What are some beneficial things to do post-rookie draft? What can you do this summer to put your team in a better position to be successful this upcoming season? Did you win the rookie draft? Do you have a process for your team? These are the questions I answer on every dynasty team I have, as the process is the same, but differs depending on my squad and the rest of the teams in the league. Let’s dive into each of these questions in depth.
What are some beneficial things to do post-rookie draft? – Learn your league mates learn how often they interact with others in the league by reviewing the chats. Get a sense of how they assemble their team. I enjoy engaging in conversation with them, learning about their strategy, how they built their team, and how they anticipate performing in the league.
I try not to offer too much of my opinion on their team as I’m listening for clues that I can use to identify players or positions they value and ones they don’t. I also try to see if they tend to react to roto effect news, or if they seem just to like their favorite players on their favorite teams.
Since I play in multi-quarterback leagues, I value the QB position higher than most, so I usually see how they are positioned for QBs at this point as well. Most people think I want to trade quarterbacks, and that’s why I have them, but ultimately, I want to control rookie drafts, meaning I want people to reach for players early so that the value drops at the positions I select in drafts.
I try to create inequities over multiple years, which then puts people in a position to make selections such as Milroe in the 1st round of a rookie draft. That means I need to trade up to 2.01 to get value because someone left something that shouldn’t be there. These types of things happen by simply talking ball with your opponents and finding out where they gain their information, if they have anything inside with any organization.
I play fantasy football as a whole because I enjoy talking ball, so at this time of the year, this is something I enjoy as well.
What can you do this summer to put your team in a better position this upcoming season? Each team needs to have a defined goal. Is this a team on paper that realistically can be a playoff team? You have your schedule, you see your bye weeks, you know what your average projected score is per week and what on your bench covers you if your top QB, WR, RB, & TE are hurt at the same time, do you still win and cover your bye weeks?
If the answer is yes, then you have a team that, on paper, in June, can win. This means very little other than approach. I try not to make roster decisions until the last minute, using as much information as possible. This means that every year, many players miss Week 1, and in some leagues, those out players are allowed to shift to the IR spot. If this is the case in your league, then use the IR spots so you can hold on to as many players as possible. At this time of the year, know the rules of your league.
I have 1 share of Chubb, who at this time doesn’t have a job. The league I have him in will be 8 players over the limit after the rookie draft, but it has 7 IR spots. I just checked and NA is eligible for IR in this league so if Chubb signs I probably want him on my bench but if he doesn’t I’ll move him to the IR so I need to cut one less player.
I have some rookies who might not even make the roster, so they would be cut if they aren’t on the 53-man roster. If four players from my squad miss Week 1, then that will be 4 more players I can hold through Week 1.
Did you win the rookie draft? I view the rookie draft as a head-to-head matchup against 11 other teams, and it is really where I try to win each year. If I win the rookie draft of getting others to reach for need and simply compiling the best assets I’ve never looked at those teams and was disappointed after several years of dominating the rookie draft.
Understanding whether you won or not leads you to discover what it takes to win vs lose. Winning isn’t getting all of the top players, but more getting players that shouldn’t be in the positions you take them.
Do you have a process for your team? This is where I believe we can truly be unique; however, I don’t think anyone successful in dynasty just goes without some sort of process or plan. Write down your plan. Look at your successes and create a process from that. Look at your failures and eliminate those behaviors from your process.
This summer I will write about my process which changes each year slightly with the same goal in mind of winning championships and winning them every year.
This is the time of the year when championships are won. Good luck on your offseason, and check out my process very soon.
