Dynasty Philosophy 101

Leo Paciga

mindEditor’s Note:  This is the first installment by new DLF Senior Writer, Leo Paciga.  

As one of the newest additions to the DLF family, I thought the best way for me to jump in and get to know everyone was to put out a quick article on my dynasty philosophies and how I try to navigate the ever changing, often treacherous terrain of the fantasy football landscape.

For those of you already following a few fantasy football savants on Twitter, you’re probably well aware of the ongoing battle between the “stat guys” and the “film guys” and the qualitative/quantitative weaponry they use against one another.  I’m a firm believer that in order to be a consistently successful dynasty owner, you need to be able to walk comfortably in both camps, merging the measurable data with keen observations.  That last statement may seem like basic common sense, but it’s amazing just how many football folks spend an exhausting amount of energy trying to prove one methodology is better than the other.  Two different schools of thought, two different ways of breaking down a player’s particular skills and yet neither way is wrong….they’re just different.  As a dynasty owner you need to find what I call the “slack tide” between the two philosophies, the calm between the changing tides, and use that measurable data as simply another tool to enhance the information your eyes decipher while watching film.  I plan on breaking this topic down in more specific detail over the next few months to hopefully help owners find a comfort level between breaking down film and incorporating statistics into that process.

Other key chapters from my dynasty playbook……

Build Around Young Elite WRs

Anyone who plays in leagues with me, has read my previous articles, or follows me on Twitter knows that I’m essentially allergic to running backs and that I always try to build my dynasty squads on a foundation of young, elite wide receivers.  The running back position is not only short lived in nature, it’s also volatile on a year to year basis.  Give me the value stability and the longevity that comes with an elite WR and I’ll trade for the flavor of the week running back whenever I need to plug one in.

Talent Always Trumps Situations

Situations are simply straw huts built on a fault line and when you trade or draft for a situation, the end result is usually catastrophic.  Talent, however, is a brick house anchored to bedrock and only the effects of Father Time and/or injury can really devalue a truly talented football player.  Of course there are exceptions to every rule and Larry Fitzgerald can certainly attest to that, but I’ll take talent over situation every single time.

Constant Honest Self-Evaluations of Rosters and Abilities as an Owner

Sometimes it’s tough to be honest with yourself about the overall talent of your roster or even the talent you possess as a dynasty owner. Take the time to look at your team in multiple windows. How strong is my team this year? How talented does my roster look two years out? What about three years from now? Identify the weaknesses in your dynasty squad and balance your team’s strengths with an eye on the future.  As for the owner aspect, we all have areas to improve upon so focus on one and seek out information to broaden your knowledge base on that particular subject.

Keep a Notebook on the Owners in Your League

If I could share one thing with the dynasty community, this would be it.  I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to track the tendencies of the owners in your league.  Sure MLF and some of the other league sites keep a history that you can look through whenever you want, but actually writing things down or typing them into a word document makes that knowledge stick with you.  Which owner always reaches for a rookie quarterback too early?  Which owner likes to package his/her rookie picks for an established veteran?  Which owner is always one step ahead of you when it comes to the waiver wire?  Keeping track of trade offers is important too because patterns often develop that expose vulnerabilities over time.

Watch College Football

So many times I hear from owners that take their first look at an incoming rookie class during the NFL combine.  I know there are only so many hours in a day, but watching college football and becoming familiar with certain players and their skill sets is a huge advantage in the world of dynasty fantasy football.  One of my passions is being involved in developmental dynasty leagues, leagues that allow the drafting of players still in college.  Being involved in “devy leagues” helps keep owners plugged into the college player pool and also provides the insight necessary to help build drafting skills.  Focusing on the college game also sheds a light on when to acquire extra rookie picks for a deep class a year or two ahead of the owners focusing on the here and now and the NFL game.

Be Active, But Be Patient

I know this sounds like an oxymoron, but it really is the golden rule for dynasty fantasy football.  Be active in the day to day operations of your dynasty team, answering trades, providing comments on trade offers, studying player values and looking to turn weaknesses into strengths.  At the same time, however, realize that you don’t need to have your entire roster set perfectly in April.  The off-season is long and it provides many opportunities to improve your squad; fixing everything overnight is not a necessity.  Relax and take a breath.

Well, that’s basically my dynasty philosophy in a nutshell.  Again, I wasn’t looking to reinvent the wheel with this brief write up, but rather I was hoping to provide the readers here at DLF with a quick look at the methods to my dynasty madness.  I hope to build relationships with all the members here at DLF and look forward to becoming an integral part of the DLF family.  If you have any questions or additional comments don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter @FFhoudini.

leo paciga