Team Defense Evaluation (Dynasty) (1 Viewer)

[tone1oc]

Hello SP, this is my first off-season playing dynasty format and among the things I feel really green on is team defense evaluation. I tend to shy away from trying to involve defenses in trades even though I could look to improve and it was really never on my radar in redraft.

I'm curious as to how some of you approach evaluation of team defenses in dynasty format. What kind of rookie value does an elite defense like Seattle have? Do you hold and see how off-season shakes out? How many roster spots do you commit to defenses?

Things will vary by league, so interest of generality consider a 12 team league with standard scoring and lineups. Any feedback or resources is much appreciated.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Hello SP, this is my first off-season playing dynasty format and among the things I feel really green on is team defense evaluation. I tend to shy away from trying to involve defenses in trades even though I could look to improve and it was really never on my radar in redraft.

I'm curious as to how some of you approach evaluation of team defenses in dynasty format. What kind of rookie value does an elite defense like Seattle have? Do you hold and see how off-season shakes out? How many roster spots do you commit to defenses?

Things will vary by league, so interest of generality consider a 12 team league with standard scoring and lineups. Any feedback or resources is much appreciated.

I hardly ever devote more than one roster spot to a D - with the exception or perhaps a bye week if I don't want to drop a well performing defense to the waiver pool. I've rarely ever seen any trades involving Ds, nor anyone that really puts much value to them. The thing just like in redraft the fantasy value of a team D varies greatly from year to year - even elite real NFL defenses like SF or SEA don't always translate to a grea fantasy D.

 

[one time]

Last year I traded a 2nd round rookie pick (14 teams) for Seattle D mid season. Part of it was I had a bad D and part of it was I had the guys 1st so it hurt him to deal it. I won the league and got 1.1 so it worked out well.

 

[az_prof]

Typically, I drop my D to make roster space for a rookie. Then I pick up a D and I drop it quickly if it doesn't look good and I pick up whatever is the hot waiver wire D. This has yielded me pretty good results. The odds are not good that the team who was best last year will be the best in Team D this year. It just is a very inconsistent thing and not worth investing a lot in IMO.

 

[tone1oc]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Seems that by and large same strategy applies to dynasty and redraft.

 

[FUBAR]

Pretty much same as redraft. Really, I just usually take a team I like and drop it if something better is available.

 

[Ksquared]

This is true of traditional scoring systems, but I am paying way more attention to defenses with the scoring system a couple of my leagues have adopted (and I know others have commented similarly the last couple of years). We get a significant bonus or penalty for yards given up and points given up. Last year several times in one of my leagues 3 of the top 6 scorers were defenses. Last there were some real blowouts with multiple defensive/special teams TDs being scored.

I have really focused on what I think are going to be bad offenses and see what teams play them. Sometimes an average defense is feasting on a couple of bad offenses in their division and play them multiple times. If point and yards are counted heavily, I am finding this method allows me to hit on a defense that does well but does not require a high draft pick.

 

[ILUVBEER99]

It all depends on your leagues scoring.

 

[tone1oc]

This is true of traditional scoring systems, but I am paying way more attention to defenses with the scoring system a couple of my leagues have adopted (and I know others have commented similarly the last couple of years). We get a significant bonus or penalty for yards given up and points given up. Last year several times in one of my leagues 3 of the top 6 scorers were defenses. Last there were some real blowouts with multiple defensive/special teams TDs being scored.

I have really focused on what I think are going to be bad offenses and see what teams play them. Sometimes an average defense is feasting on a couple of bad offenses in their division and play them multiple times. If point and yards are counted heavily, I am finding this method allows me to hit on a defense that does well but does not require a high draft pick.

That has generally been my approach. I also like to pick defenses that play teams that turn over the ball a lot or if a QB has issues with a team (such as Cutler with Redskins, among others) which may or may not be a good offense per se. I have never done a defensive yardage league and could see that adding more value to the spot.

In one dyno, its pretty slim pickings as there are a handful of owners who own multiple defenses and it makes me think I may look to sneak an upgrade in a trade (I inherited the Bills). Problem is I have no idea how to value. Don't want to overpay or offend with an offer and was wondering if off season would be a good time to buy. I do think I'll hold off for now.

 

[Shanahanigans]

When we started a new dynasty league back in 2007 we realized that the previous league many of us had been in suffered from defenses lacking any real value at all. Because defenses were unpredictable and scored very little, most if not all owners treated them like kickers. As others have mentioned, teams would rarely carry more than one defense and they had essentially zero trade value.

To address this we amped up defense scoring. Most notably, yardage bonus points were added, sacks became worth two instead of one, and turnovers changed from being worth two to three. The result has been great. Defenses are now super valuable. For example, the Seattle D is easily worth a Top 6 pick if not higher, and it is tough to get any borderline #1 D for anything worse than a first round pick. Only three defenses are even available on the waiver wire. It has added a totally new dynamic to fantasy football, and I would highly recommend it.

As far as strategies. You want a D with solid pass rushers, one that allows few yards, and one in an easy division. If you have bonus points for yards allowed, one thing that is often over looked is NFL teams that have solid run games and play ball-control football. This type of team allows for fewer possesions for the other team and therefore fewer yards.

Turnovers are largely unpredictable so I don't focus too much on that.

Match-up is more important for defense than any other position. If you have the SF defense and they are playing at the Saints and at the same time have the Titans playing the Jaguars at home I would go with the Titans.

 

[tone1oc]

Really good stuff guys, thanks. I'm definitely a proponent of giving team defense more value and am very interested in joining/moving to yardage leagues. With the recent shift towards prolific offenses I think that adding value and then having the ability to sniff out defenses ahead of the curve could add a depth and challenge to fantasy.