Dynasty fantasy football is growing almost exponentially every single year. More and more people are drawn to the allure of an ever-present, year-long community for the beloved game of football. And with more people, comes more leagues, and the much-loved dynasty league startup draft.
It is in the startup draft that you will build the foundation of your team for years to come, and it is essential to hit on as many picks as possible. And I can very confidently say, most fantasy players do not.
When starting a new league, there are a lot of variables to take into account. League scoring, size, and the perceived personalities of your other league members all play a part in how you should approach your draft. But they are absolutely essential to identify, and they should affect how you draft almost entirely.
League Scoring is Everything
Let’s start with league scoring.
“Standard” scoring is, funny enough, not really the standard anymore on most platforms. Most leagues use Standard as the baseline to build its scoring profile with.
“Half PPR” gives every player 0.5 points per reception, meaning that a player with four catches would get 2 extra points in a game. Half PPR is evolving into the new “normal” for many fantasy football leagues and draft platforms.
“Full PPR” gives every player 1 full point per reception. Pass catchers reign supreme.
“Tiered PPR” tries to balance out the scoring between all positions. This usually means that running backs receive the smallest bonus, with wide receivers getting the next step up, and tight ends holding the largest per-reception bonus. This is most commonly presented as 0.5 PPR for RB’s, 1 PPR for WR’s, and 1.5 for TE’s.
And similarly, “TE Premium” means that the Tight End position receives a bonus that no other position does in scoring, with the hope to add value to the position in comparison to other positions in the league.
“Superflex” leagues add another Flex position in the lineup, but it also allows for a second Quarterback to be started in your lineup every week. “Two QB” leagues don’t even give you the option, they require it.
So What Does It All Mean?
It means that we, as fantasy players, should be putting more stock into how points are scored in a league, and drafting players accordingly in the startup. For example, in Standard scoring, RB’s are king. Running backs touch the ball far more than any other skill position in a normal NFL game, and as such their touches equal more points on average than a receiver or tight end will have.
I’ll go into more detail on exactly what works in each most common league format later on.
And for the sake of not getting too deep into the weeds, we’ll leave highly specialized leagues like IDP, Vampire, Empire, and Campus-to-Canton out of this discussion.
Size Does Matter
Let’s talk about the next factor of a league: size. The amount of managers in a league has a profound effect on the pool of available players in a league, both in the startup and on waivers. The size of your roster also matters tremendously. Teams in an eight team league with only 20 roster spots will look immensely different to a 12 team league with 30 roster spots. That’s the difference of 160 players rostered versus 360 players, more than double.
When you are in a league with 10 managers or less, the way to win a championship is different to a league with 12 managers or more. The difference changes exponentially as you go more and more to the extreme in either direction (looking at you, four team and 32 team leagues).
The type of long shot bets to make changes drastically as your league member size increases. You don’t need to roster real life NFL draft sixth round receivers in a 10 man league with shallow benches. Not until they produce on the field in a meaningful way. If you’re in a 16 man league… those guys are like gold. You can’t wait to fill your taxi spots with those guys in the hope they get a spot start or a random blow up game. Be cognizant of your league when identifying players who matter or not in your league.
League Details
And finally, the last variable to consider is the league itself.
Think about how long you expect this league to last. Is it a free dynasty league with a bunch of random people? Odds are pretty low it lasts longer than a year or two. If it’s a paid league with your real-life friends, it could last for years and years.
A short time frame means you should usually be looking to compete immediately, as the league might not even exist a year from now. However, free leagues are also the best place to experiment with strategies and unpopular player takes. Identify what your goal is in these leagues. Just remember, don’t join a league if you can’t commit to it for the long term.
A longer perceived time frame, meanwhile, gives you more flexibility. You can still look to compete, but you can also take the route of “rebuilding” from the jump. But the flip side is that committing to a rebuild from the jump in a paid league is basically just lighting your money on fire, for a few years at least. Are you okay with doing so? That’s your own personal decision to make.
Evaluate the Situation
Think through how you will look to acquire assets in this league. Are the other managers active in conversation, or is it a pretty silent chat room waiting for the draft to start? Take advantage of the psychology of an active room, especially in trades.
Is the startup a fast draft with only a matter of seconds on the clock (you are psychopaths, but we still love you), or is it a slow draft with time for trading and planning ahead? Slow drafts are where the true value can be had. But, plenty of folks don’t have time for a month of paying attention to a startup.
How is draft order and playoffs determined? Is it based on team record? Max points scored? Consolation bracket winner? Look for a league median as well, as this can either hurt or help you in your quest for sucking or winning it all.
Identifying this array of info is key to helping you craft the blueprint to your startup draft.
To Be Continued in Part 2…
If you made it this far, consider joining our charity league Super League, and donate to children and families in need through the Extra Life organization! You get the chance to compete in a league against a bunch of smart, savvy, incredibly good-looking… (well, definitely smart at least) fantasy football aficionados like myself, and you get to give money to a wonderful cause to people who truly need it.
