“Get Fantasy Football Start Up Dynasty Draft Basic Strategy And Tips From Sr. NFL Analyst Justin Mark”
It’s that time of year. You’re sitting around wondering how to get your fantasy football fix and you and your friends decide to do a new dynasty league. Or, perhaps you’ve just been invited to a new league. Either way, we have you covered with fantasy football dynasty draft strategy and tips!
What Is A Fantasy Football Dynasty?
Maybe you don’t know what a fantasy football dynasty league is. You can’t follow a fantasy football dynasty start-up strategy guide if you don’t know what a dynasty league is. Don’t worry, week-to-week, a dynasty league is just like any other fantasy football league.
However, your roster management will be a little bit different. In a dynasty league, you have the same roster each year. Your players all carry over to the next year, unless you drop or trade them. After the start-up draft, you’ll have a rookie draft.
A rookie draft is exactly what it sounds like. Generally ranging from three to five rounds, depending on league and roster size, of all rookies. Rookies are valuable, especially guys who will start right away, because they have the potential of being on your team for years.
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First Pick Of Your Start-Up Fantasy Football Dynasty Draft
The first thing to consider for your start-up dynasty draft is who you’re taking with your first pick. Some of this will be dependent on league rules. If it is a SuperFlex league, you’re going to want to target a quarterback. If it isn’t a SuperFlex league, you’re likely going to target a wide receiver or running back.
I’ve noticed in the circles I run in that most of the dynasty leagues are SuperFlex. It just adds another piece to your strategy. With your first pick in a start up dynasty, you’re going to want to try and grab a quarterback that you think will be able to contribute on your team for years to come.
We’ll get more into trying to balance young players versus older ones and how it comes into affect for considering production later, but the first pick you want producing now. Nobody punts on the first pick, although in other rounds, you may see people start drafting potential over production.
My top pick, and a strategy I follow, for a start-up fantasy football dynasty draft is to target Josh Allen in a superflex. He’s only 28 years old and in the prime of his career. He was just signed to a multi-year extension and should be productive for Buffalo for years to come. Not to mention, he’s been one of the top fantasy football quarterbacks in the league the past few years.
If you’re not in a SuperFlex league, you’re going to want to target a young wide receiver or running back you trust. Ja’Marr Chase was the triple crown winner last year and just got a big extension. Justin Jefferson has been extremely productive for the Vikings and is still only 25 years old.
If you’re looking for a running back, Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs are both young studs who get a lot of usage on their current teams. When you’re picking somebody in the first round of your dynasty draft, you ideally want a guy who checks both boxes of productivity and age.
Dynasty Start Up Strategy: When To Stop Worrying About Age
If you’re picking up on my fantasy football dynasty start-up strategy and tips, you’re realizing there’s an emphasis on age. The younger a player is, the more value they have. However, that’s not just a blind rule to abide by.
The player’s productivity has to weigh into their value. A player may be fresh out of his rookie year and only 22 years old. However, if they are a developmental guy who likely won’t see the field much until three or four years into their career, they don’t hold as much value.
Deciding how you want to grade value for somebody in your dynasty is different for every fantasy football manager. Some will load their team up with young guys and hope to plan on building through multiple years’ drafts and trades. Others will draft the top fantasy football performers or the best available, despite their age.
I wish there were a magic time when you should change your strategy from targeting younger players to productive players that may be older. At a certain point, you have to use the common sense button. I like to get at least a quarterback, running back, and wide receiver that fits the productive but still young enough to be on my team for a good handful of years.
However, you have to use common sense. You wouldn’t draft a backup player like Israel Abanikanda over a guy like Aaron Jones just because Jones is eight years older. The value Jones brings to your team would outweigh the age factor.
During your dynasty draft, when it’s your pick, look over the available players and the players you have. Pick the one that makes the most sense for your team. Did you draft a wide receiver towards the end of his career, like Davante Adams, to start? Try a younger one now.
Did you go with a guy with a lot of potential for your previous pick? Try an older one that you know you’ll get production out of now. A lot of dynasty draft strategy is all about how the flow of your team is going.
Dynasty Start Up Strategy: Remember Trades
Trades are always important in fantasy football. However, they’re even more important in your dynasty leagues. Trading is one of the only ways you’re going to be able to change your team from year to year, minus the rookies. You may even want to trade your rookie draft picks if you’re not crazy about the draft class.
Trades are something I always keep in mind for my fantasy football dynasty start-up strategy. If I need a running back, but none of the running backs seem like good value at the time, I may target a player I can trade. If it’s a superflex league, keep in mind quarterbacks are going to bring better value.
Maybe the person drafting behind you waited on a quarterback. You can scoop one up at this pick, and later on, work on trading the quarterback away for a running back. For me, dynasty leagues are a lot like playing 8-ball pool. If you want to be good, you always have to think a couple of moves ahead.
Make sure you check back often to IDP+ as we’ll continue to release more strategies, tips, and guides to help you win your fantasy football leagues. Whether it’s a standard draft, an IDP league, or a dynasty league, we’ve got you covered.
