Dynasty Fantasy Football Strategy: Rebuilding Tips, Seahawks TEs and More
Jake Trowbridge goes through the latest list of dynasty fantasy football strategy questions from the community.
The offseason news cycle just keeps chugging along with blockbuster trades, pseudo-retirements and peculiar free agent signings. Further proof that football never sleeps!
That’s why I’m excited to announce that the dynasty mailbag will now be opened WEEKLY (at least for the near future). If you have any questions you’d like answered, hit us up on Bluesky or in our community Discord.
This is what’s on our readers' minds this week in terms of dynasty fantasy football strategy …
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What is a reasonable timeline to turn a last-place dynasty team into a contender?
- Let's assume 12 teams and you have all your own draft picks (and only those picks).
The 1.01 rookie pick in any draft class can drastically quicken the pace of a rebuild if you play it correctly. A lot of folks won’t want to hear this, but that usually means trading the pick for more assets.
Last offseason I started to rebuild one of my teams that was in this exact situation. I kicked it off by trading the 1.01 for Drake London, Jalen McMillan and the 1.12. A couple hours later I traded Bucky Irving + that 1.12 for Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs and a future third-round pick. From there it was a cavalcade of trades that led to me nabbing second place in the league.
A rebuild can be done in a year if you’re diligent and focus only on getting the most pure value out of every trade, rather than fretting over specific positions. Also, if a rebuild takes more than a couple years, you probably just really like rebuilding. And your leaguemates told me that’s one of your best qualities.
What type of draft pick capital would you expect/want in return for Jaylen Waddle? Or do you see Waddle as a hold in his new environment?
In terms of future draft capital, I think Waddle is still on the fringes of being able to net you a 2027 first-round rookie pick all by himself. The little spike in value he saw after his trade to the Broncos seems to have mostly dissipated.
So unless you can get that ‘27 first by adding a throw-in piece, I’m holding. Bo Nix probably won’t throw the ball 600+ times again in the regular season, but Courtland Sutton might be in the beginning stages of cooked (seared, if you will) and Waddle is still an explosive receiver in his prime at 27 years old. He feels like a locked-in fantasy WR2 for at least a couple years.
Need to trade a WR away in dynasty. I have JSN, Malik Nabers, Chris Olave, A.J. Brown, Tee Higgins, Ladd McConkey, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Michael Wilson. Desperately need a RB and trying to make moves for Jeremiyah Love.
I’ve been touting Michael Wilson as someone to trade away for months. He had a perfect storm of things going right for him last season, and most of that should evaporate like morning dew on a lizard’s taint. Wilson alone obviously won’t get you close to Jeremiyah Love, but packaging him with a respectable/older running back and a decent pick could do it.
I also understand the impulse to trade Nabers, especially if you think the recent injury news (and subsequent OBJ signing) is a harbinger of things to come, but it wouldn’t be my first move.
What are your thoughts on the draft capital needed to trade up between tier breaks in the first round of rookie drafts this year (e.g. moving up from 1.02 to 1.01 or 1.09 to 1.07)?
- Some owners seem to want a huge amount (talking extra first), while others think there isn't too much difference (extra third-rounder).
I think, broadly, this is very much a “get your guy” draft class. There’s Love sitting by his lonesome in the top tier, then two or three receivers everyone can agree on, and then it’s kind of the Wild West.
I think that’s causing the disparity with the individual pick evaluations that you’re talking about. For instance, if I have the 1.04 (or 1.05 in Superflex), you’re gonna have to pry it from my sweaty hands because I know there’s a great chance I can land Makai Lemon with that, and he’s my WR1 in this class. Someone else, who only cares about getting Tate or Tyson, would be much more willing to let go of that same pick. This is when it really pays to know your leaguemates and trade accordingly.
How do you rank the middle of the pack RBs like Saquon Barkley, Kyren Williams, Cam Skattebo, Travis Etienne and Javonte Williams?
I value them in dynasty pretty much how I value them in redraft, with only a slight consideration toward the future. In dynasty, I don’t care much about where the average running back will be three years from now, because there’s too much variance and they’re all too susceptible to it. So my dynasty rankings on these guys, which differ from our Sam Wallace's dynasty fantasy football rankings, are as follows:
- Barkley
- Kyren
- Javonte
- Skattebo
- Etienne
Skattebo might be the youngest of the bunch but he’s coming off a brutal injury and runs like he’s the friggin’ Juggernaut.
Between Justin Joly, Eli Raridon, and Max Klare, who do you think is most likely to make an impact (or even play a role) this year?
I recently wrote up Joly as a taxi squad stash, mostly because Sean Payton has dedicated his life to finding his next “joker” player and has been unsuccessful with the Broncos to date. If Joly ends up being that guy, he could at least fight Evan Engram for snaps.
Wishcast a little on PHI (A.J. Brown departure), MIA (almost everyone departure) and NOR (maybe rising) passing games?
With Philly, I’m firmly in the camp that this passing game is going to look much different without AJB and with Makai Lemon. Not necessarily fewer pass attempts, just more all-around creativity. If folks are down on Jalen Hurts, I’m taking advantage.
Miami is probably going to be a fun slop fest. Not sure how many games they’ll win, but I really like Greg Dulcich and especially Chris Bell. I’m not buying into Malik Willis for the long term but he should have a solid year given his rushing upside.
I might be alone on this, but Tyler Shough is getting dangerously close to crossing into “overvalued” territory for me. I’d rather have guys like Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff, who are being cast aside due to their age. If Jordyn Tyson can stay healthy and Shough develops more consistency, the rookie has a Terry McLaurin-esque ceiling.
What’s your take on Elijah Arroyo in a TEP league? Is he a hold or closer to a drop if you see something you like on waivers?
I see some appeal. Arroyo is a second round pick going into his second year in an offense lacking a standout No 2 pass catcher. AJ Barner is solid, but it wouldn’t shock me to see Arroyo eventually leapfrog him. He just needs to stay healthy.
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