I do not watch much TV or Youtube, but one thing that I absolutely love to watch online is the “Mean Tweets” segment of Jimmy Fallon. It gives a voice to a Tweet that might have been lost in the Twittersphere over time.
More to the point is that the biggest problem with Twitter-Social Media is that so much information and so many good Twitter questions are being put out there and then the advice is missed and lost forever in the Twittersphere. The goal of this column will be to point out key Tweets each week that our UTH staff have answered so that you can really dive into everyday strategy questions that the UTH Staff sees on Twitter.
Chad Parsons (@ChadParsonsNFL)
@ChadParsonsNFL @Harahduh2 @DrewDodsonNFL the more 2qb mocks I do, the more I feel the need to go qb,qb. Rather draft cam/Ryan or tannehill
— Neil Chester (@Filbertneil) April 14, 2015
Chad’s response to the was
@DynastyDebates @Filbertneil @Harahduh2 @DrewDodsonNFL Feels like a confessional booth admission — Chad Parsons (@ChadParsonsNFL) April 14, 2015
A hard thing for a dynasty owner to do is to realize what players work for them and where they can get those players in a draft. Chad is pointing out in the above tweet that it is not just important to do mock drafts, but it is crucial to do mock drafts in the format that you are playing (IDP, PPR, 2QB, salary cap).
Become more comfortable with your format, be the guy that walks away from the draft thinking to yourself “I just dominated that draft.” A perfect resource for a person to reach out to is @RyanMc23 (hosts start-up drafts at MFL), @ScottFish24 (does rookie and devy mock drafts), @DrewDodsonNFL (running a 2QB series of start-up mocks). These resources will not only have you getting comfortable with where players are going, but it will also help you learn how to maneuver a start-up/rookie draft to get your target players.
Doug Veatch (@Harahduh2)
@Fantasyfollow1 I don’t use rankings in any way shape or form really. I pay attention to ADP and that’s about it.
— Doug Veatch (@Harahduh2) April 13, 2015
Probably one of the biggest traits for a young dynasty player to develop is their own instinct for a draft or trade. It is always suggested to reach out to Patrick (@pkerrane) with trade questions at #UTHTrades on Twitter, but there will always be a way that you are leaning when you first see a trade offer or are working on a start-up draft. Doug’s key advice here is that you should pay attention to ADP, but you should not live by it. Know who your target players are, go through the ADP list and scratch out non-target players, and have a plan with how early you are willing to take “your guys.”
This point will also refer back to my previous point above that EVERYONE SHOULD BE DOING MOCK DRAFTS. Every start-up is a snow flake and by doing several mock drafts you will not only get a better feel for where players are going, but you will also know who your target players are. If your next target player has an ADP of two rounds later and you have seen this player go later in all of your mock drafts than you can move down a round or a couple of spots in a rookie draft, pick up an extra rookie pick, and still get your guy.
A perfect example is if you own the 1.01 in a draft and you are happy with one of Cooper, Gurley, and White. Why are you staying at the 1.01 then? Wait until after the NFL draft, see if you are still happy, and if you are shop that pick to the 1.03 for a later 2015 1st or an added player that you really like. Be aggressive and know what you are looking for in your guys. Above all do not be afraid to take a breath, step away from a trade/ your pick in a start-up, and reach out to UTH to see what their thoughts are on your next move.
Justin Huestis (@JustInTimeNFL)
Unless I’m locking up a stud – I refuse to pay market value on a player to satisfy a “need” #NeedsR4November
— Justin Huestis (@JustInTimeNFL) April 14, 2015
STUDS – this is the one and only place where you will have to pay a little more than what you might expect. You will sometimes find that an AJ Green will have a slightly depressed value and try to jump on it. More often than not you will have to pay the piper to get one of these STUD assets on your team.
For example to acquire Mike Evans now you will have to pay two or three first round picks. While that is a massive price tag, he is also a young wide receiver (22 at the start of the 2015 NFL season) and going to get a significant upgrade at QB. The best remedy for getting these players at a discount is trying to get them as rookies.
There are teams in every league that won’t believe in rookies because they haven’t done it before in the NFL. That may be true, but you are building the UTH way and you are going to have more shots at those studs than anyone else in your league.
On a final note with acquiring studs at full/above market price, you have to be either getting a discount or you have to be a contender. If you are a rebuilding team it does not make sense to use three first round picks to acquire Dez Bryant. In a recent deal I was able to acquire AJ Green for the 1.05. The team was an orphaned rebuild. The only reason that I acquired AJ Green was because I know that I can shop him harder and get more for him than the other owner could.
