6 TIPS TO CONSIDER WHEN TAKING OVER A DYNASTY TEAM
Taking Over A Dynasty Team
[the_ad id=”693″]After many (many) years of managing single-season fantasy teams, I found myself invited to join a dynasty league. It was exciting stuff as this league had its own website, a dedicated group of managers and an interesting scoring setup. I was even given first choice of the two orphaned teams, which at the time I thought was an advantage. But I quickly found out that the only advantage I was getting was a slight one over the person taking on the other team because we both came in to the league handicapped.
Dynasty leagues are not entry level. While 1-year leagues can be considered a sprint, Dynasty is a marathon that requires owners to have trained before embarking on that long road. Your Dynasty team’s shortcomings often cannot be solved with a savvy waiver wire pickup or by trading for the player with the hot hand. There is a lot of strategies that goes into a successful dynasty squad, especially one that is able to compete year in and year out, but what happens when you join midway through the race?
Taking over a dynasty team is one of the most daunting tasks in fantasy sports. You do not have the benefit of drafting your team, so you are essentially building on top of another person’s foundation, which is more often than not a shaky one since that owner has left the league. Also, as the newcomer, it is reasonable to expect the sharks to swim right at you with lowball offers for your current and future stars. Add in not being intimately familiar with the regulations or the dynamic between owners, and you aren’t exactly hitting the ground running. So where to begin?
#1 – Take it Slow
Consider entering the league as if you are in a caution lap on the NASCAR circuit. The race is still going on, but there isn’t any ability to rush forward. Settle in the driver’s seat and get ready for the competition ahead.
#2 – Make Friendly
One of the more famous Sun Tzu quotes (from the Art of War) breaks down to “know thy enemy”. If you’ve been invited to the league, you know at least one person. There is the possibility that you found the league another way and, in this case, you come in knowing not a single another owner. Change that by reaching out to the league and starting friendships… or rivalries. You will find out pretty quickly who the more active owners are and who may be harder to interact with (or get a hold of). At any rate, taking the time to get to know all the owners will help you identify those that may be more receptive for trade talk or identify those you may want to steer clear of.
#3 – Learn About the League
Dynasty leagues will often feature intricate rule design, creative roster requirements, as well as other rubrics, traditions, and customs that cater to the experienced and knowledgeable manager. There is nothing more critical to fantasy success than understanding how to win in your league, and this can be accomplished by taking the time to read and re-read (and re-re-read) the league rules and regulations. This would also be the opportunity to take stock of your club, look at the competition (find out who has previously won the league), and become familiar with the league hosting site.
[the_ad id=”414″]
#4 – Understand the Draft Rules
Some may believe this tip to belong in the previous point, but in Dynasty leagues, it requires more consideration. Every offseason, new players are drafted into their professional leagues, and they will need to find homes in your Dynasty leagues as well. How exactly does that work for the league you’ve just joined? It would be written into the league rules and regulations, but it is imperative to take it a step further because Dynasty leagues generally allow draft picks to be tradeable commodities. How are these draft picks valued vs. prospects and active players? How many years in advance can draft picks be traded? Certainly, this would be important as you plan your team’s future.
#5 – Choose a Direction
Once the excitement of being part of a new league has leveled off, it is now time to get down to business. Assuming your team isn’t a championship caliber squad (who leaves a winning team on the table?), you likely have your work cut out for you. It is essential to choose a direction for your club and stick to it for the first few seasons. Ask yourself if this team has the ability to compete for a playoff spot right away or is a full rebuild necessary. What assets are most coveted by other managers and do moving them work against the long-term goal of being competitive every single year? Once you’ve identified assets that you’d consider expendable, take time to determine which players or draft picks best fit with your club strategy.
#6 – To Trade or Not To Trade
For all that is good and holy, do NOT make a trade within the first week of joining! If there is one bit of advice that should be heeded, it is this one. Established owners will want you to forget this in hopes they can take advantage of the naïve new manager.
[the_ad id=”567″]Trades are made between two teams – a truly Captain Obvious type statement – but in dynasty, the repercussions of a deal can be felt for years to come. The health of the league should also be a consideration of any deal on the table. Maybe the best team in the league can offer slightly more for a current star player, but how does that help your squad or the league moving forward. There is a reason that a team is top dog in the league; generally a combination of smart drafting and key moves like waiver pickups and trades. That squad will usually have the assets to sweeten the pot, but the caution here is to make the strong even stronger and create disparity in the league. This doesn’t mean you have to settle, but certainly is something additional to consider.
You are in control of every aspect of your club, which means that you can move as fast or slow as you want. There is no rule that states you have to make a trade and no reason why you can’t advertise the commodities you intend to move. A dynasty league is a mini-community where most everyone knows each other (as much as you can know someone over the internet) and not advertising your wares to all buyers is selling yourself short. Whenever a deal happens, any arguments resulting from completed trades general are other owners saying “they’d have paid more.” Don’t even let it get to that point! Post on your league forum, send out league-wide emails and generally harass everyone with a door-to-door salesman-like attitude. In the end, you will not only have options on the table but will have spoken to all owners… and understanding your opponent is one of the keys to defeating him.