Here's the rebuild over the last few days. I would be interested in seeing other approaches, as it's a topic I find fascinating in Dynasty. The last replies offer an alternative which I also find interesting.
Dynasty SF, PPR, 6 pt TD, but .1/40 PaYd.
Must start 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, then 1 SF & 3 Flex
Made the playoffs 3/3 years since we began. Came in 3rd, 3rd & 4th after getting knocked out every time but one because a player missed a game in week 14 & I didn't have the depth to cover it. The 1st year I just got blowed out by the highest single game score in league history or I woulda won it all. I made a few moves to consolidate depth into Fuller & Carson mid-season last year, and it left me thin this year.
I knew I had to make wholesale changes, because I wasn't gonna get it done with this roster, and all my value was tied to Mahomes & an aging WR corps. So I did have a rebuild plan involving Hopkins + Mahomes, just not with specific player targets in mind. From there I played it by ear to see who'd be willing to trade, and for what.
Headed into this year:
QB: Mahomes/Carr/DJones
WR: Hopkins/ARob/Evans/Fuller/Samuel/Cole/CedWilson/TyWill/Snead
RB: Carson/RoJo/Sony/Hill/Ingram/Hyde/Hasty/Duke Johnson/D'Ernest Johnson/Ollison/McCoy
TE: EEngram/Gronk/Sample/Uzomah/Ertz
Trades made:
1. Hopkins for 1.08 (Pitts was there) and a 2022 2.xx (likely mid-to-late) . When Pitts was there at 1.08, I felt like there was opportunity to get a next gen TE & I've never had one on a team before. I tried with EE in our inaugural draft, but he's largely been a bust. This deal started the rebuild mentality, so it really helped me to get into the mindset to feel comfortable about moving Mahomes.
2. Mahomes for Z.Wilson, CEH, Higgins, 2022 1.xx & 2023 1.xx
3. Curtis Samuel (who I got for Tonyan last year, who I got for $9 FAAB) & the 2022 2nd I landed for Hopkins for Chase Edmonds.
4. ETA: Just dealt Gronk for Bourne + 4.07, with which I might take the KC rookie TE2)
Resulting roster:
ZWilson/Carr (Jones)
CEH/Carson/Edmonds (RoJo)
Evans/ARob/Higgins/Fuller (Bourne/Pringle/Snead/TyWill/Cole/CedWilson)
Pitts (EE/Uzomah/Sample/Gronk)
And the two 1sts in 2022 / 2023
How do I feel about it?
Mixed emotions. Mahomes & Hopkins were my 1st two auction picks in our inaugural season. I loved having them & they were both very good to my team.
But as my team aged out, and as I had less and less depth due to "going for it" with trades trying to get me over the top, it became apparent that I wasn't going to win with that roster. I knew I had to rebuild. I considered standing pat & pushing for a total overhaul in 2023, but that just isn't that fun. For one, I had slim chances of winning it all as-is, and for another, Hopkins would turn 30 this year, & he and other aging players would lose trade value the longer I waited.
I am pretty happy with what I got in return for every trade. I especially like the package I pulled in for Mahomes. I damn near got Metcalf in that deal instead of Higgins and the picks, but I'm still ok with it. Obviously Z.Will & CEH need to come through for me, but I'm optimistic on both players.
Overall I'm really pleased with the new lineup, and while it still might not get me the 'ship this year, it does give me a better chance at it than what I had, and it feels really good to have RoJo as a 4th RB than a 2nd since Fournette re-signed with TB (that #!%#$!). I also feel like even if it doesn't work out short term, I've obtained enough pieces/picks that I could make more deals in the future to stay competitive as opposed to having a bunch of aging players losing value + Mahomes. Like, if things aren't going well & Carson/Evans/ARob are showing well, I could see flipping them into younger players + 2022 picks mid-to-late season to contending teams.
It was much more challenging to get it all done than I'd expected. Exhausting, really. While everyone wanted Mahomes, no one wanted to decimate their team to get him. I imagine a complete rebuild/tank would be much simpler as people were much more willing to give up future picks for Mahomes than they were to give up players. I was fortunate that the D.Watson owner had drafted Z.Will, and had a plethora of good young players I liked, and and depth to deal them.
I'm tempted to plug both rosters into the FBG "rate my tyeam" topic to see which they prefer. I'd be shocked if they like my original roster more.
Would love to hear how others have done in this process.