When to blow it up?

[JoshGordonsDealer]

When do you decide to blow up a team and look towards next year?

For example, there's a league in which I feel I have an excellent team. Solid at each position, good mix of youth and vets, enough depth for byes & injuries, etc... But I'm 2-4. I'm top half in scoring, and in two of the losses, the one of my opponent's DEs has gone off for 50+, but 2-4 starts to be difficult to overcome.

When do you (in similar positions to this) say, "screw it" and start to play for next year, targeting OBJ, ARob, & other buy-lows?

[Phaded]

I am in a very similar position..
I was 1-4 going into this week, going to be 2-4 now after a rough start but I have a team with guys like Dak, Julio, AB, Evans & Gronk.
I'm going to try to make a push - I think it all depends on how you feel the caliber of your team is.

I know the odds are against me - but I think I can do it.

[steelman]

You need to look at your roster, there's no other way. If you're 2-4 with a great roster, then ride out the bad times and wait for the good times. All you need to do is get into the playoffs. If you're 3-1 with a terrible roster, then you might want to consider looking at trades because lady luck will run out. You really need to look at what your team is capable of now as well as in the future.

My team was a serious contender last year but I had a lot of older players. I decided to trade a few of them while their value was still high so that I didn't have to do a complete rebuild. This way, hopefully I have a down year (although I still think I can make the playoffs and win it all with some luck) at most and then am back playing for the ship in the next couple years, as opposed to a full rebuild.

[Weeman]

I feel like you keep going if the core of your team is young & has upside. Don't allow your record to be the reason for a rebuild. If your team is underachieving & relying on Jordy, Demarco & Fitz ect then it's time to rebuild.. get picks. I'm 2-4 in one league & way better records in other leagues. & feel the 2-4 can limp in the playoffs & do more damage than other teams with better records. Don't let a slow start get you down!!

[BuckeyeNation]

Total points scored and even potential points are more important to me than W/L record when determining the strength of my team. Obviously you have to win games to make the playoffs in the H2H format, but there's so much variance and luck involved with who you play any given week that your W/L record really doesn't tell you how strong your team is.

If I have a bad record but my team is producing and still has a viable road to the playoffs then I'm sitting tight until we get towards the trade deadline. If it's a bad record and non productive team, or a team that's not going to continue to produce due to injuries, then I'll think about blowing it up. Very rarely does a team actually need to be torched to the ground just because it's having an off season though. If I have a solid roster but it's just not my season then I use the opportunity to sell off the oldest of my players that I know I'll only be able to get value out of in-season.

I do think it's easier to know when to blow up a team if you're in a league that's been around for several years and you have a larger sample size to make a judgment on your roster. Usually when you've had mostly the same core pieces of a roster and you've watched your team slowly but steadily decline over a 2-3 year period, that's when you should blow it up if you're out of contention. I play to win, almost to a fault sometimes, but if I don't think I can legitimately contend then I'd rather rebuild a year early than a year late, while my players still carry some name value and can be sold for a decent return.

[scorpion]

You must have met Cam Jordan tonight... sucks. Hold the line, 2-4 isn't the end of the season and if you have a good mix and solid depth then you can make the push especially considering all the weekly injuries this year. Survival of the fittest seems to be the mantra so far.

[clarion contrarion]

If I have a really solid team I will not retool it until I am eliminated from the play off picture. My 3 time defending champ sig team started 0-3 I was a bit nervous but have reeled off 3 straight and was top scorer this week by 30+ ,patience will win out most likely if you have a solid roster. If it is not a long term contender then the sooner the better but win every trade long term don't just off load vets for some shiny lotto ticket, that can wait until post week 10 or 11,IMHO!

[Tsunami]

Personally I have too much pride to ever "blow it up". If I find myself at 2-4 I just trade my first round pick to a team that I think I can beat down the stretch. If say there's a 3-3 team with a significantly lower points per game, they just might swap. Then there's no reason to tank.

[darkadun]

Total points scored and even potential points are more important to me than W/L record when determining the strength of my team. Obviously you have to win games to make the playoffs in the H2H format, but there's so much variance and luck involved with who you play any given week that your W/L record really doesn't tell you how strong your team is.

If I have a bad record but my team is producing and still has a viable road to the playoffs then I'm sitting tight until we get towards the trade deadline. If it's a bad record and non productive team, or a team that's not going to continue to produce due to injuries, then I'll think about blowing it up. Very rarely does a team actually need to be torched to the ground just because it's having an off season though. If I have a solid roster but it's just not my season then I use the opportunity to sell off the oldest of my players that I know I'll only be able to get value out of in-season.

I do think it's easier to know when to blow up a team if you're in a league that's been around for several years and you have a larger sample size to make a judgment on your roster. Usually when you've had mostly the same core pieces of a roster and you've watched your team slowly but steadily decline over a 2-3 year period, that's when you should blow it up if you're out of contention. I play to win, almost to a fault sometimes, but if I don't think I can legitimately contend then I'd rather rebuild a year early than a year late, while my players still carry some name value and can be sold for a decent return.

Good points. That’s exactly where I’m at. Top 3 in scoring but top 2 in points against. Like you said I’m trying to patient. I may make a move to balance my team and possibly get a pick for next year but since my team is mostly young I’m keeping the core intact.

[Slackalacker]

What scoring allows DEs to do that??

If I'm 2-4 I'd take a hard look. Top half in scoring with an underperforming team? I'll probably keep it together. Bottom half of scoring, probably rebuild.

Also depth of playoffs matters. For example in Team 1 it is 6 team playoffs in a 10 team league. Team 2 has a 4 team playoff in a 12 team league. You gotta be great to get into league #2 playoffs but in league #1 if you can slide in to the playoffs anything can happen those weeks. ESPECIALLY with solid matchups

[Goddard]

I don't know about "blowing it up," but if you have a good team that's struggling, I wouldn't make any major moves. Sure, you can go after some buy-low players, but I wouldn't consider that blowing it up.

[JoshGordonsDealer]

I don't know about "blowing it up," but if you have a good team that's struggling, I wouldn't make any major moves. Sure, you can go after some buy-low players, but I wouldn't consider that blowing it up.

I spoke a little too strongly in frustration last night.

In a 2 QB I have a core of

Cousins/Alex Smith/Flacco
Gurley/DFree/Ajayi/Crowell
TY Hilton/Keenan/Tate/Alshon
ASJ/Graham
Michael Brockers/Donald Irving
Ngakoue/Spence/Peppers
Jatavis Brown/McKinney/Jordan Hicks/Lawrence Timmons
Tyvon Branch/Barry Church/Farley/Joyner

—

It’s a good team without any obvious “old” players besides Graham. But damn this is frustrating.

[MEuRaH]

Depends on the future, not the past.

One of my best PPR teams is 1-5. AJG, Dez, Julio, ARod (sigh), Diggs, etc. However, I'm only a couple games out of the playoffs. If I can make playoffs, I still have a good chance to win it all, so I'm going to continue.

In another league, I'm 3-3 but my team is garbage. I gotta blow that one up because I literally have no shot at the ship, and these semi-average players are only keeping me from good draft positions.

[JoshGordonsDealer]

What scoring allows DEs to do that??

If I'm 2-4 I'd take a hard look. Top half in scoring with an underperforming team? I'll probably keep it together. Bottom half of scoring, probably rebuild.

Also depth of playoffs matters. For example in Team 1 it is 6 team playoffs in a 10 team league. Team 2 has a 4 team playoff in a 12 team league. You gotta be great to get into league #2 playoffs but in league #1 if you can slide in to the playoffs anything can happen those weeks. ESPECIALLY with solid matchups

3.5/tackle
5/TFL
6/sack

Absolutely brutal. I'm not a fan, but I love the league beyond that.

[GridironGuerilla]

I'm following this thread as it's something I've never done but am seriously considering it for this team:

http://www67.myfantasyleague.com/2017/home/17753#1