You'll rarely see me discuss dynasty issues in this column. It's a totally different animal than redraft, or even keeper leagues. It's challenging, time-consuming, and I'm not very good at it. Hats off to those who manage dynasty teams successfully.
But with the trade deadline coming up in many leagues, I think it's important to caution one type of manager who hurts themselves year after year: The ones who keep building for a future that never arrives.
A few NFL teams are taking full advantage of the trade deadline, with winning squads raiding the cabinets of the losing ones. If they have a chance at the Super Bowl they're going for it, and the other team gets to build for a (hopefully) brighter future. In a way, both sides win. Just not at the same time.
In dynasty fantasy leagues, trades can impact several future seasons, so deals are meaningful and considered carefully. But like their big-league counterparts, the win-now teams are eager to bolster their title chances, while the other teams are building for tomorrow. So far so good. The problem arises when certain managers (and many dynasty leagues have them) give up their better players for future picks, younger players, or a combination of both. They see potential in young backups, they like what they see in college players on Saturdays, and they find themselves stocking up on rookie draft picks and guys who are waiting for a chance to shine. They won't win this year, but give them a season or two, and watch out.
And that doesn't really sound like a problem, does it? That's a viable dynasty strategy, and how you can build your own, well, dynasty. And that's true, except some managers will do the exact same thing next year, and the year after that. Many of their prospects bust, and the ones that pan out get sold off for more prospects. Year after year they're looking to stock up for the future, and that future never arrives. They keep postponing that win-now attitude until building for the future stops being a strategy and becomes an annual habit.
It makes sense psychologically, especially for certain personality types. There's little pressure for the current season, and there's perpetual optimism for the next one. It's easier to absorb losses when it's not supposed to be your year, anyway. And the allure of future success is comforting over the course of the season and offseason. It's not a successful way to run a team, but it can be a rather pleasant one.
Unfortunately, like the best poker players, other managers learn to read their opponents and react to each one based on their specific traits. So if the "win later" manager has a player who can help them win right now, they have an easier time targeting them. They can dangle young players who haven't done much yet and talk up their potential. And draft picks look more like guaranteed success to those managers instead of the crapshoot they really are. The "win now" manager gets an important piece of the puzzle, and the "win later" manager gets more ammunition for a war that never actually starts. Trades that other managers would never make begin to look like steals. And on and on.
I'm mentioning it now, because those managers will become prey as the trade deadline approaches, and I encourage them to break the cycle. Don't overvalue future potential and stop undervaluing your present talent. Even if you don't win this year, they might be pieces of your puzzle next year. Not in two years, or five years. In 2026 or 2027. Time to make that run that you've been delaying for so long. And if there happens to be another "win later" manager in the league, join the pack and target their talent. You might find that winning today is fun, too. At the very least, you'll stop being a farm system for the rest of the league and make them work harder to improve their team. That alone is a positive and a good first step toward a real dynasty. Good luck this week.
How do you determine when to go for the title now, and when to build for the future? Do you have managers who are always building? Have you ever been one of them? Share your thoughts below.
