#dynastyleague

[12 team league, 25 man rosters, 5 taxi spots, start 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 2Flex, 1DST, 1K]

Right before the start of the fantasy football season our league saw an arms race like no year before and Cluckin and Coin were right at the center of it. Both traded two 1st round picks for a player and both have not gotten returns for their stud trade. Because of that these two teams, who were part of a preseason top four that were expected to be championship favorites, have fallen short of expectations.

Cluckin has regularly been on the doorstep, owning his division and threatening but ultimately falling short. Because he has regularly locked up the two seed he has been ultra aggressive when it comes to trades, very rarely having a first round pick in the draft. This year it looks like it's starting to catch up with his team.

The core of Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, Davante Adams, Tyler Lockett and Zach Ertz has been good enough to keep him competitive. However, the trade this year for Leonard Fournette, and last year for Devonta Freeman cost him premiere picks and have not worked out. David Johnson was a key to his early success and fell off but he got lucky with a bounce back this season. He swapped D.J. Chark for Melvin Gordon in the offseason to add some RB depth as well.

Cluckin deserves credit for still getting some decent players without 1st round picks. He drafted Hollywood Brown last season and Brandon Aiyuk this season. The problem is besides Jared Goff there's not really much on his bench to help out with byes and injuries. And this year he has not had luck. Freeman and Fournette haven't done much, Ertz has been a disappointment and is now hurt along with Melvin Gordon. That is why he has gotten off to a 2-4 start.

Cluckin doesn't have a 1st or 3rd round pick for 2021 and has traded his 2022 1st rounder as well and so his team is kind of stuck at the moment. 2020 is a weird fantasy football season and he's at the mercy of the season. It's unlikely the Packers will lay an egg like they did this past week, and they already had their bye, so that big three will be key to him trying to right the ship but his options seem a bit limited. He has been aggressive most seasons so it wouldn't shock me to see him try and get some depth, but mostly I think you're just waiting and hope you can right the ship and get healthy if you sneak in to the playoffs.

Coin is the gold standard of our dynasty league. He has three championships in the four years of existence and was in the top four (losing to the eventual winner) the one season he didn't win. Coin made the big trade of two 1st round picks, Calvin Ridley and Preston Williams for Saquon Barkley. (He also traded Fournette to Cluckin for his two 1st rounders). That trade stings this year with Barkley going down early and Ridley looking like a superstar, but Barkley is still a stud going forward.

Coin did get his 1st in 2021 back by trading some WR (John Brown the only notable one) and that looks like a smart move with him sitting at 2-4. The other trade he made was a 2021 2nd and 2022 3rd with Drew Lock for Josh Allen. Allen has tailed off the last few weeks but he looked the lock up another young star for more security, but the top team in the league has just had bacd luck.

Julian Edelman has only had one game and Mike Evans has been up and down. Losing Barkley has required him to count on James White (who just came back) and Jerrick McKinnon for his running backs behind Zeke. Chark also hasn't be the star he was last season for fantasy football. That's the bad luck that has put his team in the hole early.

However, this team isn't going anywhere. Coin has Diontae Johnson and Scotty Miller and drafted J.K. Dobbins, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Denzel Mims, Quintez Cephus and Cole Kmet. Coin started with the strongest roster and has regularly drafted well to continue to give himself pieces to trade and reload his roster. Even with the bad luck he still has one of the best rosters in the league.

[12 team league, 25 man rosters, 5 taxi spots, start 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 2Flex, 1DST, 1K]

These two teams made the decision to trade a big piece ahead of the season, conceding they weren't championship contenders, but have found themselves in playoff contention. Both teams were in post season last year, but even with trading star players now find themselves deciding which way to go for the rest of 2020.

Sidearm has finished 2nd and 4th in the previous two years and a big part of that was the stack between Patrick Mahommes and Travis Kelce. However, his running back position took a big hit and he decided to load up on assets and come back in 2021 by trading Kelece. Two 1st round picks and Blake Jarwin is a solid haul. The reason the trade hasn't hurt him as much is because of the emergence of Mike Gesicki and the long awaited revival of Mo Alie-Cox.

Sidearm has done a solid job building his team through the draft with Mahommes, Devin Singletary, Antonio Gibson, Terry McLaurin, Gesicki, Christin Kirk, Phillip Lindsay, Josh Reynolds, Hunter Renfrow and Henry Ruggs. This his how the team went from picking in the top five to a top playoff team in just a few seasons. However, the running back position was why he leaned in to a retooling in 2020.

Marlon Mack and Lindsay were a big part of his run to runner up two seasons ago, but both got company in the backfield this past offseason. That's the case for Singletary though Zack Moss' injury has allowed him to flourish early. Gibson was a good pick and those two have provided enough production to get him to 3-2 with a manageable game this week. I still have my questions about those two being lead backs for a championship team.

The trade of Kelce gives Sidearm two 1st in 2020 and 2021. He also traded Josh Allen for Drew Lock and a 2nd and 3rd which gives him two 2nd round picks in 2020, a 2nd and two 3rd round picks for 2021. He is absolutely loaded in draft capital with T.Y. Hilton and Emmanuel Sanders on his bench that could be moved for a few more mid round picks.

The question is how do you go the rest of the way for this season? Sidearm could move Hilton and Sanders to add even more draft pick capital or could deal from his stash of picks to push his team in to contention. Saquon Barkley, Leonard Founette, Kenyan Drake, James Connor and Raheem Mostert have already been traded, leaving the RB market a bit thin but the assets are there to entice a team to part with a top RB.

A lot of the core is in place and good ages so you could go either way. It is supposed to be a loaded rookie draft which makes it all the more tempting to get to the draft and see what you can add to a solid team, but will you find a superstar? If someone like Christian McCaffrey is available then you have to be tempted to make a deal, especially with his draft pick and WR depth, but do you want to be that aggressive?

I think you go for it. Finding a superstar is easier said than done and with four draft picks in the top two rounds for this draft and three for the next one there's plenty of capital to make a move and not leave the cupboard bare. Plus, you can't count future championships without winning one first. The team has produced so go for it and still have an incredibly young team. However, if the price is too steep then you have to move Hilton and Sanders. Load up on picks and put together one of the youngest teams in the league that can really grow in to a title contender.

Nati's reason for trading was a little different. Despite being a playoff team he was realistic about his team. The TE duo of Darren Waller and Austin Hooper was a big factor in his success, but his best WR was Jamison Crowder. Nati got an offer for Barkley he flet like he couldn't turn down and decided to retool his team knowing he couldn't get it with his WR. The trades was a 2020 1st and 2021 1st round pick, Preston Williams and Calvin Ridley.

Now, I'm still not sure it was the right trade to make but it does look like a short term win with Barkley hurt for the season and Ridley becoming a superstar. However, there are some other trades to go over. A trade last year for A.J. Green cost him his 2nd and 3rd round pick this past draft and he felt the need to get a QB so he went with Joe Burrow instead of a WR. Nati has also traded the 1st he got for a 2nd next year, John Brown and a few other depth WR.

Nati started off solid because David Montgomery was producing and Ridley was a  big boost to the weak WR position but has fallen off and could be 2-4 after this week. With Hooper falling off and Barkley gone this roster is showing what it really is. Montgomery and Dalvin Cook are the top running backs but after that isn't really much. Besides Waller and Hooper there isn't much at TE either.

The WR position has been remade with Ridley, Crowder, Brown, Williams and Green, but it still needs help. Chris Hogan, Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills are really the only vet WR worth mentioning. Nati's team has shown it still is very much a work in progress, though early on it was in line with Sidearm to consider using the draft capital to push towards more contention.

With the trades Nati only has his 1st round pick and 2nd rounders in 2020, but two 1st and 2nd round picks for 2021 so this is a retooling team with not much draft capital this season to add, so he needs to lean in to the retooling. Crowder, Green (if he can produce), Matt Ryan, possibly Brown and any other vets should be on the market to try and get some more draft capital for a loaded rookie class.

Nati could also hit the nuclear rebuild after trading Barkley already and go after a haul for Cook. While there's no argument for trying to build around him, Cook could bring back a haul of players to build around along with picks and would be a full rebuild to reset the clock. This is where the questions are raised over trading Barkley. It upgraded the WR position but also revealed more of the weaknesses of this team, and with the lacking of capital this year would make it tough to replace Barkley for 2021. Though Nati absolutely has to get at least a RB in a Cook trade because that's where the Barkley trade really hurt him.

[12 team league, 25 man rosters, 5 taxi spots, start 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 2Flex, 1DST, 1K]

It goes without saying you want to build the best fantasy lineup possible, but sometimes all it takes are a few hot players that can carry you through to a championship. Tink is a new owner that inherited a team that won a championship and rode a few hot starters as the last team in. Both Tink and Centerfield are playoff caliber teams who those types of players.

Tink inherited a team with Alvin Kamara, Julio Jones, Brandin Cooks, Eric Ebron, Kyler Murray, Kerryon Johnson, Sterling Shepard and still had the top pick in the draft. She also moved Deshaun Watson for a haul and had an incredible draft. Tink added rookies, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Justin Jefferson, Jalen Reagor, Adam Trautman and Anthony McFarland. She also won the bidding war for Hayden Hurst.

That's an impressive team with a bright future after a great draft and has the type of players that can spark a run. She also has her first and three 2nd round picks for 2021, so she is set to really reshape this team in two drafts, especially if she can nail her picks like she did in her first draft. The question is do you wait on those to 2021 picks to make your push or trade some of your assets and go all in for 2020?

Tink is 3-2 and in a playoff position and will likely hover there for the rest of the season. Kamara, Julio and Murray could go off any week to pull off even the most difficult upset, but her team has suffered some dings. Jones has been hurt, CEH now has Le'Veon Bell in the backfield and some of the other notable core pieces have been banged up or inconsistent.

While the team is solid it still falls in the second category of teams, a playoff team but not a championship contender. The problem is with a lot of teams already making the decision to sell and try and avoid the playoffs it could be tough to get under the playoff threshold. If she was to sell Julio is the obvious choice to bring back another big haul. He was on the block early in the season but didn't fetch the desired price. Injuries seem to be catching up with Jones as he ages but I think most would agree he's not going to fall off a cliff is she hangs on to him for another season.

I think Shepard will be a solid piece when healthy, Cooks can be (and was good with the new coach) but the questions about the lineup start to add up after you get past the first few starters. Jefferson has broken out and Reagor will be someone to watch after he gets healthy. Johnson was an early pick but is behind AP (who Tink owns) and D'Andre Swift. CEH's value takes a hit in a committee. TE is a little rough as well with Ebron not quite hitting the marks some thought he would and Hurst's target consistency being a bit concerning.

This is a team no one will want to see in the playoffs, especially if everyone is healthy but the best case would be to miss the playoffs in 2020 and try and load up in 2021. If she can move Jones that ought to bring back another huge haul, but you can trust him on the team for another season if need be.

Centerfield is a team that has some great pieces as well; Miles Sanders, Derrick Henry, Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs and Austin Ekeler. Cam Akers and Tee Higgins were added in the draft as well. Ekeler, and O.J. Howard, are hurt but Ekeler will be back and there's several pieces that can go off and fuel a run above the team's projections, but this team is not in the tier of championship contenders.

QB is a bit of a rotating start with Derek Carr, Nick Foles, Baker Mayfield, and Dwayne Haskins, Carr has been solid and Mayfield seems to be coming in to his own behind the Cleveland running game. Losing Howard hurt with Kyle Rudolph and Dalton Schultz behind him. The QB position has solid enough options to not really hold the team back but TE looks to be a regular hole in the lineup each week.

What has really hurt this team has been bad luck with draft picks. Howard, until this year, Paris Campbell, Mecole Hardman and Dwayne Haskins all were good picks at the time but haven't delivered. With all of them being higher picks it stresses the squad as you're hoping for them to blossom in to regular contributors.

Centerfield is 2-3 and more on the playoff fringe than Tink with a little more uncertainty. There are definitely players that could get hot and carry him, Diggs, Kupp, Henry and Sanders, but the lineup is far from complete. Centerfield also doesn't really have any vets that are obvious trade candidates. If DeSean Jackson can come back healthy and do something he could be worth a minor pick but most of the starting pieces are still the right age.

[12 team league, 25 man rosters, 5 taxi spots, start 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 2Flex, 1DST, 1K]

It's interesting that in this 12 team league there are pairs all the way up in how they should handle the season. Admittedly, this pairing got here in two different ways but face a tough choice of trading a top RB to go full rebuild or try and trade and push towards the playoffs.

McCaffinator's team was built around Christian McCaffrey and has been a playoff team with him and a few other solid players. The week's right after the injury looked like an obvious tank season, but the team has leveled out and could make a run in to the playoffs if McCaffrey comes back right, but that's the tough choice...should he?

McCaffinator is set to go 3-2 and a big part of that is his WR position bouncing back. Adam Thielen, D.J. Moore (finally showing up), OBJ have been solid. Golden Tate and Sammy Watkins can be flex vets in a league where you can start up to five WR. That top three is why he has been able to weather the McCaffrey injury.

Rookies Josh Kelly and Jerry Jeudy are big rookies that will be key to his team going forward. QB Gardner Minshew, while on a bad team, has been solid in filling out his lineup. Rumors are the job could still not be his past this season if the Jags pick high enough. Ryan Tannehill has been solid also, but what is his long term outlook? Trading for Phillip Rivers and keeping Jimmy Garoppolo have been whiffs at a position with very little value as well.

The running back position has been a weakness of this team, even with McCaffrey and why there could be a lingering big decision. An offseason trade for Duke Johnson and Tarik Cohen, while not studs, could have provided enough coverage with CMC and the WR to be playoff team, but that hasn't worked out. Tight ends Jack Doyle, Greg Olsen, Trey Burton and Cameron Brate has also been a big weakness.

That's why this team could face the choice of trading CMC. It's a bold choice but even with CMC the team has never even sniffed the championship game, let alone winning the chip. RB depth is a problem, though Kelly could give the team pause for the big move, Thielen is old and how much do you trust OBJ? QB is an easier position to fix but TE is a hole as well.

Even injured McCaffrey is still worth a haul; a couple of young players and multiple high end picks. The move would also likely put Thielen on the block, possibly OBJ and put other fringe players on the block to really load up picks. Trading CMC would also fuel a push to a top pick for his own and allow him to add a lot of young players with Kelly and Jeudy to really build a strong core instead of one superstar and some solid pieces around it.

DaFnBoys faces a similar decision but got there by building up from a complete tear down. He's set to be 2-3 and still a ways away. There have been some questionable moves in the draft but the team has collected some nice young pieces; Josh Jacobs, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, Zack Moss, Tyler Higbee, Tyler Johnson, Justin Herbert, Michael Pittman, Darius Slayton, T.J. Hockenson and Ronald Jones. There's a lot there but still not a playoff team.

The problem is that's basically the team. Mark Ingram, Dak Prescott, Teddy Bridgewater, Matt Stafford and Rob Gronkowski are really the only veterans of note, most of them at quarterback and none of them lifting your team. Even worse, Prescott is now out for the season with an uncertain future.

Now, DaFnBoys faces a similar choice as McCaffinator when it comes to a stud RB but has some more flexibility. Trading CMC is something to consider because of the rest of the make up of the team, but for DaFnBoys most of their team is young and it would be very reasonable to just continue to try and add more and more young players. Most of his core is on a similar time line, whereas McCaffinator hasplayers on a much shorter timeline.

[12 team league, 25 man rosters, 5 taxi spots, start 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 2Flex, 1DST, 1K]

The last team in the take over is the team everyone is chasing. A monster starter draft has lead to three Dynasty championships in four seasons. This team has been number one from the beginning of the league and got off to such an advantage being the pole setter regularly drafting for depth instead of needing to fill out their lineup. 

With some more shrewd off season trades this team added J.K. Dobbins, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Denzel Mims, Bryan Edwards, Cole Kmet, Quintez Cephus and Jordan Love. That's on top of grabbing Scotty Miller, Braxton Berrios and Isiah Ford early in waiver claims. All of that was added to team fresh off another championship so it's already a loaded team.

However, the biggest addition started the arms race, sending two 1st round picks, Preston Williams and Calvin Ridley away for Saquon Barkley. At the time it looked like a team that was going to run away with the championship. In fact with that monster trade Coin Collusion was able to flip Leonard Fournette for two 1st round picks to recoup from the trade, but still lost in week one. and lost Barkley and week two and is starting off 0-2.

This team is reeling a bit but still has Zeke, Jerrick McKinnon, Dobbins, James White, Wayne Gallman and Carlos Hyde at RB. Definitely thin at the position but still has a stud at Zeke as a stud at the position and got a boost with the 49ers injuries to McKinnon. Trading Fournette was a risk to depth but getting two 1st round picks allows them to get in the market.

With three WR and two flex positions in the starting lineup teams can make up some lack of depth at RB with strong WR and this team is still loaded. Mike Evans, Allen Robinson, D.J. Chark, Diontae Johnson, Julian Edelman, John Brown, Berrios, Edwards, Ford, Miller, Chris Hogan, Kendrick Bourne, Cephus, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Antonio Brown. It's hard to watch Ridley go off, especially with Barkley lost for the year, but this is an absolutely loaded team. There's plenty of depth their to make a move with those two 1st round picks.

It also helps with this team loaded at TE. George Kittle is one of the original royal three at TE and Hunter Henry is at the back up. Even with Kittle hurt this team isn't suffering at the position Kmet is also an interesting long term piece. The depth at WR and TE allow that flex position, where a lot of teams are feeling a stretch with the newly added second flex spot, be still a point of strength.

Tom Brady has gotten off to a slow start but most expect him to figure it out as he gets more comfortable in the 'Tompa' offense with all those weapons. Drew Lock is an interesting back up, though another injury early in the season, makes the position a little thin. Love is a long term piece but this team can afford to wait that one out and will be in a position to grab a QB in what expected to be another loaded rookie draft class.

Losing Barkley would be a huge boost to any team, likely sinking them to possibly out of the playoffs, but this team has the depth to potentially weather out the storm. Even after trading Ridley and Williams the WR position is stacked. This team has a 1st and 2nd rounder in 2020 and 2021 but missing the 3rd and 4th in 2020. He also has two 3rd rounders in 2021 so even after swinging the big trade there is still draft pick capital to swing a trade at the RB position for an extremely tough roster.

The problem is this team kicked off an arms race (Barkley, Fournette, Kelce, Drake all traded) and has found some more competition at the top after starting the arms race. However, this team still came in at the pole position and will at least find itself in the final four. How aggressive do you want to be? If Dobbins comes on at the end of the season that would be a big cover for losing Barkley but maybe this team has some buyer's remorse and wants to still be able to load up in the draft (they regularly get player's at the end of the 1st and beginning of the 2nd that have built that depth). 

Winning three of the first four championships allows this team to not hit the panic button and not feel the pressure to finally break through. But this team is still at the top and it's hard to punt on a championship quality team, though what's left to trade for? Early on teams may not be ready to sell, but this team has the assets to entice any team closer to the trade deadline.

You definitely don't want to hit the panic button, even after the 0-2 start, especially with several teams already punting on 2020. This is a playoff team but I think it's a deep breath and you let the ship right with the amount of talent and see what comes on the market.

[12 team league, 25 man rosters, 5 taxi spots, start 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 2Flex, 1DST, 1K]

I don't know that there's ever a perfect fantasy football team but this last stretch of teams area tier above the rest. In fact, for the last three teams in the team take over it's not unfamiliar territory for them as they've regularly been at the top of the league.

This team has regularly run its division in the five seasons the Dynasty League has been going BUT had a very tough adjustment to staying in contention. Trading a 1st round pick for Devonta Freeman hasn't worked out and David Johnson looked worthless in the off season so it was no surprise to see this team flip Le'Veon Bell to recoup a 1st round pick. However, this team has been one of the most aggressive so away went D.J. Chark and in came Melvin Gordon.

Aaron Jones led the RB room, hopefully Green Bay continues to let him be a fantasy stud, but the room got a boost from David Johnson seeming to find relevance again, Gordon and the big trade for the Leonard Fournette. Six 1st round picks have been traded in the weeks leading up to the start of the season, including two for Fournette. The Tampa backfield is a little messy but conventional wisdom is Fournette will be the guy. Cluckin Turducken has to hope those four make it through the season and are studs because behind them are Freeman, Cordarelle Patterson and rookies Lynn Bowden and A.J. Dillion.

At WR rookies Brandon Aiyuk and John Hightower were added to Davante Adams, Tyler Lockett, Marquise Brown and Jalen Hurd. Another position with a solid top end but there's definitely gotta be some finger crossing for health. Adams should be a target monster once again, and joins Jones and Aaron Rodgers in a trio stack. Counting on Hollywood Brown to be a regular weekly starter may be a year too soon, even as the top WR in Baltimore.

While he has started to come down a bit from the fantasy elite, Zach Ertz is still a stud at TE. This team also got the benefit of Dawson Knox become available and should warrant some flex play in the least through the season. C. J. Uzomah is  penciled in as the starter early for the Bengals but seems to be more of a blocker. Jordan Reed is for sure interesting, especially as some injury protection for Kittle, but probably rides the bench all season. Rookie Hunter Bryant is extremely talented but goes to a VERY loaded TE room in Cleveland.

Not having a 1st round pick isn't new to this team, but you can see how the lack of the top pick (and absolutely the bad luck) have taken it's toll on the depth. Missing the next two 1st round picks and a 3rd round pick for 2021 why stop there. The good news is this team has studs and really just needs some depth to give them a little more breathing room. I personally would hold back on getting rid of anymore 2022 picks but some depth at WR and RB to help you get through byes with 2021 picks is a no brainier.

[12 team league, 25 man rosters, 5 taxi spots, start 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 2Flex, 1DST, 1K]

How quickly can a team build up from the number one selection? Now granted, Lights Kamara Action took over a team better than the top draft slot but how close is this team to contention. Waiting until after the Thursday night game between the Texans and Chiefs shed some more light on that question.

No suprise, Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the first pick and joined Justin Jefferson, Jalen Reagor, Adam Trautman and Anthony McFarland as the notable rookies for this year's draft. Drafting CEH is a big part of the answer to how quickly can you get to championship contention.

CEH is going to be a stud and joins Alvin Kamara as one of the best fantasy backfields. Kerryon Johnson seems like a solid third in the starting lineup and Chris Thompson looks like he'll be a solid flex piece for the season. Alexander Mattison is an interesting long term piece, but Adrian Peterson and Mike Davis are meh in terms of production for this season.

Having Julio Jones is another stud in the lineup. Behind him is Brandin Cooks, Sterling Shepard, John Ross, Anthony Miller, Jalen Guyton and John Ross. That's with the rookies Jefferson and Reagor who hopefully come on before the season ends. There's enough there to put together a starting lineup, but you can see how this team got to the top draft pick. There's some interesting depth but not quite enough top end talent, at least before the rookie draft.

Hayden Hurst was a great off season pick up, thanks to the top draft pick waiver claim. Eric Ebron should be a good back up and forms a stack with Ben Roethlisberger. Lance Thomas seems like a low key fantasy piece to have. Personally, I think Trautman will be a stud in fantasy in a year or two in the New Orleans offense as well.

Most expect a bounce back season from Big Ben but with Kyler Murray as well the QB spot is in a really good spot. This is after trading Deshaun Watson for a boatload of picks in the off season. 

There's no denying this team had a monster draft and makes things really interesting for a take over. Everyone knew CEH was gonna be good but he may still exceed those expectations. Before the draft my thoughts were this team should look at maybe shipping off some vets, Big Ben and Julio, but this is a definite playoff team.

With a 1st round pick and three 2nd round picks in 2021 there's definitely ammo to make a move further in to contention. For the take over I think it's a wait and see approach. Big Ben is definitely an asset you'd move in season but I think Julio has several high end seasons left in him. That means you can feel it out in the off season. Because moving him in season likely doesn't sink this team to a top end pick so go for it or have another good draft and load up the roster on young talent.