What’s the Best Dynasty Advice You’ve Ever Received?

[dondickenson]

Another small practical tip is to have an extra one or two “fun” leagues, probably meaningless with strangers, where you can let out your irrational and emotional plays.

For example, I am a compulsive rebuilder and sucker for youth and love prospecting for guys in rookie drafts, and I’m good at it. It’s my favorite part of dynasty and my best dynasty skill. But if I want to be super competitive in my main leagues I am very often not accruing much draft capital, and am instead smart to send it away for win now assets.

If I played emotionally I would never acquire anyone older than say 27 and I would forever be accumulating draft picks, so I have a league or two where I pretty much do that as an outlet so I can feel in control, rational, and deliberate/not compulsive when making decisions in my main important leagues.

[Londondynasty]

3 pieces of advice I like:

1. Sometimes the best thing to do is stick rather than to constantly trade out of boredom
2. Any playoff team can win the ship so don't be too quick to blow it up
3. As others have said if an offer works for you don't try and squeeze extra value. Just take it

[wickerkat1212]

1. Have fun. Draft that QB for your local team. Trade for a WR you love watching. Don't make it all stressful.
2. Watch the WW. Guys that don't make moves in-season, and before the season ends, don't do well IMO.
3. Agree with the trade advice about how you don't have to smash a trade. Deep at WR? Trade a WR for a RB of equal value.

[_yeti]

I forget what podcast it was, or who said it, but it really shaped how I offer trades:

You should not be trying to win every trade by as much as is possible. Every trade should improve both teams, even if just a little, then you make trades with everyone in the league, so that your team has improved significantly and every one else has improved a bit.

I really liked piece of advice and really took it. There are times where someone sends me a great offer and I just quickly smash accept, even if I could counter and get more. They sent the trade that they liked and I liked it too, no need to haggle. My goal with every trade is to piss off all the other owners who are not my trade partner, I want them to be annoyed that both teams have improved.

This but it wasn't for dynasty at first for me. This is legitimately taught as the most effective way to negotiate in professional settings as well. I learned this prior to joining dynasty in that setting and have employed it to great success in work and dynasty. In a game where people are pained to give up *their guys* it is not uncommon for me to overpay to get a deal done and I almost always send initial offers that are either slightly under consensus value, at consensus value, or slightly over based on situation. I try to never do the I go low, you go high strategy. It's all about making a deal that works for both parties.

Check out this book that was taught in my negotiations course back in 2013:

"Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In" by Robert Fisher

Since its original publication nearly thirty years ago, Getting to Yes has helped millions of people learn a better way to negotiate. One of the primary business texts of the modern era, it is based on the work of the Harvard Negotiation Project, a group that deals with all levels of negotiation and conflict resolution.

Getting to Yes offers a proven, step-by-step strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict. Thoroughly updated and revised, it offers readers a straight- forward, universally applicable method for negotiating personal and professional disputes without getting angry-or getting taken.

[_yeti]

I think one of my favorite nuggets of fantasy wisdom is, "It's more fun to lose with players you like, than win with players you don't." Seems counterintuitive, but as the OP illustrates, things can turn around (or go south) in a hurry.

I mainly use this line of thinking during my rookie drafts, or if I'm reshaping a team. In the draft, I'll sometimes break ties by deciding which player I'd rather have on my team to root for. If I'm taking on an orphan, or rebuilding an existing team one of the first things I'll do is shop players I don't like/want (but that still have value) and flip them for other assets.

I agree with this in that it has pained me to continue to hold AB through recent years. By the same token though, I think one of my best learning processes in dynasty was to remove bias and attachment to my own players. I came from only playing redraft and realized I would hold biases toward my own players but having multiple leagues helped me to view all players to what I see is a consensus and to remove my preference for them. Still fun to root for "my guys" but I try to not stack all rosters with the same guys and everybody is for sale for the right price and/or situation.

[DynoScout]

This applies more broadly than dynasty ff but having gotten frustrated by an "obviously lopsided" trade, a league member posted an oldie/goodie: The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing.

That lopsided trade swung around 180 degrees in less than a year and positioned the "idiot" for several deep playoff runs and a 'ship.

[SoftwoodGrampian]

For me it is about trusting your gut. You can do all the research and watch all the film, but at the end of the day it is your team and make decisions based on what you think is best for your team. I have analysts and posters on this forum I repsect quite a bit, but if I disgree with their opinions, I am not afraid to makes moves against their advice.

This

[FantasyFreak]

That Fantasy Points Per Touch is THE most predictive metric for RB success. I am the proud owner of Jaylen Samuels and Damien Williams on ALL my Dynasty rosters. Read 'em and weep, fellas.

[abloom]

That Fantasy Points Per Touch is THE most predictive metric for RB success. I am the proud owner of Jaylen Samuels and Damien Williams on ALL my Dynasty rosters. Read 'em and weep, fellas.

[NWABCS]

Draft and trade: if you believe in a guy, get that guy.

If you think a guy can be a stud and he's a projected late 1st guy but all you have is 1.5, draft him there. It's more "trust your gut" than anything else. I have overpaid for guys (Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry, etc.) before they blew up. At the time, I overpaid to pry them away. Then they blew up and I looked like a genius. Same thing goes for the draft. Although, I drafted Parris Campbell and acted like I won the Super Bowl so... it doesn't ALWAYS work out.

[wickerkat1212]

Draft and trade: if you believe in a guy, get that guy.

If you think a guy can be a stud and he's a projected late 1st guy but all you have is 1.5, draft him there. It's more "trust your gut" than anything else. I have overpaid for guys (Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry, etc.) before they blew up. At the time, I overpaid to pry them away. Then they blew up and I looked like a genius. Same thing goes for the draft. Although, I drafted Parris Campbell and acted like I won the Super Bowl so... it doesn't ALWAYS work out.

This. If people are saying draft a guy a 1.8 and you pick 1.5—get your guy! Who cares if it's " a few spots early" whatever that means. It's all conjecture. Nobody knows.

[Pac_Eddy]

Draft and trade: if you believe in a guy, get that guy.

If you think a guy can be a stud and he's a projected late 1st guy but all you have is 1.5, draft him there. It's more "trust your gut" than anything else. I have overpaid for guys (Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry, etc.) before they blew up. At the time, I overpaid to pry them away. Then they blew up and I looked like a genius. Same thing goes for the draft. Although, I drafted Parris Campbell and acted like I won the Super Bowl so... it doesn't ALWAYS work out.

This. If people are saying draft a guy a 1.8 and you pick 1.5—get your guy! Who cares if it's " a few spots early" whatever that means. It's all conjecture. Nobody knows.

This is why it's kind of pointless to argue back and forth on player values in general, not just rookies, trying to convince the other person of your viewpoint. It's GOOD that we see things differently. Creates trade opportunities and makes leagues more interesting.

[NWABCS]

A good "get your guy and go with your gut" moment came in 2020 in my one league. I had 1.4 and I had it going Burrow, Herbert, JT or CEH then I'd take Tua, Swift, or trade.

Owner at 1.2 took every last second he had before the pick expired. He said his gut told him go Herbert but rankings he had said Tua so Tua was the pick.

1.3 owner was torn between JT or CEH. Went CEH. Later they told me it was close but decided on CEH. I think Mack being in Indy and not hurt at the time had a lot to do with it. Again though, their gut feeling was JT.

My rankings had JT as best player available. I teased Herbert trying to get a trade from 1.6 and 1.7 owners but it didn't happen and Herbert ended up going right after me. The Tua at 1.2 pick ended up changing how I saw the draft going and changed futures for owners.

Had owners gone with their gut it would've been Herbert at 2, JT at 3, and I'd have gone CEH at 4. I assume Tua would have gone 5th.

Sometimes going against your gut and against "getting your guy" not only harms you but gives benefit to other people.

[dynastyninja]

A good "get your guy and go with your gut" moment came in 2020 in my one league. I had 1.4 and I had it going Burrow, Herbert, JT or CEH then I'd take Tua, Swift, or trade.

Owner at 1.2 took every last second he had before the pick expired. He said his gut told him go Herbert but rankings he had said Tua so Tua was the pick.

1.3 owner was torn between JT or CEH. Went CEH. Later they told me it was close but decided on CEH. I think Mack being in Indy and not hurt at the time had a lot to do with it. Again though, their gut feeling was JT.

My rankings had JT as best player available. I teased Herbert trying to get a trade from 1.6 and 1.7 owners but it didn't happen and Herbert ended up going right after me. The Tua at 1.2 pick ended up changing how I saw the draft going and changed futures for owners.

Had owners gone with their gut it would've been Herbert at 2, JT at 3, and I'd have gone CEH at 4. I assume Tua would have gone 5th.

Sometimes going against your gut and against "getting your guy" not only harms you but gives benefit to other people.

To play devil's advocate here, I don't know if I believe the only guys your gut has told you to get are JT, Cook, and Henry. I agree with the sentiment, just casting a little doubt on the level of effectiveness.

[Patsfan86]

That Fantasy Points Per Touch is THE most predictive metric for RB success. I am the proud owner of Jaylen Samuels and Damien Williams on ALL my Dynasty rosters. Read 'em and weep, fellas.

This one will never go away and im all here for it

As far as advice goes i need to follow my own

No boredom or intoxicated trades.... but i will probably make this mistake again on a beautiful July day when the beers are flowing and im together with my leaugemates in our friends backyard...... whoops

Go with your gut, I should have sold Antonio Gibson last offseason when he was being valued a top 5 Dynasty Rb, my gut told me to sell, i did not. I instead tried to build my team around him and went all in this season thinking id have a top 5 Rb. That ended horribly resulting in me being the 1.01 pick in 2022........ without having my own pick since i went all in.

Have a 2 year adaptable plan. So i am rebuilding, thats my plan, but its been my plan before and i have found my team being good. In 2019 i expected to tank, went all in on tanking since 2020 was a great draft class. Instead my team decided to be pretty good and i traded away my 2020 first. That first ended up at 1.07 and would have been Ceedee Lamb. Since i did not have another 2020 first this plan wasnt adaptable. This season i am also planning on tanking since 2023 is a good class BUT i know this may not happen so i have made sure to Acquire mutiple 2023 first and seconds, i can now either use those picks to draft if my team stinks OR on the off chance its good i can trade a pick while still having other picks to draft. Since i have another 2023 first i can adapt to this situation if i need to