Dynasty and Daily: The Perfect Marriage

Mark Johnson Posted On March 4, 2016

They say patience is a virtue, but in the world of fantasy football, exhibiting it is becoming a lost art as our NOW, NOW, NOW mentalities are fed their every indulgence more than ever with the onslaught of daily fantasy sports (“DFS”). In case you haven’t watched television or been outside of your house in the past year, DFS has become a multi-billion dollar industry, truly shaping the fantasy experience on a mass-scale. Rather than building a team that is yours to compete against your contemporaries with for a season, or longer if you play dynasty, DFS allows fantasy footballers to create as many lineups as their wallets will allow to compete with people from around the world in contests lasting far shorter periods of time (hence “daily”). Because it is rather unlikely that you have spent the past couple of years trapped under a rock only to emerge to this article on DLF, I will move forward under the assumption that you are familiar with DFS, and describe it no more.

So, there I was, sitting on the couch with my laptop open to about seven or so different windows, a full spread of food and beverages, and Scott Hanson of the NFL RedZone doing his best to cover eight NFL games simultaneously—seemingly without even taking a restroom break. To someone outside of the fantasy football world, that last sentence reads preposterously. However, that has become the norm in an age marked by the expedient exchange of information on a global scale.

Do you remember when you could first track your fantasy football matchups, live, with some variation of a “stat tracker”? So convenient! It’s not often we stop to marvel at change, and as of mid-way through the 2015 NFL season, I really hadn’t. I grabbed my phone to see how my FanDuel lineups were performing when my friend said, “It won’t be long before DFS renders season-long fantasy football, more-or-less, obsolete.” I looked around my ADD-paradise once more, and as Hanson rambled on with an “octobox” on the screen I realized, DFS is already beginning to shape the landscape of fantasy football—similar to how fantasy football has reshaped the way we watch the game of football.

But, what impact is it having?

[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]

On the one hand, DFS is bringing loads of people to fantasy football who may never have played before. On the other hand, it’s certainly having an impact on those of us who have long enjoyed fantasy football in its more “standard” forms.

I decided to look at my FanDuel transaction history, and realized I‘d put a good bit more at stake from week-to-week in weekly DFS contests than I had between all of my season-long fantasy football leagues combined (excluding dynasty from the calculation). I then thought to myself…perhaps I could reduce the number of season-long fantasy football leagues I participate in with all of the wagering I’m doing on DFS. No, perhaps I should.

You see, each variety of fantasy football offers players a different experience. Generally speaking, daily fantasy football challenges you to predict the best combination of eight or nine players in any given week within certain budgetary constraints. You pick the best nine players that week, you are the big winner. On the other hand, season-long fantasy football challenges you to predict the best combination of eight or nine players for that particular season in relation to where you’re able to acquire them in your draft along with interactive roster management throughout the season allowing you to add and drop players, and make trades with your league-mates. In season-long, once the fantasy season comes to an end, that’s it, game over. Win or lose, you will never have that same exact collection of players again on your fantasy team. Daily fantasy football becomes a draw for those doing season-long as it allows them to use a player they might not have on their season-long roster. There is less commitment along with a much quicker return on your investment.

Finally, there’s dynasty fantasy football. There are many variations of the dynasty format, but for the most part, it’s fantasy football made to be as close to the real thing as possible. You draft your team, and that is your team…rather, that is your franchise. You do all of the things you do in season-long fantasy football, only perpetually. Every decision you make will have a lasting impact on your franchise for all of time. You are no longer lackadaisically operating a fantasy football team for four months every year. You are at the helm, in a sense, of a football franchise, responsible for all personnel decisions year after year, after year. You are managing a business, only a fun business—one that is likely as close as any of us will ever come to feeling like an NFL General Manager. Just like it does for those playing season-long, daily fantasy football becomes a draw for those doing dynasty as it allows them to use a player they don’t own on their dynasty roster, and again provides a much quicker return since dynasty—like season-long—typically only pays out at the end of each season.

So, here I am contemplating dynasty fantasy football in 2016—an era marked by the explosion of DFS. Initially, I was a bit concerned that DFS would completely take over, diminishing the more standard forms of fantasy football. Then, it hit me. DFS will change the landscape of fantasy football, but the lasting impact it has won’t necessarily be a negative one—especially for dynasty.

You see, a successful product is one that fills some kind of void. The richest businessmen in the world are the ones best at finding a need, clearly defining that need, and communicating how their product fills it, and then effectively delivering that product. I’m certainly not one of the richest businessmen in the world, but I have spotted a gap in the fantasy football world—one I believe dynasty is best suited to fill.

Season-long fantasy football is how most of us got our start with fantasy football, but as we progress into this new age, it is losing its edge. One of the main reasons season-long continues to be the main “standard” form of fantasy football is simply because most people still don’t know what dynasty is.

Before I continue, let’s think for a moment—what are the key “plusses” about season-long fantasy football? Well, for one, many leagues gather each year for a live draft—often times a weekend getaway for old college buddies to reunite and do far more than simply assemble a fantasy team for the upcoming season. Another reason people enjoy playing season-long fantasy football is that, while it doesn’t offer the variety that DFS does, season-long does allow you to hit the “reset” button each and every year, never leaving you pigeon-holed with the same, tired roster year after year. Lastly, believe it or not, there are a significant number of people who enjoy playing fantasy football very casually. They log in to their account once, maybe twice a week to make waiver claims and to set their lineups for that week, and that’s it. Perhaps they are too busy with work and life to spend more than a few minutes a week dedicated to fantasy football. Or, more likely, they just aren’t huge fans of the NFL. They watch football casually every Sunday, and generally root for one team, and if they miss a few games, so what? They don’t really understand the allure of the NFL RedZone channel, and would rather watch their favorite team go three-and-out after three-and-out on Fox without ever changing the channel because they really care to hear Joe Buck tell the story of how the fullback made his way to the NFL. For those people, season-long fantasy football suits them just fine. They get together with their buddies for a draft each year, pay casual attention to their teams and pay only minimal attention to the NFL between February and August.

But, there are a great many of us who are diehard fans of the sport, and really appreciate everything fantasy football brings us. We understand that fantasy brings us closer to the sport we love, and allows us to really challenge ourselves. Do we know as much as we purport to know when arguing with our friends in the living room or at the bar about this guy or that guy? The casual fan talks a big game, but the diehard backs it up. And, that’s where dynasty has a significant edge over other forms of fantasy football. Furthermore, the addition of DFS truly makes dynasty the ultimate platform for diehards—much more than season-long ever could. Oh, you don’t think Melvin Gordon is ever going to be a workhorse back in the NFL, and you’re a firm believer that Ameer Abdullah is going to be something special? Well, you have the 4th pick in the 2015 Rookie Draft in your dynasty league, and Melvin Gordon and Ameer Abdullah are both still on the board…so, prove it. Prove that, as a talent evaluator, you are the smartest one in the room. In dynasty, leagues hold a rookie draft every year, and those players you select, they remain on your roster until you trade them, drop them, or they retire. In the above scenario, you pick Abdullah, and you either laugh your way to the bank every December, or you eat crow as he rides pine while Gordon pops off 1,000 yard season after 1,000 yard season.

Season-long fantasy football can’t give you that the same way dynasty can. There is no reset button in dynasty, and the implications of every decision you make are far reaching. Think back to playing Madden as a kid, or hell, day dream for a moment about being the GM of your favorite NFL franchise. That is what dynasty provides. It’s hands on, there is no off-season, and you’re always “plugged in.” Sure, the pace of the off-season slows down, so it’s not an overwhelming commitment by any means, but there’s always something you can do if you wish. You can scout incoming rookies in preparation for your rookie draft, make trades with other owners, or you can rest upon your laurels and patiently wait for the draft and upcoming season. Your inaugural “start-up” draft is just like any other draft you’ve ever done for season-long, only your annual draft each year thereafter is cut down to four or five rounds where, like the NFL, you draft only from the pool of newly minted NFL rookies. Before you lament that a five-round draft is nothing like you get from your yearly season-long drafts, let me tell you that a 12-team-league rookie draft can very easily last two hours, which I think we can all agree is plenty.

There are many season-long leagues out there full of fantasy football diehards who I strongly believe are missing out. They either don’t know about dynasty, or they aren’t really informed. My primary dynasty league started as a season-long league about a decade ago, and is made up of 12 college friends. We converted the league to dynasty, and wouldn’t you know, still get together every year for a live rookie draft. Nothing in the fabric of the league has really changed, but I’d say—unequivocally—the league is infinitely better than it was before we converted. We communicate more often, compete harder, and believe it or not, winning the league means more.

With the addition of DFS, I believe diehards should enjoy the variety DFS provides, and turn to dynasty for an in-depth, competitive fantasy game perfectly tailored for the diehard’s palate. If you stop to think about it, aside from the annual draft (which dynasty equally provides), DFS gives you everything season-long does only in much quicker fashion. If you want, you can even set it up so you compete with 11 of your closest friends every week in DFS. However, it’s even better than season-long in that you aren’t hitched to your team for the entire season, so the variety comes weekly, rather than annually. Pair it with dynasty, and you have the perfect marriage. On the one hand, you have variety, and quick returns. On the other, you have perpetual competition with your closest friends to prove who would make the best General Manager, who best evaluates NFL players amongst your friends, and hopefully, a yearly deposit each December to top it all off.

I wasn’t sure about DFS at first, but I’ve come around. No, you won’t see me playing thousands of dollars every week in hundreds of 50/50’s and tournaments, or on some ESPN commercial holding a giant check, but I’ll be out there. I’ll be competing in a handful of DFS games every week, quenching my thirst for variety that dynasty cannot. At the same time, I’ll be walking away from season-long fantasy football because dynasty gives me 90 percent of what I love about season-long while DFS takes care of the other ten. I’m not saying there’s no place for season-long fantasy football anymore, nor am I saying that everyone should do as I plan to in this regard. A significant number of NFL fans are “casual” when it comes to fantasy football, and season-long is perfect for them. What I am saying is this—if you’re a diehard when it comes to the NFL and fantasy football, your happy place consists of dynasty and DFS, whether you know it or not. I urge you to spread the word about dynasty. Explain the game to your friends who play fantasy football. With everything DFS now offers, one taste of dynasty should be all it takes for a diehard to connect the dots, and it won’t be long until dynasty is firmly made a part of their fantasy experience.

[/am4show]