, it comes down to knowing when to take risk. bench players are a good spot, starter picks are not, usually.

 

[King of the Wolfies]

we had a startup auction draft this year. I went heavy in the cheap RB department (Freddie, JJ, Foster, Barber). As soon as the RBs started dropping, those cheap RBs were gold in trades.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Some excellent comments guys. Its probably just my league rules and format but I voted for waiver wire because in my first come/first serve format you get a player (usually alot of studs emerge off waivers) for giving up absolutely nothing (in my first come/first serve league format).

DJ Hackett, Brandon Marshall, Brian Westbrook, Frank Gore, Willie Parker, Ryan Grant, Earnest Graham are all examples of guys who were acquired off the waiver wire in my league. Most of them acquired in interim time just after the 4 round rookie draft we hold and just before the start of the season.. before any of these players emerged as fantasy worthy players.

Assuming you play in a highly competitive league with no idiot owners, if you want to trade players, you swap equal talent or you have to give a little more value to close a deal. So the reality is you usually add risk to yourself when you make a trade (players for players).

The rookie draft - Most dynasty owners strike out more than they strike gold here and its ashame because usually this is the one area that dynasty leagues gear it to try and help out the bottom feeders stay competitive but really it adds only marginal assistance to make them more competitive. So the fact that you finish in last place and you get the #1 rookie pick (Reggie Bush) may not help you out as much as the Superbowl champ of the dynasty league who has the #12 pick and acquired MJD....TD heavy scoring league...non PPR.

So in my league...a quick trigger finger on free agents (particularly in preseason) seems to be key.

 

[FUBAR]

The rookie draft - Most dynasty owners strike out more than they strike gold here and its ashame because usually this is the one area that dynasty leagues gear it to try and help out the bottom feeders stay competitive but really it adds only marginal assistance to make them more competitive. So the fact that you finish in last place and you get the #1 rookie pick (Reggie Bush) may not help you out as much as the Superbowl champ of the dynasty league who has the #12 pick and acquired MJD....TD heavy scoring league...non PPR.

Good point, but take last year for an example. If you're a good owner, you took Peterson at 1.01, probably Lynch at 1.02 and Johnson at 1.03. Compare that to the best likely trio of Ted Ginn, Sidney Rice, and Anthony Gonzalez, and I think it's pretty clear that the draft helps. (assuming you were a savvy drafter, but still realistic)2007: Peterson, Lynch, CJ vs. Ginn, Rice, Gonzalez2006: Bush, Addai, Maroney vs. MJD, Jennings, Cutler2005: Brown, Caddy, Edwards vs. Gore, Reggie Brown, Clayton2004: SJax, KJones, Fitzgerald vs. Lee Evans, Roethlisberger, RiversIt's pretty safe to say that most of the time, if you know what you're doing, you're much better off drafting early. There are some busts (Benson), but you're much less likely to bust on top. Plus, ask what you'd have to include with the 1.12 to get the 1.01, and you'll either be laughed at, or forced to give enough to greatly help that team.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

The rookie draft - Most dynasty owners strike out more than they strike gold here and its ashame because usually this is the one area that dynasty leagues gear it to try and help out the bottom feeders stay competitive but really it adds only marginal assistance to make them more competitive. So the fact that you finish in last place and you get the #1 rookie pick (Reggie Bush) may not help you out as much as the Superbowl champ of the dynasty league who has the #12 pick and acquired MJD....TD heavy scoring league...non PPR.

Good point, but take last year for an example. If you're a good owner, you took Peterson at 1.01, probably Lynch at 1.02 and Johnson at 1.03. Compare that to the best likely trio of Ted Ginn, Sidney Rice, and Anthony Gonzalez, and I think it's pretty clear that the draft helps. (assuming you were a savvy drafter, but still realistic)2007: Peterson, Lynch, CJ vs. Ginn, Rice, Gonzalez2006: Bush, Addai, Maroney vs. MJD, Jennings, Cutler2005: Brown, Caddy, Edwards vs. Gore, Reggie Brown, Clayton2004: SJax, KJones, Fitzgerald vs. Lee Evans, Roethlisberger, RiversIt's pretty safe to say that most of the time, if you know what you're doing, you're much better off drafting early. There are some busts (Benson), but you're much less likely to bust on top. Plus, ask what you'd have to include with the 1.12 to get the 1.01, and you'll either be laughed at, or forced to give enough to greatly help that team.

In my league...Bush is looking to be a potential bust (you didn't mention D. Williams who was in the 2-4 range in that draft by most everyone...he got drafted #2 in my league..he's also looking to be a potential bust), K Jones is by most measures a bust and Caddy had 1 solid year and now looks to be a bust. Only in 2007 rookie class does the bottom feeders look to have gained some leverage via the benefit of a top 3 pick in the rookie draft.IMO a top 3 rookie who can't crack the top 15 rankings at their respective position within a 3-4 years period is a bust for their rookie ranking. Otherwise, its safe to say that the rookie draft setup of trying to create parity in a dynasty league by giving the bottom feeder coaches the early picks really has minimal assistance alot of the time.

 

[EBF]

The rookie draft - Most dynasty owners strike out more than they strike gold here and its ashame because usually this is the one area that dynasty leagues gear it to try and help out the bottom feeders stay competitive but really it adds only marginal assistance to make them more competitive. So the fact that you finish in last place and you get the #1 rookie pick (Reggie Bush) may not help you out as much as the Superbowl champ of the dynasty league who has the #12 pick and acquired MJD....TD heavy scoring league...non PPR.

Good point, but take last year for an example. If you're a good owner, you took Peterson at 1.01, probably Lynch at 1.02 and Johnson at 1.03. Compare that to the best likely trio of Ted Ginn, Sidney Rice, and Anthony Gonzalez, and I think it's pretty clear that the draft helps. (assuming you were a savvy drafter, but still realistic)2007: Peterson, Lynch, CJ vs. Ginn, Rice, Gonzalez2006: Bush, Addai, Maroney vs. MJD, Jennings, Cutler2005: Brown, Caddy, Edwards vs. Gore, Reggie Brown, Clayton2004: SJax, KJones, Fitzgerald vs. Lee Evans, Roethlisberger, RiversIt's pretty safe to say that most of the time, if you know what you're doing, you're much better off drafting early. There are some busts (Benson), but you're much less likely to bust on top. Plus, ask what you'd have to include with the 1.12 to get the 1.01, and you'll either be laughed at, or forced to give enough to greatly help that team.

In my league...Bush is looking to be a potential bust (you didn't mention D. Williams who was in the 2-4 range in that draft by most everyone...he got drafted #2 in my league..he's also looking to be a potential bust), K Jones is by most measures a bust and Caddy had 1 solid year and now looks to be a bust. Only in 2007 rookie class does the bottom feeders look to have gained some leverage via the benefit of a top 3 pick in the rookie draft.IMO a top 3 rookie who can't crack the top 15 rankings at their respective position within a 3-4 years period is a bust for their rookie ranking. Otherwise, its safe to say that the rookie draft setup of trying to create parity in a dynasty league by giving the bottom feeder coaches the early picks really has minimal assistance alot of the time.

That's a pretty narrow-minded view of things. Even though guys like Kevin Jones and Cadillac Williams haven't turned into consistent FF producers, they were both considered top 10 dynasty picks after their rookie seasons. So while they haven't become LT or Edge type players, they were very valuable assets at one point in time and could have been traded for elite players. DeAngelo Williams and Reggie Bush also still carry considerable trade value. There's clearly a big advantage to having a top 3 pick. You have about a 60-70% chance of getting a solid player and, perhaps more importantly, have a very good chance of getting a valuable asset that can be used in trades.

 

[Restricted]

Poll didn't work...oh well here was my choices, just comment I suppose:a) Rookie Draftb) Waiver Wirec) TradesI personally think wavier pickups (whether in-season or off-season) are the most important to success.

I think you have it in the right order, depending on how your waivers work.With drafts, though message boards, drafts positions and magazines can tell you who's going to be the next great, you should really pay attention to pre-season games. This is where the younger players will get their reps early in their career. Not just the stat lines either. Try to see how hard they play, how emotional they get, the chemistry with their teammates. Gaging this can help you target players that will be the next Boldins, Jacobs, Marshalls and other players that weren't big names straight out of the draft and can be had in the later rounds of your draft. With the media, look for the little things that may separate future starters from being future back-ups. A QB that gives a young WR praise. A coach that talks up a RB.With the WW, most are a worst team, first claim sorts. For that reason, you really need to use your media outlets and be able to react frequently. Every year there are starters that go down and new blood that comes up. If you have the roster space and the priority, pull the trigger on next in line as much as possible. Even if it's only a 50% hit rate, there is a good chance you can benefit, whether it be that you have the next Larry Johnson or you send Derek Ward to the owner of Jacobs who went out week 1 for draft picks.Trading is a hair more difficult in dynasty because you're dealing in futures, especially if you are allowed to trade draft picks along with players. If you've done your research, you can feel more comfortable sending big names for lesser names with add-ons such as additional players or picks. On the reverse, in one of my leagues, there is an owner who goes "win at all costs" and will trade the farm for a player or two each year shooting for the championship. I would love to bad mouth this method but I really can't as he has been in the play-offs more than my team and that's why you're in FF, right? To win, especially if it's a money league.

 

[az_prof]

I have played FFL for probably ten years, but only the last two in dynasty, so I am no expert on dynasty. However, in my league EVERYONE is a good drafter and everyone watches the WW closely. In fact, you have to pick up young up-coming players BEFORE they explode in most cases. It is a BBID for waivers so there is strategy there--for instance, I didn't think Ward would be very good long term and didn't want to blow my full $100 to get him early this year. I knew it would take a hundred and it did. As it turns out my RB got hurt after that and I could have really used those good weeks of Ward to win this year.

But I think the most important thing is trading because everyone is so good at everything else. It really separates the good teams from the great and it is something I have to get better at. It is more important in dynasty than in redraft because in redraft, if you draft well, you can pretty much go all the way that year with that team, pending injuries. But for dynasty the ability to unload players when their value is high, before they get too old, and get good young players or picks in return is really the key.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

I have played FFL for probably ten years, but only the last two in dynasty, so I am no expert on dynasty. However, in my league EVERYONE is a good drafter and everyone watches the WW closely. In fact, you have to pick up young up-coming players BEFORE they explode in most cases. It is a BBID for waivers so there is strategy there--for instance, I didn't think Ward would be very good long term and didn't want to blow my full $100 to get him early this year. I knew it would take a hundred and it did. As it turns out my RB got hurt after that and I could have really used those good weeks of Ward to win this year. But I think the most important thing is trading because everyone is so good at everything else. It really separates the good teams from the great and it is something I have to get better at. It is more important in dynasty than in redraft because in redraft, if you draft well, you can pretty much go all the way that year with that team, pending injuries. But for dynasty the ability to unload players when their value is high, before they get too old, and get good young players or picks in return is really the key.

I do tend to agree with you here. In our league, 2-3 of the top owners trade OFTEN and move MANY players via trades during the year. They also do very complex deals, many players and draft picks involved and also work out 3 owner trades alot of the time to work to their advantage. I think when you make only a single trade each year, it can be very risky as you could really lose alot. These top owners leverage themselves and keep working the trades all the time. That is something I'm not that good at...I'm a horrible salesman.My opinion about the waiver wire is this, unless its a bid style waiver pickup, its really a low risk transaction. If you acquire a waiver wire player and have to make a roster cut, you usually are cutting a marginal to unproductive player. If the waiver pickup doesn't pan out, your team is not drastically altered. However, the plus side of the waiver wire, is that alot of future studs and 2nd tier talent can be acquired via waiver wire. So really its a low risk transaction but "sky's the limit" on the reward. Trades potentially can ruin you for many years...whether its lack of skill or just bad luck.

 

[browntown]

Has to be D. Success is about factoring in all of those avenues of improving your team.

Trades are the quickest way to improve your team, but you can't be dependant on other owners to hand over deals that will consistently do that.

The Waiver wire is the fastest and easiest way to improve depth, but it's not often you're going to find impact players there. Not in a deep dynasty.

The rookie draft ensures your team will be full of youth and potential, but it's likely you'll have to sit on it before you start seeing any reward for the investment.

 

[thecardiackid]

While I agree that all phases of dynasty ownership are important, the WW can be challenging either via BBid or priority. So, a solid draft is HUGE and some sneaky value trading (buying low / selling high of course) = contending.

My disclaimer is that I'm relatively new to the dynasty format after 12 or so years of redrafting, so I'm no expert. This pre-season I drafted my first full squad (PPR and no IDP), and managed to lead wire to wire w/ the best OA record and take home the trophy. Most of the owners are from here, so it's a fairly competitve league. There was some limited trading, but a lot of WW activity - like most leagues. I just never had the priority to get the RBs like Grant, Graham, Ward, etc. - but I like the worst to first priority for the WW to keep the competitve balance in order.

Using research (some from here - including F&L's dynasty thread) I really wasn't trying to build a "winner" out of the gate, but focused on younger talent on good teams. IMO - I was lucky to avoid the really BAD injuries (aside from AJ's mid season time off) and was fortunate to hit on a few late round 'good buys' like Romo in the 9th and Welker (PPR gold this year). One team swung for the fences, trading up to get the #1 and #2 picks (LT and SJax), but he gave away his next draft or two getting there. He managed to get in the playoffs, but ran out of luck.

I do agree w/ a previous poster that you really do need to understand your format (scoring, etc.) and draft accordingly. VERY important and something that can be overlooked. Because of a solid draft, I'm at least in a decent spot to be competitve for a while w/ a core including Addai/MJD/Romo/AJ/Welker/Cooley. J Walker was a 4th round whiff, but we all get a few of these I'm sure. Now, I'll need to see what I can manage w/ the #12 draft slot...

Interesting topic for this time of year, and good contributions for the dynasty builder. Thx.

 

[SSOG]

I do agree w/ a previous poster that you really do need to understand your format (scoring, etc.) and draft accordingly. VERY important and something that can be overlooked. Because of a solid draft, I'm at least in a decent spot to be competitve for a while w/ a core including Addai/MJD/Romo/AJ/Welker/Cooley. J Walker was a 4th round whiff, but we all get a few of these I'm sure. Now, I'll need to see what I can manage w/ the #12 draft slot... Interesting topic for this time of year, and good contributions for the dynasty builder. Thx.

Don't count Walker out yet... there's a lot of football left to be played in his career.