Strategy in Action: Productive Struggle

A couple of weeks ago when I kicked off the April version of the DLF Mock Drafts, the series of dynasty startup mocks used to formulate our monthly average draft position data, I decided I should once again employ a variety of strategies in team building.

A little bit of background information first. I first came upon this rather simple idea late in the off-season of 2016. In the August mock drafts, I chose six varying startup draft strategies and tried them all while participating in each of the monthly mock drafts. My plan was to detail each approach in a series of article, but eventually I ran out of time before the 2016 NFL season kicked off. The timing all around was poor on my part since most drafts of this type had wrapped anyway.

Now, with more time and startup draft season right around the corner, I chose April’s mocks to try the venture with one more time. In this series of articles, I’ll explain the plan I entered with, players I chose and how the plan might have changed along the way. I’ll also attempt to objectively point out the pros and cons of each tactic as a potential team building blueprint.

Before I dive into the first mock draft, let me explain some ground rules I gave myself. First, I chose a strategy for each league before setup, meaning I was not aware of my draft position beforehand. I also gave myself an out of sorts, acknowledging that I would not necessarily stick to the predetermined plan if a huge value was staring me in the face.

In DLF Mock 1, which happened to be the DLF Staff Mock, I chose to use the Productive Struggle strategy. I first introduced this plan of attack in 2014 and a follow-up article was part of my first attempt at this series last fall.

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Ryan McDowell

Team Lead at Dynasty League Football

In addition to his role as Senior Staff Writer here at DLF, Ryan is also a husband, father of three and second grade teacher. Ryan is the commissioner of multiple dynasty leagues, most notably the HyperActive Dynasty Leagues. Here at DLF, Ryan’s focus is on identifying, monitoring and analyzing player value. Check out Ryan’s work on the Weekly Impact Events and Dynasty Stock Market, as well as our dynasty ADP data.

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