Do you operate with any self-imposed “Rules” in dynasty?

[Jigga94]

I tend not to roster players with apostrophe's in their names. Le'veon Bell was the exception. The hit rate is extremely low.

I like to roster players with first last names that are also first names. A lot of them tend to be good. Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, Jamaal Charles, Jamaal Lewis, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Christian Kirk, Amari Cooper, Jimmy Graham, Bo Jackson, Marcus Allen. This are just a few. The list goes on, it's quite deep.

2 first names, always a crowd pleaser

[sloth8u]

Here are some that I’ve heard:

1. I don’t trade. At all. I play the hand I’m dealt, and will not trade my players.

2. I don’t send counter offers. If you want me to accept it, send the best possible trade offer.

3. I don’t trade offense for IDP.

4. I don’t trade my hurt players. That’s selling low and that’s just stupid.

5. I don’t sell my draft picks, ever. I need them.

6. I won’t sell my picks that are more than 1 year out - it’s too far away to know where my team will be.

I guess ive used all these at various times throughout various leagues.

1. Not trading. Alot of owners and alot of leagues would be better off if owners would not trade, or atleast tread water more cautiously. Trader tom and the team or 2 he's swapping rosters with may be having a blast....but the rest of the league feels you goons are ruining the league for the other 9 owners. Thanks fellas!

Also here, alot of owners like the challenge of drafting (start up and future rookie drafts) and building their team. When i started playing 9-10 years ago...that was more the norm than how much trading happens in todays leagues. The majority of the league would win 6-8 games. There were no dumpster fires (without key injuries) on purpose for the most part. Now days....owners gift wrap quality players for peanuts to opponents so that they can intentionally lose. Great for the guy getting said player/s, blah for the rest of the league.

2. Counter offers... I get a kick out of this one. Most times, others are trying to trade for an owners best players without giving up their best players. So you want my barkley for aj brown and d henry..... But no way in hell you'd sell your cmc share for m brown and chris Carson.....yet you expect a counter??? I get it that buyers want a counter offer...maybe they should send strong offers that dont need countered.

I will mention here, i send counters only to hear that the buyers players are not available for trade. Wait...you want my best players via your left overs....why counter when this has become the norm. Ive also found that owners are confusing prospects and studs. They have no interest in trading 1st and 2nd year solid prospects for todays studs. Why counter sutton and moore for my mt when i get the backlash of how awesome sutton and moore are going to be in 3 yrs.

3. Trading offense for idp can be tricky. Leagues that have balanced scoring is much easier to make these trades, but from my experiences in idp...ive found most owners dont move their high end idp guys. It then becomes a scenario where an idp owner who owns a 1yr wonder wants an offensive guy that has been solid for a few yrs. Can be hard to find common ground.

4. Not selling low is a real thing. I mean, that is the name of our game. This should be no suprise that owners wouldnt sell low. Reality here is that very few owners are giving appropriate value in a trade if they are going after a guy on ir. Kinda funny, but ive found an injury plagued season kinda works like a rebuild year...only you get to keep your players and still have high picks in each rd. Also offers an opportunity to sell aging guys without hurting playoff chances.

5. Depending on trade activity, draft picks are your future. Some draft well and some arent so great at it. Ive seen both approaches work here. I tend to trade my picks in general.

6. Trading future picks more than a yr out should be limited imo. 1 trade that doesn't work out can really impact a team. Imagine an owner swapping 1.1 a yr or 2 out for a player that carries little to no value...or even worse, very little production over that span.

Something else brought up in the thread is, not trading with a particular owner. Its a real thing, often times caused because a team has been built through traping. Ive found most owners who have legitimately built a power house dont run into this problem, whereas people that bought ee for 1.9, cmc, for 1.11, and nuk for 1.14 might get the response that others dont want to trade with them. Whenever i hear owners ask how we can keep from having "bad trades"....my response is... Have owners that dont send out bad offers. Its pretty simple here imo. Buying studs for peanuts does not make you a good dynasty player, in fact it ruins the league for the other owners. Paying proper value and making legitimate deals is best for the seller and entire league.

[Cult of Dionysus]

My only rule is to follow no rules.

[ArrylT]

My only rule is to follow no rules.

That seems like an odd rule for a commish.

[Cult of Dionysus]

My only rule is to follow no rules.

That seems like an odd rule for a commish.

I was looking at this question from the perspective of a dynasty manager. As a manager, I do not follow any rules. I don't apply any meaningful strategies or tactics. I operate on (questionable) gut instinct, sporadic research (YouTube highlights), recency bias, and media and twitter hype, with heavy reference to and reliance on box scores, team need over BPA and general dislike for all NFL teams and players who play in a dome (as well as the Dallas Cowboys). I over-value rookie drafting, not because I think rookies lead to a better team, but because drafting is fun, and this is my primary hobby. Perhaps the only tactic or rule that I apply is to get 1.01 each season in each league, to the extent possible, cuz the hit rate for 1.01 is so much higher, especially in Superflex leagues. Plus, it's fun having 1.01 and negotiating with everyone who wants it from pre-Combine to post-NFL Draft.

As a commissioner, I believe in strict adherence to the league's Bylaws, provided they are well-written and comprehensive.

[Pac_Eddy]

^This.

In particular, I love the rookie draft. I think I'm better than average at it, though I don't want statistical proof as if I'm wrong, I'd rather live with the false bravado of thinking I'm right.

[Ice]

I won't play in Big Money Dynasty Leagues over $100.00
I won't play in redraft leagues at $300 or more if trading is allowed.

I only play IDP if scoring is balanced and owners are experienced.
I will never acquire an outside 3/4 LB.

I refuse to play in any league that allows owners to veto trades.

[hockeyBjj]

Only hard rule I stick by is don't play in any leagues where the buy in is too much where I can't have fun with it as I stress out trying to make at least some of it back.

Joined a $150 (redraft) league once and hated it. Kicked myself for every bad lineup decision or waiver miss. I stick to $40ish leagues now where I can laugh at my misfortune rather than cry and feel bad about wasting money.

[Mike from Canada]

Here are some that I’ve heard:

1. I don’t trade. At all. I play the hand I’m dealt, and will not trade my players.

2. I don’t send counter offers. If you want me to accept it, send the best possible trade offer.

3. I don’t trade offense for IDP.

4. I don’t trade my hurt players. That’s selling low and that’s just stupid.

5. I don’t sell my draft picks, ever. I need them.

6. I won’t sell my picks that are more than 1 year out - it’s too far away to know where my team will be.

I see lots of these in my league, particularly 1, 2 and 5. Someone told me recently, "I can't sell my picks because I'm rebuilding."

Sigh.

[IR1]

Won't play in a veto league

[Valhalla]

I tend not to roster players with apostrophe's in their names. Le'veon Bell was the exception. The hit rate is extremely low.

I like to roster players with first last names that are also first names. A lot of them tend to be good. Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, Jamaal Charles, Jamaal Lewis, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Christian Kirk, Amari Cooper, Jimmy Graham, Bo Jackson, Marcus Allen. This are just a few. The list goes on, it's quite deep.

[saw061600]

Here are some that I’ve heard:

1. I don’t trade. At all. I play the hand I’m dealt, and will not trade my players.

2. I don’t send counter offers. If you want me to accept it, send the best possible trade offer.

3. I don’t trade offense for IDP.

4. I don’t trade my hurt players. That’s selling low and that’s just stupid.

5. I don’t sell my draft picks, ever. I need them.

6. I won’t sell my picks that are more than 1 year out - it’s too far away to know where my team will be.

Maybe it's an experience/maturity issue. As owners get more experience, play in more leagues, see different methods of playing I think many of the self-imposed rules go away (although some owners NEVER move on I suppose).

My first year playing dynasty I likely was guilty of some of the above like "sticking to what I have" and "not selling picks". In fact, in my longest active dynasty league, where all the owners were new to dynasty (at start of league) and trying something different (full IDP too) I was the first to make a trade where I gave a pick...in year 3!!! It took another 2 years before trades involving picks became a regular thing.

I'll add one to the list that I remember doing: "Player X is never available. He's too valuable to MY team."
This one hurt me a lot early because I could have leveraged that player into pieces I needed instead of losing while keeping that great player on my roster.

[killer_of_giants]

i don't want no giants in my team.
not a proper "rule" tho, just an avoid if at all possible.

[Valhalla]

i don't want no giants in my team.
not a proper "rule" tho, just an avoid if at all possible.

Same, with Packers, to a degree. I'll take them on my roster at value, but I definitely don't seek them out.

[lukkynumber13]

Here are some that I’ve heard:

1. I don’t trade. At all. I play the hand I’m dealt, and will not trade my players.

2. I don’t send counter offers. If you want me to accept it, send the best possible trade offer.

3. I don’t trade offense for IDP.

4. I don’t trade my hurt players. That’s selling low and that’s just stupid.

5. I don’t sell my draft picks, ever. I need them.

6. I won’t sell my picks that are more than 1 year out - it’s too far away to know where my team will be.

Maybe it's an experience/maturity issue. As owners get more experience, play in more leagues, see different methods of playing I think many of the self-imposed rules go away (although some owners NEVER move on I suppose).

My first year playing dynasty I likely was guilty of some of the above like "sticking to what I have" and "not selling picks". In fact, in my longest active dynasty league, where all the owners were new to dynasty (at start of league) and trying something different (full IDP too) I was the first to make a trade where I gave a pick...in year 3!!! It took another 2 years before trades involving picks became a regular thing.

This would make sense in theory, but in my experience, the guys with the most "rules" are the middle-aged older dudes who "have been playing dynasty for 10-20 years". Real get-off-my-lawn types