Before you dive into dynasty fantasy football for the first time, here are five tips you should consider.
Tip No. 1 - Lay the Correct Foundation
Like many things in life, getting the right group of people together can make or break your experience. If you have the right balance of leaguemates, everything else seems to fall into place. It's more enjoyable, it's more active, and disputes are settled much more quickly.
If you're not able to find enough people in your life to form a 10 or 12-team dynasty league, using the Fantasy Life Community Discord to find or create a league of like-minded individuals is a great way to test the dynasty waters for the first time.
Once you have the right people queued up, determine the best platform to play on. I'm partial to Sleeper as the host-site for my dynasty leagues. It gives me the ease-of-access I like on both desktop and mobile and has the needed tools and resources to make being a commissioner transparent and effective.
Tip No. 2 - Over-communication & Clear Bylaws
This is where putting in the work up front makes for a much more enjoyable and long lasting experience for everyone. Over communicate and over document everything. It might sound mundane and boring, at least to begin with, but this crucial step will save you (and the rest of your league) many headaches and disputes down the road.
Make sure to have a clearly laid out set of league bylaws before your initial draft even begins. Not sure where to start? Ask what others have done or to request copies of bylaws from various leagues. Seeing what others have done can give you some insight as to how you want your league to run and what you want it to look like.
May 31, 2024; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) throws the ball during organized team activities at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
It's not meant to over-legislate and make things difficult on anyone; it's actually meant to give everyone a clear road map for the inner workings of your league. Do you have a buy-in fee for your league? How is subsequent prize money paid out at the end of the season? What about trading away future picks or trade deadlines? All of those should be clearly explained in your league bylaws.
Finally, don't feel like you have to create all of this yourself. If you want to get a league together and then collectively come up with the ins and outs, that's a great way to create a deeper sense of ownership and commitment to the league as a whole.
Tip No. 3 - Determine League Format & Scoring
One of the key elements of your league bylaws will be determining the physical structure of your league. How many teams are there? How many starting roster spots and bench spots will there be? What about scoring? Will there be any unique scoring bonuses for big plays or long TDs?
The structure of your league will determine how everyone drafts their initial team as well as each subsequent rookie draft. If it's a SuperFlex / 2QB league, QBs will be much more valuable than in a 1QB league. Is there premium scoring for TEs? That will change how managers address the position in drafts, trades, and waivers.
Tip No. 4 - Make Your Startup Draft a Slow One — and After the Real NFL Draft
The backend work is done; it's time to begin your startup draft. This initial draft will be the most important one of your league as it will physically lay the foundation for everyone's roster. To set up this draft, I strongly suggest doing a slow draft where you set the pick timer at 4-8 hours and pause the clock overnight.
Yes, this will take some time, but it will also allow each manager to carefully make their selection without having to feel rushed. It's also more enjoyable to have friendly banter and conversations throughout the draft. Admittedly, it can also be challenging to get 10 or 12 people all scheduled for the same night for a fast draft.
Side note - if you CAN do a live draft, or somehow get together with leaguemates virtually, it makes the experience that much better!
For the initial startup draft, I recommend doing it after the NFL Draft and then drafting veterans and rookies in one draft. For each subsequent offseason, you'll have a rookie draft based on the reverse order of how each manager finished the previous season.
Tip No. 5 - Stay Active in Free Agency & Trades
The foundation has been laid and the startup draft is complete. You are now the proud manager of a dynasty fantasy football team! It's an incredible experience seeing your roster come together for the first time and recognizing that you now have the control to make whatever moves you deem necessary as the pseudo-GM.
Once the season officially begins, you should be in more familiar waters as things take on a more redraft-feel. Weekly waivers are important in dynasty leagues too. While the options on the waiver might be more slim if you have deeper rosters / benches, it's still something you have to consider as you plan ahead.
Dec 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) makes a catch as Dallas Cowboys safety Markquese Bell (14) defends during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Is a rookie RB rising on the depth chart? Is a second-year TE looking like he's about to break out? It's important to stay current with deeper options, as they could turn into fantasy-relevant assets before you know it.
As for trades, this is a fun element to dynasty leagues because of the long-term nature of the format. Negotiations are a great way to determine how each manager values both players and picks, and you can determine how aggressive or conservative you want to be with your roster.
Congratulations on starting your first dynasty league! As mentioned, the Fantasy Life Community Discord is a phenomenal place to hang out, get your questions answered, and just talk fantasy with the best community in the industry.
