10 Mistakes Managers Make in Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues

Dynasty Fantasy Football is a long-term game with no true right or wrong answers. People play with different strategies, people value players differently, people play in different windows, and that sort of diversity is what makes the format fun. In Redraft Fantasy Football, everything is black and white for a single season. Your players either score well or do not, and you either win or lose, with everything on the line for one single year.

With Dynasty being the marathon, not the sprint, decisions now can impact your team for years to come. There are common mistakes that managers make that can truly hold them back from future championships. That is where I come in. Here are 10 mistakes to avoid in Dynasty Fantasy Football, so that you have better odds of one day being your league’s champion.

10 Mistakes Managers Make in Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues

1. Not Understanding Your League Format

Do you play in a points per reception, half points per reception, or standard league? Is there a premium scoring added to a position? What are the roster sizes like? How many players of each position can you start? These are all questions to understand before you draft your Dynasty Fantasy Football team, and factors to keep in mind when it comes to trading. If you play in a Super Flex format where you can start two quarterbacks, that greatly impacts how you draft in your league and also the value of that position vs. a one-quarterback league. If tight ends have boosted scoring, that also affects how you draft and how players are valued, for example. You should know the fine details of your league format, size, scoring, etc., and factor this into your decisions.

2. The Never-Ending Rebuild

Rebuilding your Dynasty team could mean “blowing it up” and attempting to start from “scratch”. That scratch could have an emphasis on youth and future draft capital. The issue at hand is that the flip does not get switched for these rebuilding managers, and the switch to trying to compete. Sometimes we see managers continuously grab youth and draft picks, but never take steps forward to become competitive. It really should not take you more than a full season or two to reshape your team if you are actively making moves. If you are a forever rebuilder, then you might as well just call yourself the league donor at the end of the day. Rebuild, reshape, then compete. That last part has to happen at some point.

3. Selling Low Due to Age

We all fear having veteran players who hold Fantasy Football value one year, only to see that value crash the next year. “I should have sold ____ while I could!”. Julio Jones averaged 16.2 Fantasy PPG in 2020, then 8.0 or less in his remaining three seasons. Due to this fear, some people will sell too early and sell for too low. Players start to age, and people want to hop off for youth. We can miss out on a ton of value by doing that, though. If a player is still producing, and you want to sell that player, you do not have to play hot potato just to get rid of them. This goes hand-in-hand with my next point.

4. Being Proactive vs. Reactive

Timing is key in Dynasty. You have to be ahead of what happens later to capitalize. Is it smarter to buy a player before or after they have their breakout? Obviously before. Is it better to sell a player now or when that player has a few bigger games? When that player has a few big games. Is it better to sell a player now or when we see their actual decline in play? Probably now. Is it better to buy a player coming off an injury before or after they are back to themselves? Before. Is it better to grab a player who could be productive off waivers before or after they are productive? Before. I can go through this exercise extensively with real player examples, but I hope you get the gist here. You are going to make mistakes by being proactive, but it is a mistake to only be reactive to what happens with your decisions.

5. Letting Emotion Impact Your Decisions

When a player lets us down, we do not forget. We probably remember the guys who let us down more than the guys who help us win sometimes. Managers will let their emotions get the best of them when it comes to these letdowns, selling players for the low. Doing what they can to get a guy off their roster. When in reality, there are so many instances of players who have a poor year and bounce right back.

6. Rookie Draft Pick Valuation

This one goes both ways. Some managers overvalue rookie picks to the extent that they are selling proven players just to get them to find the next rising star. Then some managers will toss future draft picks around like they are pennies to them. Understanding actual values of draft picks and what they mean, not just in general for Fantasy Football, but in your specific league, is important. Rookie draft picks are a currency in Dynasty Fantasy Football, and currency needs to be appropriately managed, or you will dig yourself a hole with both undervaluing and overvaluing them.

7. Using a Trade Calculator as the Bible

Trade calculators are fine when it comes to gaining an idea if a trade is somewhere in the ballpark of worth making. Trade calculators are not the end-all, be-all. Trade calculators are not the ultimate decision makers. There is far too much context when it comes to Dynasty Fantasy Football: league format, league scoring, your team builds, your team needs, your team direction, etc. You have to factor all of these variables into trading, which is what makes trade calculators more of a baseline vs. the result of making a decision. I do not mind Keep Trade Cut myself, but I value my own opinion far greater. Utilize tools all you want, but they should not be your boss when it comes to making roster decisions.

8. Burning Bridges

The goal of your Dynasty League should be to exist as long as possible, with as many of the original group of managers as possible. That means you will be competing and trading with the same group of managers for a long time. We see so often the bickering and arguing that can happen in leagues, which can result in bad blood between managers. The last thing you want as well is to have people who do not want to trade with you for the next decade. Pick and choose your battles in Dynasty. You do not have to be everyone’s best friend or give in to trading that you do not want to do, but you also want to be able to fully play your league to the best of your ability without being able to interact with some of your league members.

9. Pushing All the Chips In

Going all in on a championship title can be worth it, especially with the payday, trophy, and bragging rights. What happens when you go all in, though, jack your team up for the future, and lose? That is a risk you have to keep in mind when it comes to pushing all your chips in on a championship run. You have to truly think about the moves you make, will they actually grab you that title, and if they do not, what happens in the future? I have seen managers go all in on a championship, and it is worth it. I have also seen managers go all in, and it messes their team’s future up while also resulting in not winning the league title. Think forward carefully.

10. Overvaluing Other Opinions, Camp, Coach Speak, and Social Media

There are a lot of voices in the Fantasy Football world. It is also too easy to hear too much with regards to training camp, rumors, and coach speak in the NFL. You do not need to react to every piece of advice from your favorite Fantasy Football analyst. You do not need to make an immediate move when you see a social media post that speaks highly or negatively about a player. You can factor in all of these things to come to your own conclusions. It is your team, remember that. Not every piece of information needs a reaction. Managers jump to conclusions far too quickly in Dynasty, and that often means making a poor decision over a good one. Be patient, think for yourself, and go with your own gut.