The midway part of the dynasty season is a key time for assessment. If you are hovering around a 50% winning percentage, your season could go either way. If you have decided that you are not a contending team, there are some key strategies to ensure you turn your team around quickly.
Making The Pivot
When you look toward the future, identify when you plan to contend again. There is a temptation in dynasty to go from fringe contending to deep rebuilding when, most of the time, a quick reset will allow you to contend the following season. There is so much uncertainty from year to year that you should never give up on contending next season. Dynasty GMs can go deep into the rebuild when it is not necessary.
When evaluating your decision to trade away contending players, think about the quality of the player that you are thinking of trading.
If a player is unlikely to be a contributing player on your next contending team, they are prime candidates to trade.
Some profiles that fit this include:
- Running backs who are filling in for an injured starter (Gus Edwards, Jerome Ford, Chuba Hubbard, Emari Demercado types);
- Wide receivers who are producing in a situational role but lack a history of starter production or have no recent draft pedigree in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft;
- Tight ends who have high route participation but low production on a per-route basis.
These situational players are vulnerable to changing circumstances by the time you aim to contend in the future, but they have value to teams currently contending.
Profiles that you can continue to build around in future years include:
- Tight ends with a history of top 6 seasonal finishes.
- Wide receivers in their mid to late 20s that have multiple years of top 24 seasonal finishes.
- Quarterbacks with a record of top 12 seasonal finishes.
Where to Rebuild
One of the biggest mistakes dynasty GMs make is rebuilding by selling the top players on your team. The top players on your team should be the core you build around. In a 12-team league, your goal should be to acquire at least three top 30 players in your format. Teams with three or four top 30 players in their format are typically the teams contending for byes. When you have them, you need to build around them. Build around them by selling lower-level players for the opportunity to get a chance at a higher pick or a depressed value top 30 player. Players with injuries (Deshaun Watson, Kyler Murray, and Justin Jefferson) are a great bet for non-contending teams to target for an effective rebuild. Likewise, players with strong historical resumes who are underperforming (Dak Prescott, Kyle Pitts, and Devonta Smith) are good players to target.