What is your taxi squad strategy? (1 Viewer)

[Jayded]

For those who play in dynasty leagues that leverage 1 or 2 year taxi squads - how do approach utilization of that feature?

Do you lean on vets more in the current season and stash many rookie draft picks in taxi? Do you keep your drafted rookies on the bench for immediate use and put dart throws on taxi? Mixture of the two or something else?

With week 1 looming and taxis about to be set for the season, I’m curious how others approach it (this year also being different with the later cuts).

 

[houston]

Good topic. My league only allows for current year rookies. I usually stash a mix of dart throws and also some better rookies who I hope to not need during the current season.

I can activate a taxi player at any time in-season, but they can’t go back to taxi. In a perfect world, my players stay in their taxi slots all year, but it’s nice to have to option to move them to active roster if needed.

 

[JohnnyU]

In the only league we use taxi other than for COVID we have some strange rules.


Taxi Squad
All teams are allowed to carry up to 4 players on their taxi squad. Players must be a rookie to be placed on the taxi squad, but can remain there indefinitely. During a players ROOKIE SEASON they can be promoted and demoted to the taxi squad multiple times as long as they are not started. Once a rookie is STARTED (in a team’s final starting lineup) they lose taxi squad eligibility. Rookies acquired via draft, trade or waivers can be placed on the taxi squad at any time after the draft through the end of the regular season (no taxi squad demotions after week 17 when our league year ends). If a rookie is cut or traded during the season the acquiring team can place the player on their taxi squad (even if the player was started by the prior team). If a team trades a taxi squad player that player retains taxi squad status even if not a rookie, but the acquiring team must place the player on their taxi squad immediately. If the acquiring team chooses not to do this the players taxi squad eligibility

 

[Jayded]

Good topic. My league only allows for current year rookies. I usually stash a mix of dart throws and also some better rookies who I hope to not need during the current season.

I can activate a taxi player at any time in-season, but they can’t go back to taxi. In a perfect world, my players stay in their taxi slots all year, but it’s nice to have to option to move them to active roster if needed.

This is why I get curious how others manage theirs as while leagues vary in taxi volume or years to carry, I wonder if my approach is normal or different.

Personally I lean to being more aggressive on taxi vs stashing rookies. I have guys like Mayer on my bench this year vs grabbing a vet like Smythe or something and holding Mayer in taxi.

Those last few guys are always tough though and defenders are the hardest when choosing amongst LBs - bench the 1st rounder or the dart throw and cut bait on the dart throw quickly if he disappears?

 

[Gold Fox]

It’s my first year playing dynasty, so I don’t have any sage advice.

My approach at this time (in SF league) is to stash a couple QB’s (AOC, Skylar) and a couple of RB’s (McIntosh, TDP).

My other candidates have a higher likelihood of being inserted into my starting lineup this year (Mimms, Nakua, C. Austin, T. Palmer, C. Turner, E. Gray).

I actually dropped Mike White for Skylar over the uncertainty of who will be QB2 will be for Miami… the tipping point was that Skylar can go on Taxi (White can’t).

None of this is set in stone. I’m likely to alter my Taxi approach based on the comments in this thread.

 

[massraider]

My strategy is guys I don't want to be tempted to cut. We cannot demote once we promote, and we cannot add to the taxi squad. So if you bring a guy up, you lose a Taxi squad spot. I like the rule personally.

So athletes with good upside, who I am hoping for 2nd year explosion. ANY young athletic TE, some late round WR with a chance, freaky edge guys who will blow up. I have multiple TEs this year on taxi squads--so many guys this year

I don't mind having LBs, but things move quick at LB. I find more value in churning that last LB spot. Maybe like a Troy Andersen last year.

I don't want a RB on the TS. Not that I would NEVER do it, but most RBs if they are good enough they might be able to help THIS year. I'd rather keep a Boutte or Ced TIllman over a RB, and see if I can get a #1 WR.

 

[Jayded]

My strategy is guys I don't want to be tempted to cut. We cannot demote once we promote, and we cannot add to the taxi squad. So if you bring a guy up, you lose a Taxi squad spot. I like the rule personally.

So athletes with good upside, who I am hoping for 2nd year explosion. ANY young athletic TE, some late round WR with a chance, freaky edge guys who will blow up. I have multiple TEs this year on taxi squads--so many guys this year

I don't mind having LBs, but things move quick at LB. I find more value in churning that last LB spot. Maybe like a Troy Andersen last year.

I don't want a RB on the TS. Not that I would NEVER do it, but most RBs if they are good enough they might be able to help THIS year. I'd rather keep a Boutte or Ced TIllman over a RB, and see if I can get a #1 WR.

TEs are a great point since many take time to develop. One of my teams right now has possibly 3 rookies this year I might taxi, though I suspect I’ll only carry 2.

RB is an interesting point. I feel like WRs are a bigger taxi gamble than RB personally. So many RBBC seems to make potential taxi dart throws at RB more intriguing. I feel like Tony Pollard progression might be more normal than a Najee/Dameon Pierce has been.

At least I have been more snakebitten by WR on taxi anyways as the dart throws just seem more unlikely to happen than some random RB coming out of nowhere. (Ex. Jason Brownlee vs Jaleel McLaughlin this year)

 

[Ray Barboni]

Bumping this instead of creating a new thread .. i figure we can discuss taxi squads here? Who should be taxi'd type of convo?

I've got a few pressing ones.

I can start with Quinshon Judkins. I also own Dylan Sampson, so throwing Quin on the taxi isnt the worst option. Another conundrum I'm having as a Bucky owner, is what to do with Sean Tucker? He's a roster clogger with huge upside, but roster spots are at a premium. Seems easy enough to throw Tucker onto the taxi squad - except i typically like to use the sqaud for younger rookie types that i know i wont use.

We can carry 4 on the taxi squad in my league. ONE is a rookie redshirt, this player cannot be touched. The other 3 are true taxi/practice squad typed that can be activated at anytime, but you need to drop an active player, and you loose that practice squad spot.

My current designations are:

Rookie redshirt: Savion Williams
Taxi(x3): Quinshon, Pat Bryant Arian smith (I'm considering using this spot for Sean Tucker, and keeping Arian "active" for a potential drop candidtate when the season starts.

 

[mjb03003]

I can only put rookies in taxi squad spots but my strategy has evolved a bit over the last few years.

Ideal taxi squad guys for me are developmental projects who may get some playing time in real life, enough to show promise and hold/gain value going into next year, but not likely to be startable. This year for me that’s guys like Jalen Milroe, Isaac Tesla, Jaylin Noel, Jaylen Royals, Efton Chism, Oronde Gadsden, Brashard Smith, Tahj Brooks, Jarquez Hunter, etc…. I hope to not need to start these guys and I also don’t want to be tempted to drop them for a short term fill-in.

If my roster is strong and deep enough I would consider putting guys like Luther Burden in a taxi spot, but I know I won’t even be tempted to drop him even if he has a quiet start to his rookie year, so I’m usually okay with him on the bench and prefer to use the taxi spot for a deeper flier.

Last year I used a bench spot for Dallas Turner (Minnesota Edge rusher) thinking he would get enough playing time to be in the mix at DL (we start 10 total IDPs). He ended up playing pretty meager snap counts and it was really tough not to drop him when byes and injuries hit. In hindsight he was an ideal taxi squad guy. Learned a lesson there.

 

[MAC_32]

The taxi squad is for guys I don't want to think about again until next April. If I do it's because either they are exceeding expectations (potentially elevate to active), got cut, or something emerged on waivers I must have (this doesn't happen much anymore).