The topic for this article recently popped into my head after a leaguemate of mine confessed to me the other day that he’s “done with fantasy football until next years draft because he is so frustrated with his team’s 2014 outcome”. What did he just say? Done until our next league draft? In a dynasty league? This sounded like bad news coming from an owner one year removed from his start up draft. This is what you call a serious recipe for disaster.
Quitting Fantasy football and focusing on something healthier for me, like competitive eating.
— Steve Braband (@stevebraband) December 16, 2014
Persistence: Benefits
Quitting is the easy way out of just about anything we do in life that ends in us experiencing frustration or realizing failure. Is it beneficial though? In some cases I am sure that it actually is, but in a dynasty fantasy football league? It could not be further from the correct way to approach it. For instance, last week I touched on an article that made mention of roster reductions in dynasty leagues, and how to turn what would be a standard player cut into a viable future draft pick. The idea is just one of a bevy of reasons why you should not walk away now or ever from your dynasty team. Picture this: Out of anger you abandon your team for the next seven months. You do not check your inbox, respond to league member text messages or even do any offseason homework. It is now the final day to make cuts on your roster and you realize you have a ton of talent but do not know who to cut first. So you scramble to make offers as the deadline closes in. Odds are you either get pennies on the dollar or absolutely nothing for these players. That seems pretty foolish, right? Now let us rewind seven months. Instead of walking away from your investment, start making moves to get it back on track. Approach other guys in your league and begin striking conversations about asset swaps or player for draft pick moves. This is just a single reason to stay active, but if that was not enough here are a few more.
- Gauging player ADP through the off-season for better draft strategy.
- Receiving premier trade offers from guys looking to sell before next year.
- Better understanding of NFL team-player relationships and future status
- Opening trade doors with other owners and building connections.
- Studying film, images, and expert reviews on veterans or incoming rookies.
Fastest Way Down Is Falling
If you truly believe that passing on any one or all of the ideas I just listed above will not hurt you then by all means, walk away. The truth, however, is that most leagues dislike owners in this position. The communication inactivity, insufficient effort toward team competitiveness and lack-luster approach to acquiring players whether via trades or free agency will only turn you into the leagues most-hated member. So before you decide to close up shop based on a “bad” 2014, remember that a dynasty season never stops. Even when the season is over there is still time to build for your future.
Here is to a dominant 2015!
