division, conference, or entire league

[sloth8u]

ive joined a league in which i think "knowing your opponents" may come in to play. my question here is......

do you pay attention to the other teams in your division or conference in building your teams? i can see how recognizing your immediate competition could go a long ways in building a team that reaches the playoffs every year.

admittedly, my leagues are likely different than yours.....but is knowing "who you compete against" important in team construction?

[Cult of Dionysus]

Brilliant question.

Well its not like in the real NFL, where if your division foes have a lot of tall WRs, you go out and get some tall DBs.

However, I do keep an eye on my division mates and their rosters to get a sense of what kind of competition I will have for the division championship (the likeliest path to the playoffs). Is a team stacked? Is a team stacked at one or two positions, but thin elsewhere? Is the team building for the future, restocking with lots of young (i.e. future potential, not a lot of imminent production) or just plain bottoming out?

My own management decisions are somewhat influenced by what I see in my division. This is true for BOTH off-season and in-season. Last season, in USFL Superflex, I sitting at something like 4-6 with four weeks to play. Think two teams were ahead of me by one and one and a half games. But both had better rosters AND my schedule also looked tougher (including factoring in bye weeks). So I decided to trade away some aging assets and expiring contracts for 2018 picks, to the dismay of some league mates who thought I still had a chance. If my team was even with the others, or better, no way would I have shifted my focus to 2018 and beyond.

I also keep my eye on teams in which I hold future 1st round picks. I know their rosters nearly as well as mine. lol. I also root for their opponents and keep a close eye on scores. I have even try to make trades with these teams or their division rivals, with one aim (not the only aim) to weaken the team's current year prospects in hope of improving my draft pick's value.

[clarion contrarion]

I think it matters , it can matter more depending on the league /settings of the league . Last season ,in my sig league coming off a 3 peat I started 0-3 , I did not panic as my division is very soft with 2 rebuilding squads and a relatively inexperienced manager with a really solid inherited team as the other team in my division. I was at a crossroads ,so should I attempt to snag a wildcard to try for a 4 peat or just throw in the towel and play for 2018?

I decided to play to win swapped a few players out won 9 of 10 and ended up winning the division and a bye took down a 4 peat . In a better division I would have packed it in as everything had been going against me through 3 weeks and I was of the mindset that it just wasn't going to happen. So knowing what you are up against can be vitally important , doing anything about is more sketchy perhaps.

What I did do after winning the title was off load a bunch of guys that led to my early frustration in 2017 namely bell J howard shady watkins and arob all were moved and I will go with the young core OJ howard mixon njoku corey davis tarek cohen and hopefully one of wentz /luck stay healthy and lead the way. Regardless I moved all those established guys and stacked up 4 1sts and 3 2nds for next year just in case my juju is expiring on that league- I can reload.

[Rosenbluu]

I personally don’t, the way I see it I’m going to build my team how I like to structure it. I do look at the top teams in my leagues, it helps me continue to keep track if I’m still truly contending or if I might need to consider rebuilding.

Being honest with your team strength and where you truly stand amongst your league mates gets overlooked.

[DLF3000]

I pay some attention to who's great and who sucks, but I've learned it's unfortunately really hard to directly counter a team (e.g. a powerhouse and/or trade fleecer) compared to the NFL like someone already mentioned.

It's an arms race more than a chess match in fantasy - focus on YOUR team.

[skip]

I manage my team with "blinders" on. Couldn't care less what the other teams are doing. My goal is only to build my own team and constantly look to improve it both short and long term.

[millworkguy]

Division first, then rest of league.

I pay attention to the barriers to the post season. Anything can happen once your in, but if you don't make it in it doesn't matter. I had 2 teams last year that had great records vrs point scored (lucky teams). In one I was able to buy a qb rb and wr from a bottom team for my 1 2 3 round picks and went to the championship game. The other I wasnt able to make a "cheap" move and lost in round 1 by almost 60 points. Knowing my division got me into the playoffs, knowing my conference helped me make the decision about how aggressively to buy and make a run

[Cowboysfan33]

I always pay attention to all of the meaningful teams and more specifically, my division rivals. I play in 12 team leagues and most of my leagues are 3 divisions of 4 teams and I pay a lot of attention to the other 3 teams in my division.

[ascherb]

I’ve won a couple of championships with teams I didn’t necessarily think were the best. Get into the playoffs and then anything can happen.

And so, if your league is set up where division winners automatically get a playoff spot or, better yet, a playoff bye week, I think it makes sense to pay attention to what your division rivals are doing.

If your division mates all have super stacked squads with players in their primes, perhaps it’s not the worst idea to rebuild and accumulate youth and picks.

If your division mates all are rebuilding, or you feel you have a middling team but still feel you’re the best in your division, you have as realistic a shot as anyone if you can guarantee a playoff spot.

[hockeyBjj]

I manage my team as I see fit, obviously looking at other teams for what positional pros/cons they have versus mine to find a trading partner that's interested

The only real time I look hard at other teams is if I'm thinking I'm a contender or need another year or two. Am I right now a top 3/4 team where it's balanced at the top? Or is there a big dog or pair that's going to need heavy cannons to take out and I should keep building rather than make some light win-now moves

My team 1 in sig I feel is a contender that can make a ship run as there are 5 of us all with good teams, which means none of the teams are super scarily stacked as they were a few years ago when one guy had DJ, AP, OBJ, Hopkins, and Julio

[sloth8u]

thanks for the responses, i expected to see some varying approaches, i myself have always just looked at the top teams overall in the league without paying much attention to my specific division. just focus on my team.

ive been starting to play in bigger leagues in terms of teams....and started trading, when it dawned on me that i may want to look at my immediate competition to find out whether im better off looking for youth or production when seeking trades.

i went back and looked through a couple other leagues aswell and cant help but noticing that i may be better off selling or buying based off of who im playing the majority of the season.

[clarion contrarion]

OP good post - a rare thread that was not paid nearly the attention it should have warranted ,meanwhile 50 other redundant or inane posts received more attention and responses , which is a shame in my opinion.
Understanding where you stack up in your league is of vital importance as if you win your division you have a shot come week 14 . Where as if you are the 4th best team in the league but 4th best in your division you will be a spectator for the post season. It matters in how a manager should approach his roster building and team management . I am in a 14 team league with 2 divisions so I could finish 5th in my division in theory and make the 6 team playoffs -that is possible but unlikely , however if I really liked my playoff match ups for my team I may approach the season differently than if I had a lesser chance to even make the playoffs .