It’s the most wonderful time of the fantasy football year.
Or, not. Depending on the current state of your fantasy team, you may or may not be feeling much in the fantasy spirit.
We are now entering arguably the most crucial and consequential period of our dynasty season. We’re more than halfway through the fantasy regular season and for many leagues, the trade deadline and playoffs are fast approaching. Every small step towards a title you take, every waiver wire move you make, the long-term fate of your squad is fully resting on how you manage your roster these next few weeks. Owners who are able to balance their quest for a championship with the long-term prospects of their team stand to gain the biggest competitive advantage.
Patrick Mahomes, Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, JuJu Smith-Schuster and D.J. Chark.
Sorry, I thought you asked about the best players on my worst dynasty team.
Many things in life are unexplainable, like people who drink hot coffee in the summer or think ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas movie. Why I’m not doing better in this league is pretty simple: Injuries and the Fantasy Gods hate me. And so my approach these next few weeks in that particular league isn’t to make any aggressive moves, like trading away rookie picks or my most valuable assets, or foolishly believing that I can get lucky and make a title run. However, that approach is different from another league where I’m starting a productive Ronald Jones and Greg Ward each week and in the running for a championship. All the more reason to not overreact to your team’s status in this stretch run. Understanding and executing the right strategy for your team these next few weeks will be essential to your long-term success.
With that, here are four ways to approach your dynasty roster as we head towards the playoffs:
Revisit your league rules.
Yes, the most basic of dynasty concepts are the ones often overlooked and it could significantly impact your team’s 2021 prospects.
Understand your playoff schedule and format, as well as how your rookie’s draft order is determined. The latter is especially important, as it has longer-term ramifications. Is rookie order based on lowest to highest scoring teams, a consolation tournament, or something more unique like a king-of-the-hill scenario where the highest non-playoff team scorer in the last week of the regular season gets the last playoff spot? Any of those scenarios require different strategy, especially for you tankers out there with your eyes set on Trevor Lawrence.
Determine your 2020 team’s ultimate objective.
Dynasty is the competitive gift that keeps on giving. At any point you’re either competing for a championship, one or two moves away from potential greatness, or in the middle of constructing a masterful rebuild that your league-mates will envy for seasons to come. There’s no in-between. Ever more reason to be realistic in determining your final objective for the current season.
If you’re a championship front-runner, it’s time to go all-in. If you’re one or two moves away from glory, well, what are you waiting for? If you’re playing for next season, then begin to get familiar with the loaded 2021 rookie draft class. Ja’Marr Chase, anyone?
Scrub your roster for its strengths and weaknesses.
Now is the time to vet your roster for depth and excess.
If you’re deeper at one position, you could look into trading that depth to upgrade at another position to gear up for your playoff run.
Hoarding rookie picks? Either hold on to them or look to trade them to an owner with no draft capital.
The trade block is your friend here – dangle the bait for championship contenders, explore buy low/sell high windows, or unload roster-clogging wide receivers. And, although it won’t help you this season, some owners may be open to trading big-name players who suffered season-ending injuries, like Barkley and Dak Prescott.
Find the breakouts on the verge of breaking out.
There’s an app for that, you know.
This time last year, Jordan Howard was still a thing in Philadelphia, taking away touches from Miles Sanders. We need to find the next Sanders, or the next Nick Chubb, looking towards players primed to breakout in the latter part of the season. Four potential breakouts that The Breakout Finder loves include Jalen Reagor (48.4 Breakout Rating), Brandon Aiyuk (39.7), Jerry Jeudy (39.6), and Denzel Mims (27.6). And, if you’re lucky enough to already have some of these assets on your team, hold them closely. Sometimes, the best move is to not do anything unless an owner wants to buy high, in which case, please step into my office.
You’ve been here before. Winning a fantasy championship is no easy feat. It takes a tremendous amount of luck and good fortune. But, implementing the basic strategic concepts of dynasty to your team will help you prevail in the short-and long-term.