Virtually every fantasy player has participated in more drafts than we care to count. I know many people that have been in the same leagues for 20-plus years, while others scour online for different styles of leagues on a yearly basis to scratch that fantasy football itch. A simple redraft league is great; we all participate in at least one per season and most of us play in multiple leagues. It’s a one-and-done commitment that allows the experience and satisfaction of a draft while also building camaraderie with league mates with an ultimate goal of winning the league championship. That is all well and good, but it’s just so…basic. There is so much more to be offered under the fantasy football umbrella and nothing is more satisfying than building a dynasty.

Other than actually winning a league, nothing is more satisfying in the fantasy football realm than constructing a team to compete long term. Dynasty leagues were created to give fantasy owners the power and control over a literal fake franchise. To be in a dynasty league, you need to be engaged. If you are the guy that likes to pay attention until you’re 3-6 and then cash out for the year, a dynasty league isn’t for you. If you are bad at long-term commitment, redrafts will likely suit you much better. Nothing is worse than a gung-ho owner that bails after year one. The purpose of a dynasty league is to start from scratch and build a team to win over the long haul. While there will certainly be bumps in the road over the long haul, with good strategy and discipline, you can build a winner starting with your initial draft.

First-Year Draft

The day has arrived. It is draft day and time to put all of that research into practice. How do you tackle a draft that could go in so many different directions, even after the first round? The first rule of thumb—at least in rounds one and two—is to take the best player available. Fantasy football has quickly become a wide receiver-centric game. It wasn’t that long ago when running backs were the mecca of first-round picks, but with the likes of Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., and Julio Jones roaming the field, it’s hard to justify taking Adrian Peterson.

Erroneously, the common belief seems to be shifting towards running backs being undraftable in the first round. But that is malarkey. Todd Gurley, David Johnson, and now, to a much lesser extent, Le’Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliott are all worthy first-round picks. But, wait, we are talking dynasty here and that has less bearing on potential suspensions, thus giving the latter two players more value than they would have in a redraft league.

Theoretical situation: Let’s say that Ezekiel Elliott is popped for a suspension related to his potential domestic violence charge. If you’re fortunate, your draft will be after that announcement is made. Because of a suspension, Elliott’s stock would most certainly drop, regardless of the type of league. In a 12-team dynasty league, Elliott would be ultra-attractive around picks 9-12. If there were no cloud over his head headed into the season, Elliott would almost certainly be a top-five pick in dynasty formats given his situation running behind a massive Dallas offensive line and, of course, his immense upside. Snagging Elliott at No. 10 overall in a dynasty league would be a blessing from the fantasy football gods.

Rational thinkers in redraft leagues know that taking a quarterback in the second round is certain to spell doom. The same holds true in dynasty leagues. While Cam Newton or Andrew Luck look enticing because of the extraordinary numbers they’ll put up, you can find a lesser version of these players later in the draft. With wideouts and running backs, the drop off is much faster and much steeper. The goal here is to grab a wide receiver, especially if you drafted a running back in the first round. Remember, it doesn’t matter if you’re playing in a dynasty league or a redraft league: wide receivers are king and that isn’t changing anytime soon.

Understanding the scope of the next couple of rounds will most likely be the key to your success over the first couple of seasons. Rounds 3-8 are where the majority of leagues are won or lost. Taking OBJ third overall is a no brainer, but in dynasty leagues, is a returning Jordy Nelson a player that you want to invest a third-round pick in? Injuries, new coaching staffs, and changes in player personnel are all contributing factors as to where you should invest long term.

My approach is simple: Stock up on wide receivers and running backs until it exhausts you. Those two positions make up a monstrous amount of the points you will accumulate on a weekly basis. Having monumental depth is critical over the long haul. Some owners would never take a backup running back over a top-10 quarterback, but that’s regressive thinking. Running backs are more likely to get injured, thus giving handcuffs an abundance of value. You can always find an Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, or better yet—at least in dynasty leagues—Jameis Winston in or around the 10th round.

Please remember, kickers and defense are wasteful picks prior to the last couple of rounds. If you think you are getting a leg up on the competition by drafting the Seahawks Defense in Round 11, you’re not. Both positions are crapshoots that shouldn’t warrant overthinking, if much thought at all.

Trading Down, Trading Up

Every league has at least one trade-happy guy. He bothers you, he’s pushy, and he likely hasn’t made it past mid-field with a woman. In dynasty leagues, these types of owners are targets, especially in the first year player draft. It’s a noble effort to try and stockpile picks, but quite often, it ends with the pushy owner making zero picks in the first round, one pick in the second round, three picks in the third and fourth round, and an overabundance of mid-round picks.

Fantasy football is a stud-driven game and that means first-round picks—especially early ones—are incredibly valuable. If you deal away the opportunity to roster at least one stud, you’d better make a deal that is clearly beneficial for your short and long-term success. Making your trade partner overpay for an early first-round pick is an absolute must.

If you trade away early picks in your inaugural season, you will have to be even more creative in the future to get yourself into a position where you can compete. I am a firm believer in playing for today and for the future at exactly the same time. If you’re going to trade in during your startup draft, don’t put yourself in a hole. If you want to climb out of a hole, find an orphan team. (More on that later)

There are situations where trading down can be strategic with a bountiful payoff. For instance, if you own the fourth overall pick and had your sights set on one of Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., or Julio Jones, this would be an ample time to move down. Those three players will likely go one, two, three in virtually every draft. There is a bigger discrepancy between pick one and four than there is between pick four and twelve. Flipping the fourth overall pick for a late first-rounder and say, a late-third round pick would be a prudent move. By doing a deal like this, you would end up with four of the top 36 picks.

One more word of wisdom is to never mortgage the future for a top overall pick. Yes, studs are very important to your immediate success, but your depth will be sorely lacking, setting you up for long-term failure. It is virtually a guarantee that you will always overpay for a top pick, which is exactly why I said it’s a necessity to have your trade partner do so if the roles are reversed. You can win and continually rebuild at the same time if you have a firm grasp on your team and the state and scope of your league.

The Facts Of Life

According to the NFL Player’s Association, NFL players have short careers. This isn’t exactly groundbreaking news, but it should be considered when drafting a dynasty team. Remember, this is a long-term investment.

The average career of an NFL Player is 3.30 years.

NFL Quarterback is 4.44 years.

NFL Wide Receiver is 2.81 years.

NFL Running Back is 2.56 years.

As you can see, the most important positions in fantasy football also have the shortest career spans. This makes stockpiling at these positions even more vital to the continuing success of a dynasty team.

Targeting Factors

There are several factors in play when targeting players. You can toss the first two rounds out the window right now, as you should be taking the best player available, one of which is a wide receiver in PPR leagues. As far as the rest of your draft goes, here are things to take into consideration.

  • Age
  • Targets
  • Touches
  • Previous Season Work Load/Future Work Load
  • Offensive Lines
  • Coaching Staffs
  • Depth Charts
  • Rookie Upside
  • Injuries/Suspensions
  • Handcuffs

Age is self-explanatory. You want young running backs and wide receivers. Quarterbacks are another matter. It really feels like quarterbacks don’t hit their stride until their late-20s or early-30s.

In PPR leagues, targets are kings. A player like Jarvis Landry or Theo Riddick see a dramatic increase in value because of the amount of passes they’ll catch throughout the year.

A majority of touches virtually always ends in a positive way for running backs. Only four running backs amassed over 300 touches, but 10 topped 250. Names like Frank Gore and Jonathan Stewart aren’t the sexiest names—and I certainly wouldn’t reach for them in dynasty leagues—but they will see a healthy amount of touches as long as they can stay healthy.

Look for spikes in workload, from both last season and what could come in the future as a barometer for forthcoming success. Pay attention to beat writers and do plenty of research as you approach your draft date. For instance, Charles Sims has been heavily linked to a workload increase. That bodes well for him as a backup and even more so if Doug Martin were to go down with an injury.

Offensive lines are immensely important to the success of any offense as a whole. Breaking it down, each individual player can benefit as well. What makes Ezekiel Elliott so attractive in his rookie season has a lot to do with the line in front of him. You can fall back on this in dynasty leagues as well because most teams with roadblock linemen keep that core intact for several seasons.

Seven teams made a new head coaching hire this past offseason. The Browns, 49ers, Buccaneers, Eagles, Dolphins, Titans, and Giants are all operating under a new leader and that has a direct consequence on each player rostered on the aforementioned teams. Will Ben McAdoo’s coach style cut into OBJ’s overall production? Probably not. With Hue Jackson at the helm in Cleveland, will Duke Johnson Jr. take a huge step forward this year? I’d put the odds at just over 50 percent. Coaches and their schemes and style matter; don’t let it fall by the wayside as you prepare to construct your dynasty team.

Never forget about depth charts. We all know who the top handcuffs are, but are you aware of the third and fourth string running backs for every team and the guys laboring with the practice squad each week? Learn them.

The Arizona Cardinals started the 2015 season with Andre Ellington in their backfield. Then they experimented with Chris Johnson. Finally, they gave rookie David Johnson a shot and he did so well that he is a consensus first-round pick this year and a top target in dynasty leagues. Just because a rookie comes into the season without a starting job, it doesn’t mean that he will end the season the same way.

Much like knowing a simple thing like a player’s age, always be aware of injuries and injury prone players. Darren McFadden isn’t a guy you want to target and Le’Veon Bell is close to reaching that territory due to a combination of injuries and suspensions.

Finally, do your best to handcuff your starting running backs in dynasty leagues. It’s easier said than done, but with the amount of injuries over the course of the NFL season, it is wise planning.

Roster Management

During the course of the season, you will have bye weeks, injuries, and most likely at least one suspension. If each team rosters 20 players and starts 11, you would have nine players on your bench. If you own Demaryius Thomas and he suffers a torn ACL, you aren’t going to drop him. Instead, he will have to ride the pine for the rest of the season. This is where dynasty leagues differ profoundly over redraft leagues. In a redraft league, you drop players that are out for the year and plug in someone else. Any good dynasty league doesn’t allow for an extensive free agent pool. There should be table scraps and nothing better available, making your draft all the more important.

Rookie Drafts

Most dynasty leagues incorporate a rookie draft each year prior to the start of the regular season. These drafts are literally the future of your team. A lot of fantasy players with “win now” mentalities don’t care much for rookie picks and will trade them away without issue. On the flip side, some owners prefer to stock pile these picks. Remember, you can play for today and the future at the same exact time, you just have to be creative. Rookie picks hold a lot more value than you’d expect. The problem is that they don’t immediate dividends and that turns many owners off.

Orphan Teams

It is inevitable that owners in dynasty leagues will quit. I have witnessed it first hand more times than I can count. A good commissioner will find new owners with a knack for the rebuild process. If a team is abandoned, it’s mostly because it stinks. There may be a couple of pieces to work with, but overall it usually looks like a dumpster fire. This would be an opportune time to stockpile rookie picks, draft picks, and young players with upside. If that means moving Antonio Brown for Kevin White, Josh Doctson, Paul Perkins, and a future rookie pick, you make the deal! Orphan teams can be fun—especially because of the satisfaction they can bring if you can rise from the ashes within two or three years—you just have to be fully committed.