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Dynasty may seem daunting. Decisions stay with you forever, and the fantasy football calendar becomes year-long. But at a core level, you likely already have the necessary tools to play dynasty football if you know what dynasty football is.
This article will serve as a commissioner's guide, walking you step by step through creating your league and getting the season rolling. If you have been a commissioner before, you know how different every league can be, so instead of telling you how to do things, I aim to present the possible decision trees.
Ok, I will likely tell you how I like things too.
Host Choice
There are four main host sites with dynasty support: Sleeper, MyFantasyLeague, Fleaflicker, and Fantrax. I am sure there are more, and if you have a site you would like included, I am happy to amend this.
For the vast majority, the decision comes down to Sleeper or MyFantastyLeague (MFL).
Experience dynasty players likely came to age playing on MFL, and the site has heavy nostalgic elements. The critical factor is customization. You can customize almost anything in your league settings and store a wealth of information, be it league constitutions or specific draft formats.
Some of the often criticized features are, well, nostalgia. The site can feel early internet and mobile app support could be better. There is also a cost to create a league on the site; you pay a league hosting fee.
If you are hosting an extremely large multicopy (more than one version of each player) devy (developmental league, for more dynasty terms, check out this article) league, MFL will be your site.
Sleeper is a newer site with a more modern app interface. The host is still going through active development and does not feature the level of customization that MFL does. Still, for most dynasty leagues, it is trending toward the most popular choice in the industry. Oh, and it is free.
Fantrax will be your choice if you want to play college fantasy football. They are the only one in the market with that offering currently.
Fleaflicker has a smaller but loyal consumer base. It was my first introduction to keeper leagues around 15 years ago.
League Constitution
Once you choose a hosting site, the next step is league customization. I recommend a league constitution as a baseline to lay out rules clearly and as a backup for future disputes.
Here, Chalk, a cornerstone of fantasy football Twitter, provides a template for creating league constitutions.
Dynasty Fantasy Football League Constitution [Template] - written by corporate contract attorney (me). Wanted to share as a resource for the community. Always willing to review your constitution. https://t.co/2dmAih2Idk @SleeperHQ @RyanMc23 @ScottFish24 @DLFootball @DynastyNerds
— ᴄʜᴀʟᴋ 🚫 (@101chalk) February 14, 2019
Roster Settings
To Superflex, or not to Superflex, that will be your most important question. Superflex allows you to play a second quarterback in your lineup in a broader flex position. No roster decision significantly impacts your league, dramatically affecting how quarterbacks will be valued.
Most dynasty leagues opt for this feature. It increases the complexity of leagues and makes the quarterback position much more relevant.
Typically leagues will have 12 managers who start ten players and have a total roster size of between 25 and 28 players.
The ten starters usually break down as 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 2 Flex, and 1 Superflex.
These decisions depend entirely on how your league wants to play. If you and your league mates are trying dynasty for the first time, this may be too deep for your liking (the waiver wire is very bare under these settings). Or you are all in for the challenge, and even this feels too shallow. But at this level, you will be looking at backup tight ends, third running backs, and
Scoring Settings
After throwing potentially new websites, different roster settings, and the need for a written league constitution, here is an area you should be familiar with.
Scoring, you can make anything you want. Full PPR, half PPR, points for first downs, points for rush attempts, you do what you want.
One kicker with many dynasty leagues that may be newer to redraft players is the idea of tight-end premium. Due to the depth of starting lineups, one countermeasure many dynasty leagues implement is bonus points for receptions for tight ends. This scoring usually ranges between an extra 0.5 or one extra point. Implementing this scoring system helps make tight ends potential flex options in these deeper roster settings.
The Startup Draft
New leagues start with an aptly named startup draft. This draft will be unlike any draft you have participated in due to its long-term importance and depth. As such, most leagues will opt for a slow draft option, with timers ranging from four hours per pick to no timer. This format allows for ample time for trade activity during the draft but requires patience from players who have never experienced this. It also means league members must be willing to check in frequently to see if they are up for a pick or if any trades exist.
The method of this draft can vary. Salary cap drafts are always fun but can be a lot for those new to the format. Most leagues will operate a snake draft. A third-round reversal has risen in popularity to balance the value's impact on randomly drawing an early pick. This setting flips the order in the third round, allowing the person who draws the last pick of round one to pick first in rounds two and three.
Rookie Draft
The rookie draft is the most significant change between a standard yearly redraft league and a dynasty league. In dynasty formats, you roll your entire roster yearly, making the rookie draft the only time an infusion of talent is added.
This element opens up a wide variety of strategic features. Some players love to load up on rookie picks, and others always trade them for established players. Pick values in your league can fluctuate depending on what types of players you have. As your league progresses in age, teams at different levels of a competitive cycle emerge, with some players going very young to rebuild. In contrast, others in a contention window can add veteran production.
Most rookie drafts will run four rounds, with 48 picks in a 12-team league. This depth usually leaves just enough players for fun, post-draft waiver run, though the odds of those players are still a long shot.
It is crucial to make sure this draft is set as linear vs. a typical draft being a snake.
Trades
If you are going to play dynasty, get comfortable trading. A wide variety of trade calculators exist to serve as a baseline, though they are the source of much frustration. But the environment is much more conducive for trades thanks to some of the previously mentioned lifecycle elements.
The most significant decision for the league comes down to a trade deadline. Opinions vary wildly, as some believe there should be no deadline, which opens up trades to occur during the fantasy playoffs. Meanwhile, others believe deadlines drive actions, and rosters should be pretty set for the playoff run.
If you are new to Dynasty, throwing open the league all year can be tempting. And most leagues do operate that way. But given the time commitment, I recommend some waiver pause, ideally upon completion of the league championship until late February. This pause lets you enjoy the actual NFL playoffs after a long season of fantasy and lets your league mates take a breath.
Many leagues also function with instant trades. For a group that knows each other well, this is a great way to bypass the fights over veto votes or waiting days for a deal to process. This instant processing can be essential for someone trading for a quick plug-in starting option.
Injured Reserve and Taxi
Another league consideration. Taxi spots are reserved for young players in their first or second year. They work as a way to stash players who face levels of immediate uncertainty. When players are called up from a taxi squad, that spot is burnt for the season, and the potential roster size shrinks.
My Ideal
When I set up a league (and I set up too many), I like to have these settings
- Superflex
- 12 teams - 27 roster spots
- Ten starting lineup spots: 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 2 Flex, 1 Superflex
- Snake draft startup, with third-round reversal
- Scoring: 0.5 PPR, 0.5 first down, 0.5 additional tight end premium
- No trade deadline
- Free agent auction dollars for waivers
- 3 IR, 3 Taxi positions
But the second most important thing to remember is you can set up your league any way you and your league mates want. And the most important thing, have fun!
Please reach out if you have any questions!
Thank you for reading! Please follow and ask any questions on Twitter @4WhomJBellTolls.