Keeper League Stategy (1 Viewer)

[Quibbler]

One of my leagues switched to a limited keeper format this year, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around all the ways that this changes player value. So, I thought I'd turn to the collective wisdom of sharkpool for some strategy tips re. keeper leagues (i.e. leagues where you get to keep some limited number of players as opposed to dynasty leagues).

I'm new to this, so any advice would be appreciated, no matter how obvious it seems.

For example:

[*]How much do you look at long-term value as opposed to just next year (say Luck vs Peyton)?

[*]How much does position influence your keeper decisions (i.e. if you only have 2 or 3 keeper spots would you ideally use these on QB/RBs, or does that not matter)?

[*]Do you think keepers work differently in auction leagues (where you have a chance to draft any non-keeper) vs. snake draft leagues?

 

[SSOG]

Honestly, it really depends on how many keepers there are. Keep 1 or 2 leagues, the only difference from redraft is that the top 10 RBs and top 5 WRs become even more valuable relative to their peers. Until you start getting down into keep 5 or more, age really doesn't even become a consideration. Age becomes more important the deeper the keepers go until you get to true dynasty, where you can afford to keep backups for years because you like their talent.

The most interesting keeper leagues have keepers cost something in year n+1 based on how much they cost in year n. At that point, it starts making sense to start making speculative, forward-looking calls. Since the obvious studs get drafted early (and cost a fortune to keep), landing a surprise stud on the cheap (Jamaal Charles or Arian Foster, for instance) can give you a crushing advantage for years.

 

[FF Wiseguy]

I generally consider the current season + the next 2 seasons, so three years total. How you want to approach it will depend on your keeper system, as well as how likely you think the league is going to stay together long term. If its a group of 5-6 people that know each other, its more likely to survive. A group of mostly strangers or a league that's poorly organized may only survive one or two years. In a dynasty league I did, I got the impression that it would be long-term, so I played it basically like a redraft. It worked out, and the league dissolved after one year.

In general, QBs and WRs have more consistent value over the long-term, as they are less prone to injuries and situation changes than RBs. Not sure how this applies to TEs.

Overall, I'd say keepers work the same in both.