The main goal of playing fantasy football dynasty leagues – is to win. To not only win, in fact, but to create a dynasty that can win many championships. To no fault of their own, sometimes things don’t go as planned, and you have to change your course of direction quickly.
The objective of this article is to help you identify when is the right time to go into a rebuild and how to rebuild a dynasty roster.
Let’s get to it League Winners!
Step 1: Acknowledge the rebuild
The first step is always the most critical. Just admit it… Your team stinks.
Whether it’s injuries, a bad startup draft, or assets on the decline. There are a ton of different ways your team can go south in dynasty.
But when is the right time to “ give up “ on your team for the year and start looking toward the future?
This might be the most problematic question to answer. The earlier in the season you decide to go the other way, the better. I generally take a temperature check of any team that is struggling by weeks 4-6. Sometimes you have to put your ego aside. Trying to push for a playoff spot with an average team that is aging with not many elite pieces isn’t the smartest route to go. You may make the playoffs. But you also may just continue to be stuck in the middle of the pack. There’s no worse position to be in dynasty. Decide on where your team is at and stick with it.
Step 2: Assessing the situation
How bad is it? How long will it take?
All rebuilds in fantasy football are different. Some take longer than others. It’s important to have an understanding of the situation.
Take the time to look closely over your roster and come up with a game plan. Have a realistic view of your team and come up with some goals for your rebuild. Identify the players that you want to keep throughout the rebuild. Take note of players on your roster that carry solid value that you can move to better yourself down the road. Now we are ready for Step three.
Step 3: Come up with a game plan
In a rebuild, it’s important to make sure you still have players that are ascending and accruing value. Depreciated assets can hurt you in a rebuild. Veterans past their prime whose value is eroding are players you want to evade as much as possible. Limiting roster cloggers is an important step in the game plan as well. Most fantasy football dynasty league rosters are moderately deep, so this may be difficult to eliminate. But do your best to limit them as much as possible.
Do your best to keep all of your rookie picks intact. You are going to need them in a rebuild. If you are short a few its time to build that stock back up.
This next step in the game plan is important. Come up with a list of what you want the most in your rebuild. Keep it simple. Here’s mine.
Things you want in a rebuild
- Draft picks (I want them all)
- Young ascending players with value
- Young quarterbacks and wide receivers
- Handcuff running backs (Provide trade value for contenders)
Things you don’t want in a rebuild
- Running Backs age 26 or older
- Wide receivers and tight ends declining
- Lack of draft picks
- Quarterbacks with precarious futures
Now that we have assessed the situation and come up with a course of action it’s time to start making over that roster we have.
Step 4: Working the wire
Step four may be one of the most underrated aspects of a rebuild. I’m a huge proponent of working the waiver wire no matter what type of fantasy football league you are in. It’s quite valuable in a dynasty rebuild as well.
What’s the saying, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure?“
Attack the wire in your dynasty leagues with fervor. Scooping up reserve players can provide value for your team. Injuries happen. You never know when the second-string quarterback or the third-string running back with little to no value all of a sudden gets a huge opportunity boost. Myles Gaskin and Logan Thomas were popular waiver gems last year for dynasty owners.
Post-rookie draft pickups off the waiver wire are my personal favorite. Sometimes there’s a pot of gold deep down in the abyss of a dynasty league waiver wire. James Robinson and Darnell Mooney are two players that were available for free on your dynasty waiver wires that are now household names one year later.
Here are a few rookies you may want to double-check on to see if they are on your waiver wires.
- Gerrid Doaks
- Jacob Harris
- Kylin Hill
- Seth Williams
- Cornell Powell
- Ihmir Smith-Marsette
- Elijah Mitchell
- Noah Gray
Step 5: Trades Trades Trades!
We’ve scoured the waiver wire for any ways to make our team better for the future. Now, it’s time to make some trades. Once you have flown the white flag, immediately start making trades. Try and be subtle about the fact that your team is changing gears. If everybody knows what you are trying to do they may try to leverage you.
It’s in-season so contenders are prime pickings. This is when the bread gets buttered in a rebuild.
It’s essential to make sure you get something for any players that are beginning to wane. Take whatever picks you can get in return for a player who looks to be in his last year or entering a significant cliff. Deals where you can add a young player and a future pick, are ideal. Even taking a future third or fourth-round pick in return for a player who looks to be a roster clogger is recommended. Keep recycling and acquiring picks.
You may have to move on from a player you really like to succeed in your rebuild. Sometimes the best move is to trade away a player you love because the value dictates he can generate a solid return back for your wounded squad. No player should be off the table. You have to be willing to move anyone for the right price.
Who should you target in a trade during a rebuild? Two of my favorite acquisition types in a rebuild are players that are viewed as risky, and players injured or coming off of injuries. The reason why it’s a beneficial time to strike for these type of players is because their value has taken a hit. In a rebuild you can afford to wait for certain player’s value to prop back up. Take the discount and run.
Don’t forget about the handcuff running backs,as well as the young wide receivers and quarterbacks mentioned worth targeting from step three.
Here are a few players in all those categories that fit a rebuild well.
Players to target in a rebuild
- Deshaun Watson
- Noah Fant
- Courtland Sutton
- Deebo Samuel
- Tony Pollard
- Alexander Mattison
- Parris Campbell
- Jonnu Smith
- Darrell Henderson
- Zach Wilson
- Michael Pittman Jr.
- Elijah Moore
- Rashod Bateman
- AJ Dillon
- Jordan Love
Step 6: Have FUN
You’ve made it this far, making the tough decision that your fantasy football team just isn’t up to snuff. You’ve started to take all the steps necessary to start turning this thing around now. The last part is super simple. Have fun!
Building a team back up from the ground can be such a fun experience. The rush of watching a team get better and better during a rebuild can be exhilarating.
If you play your cards right before long you too will become a League Winner!
