• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Fantasy Index Reader Column

Don’t hate me because I’m a dynasty leaguer. That’s right; while you poor saps suffer withdrawal symptoms and twiddle your fantasy football thumbs waiting for your draft in late August, I get to enjoy the game with my football-fanatic buddies pretty much year ‘round. You can, too -- beginning right now! -- but I’ll get to that.

With a dynasty league, once you draft a guy, he’s yours forever -- or until you waive him or trade him, whichever comes first. And I don’t mean a handful of “keepers” -- I’m referring to your entire roster.

Dynasty leagues appeal to the general manager in you, and they allow you to wheel and deal your way through the entire offseason. Your currency? Your entire team, and all of your draft picks (based on inverse order of finish the year before, of course). It’s your opportunity to talk trade whenever you want and to follow your guys in free agency. Your chance to cheer when your quarterback’s team signs a new left tackle or welcomes a great rookie crop, or to cringe when your running back blows out a knee or finds himself competing with a shiny, new first round draft pick. NFL news is now your league’s news; it doesn’t take long to find out that the two go hand in hand.

You find yourself following along each day on the Fantasy Football Index website, in Pro Football Weekly and on ProFootballTalk.com because these are your guys. You anticipate the NFL Draft -- and its corresponding infusion of new talent -- with bated breath. You bluster and bluff and take part in trade negotiations in February and April and June. It’s all part of the fun.

Dynasty leaguers get to implement their own team-building philosophy the same way Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick piece together the New England Patriots. Did you put together a championship team last year? Good, because this time no one will come in and snatch your handiwork from you at the end of the season. In this game, the game is still on ... and on without end.

Offseason trades involve their share of entertaining emails, phone calls, proposals and counterproposals, offering you a nice break in the workday or something to think about Saturday morning when you’re out mowing the lawn. You get to assess current vs. future player value, come up with single- and multi-season individual and team projections and decide for yourself what the relative risk and reward is inherent in each deal. Ask those who have played the game; it’s fantasy football chess instead of checkers. Mostly, though, it’s just fun to manage your team 52 weeks a year and to cut deals that get the league buzzing.

So don’t wait another two months to play the game you look forward to each year; start your dynasty league right now. You’ll have a lot more fun this summer.

Convince your buddies that a dynasty format is the way to go and schedule a partial draft right around July 1. This should allow everyone sufficient time to do their preliminary homework, particularly if they have played their share of fantasy football in the past. Offer to host a BBQ and make it a summer party.

Pull names out of a hat to determine draft order and allow franchises to snake-draft two QB’s, two RB’s, two WR’s, two TE’s, one kicker and one defense -- essentially half a roster. Make every player eligible, including all NFL veterans as well as the incoming rookie class. Remember -- you’re drafting for the long haul. Some owners will draft young and get themselves poised for the future, while others might take a “win now” approach. It’s always interesting to see how different team owners approach the draft using diverse philosophies.

That initial ten-player draft will form the foundation for your dynasty teams for years to come and, more importantly, will give you the chance to start trading players, late-summer draft picks and even 2008 and 2009 draft choices right away in order to effect your plan.

The early draft gives you two additional months to wheel and deal and to position yourself for the other portion of your draft in late August (flip-flop the draft order for that one, since you’re really snaking back from Round Ten). You’ll be able to follow the progress of your guys all summer and still allow yourself the usual fun prepping for the August draft. My friends and I certainly do, and with complete dynasty rosters we have far fewer players to choose from (for our annual preseason draft, sleepers and deep sleepers become the name of the game).

A lot will change in the NFL over the summer, and undoubtedly the second half of your draft will offer as much intrigue as the July 1 edition. As the late August date approaches, trade activity will be rampant as your fantasy competitors assess their rosters, figure out their draft needs and jockey for position to fill remaining holes. Take it from me: You’ll have plenty to get excited about in August.

From there, your team will be yours to mold for many years to come. Your dynasty players become your boys (ask me how I feel about Carson Palmer, LaDainian Tomlinson and Steve Smith, all of whom I traded for during the 2005 offseason), and their organizations become adjuncts to your fantasy team.

You’ll find yourself following the NFL more closely than you ever have (reason enough to consider the format). More importantly, by switching to the dynasty game, you’ll be giving yourself the best present of all: The enviable chance to enjoy fantasy football 365 days a year.

Steve Moyer
Oakland, Calif.

Reader columns are submitted by Fantasy Football Index readers. Opinions expressed in reader columns are not endorsed by the publishers of Fantasy Football Index. We're just contributing to the marketplace of ideas. Learn more about how to submit your own reader column.

• Comments [2]

Readers' Comments

Add a Comment

Already a registered user? Please sign in to add comments.

To add comments, you must become a registered user of our site. To register, please click here.