Start Up Advice for Unique League

[Z$$$]

Team not in sig.

14 Team SF/TEP
Start 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1TE, 1SF, 2Flex

What’s unique about this league is that half of the teams are AFC and half NFC. Where it gets crazy is that when we do our start up draft, we can only draft from that conference. Rookie picks are also included in this draft, which will be conducted after the NFL draft where the same rules will apply.

I chose the AFC being a Chiefs fan. So, I can only draft AFC players. So example, being SF if I picked 4th overall and the typical guys went: 1.01 Mahomes, 1.02 Allen, 1.03 Jackson, I could not pick up a QB like Dak or Wilson because they are in the NFC.

So, given this unique league settings and it being SF/TEP, what strategy would you take? QB/QB/TE/TE?

Essentially it’s a 7 Team league. The conference winners will play each other in a Super Bowl. Player trades can only be done inter-conference as well. However rookie picks can be traded cross-conference.

Thanks for any advice!

[abloom]

So what happens when a free agent goes to another conference or there is a trade?

Nothing really different except you have to make sure you're looking at the right pool when you are drafting.

[snaps06]

So what happens when a free agent goes to another conference or there is a trade?

Nothing really different except you have to make sure you're looking at the right pool when you are drafting.

I would be interested to see the answer to this question. Seems like there are some major flaws in the concept.

It'd suck to draft, say, Mahomes first overall and then he gets traded or signs with a team in the NFC and you have to drop him with no compensation.

[Gator Sens]

I would stick to a standard strategy of SF even with the unique conference format. QB will be big early in the draft and a big emphasis. Locking up a solid TE could be big too with the premium depending on options once your pick is otc. Great question above involving players possibly switching conferences through trade or free agency.

Do you play teams from the other conference or stay within your own until the championship game?

[Z$$$]

So what happens when a free agent goes to another conference or there is a trade?

Nothing really different except you have to make sure you're looking at the right pool when you are drafting.

If a player is traded in real life from one conference to the next or if a player is picked up by waivers from the other conference, then that player can only be traded across the conference in the league.

Ex: Kamara gets traded to KC, once he’s officially on KC’s team, the dynasty owner (NFC Conference) can only trade Kamara to an AFC owner. Most likely it will be for picks unless the same happens to another player, but in reverse conferences. The NFC owner can keep Kamara and play him like any other player on his team, Kamara is just “grandfathered in” to his current owner.

[abloom]

So what happens when a free agent goes to another conference or there is a trade?

Nothing really different except you have to make sure you're looking at the right pool when you are drafting.

If a player is traded in real life from one conference to the next or if a player is picked up by waivers from the other conference, then that player can only be traded across the conference in the league.

Ex: Kamara gets traded to KC, once he’s officially on KC’s team, the dynasty owner (NFC Conference) can only trade Kamara to an AFC owner. Most likely it will be for picks unless the same happens to another player, but in reverse conferences. The NFC owner can keep Kamara and play him like any other player on his team, Kamara is just “grandfathered in” to his current owner.

Well.thats certainly a good idea.

More thoughts on your draft, you'll have to rerank a bit based on positional scarcity. Example: nfc conference likely gets a boost to drafting kittle and he should go earlier. Consider that the top 5 TEs are likely kelce, kittle, waller, andrews, hock, followed by Pitts (unsure of conference right now) then probably fant, and you have only 2 in the NFC right now. So the NFC team with kittle suddenly has a huge advantage over the other nfc teams while the same doesn't really happen in the AFC.

QBs are a bit more evenly distributed, so not really a problem, ditto for RBs I think, though there may be more.top NFC rbs than AFC ones (increasing value slightly on AFC side).

Edit: wow this was late last night for me. Yeah AFC would probably get a boost in value to RBs. Top rbs being: JT (AFC), CMC, Barkley, kamara, cook (all nfc). I don't think I'm missing anyone glaring but certainly looks like of what is likely considered to top of the groups there are more NFC RBs than AFC. Henry, Jones, sanders(?), And jacobs(?) Would probably be the next group so pretty even there. Then swift, CEH, Dobbins, again looking pretty even. So top top looks NFC dominated then more even.

[krtbuckeye]

First of all, this sounds pretty fun! I wouldn’t necessarily want it as my primary league, but I dig the concept and gamesmanship that would have to go into this.

abloom really nailed down my thoughts on the positional bumps that should get played into this. That’s probably the only glaring difference I see from a startup standpoint.

Have fun with this!

[zaner75]

This is like baseball where there are AL-only and NL-only leagues. It's good that players can be grandfathered in where they are taken, not that trades happen much in-season for top players.
Are players grandfathered forever or do they have to be traded the next off-season? What about free agency next season? If the players switch conferences, do owners have to trade them?
I think RBs take on even more positional scarcity value with the ability to start up to 4. Only 2 teams will have a 3rd QB, so handcuffing your QB is likely going to be needed. TE strategy is likely the same as there are only 2 who make a difference, so if you want the advantage, you'll have to pay up. WR is deepest. Without looking at a AFC specific draft list, I would likely prioritize QB and RB in rounds 1-4 at the minimum