00:00:03
Speaker 1: Hello everybody, welcome to the Fantasy Pros Dynasty Football Podcast brought to you by League Tycoon, the Dynasty First fantasy football platform. I'm Ryan Wormley, joined by Pat Fitzmaurice and by Scott Bogman. We are talking some Dynasty contenders versus rebuilders today, giving you a sense of evaluating your team and then also what should you be doing if you're in the contender bucket or in the rebuilder bucket.
00:00:27
Speaker 2: Bogman, how are you doing?
00:00:29
Speaker 3: I'm doing pretty good. I mean, the Longhorns lost this weekend. So pretty upset about that. But the Steelers won and the offense looked good. Like a Steelers win without six sacks and four turnovers is a rarity in recent times for me. So that was decent to kind of in the middle on my dynasty teams so far this season. So this is a good episode for me. Fits.
00:00:55
Speaker 4: Operation Tank is going splendidly in the league that we're all in together. I am 0-5 and my team is absolute hot garbage juice. So I think I'm going to wind up with Jeremiah Smith in at least one league. So I feel great about that. Pretty good sports week too. Brewers doing well. Packers teaching Ben Johnson some manners. That was nice.
00:01:17
Speaker 5: I'm feeling good this week.
00:01:19
Speaker 1: I was trying to tank in that same league, Fitz, and I have two very unfortunate wins that I'm not thrilled about. So you are doing a much superior job than I am.
00:01:30
Speaker 5: It's a super flex league.
00:01:32
Speaker 4: Can you do better than having your three quarterbacks be Bo Nix, Justin Herbert, and Malik Willis?
00:01:38
Speaker 5: That's hard to top.
00:01:40
Speaker 3: I'll do you better by only having two quarterbacks.
00:01:42
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:01:44
Speaker 1: I say unfortunately. Obviously, I'm happy to have Trevor Lawrence in that league. My other two quarterbacks are Kyler and Daniel Jones, so it's not that far off.
00:01:51
Speaker 2: It's just Trevor.
00:01:52
Speaker 1: Lawrence, unfortunately, is buoying the scoring I'm getting every week. But we don't need to talk about that. We'll see who wins the race to Jeremiah Smith there. Reminder for everybody, all of our 2026 consensus rankings and tiers can be found at fantasypros.com slash rankings. You can navigate to our Dynasty rankings from there as well.
00:02:11
Speaker 2: Before we jump into.
00:02:12
Speaker 1: some specific pieces of advice from you guys for contenders and rebuilders. I want to talk about diagnosing your teams. I think, and I talked about this a lot on the show over the last year, that it is a really valuable skill in Dynasty to be able to just sort of self-identify and say, I am a contender or I am a rebuilder and choose to lean into those directions. A lot of the times, my biggest frustrations in Dynasty trade negotiations, Bogman, are when the person I'm talking to seems to have a very different view of their roster than I feel like is the very obvious view of you should be leaning into contending or you should be leaning into rebuilding. Is this something that you feel like you run into yourself fairly often? Or do you feel like the people in your leagues are generally pretty good about knowing when's the right time to push.
00:02:58
Speaker 2: Their chips in?
00:03:00
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that for the most part, people know when to push their chips in and when they are rebuilding. But I'll say that everyone in my league, and this is constant for everyone in every league, has a different evaluation on every player than I do. And now, a lot of the times it's not different enough to make a difference and not get a trade done, but many times there are holdouts. Someone sees one of their players as having a little bit more you know, gas left in the tank or a little bit more upside for a future player or a draft pick that's worth a little bit more than I consider. So you have to take those things into account as well. So I do think that most managers know, you know, when their team is it's time to push the chips in or it's time to rebuild a little bit. A lot of times it's not completely rebuilding. It's just man, I've had some bad luck this year and I've had some injuries this year. It's not going to be this year. So let's go ahead and trade off the pieces we don't need for the future. But I think everyone has a different view of players pretty much universally.
00:04:10
Speaker 2: What do you think fits?
00:04:10
Speaker 1: Is this a problem that you sometimes run into yourself or do you feel like there's some pretty strong self-evaluation of people's rosters in your leagues?
00:04:19
Speaker 4: I think it's gotten better over time as people have gotten more familiar with Dynasty and people are now– the people who picked it up less than 10 years ago are now grizzled Dynasty veterans. But there's still some misdiagnosis that happens and there is no better way to bust the chops of a league mate than to be talking trade with them and to– Find out they're not in a rebuild and say, oh, you're not in a rebuild?
00:04:44
Speaker 3: Your roster says otherwise, friend.
00:04:46
Speaker 5: Exactly. Exactly.
00:04:48
Speaker 4: So, I mean, there are some people who, and we can talk about specifics and why some people maybe get off the right track as far as diagnosing themselves. But I think for the most part, people are pretty realistic about which direction they're headed.
00:05:03
Speaker 3: So how do.
00:05:04
Speaker 1: You guys go about diagnosing your own rosters and sort of evaluating, particularly if maybe you were more in the middle coming into the season, right? If you come into the season and you're like the heavy favorite to win this league, you got a really loaded roster. As long as you haven't taken so many season ending injuries, regardless of what happens the first few weeks, you're still generally thinking of yourself in that light in all likelihood. Same thing if you're a true rebuilder, right? You in our shared league fits, we're going into the season trying to rebuild, I think, and are 0-5. So you're feeling like you're on the right path there. When you're in the middle of Five, six weeks into the season, which is the stage we're at right now here in week six of the year, what are you looking at specifically? Is it something about just the record and the points scored fits? Is it about looking at the other teams around you and trying to pit yourself against them and playing out the rest of the season?
00:05:57
Speaker 2: Is it about the age of your team? Where are you.
00:05:59
Speaker 1: Looking when trying to determine if you yourself are a contender or a rebuilder?
00:06:04
Speaker 4: Pretty much just the makeup of my roster not so much the points scored because there's some guys who are underperforming and have a chance of turning it around their injuries other factors that might be holding down your point total or artificially inflating it but with roster evaluation I think a real contender should have at least one or two real engines guys who are force multipliers the Bijan Robinson, Jameer Gibbs, JSN, Josh Allen, Brock Bowers types? Do you have one or two of those to sort of be the cornerstone of your title run? But I think the bigger one is depth. And there might be a tendency with a lot of dynasty managers to just sort of look at the optimal starting lineup that you can run out as a measure of your team's strength. And I think that's a big mistake because in the NFL, guys are going to get hurt all the time.
00:07:00
Speaker 5: Way more than we'd like.
00:07:02
Speaker 4: I mean, we take stock of injuries every week, and it seems like one week is bloodier than the next. And more than half the weeks in an NFL regular season, or I should say in a fantasy season, are bye weeks. So we're about to hit a four-team bye week in week six. Depth, I think, is really the true measure of team strength. And if you have three or four pretty solid players behind your ideal starting lineup, then maybe you can start to feel better about your chances to contend because you can take some hits. You can weather the storms that are inevitably going to come up during the regular season.
00:07:39
Speaker 1: Bogman, do you feel like one of those pillars is more important in your opinion than the other when trying to call yourself a contender? Like, would you rather be the team that has Bijan, Kenneth Walker, and Tedaro McMillan, but zero bench? Or would you rather be the team that doesn't have those types of names, but you know, you have very playable pieces all scattered throughout the bench when you're trying to decide if you're a contender that year.
00:08:02
Speaker 3: I think if I'm picking one, I would rather have like the elite players on my starting roster than the depth. But I think Fitz is right. I don't think you can survive an entire season if you don't have some depth, right? Like if you were counting on David Montgomery to be a piece in your lineup, whether that was your RB2 or a flex or, even an occasional flex, and he's been awful and nothing has worked. You have an Ollie Gordon, right? Somebody that, man, this guy came out of nowhere. Did you add an Ollie Gordon?
00:08:36
Speaker 1: You know what I mean?
00:08:37
Speaker 3: Something like that to make sure the starting lineup is going to be good, I think is important. And I think the comparative thing is, you know, like it's tough to say points, right? But specifically if, because like I'm in a league where I have just made the wrong decision on who to start. in my flex spot like three weeks in a row. And I probably would have two more wins if I had that right. So I know my team is pretty good, right? But I've been making the mistakes. So I know I'm right there. So like Fitz said, you know, you compare yourself to the other rosters that are at the top. I think that's a big one. And just give yourself a realistic, like if I wasn't in this league, what I think this roster can stay with the leaders in the pack when we get down to the end, if not, am I far enough to where there's no moves I can make to get there, or do I have the assets to make the moves and potentially put myself within that realm as well, I think is a big thing. So I think you need to get a realistic comparison to the top teams in your league. And if you are the top team, then how do I make this last? Do I have players that I am confident are going to last a season, and do I have the depth that I feel like I need? So I think they're all important, but I think like Fitz started with, Having the horses is probably the most important part.
00:09:59
Speaker 1: Anything else you're looking at Fitz before we move on just that like you think is important to keep note of when you're considering if you're a contender or not.
00:10:07
Speaker 4: I mean definitely take stock of the other teams in your league who are the contenders how does your team stack up against the top contenders in your league so study those teams rosters and And maybe there are maybe there's one invincible team or you feel they're invincible. And, you know, sometimes there can be waves of injuries that kind of take those teams off their feet. But if they're like three really strong teams and you feel you're clearly below those three teams might be hard to topple one team. But if you know you're going to have to beat two of them in the playoffs, that can be tough. if those teams are clearly better than yours. So know the competition and study those rosters, and that'll help with the self-assessment.
00:10:54
Speaker 3: And I think if there's one team to beat, it makes it more realistic for you to push your chips in and get that big deal done to put yourself within arm's reach of that team. But if it's three, like Fitz said, probably less options to trade with as well. And now it's not just one team that you're trading for. Now you're trading future pieces to get assets to compete with three to four teams this season. It just, it does make things more difficult. So I think comparing yourself is, is, and being realistic about it is a big thing. And then, you know, just knowing you have the depth to survive a bump, right? Like no one can survive a bump if Bijan or Gibbs goes down, but if, your wide receiver to your tight end, whatever it may be goes down. Do you have a decent backup? And if not, is that acquirable at a cost efficient rate? So I think you just, there's a lot of things to break down to know if you're there, but I think most of the time you can do a quick scan of your roster in the top rosters and know if you're close or not.
00:12:02
Speaker 1: If you play in a serious dynasty league, you should check out league tycoon, the official dynasty football sponsor of the fantasy pros dynasty podcast. It's a modern fantasy football platform built specifically for dynasty leagues, not redraft. Standard dynasty leagues on League Tycoon are completely free. League Tycoon has tools for serious dynasty leagues, slow auction drafts with 20-plus players at once, trade auctions, draft lotteries, compensatory picks, and league history import with no ads or sportsbook clutter. And if your league wants to go even deeper, League Tycoon also offers contract dynasty with multi-year contracts, extensions, rookie deals, tags, and restricted free agency tenders. Standard dynasty is free for everyone. And for contract dynasty leagues, use promo code pros to get your first season free. Start your free dynasty league today at league tycoon.com. And for contract dynasty leagues, that's promo code pros to get your first season free league tycoon, the official dynasty football sponsor of the fantasy pros dynasty podcast. Bogman, give me your first move. If you are a contender.
00:12:59
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think if you're a contender, I think your first move specifically now is to, uh, float some of your picks for 2027 and see what you can get back. I wouldn't say go out and immediately offer them up because I think the fervor for the 2027 draft class within the dynasty community is getting a little higher every single day, right? Specifically now that we're seeing college football highlights and guys kind of jump up out of nowhere, there's been some moving and shaking within, you know, our thoughts on who is going to go at the top of this, but It remains a very deep class. So I think if you float those picks right now, see what kind of offers you're getting back, because I do think that people are willing to people are willing to pay a little bit too much for the mystery box. And we've talked about this a little bit ad nauseum on this show and on this channel that look, you know, people want the mystery. They want the pick. They think the pick is going to solve all of the problems of their team. Sometimes it does. Right. And with this class, it definitely can. But I do think that the overpays are starting to happen. So I think if you're a contender, you think you're a top two team, maybe you're a number one team and you want to keep that, I would at least float and offer my picks out and say, hey, look, I'm looking for a move that I think is going to push my team over the top. If you're rebuilding, I have picks to trade. And, you know, as Fitz always points out to us, the better your team is, the worse that pick that you trade, is going to be. So if it's a move that you think can put you over the top, I would say go and do it. So at least float your picks because people are overpaying for them right now. Doesn't mean you have to trade them. Doesn't mean you have to move them. We all want to stay in this, but flags fly forever. And the bigger your pot, the more I'm willing to move on from my 2027 draft picks.
00:14:56
Speaker 1: It's almost for me sometimes trading picks, particularly in a class like this, it's less that Oh, I need to be convinced that it's actually the smart value play or that it's smart to, you know, try and push all in for a title of flags fly forever. Like you just said, it's less that and more just the emotional of like, I will have so much FOMO if I don't have a first round pick this year. I'm like anticipating being pissed at myself in May. Even if I win the title, I'll be like, man. Sure would have been nice to have a pick in this really fun class. That's sometimes in the back of my mind.
00:15:25
Speaker 3: Well, remember, you have a whole lead up from January to the draft where you can trade back in. It doesn't have to be the end all. So you can get back in. But if you're offering me money now, I'm taking that money now.
00:15:40
Speaker 1: Fitz, what do you think about floating your picks, particularly in this class, given obviously you have been As excited as anybody about the 2027 class, are you interested in floating your picks as a contender this year and try to take advantage of some of the enthusiasm around this class?
00:15:55
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's an interesting idea because I know a lot of times we decide we want to target a certain player from another team and maybe.
00:16:04
Speaker 5: That player just isn't for sale.
00:16:06
Speaker 4: And to just let people know that your picks are available, I mean, that's going and let it be known publicly.
00:16:15
Speaker 5: So people know they have.
00:16:17
Speaker 4: To sort of bid against other people, right? Like that can generate some market interest rather than just specifically going... I mean, that's generally how I like to work, go after specific people with trades that I think are fair after I've asked myself, like, are they going to say yes to this deal? And when I think the answer is yes, that they will take it, that it benefits them, then I'm ready to take that deal around.
00:16:42
Speaker 5: But sometimes... I'm wrong.
00:16:44
Speaker 4: In that calculation. And some guys just aren't for sale. But yeah, I like Bogman's idea of basically putting those picks up for a very public auction.
00:16:56
Speaker 1: You say picks, both of you, but Bogman, do you try to say, hey, let's see what I can do with my second rounder here before you move to the first? Or is your mindset in this conversation, hey, the first is where I'm going to get the most value back. So let's throw that right on the table right now, as opposed to trying to thread the needle with maybe giving up a second instead.
00:17:18
Speaker 3: No, I just say my picks overall, right? Like I'm include your first, I would say, and you can work backwards from there. But I do think that if you, if you put a cap on it, it's almost, I think people roll their eyes immediately when they're like, okay, guy's willing to trade his picks, but not his first. I mean, what are we even doing here? Do you want to push those chips in or not? So I think, you know, you can work backwards from the first. I think if you take the first off the table, it takes people away immediately. So I would just float all my picks if I could. Of course, when we get to the negotiating table, I'm trying to save that first as hard as I can. But if it has to go and I think it's worth it, then it was worth offering it for. And just because you offer something doesn't mean you have to trade. If you get a bunch of terrible offers, don't make the move. But like Fitzy said, we're making it public, we're loud, we're telling everyone, not just one person, so everyone knows our picks are on the table and the best deal is going to win if I decide to trade them.
00:18:21
Speaker 2: Fitz, what's your first contender move?
00:18:23
Speaker 4: It is to try to acquire one or more of the players with significant 2026 value but limited long-term value. And I've got half a dozen of those guys. Specifically in mind, Derrick Henry. Christian McCaffrey, Devonta Adams, Mike Evans, George Kittle, Travis Kelsey. These are the useful geezers. Derrick Henry, 32. Christian McCaffrey, 30. Devonta Adams and Mike Evans, both 33, as is George Kittle. Travis Kelsey, 37. But these guys still have a lot of value. And for Derrick Henry... And CMC, I think I would be willing to trade a late first. And presumably, because I'm a contender, my pick will be a late first. And for CMC and his pass-catching ability, I might even be able to be willing to throw in a little more, like my late third. Maybe a young player with some minimal 20-26 value, but possibly value down the line. I think for Devontae Adams and Mike Evans, those guys are maybe worth late seconds. And for Adams, you might have to throw in a young player with some upside for the future. And I think Kittle and Kelsey are also sort of in that late second category. And you might have to grease the skids a little bit on Kittle, especially, because Kittle's a pretty important cog still for the 49ers and might have a little bit of run out after this year. but I mean some of these guys might not be around by 2028 and that's the thing I mean people are going to say well look Derrick Henry hasn't ever talked about retirement he's still going to be around next year that's why you've got to give up the first for him and for Christian McCaffrey But really, I think Kelsey is the only one whose retirement seems totally imminent. So you're going to have to pay up a little bit for these guys. I think I'm willing to.
00:20:18
Speaker 2: Bob, what do you think?
00:20:20
Speaker 3: I love this idea. And I think this is this is a, you know, pillar of a move that you do when you're a contender, specifically if you've had an injury. Right. Like you go after the veterans, specifically on the teams that are rebuilding and don't really need their kiddo. or their cmc is like the only good player that they have left you know what i mean i specifically with those teams i feel like it's almost easier to get them because they know time is running out on the value of these players and if there's one more big injury like i think a lot of people in the offseason thought kittle was maybe done right because torn achilles old uh veteran team They had a bunch of new targets and everything. And then all of the targets go down and Kittle recovers much faster than anybody thought. And then he's leading the league in touchdowns for tight ends. So, you know, some of the times those guys can last a little bit longer than we think as well. And I think it's a good move to go and trade for a vet. The cheaper you can get them, the better, obviously.
00:21:25
Speaker 1: Are these values that Fitz threw out Bogman about aligned with what you're thinking, like a late first for Henry or CMC, some of these second rounders that Fitz gave examples of?
00:21:36
Speaker 3: That's probably about the going rate. I don't think I have much argument with those top end guys.
00:21:41
Speaker 1: Fitz, when you are making a trade and you're throwing out like, oh, I'm expecting to be a contender, so I think this is a late first. I mean, you mentioned earlier in this episode that You know, sometimes it just takes a couple of injuries and all of a sudden that pick is not where you maybe expected it to be. That team is maybe not the contender you expected. Does that make you nervous at all in trades? I know it makes me nervous whenever I'm trading away a first thinking like, oh, I might contend because it just takes a couple of, you know, twists of an ankle or the bounces of the ball. And all of a sudden, well, now that's like the seventh overall pick in a great draft instead of the 11th or 12th.
00:22:13
Speaker 4: Makes me less nervous if I'm 5-0 or a really good 4-1 and everyone's pretty healthy. Maybe a little more nervous if I'm 3-3 and feel like my team is underachieved or I'm 5-1 and I've got a wave of injuries that I'm trying to battle with. And rather than adding these guys as extra ammunition, it feels more like they're patching holes than adding to the arsenal.
00:22:38
Speaker 5: Then I get a little more nervous about it.
00:22:40
Speaker 1: Bogman, your next contender move is sort of along these lines.
00:22:44
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's pretty much the same. It's just the way to buy these players. And I think if you're buying a veteran, I think if you add, we talked about the draft picks being the mystery box. If you add some of the players that aren't doing much for you right now, specifically in leagues where you have deeper rosters, right? And I think like Fitz has pointed out to us many times, most dynasty leagues have deep rosters. So You probably have some upside guys on your bench, even as a contender, that aren't doing anything to help your team right now. Ricky Pearsall, who's injured. Omar Cooper, who's injured. Tesla, who's buried. Chris Bell hasn't gotten anything straight yet. Nick Singleton is probably going to have a role should the Titans trade Tony Pollard, and we'll see what he has, right? So I think you can take some of these guys that aren't doing a lot right now, but have that are youthful and have room to grow in the future. And you can take them and maybe trade a lower pick a third or a fourth to get a veteran that you want. It's not going to be those top end guys that Fitzy talked about, but maybe, you know, a mid range depth piece, something like that. So I think that, and this is something I've just suggested and I've done in almost every league that I possibly can is when someone asked for a second and If you say, hey, look, I can't give you that second. I just think it's too valuable. I don't know where my team is going to end up 100%. Can I give you a third? And Chris Bell, you know what I mean? That gives you now two shots at replacing the guy that you're trading. You have the pick in a deep class, so that third is going to be worth more than it should. And you have a guy that's in the NFL right now and on an ascension. So I think you know, trading some of those pieces that are doing nothing for you now, but hold value plus a pick often works out better in your favor than just trading that second and trying to hold on to that guy. That is more of a mystery box. So, and I think a lot of people specifically the bottom feeders, every league, they need as many shots as they can get. So it probably works better if their roster is really thin, but it can work on, you know, it can work with whoever wants two shots instead of one.
00:25:02
Speaker 1: Fitz, would you rather, as the person acquiring somebody to help you contend, give up the slightly higher pick or one round lower, but then also a lottery ticket on, you know, whether it's Chris Bell or some other example that sort of fits the bill, would you rather be giving up two bites at the apple or the more valuable individual asset?
00:25:21
Speaker 4: Probably would prefer to give up the two bites at the apple, the lower pick and the young unproven player.
00:25:30
Speaker 5: And keep as much of that draft capital as I can.
00:25:33
Speaker 3: Okay. I will say those are the trades that sometimes when you see them being made, they're some of the worst ones because, you know, you trade Mike Washington and a third and you get a veteran that you need.
00:25:46
Speaker 1: Right.
00:25:47
Speaker 3: And Ashton Jente gets hurt and Mike Washington takes off and is one of the best running backs in the league. You know, those are the trades sometimes that will look the worst, but I can tell you from experience that, every five you do, you're going to get maybe one of those that is completely lopsided towards that other person. So it's a risk, but trading picks are risk too. These are the ones that can look lopsided. But again, who cares if it's lopsided if you won the pot, you know, in, in the current season?
00:26:19
Speaker 4: Yeah, you can get burned on those. I, Tried to patch a hole at quarterback one year and basically traded away Trey McBride for a bag of potato chips when McBride was having a redshirt year more or less with the Cardinals. And yeah, that trade does not look so good in hindsight.
00:26:35
Speaker 1: Just quickly, Fitz, is your interest in rather doing the two assets as opposed to the more valuable draft capital? Is that specific to this year because like the 2027 class is so good or is that like an.
00:26:44
Speaker 2: Every year mindset?
00:26:48
Speaker 4: Specifically because 2027 and 2028 are looking pretty good. I mean, more so now than usually, but that's also kind of a general policy, I think.
00:26:59
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00:27:37
Speaker 4: Yeah, and this is just kind of a variation on my earlier thing about targeting old veterans, but this is super flex specific. Go out and get the elderly quarterbacks. who still have something to offer, and namely I'm thinking of Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers. And we know it's the last ride for Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford this year and next year. Basically, he's signed a two-year extension. He's going to play two more years, and that's probably it. So Stafford's going to be a little pricier because he's more valuable and has another year on top of this year. Rodgers should be pretty gettable right now if he is on a non-contending team. That's a move you should definitely make if you don't have much for a third quarterback, don't have a third quarterback perhaps, or if you've got kind of a sketchy QB2 situation.
00:28:29
Speaker 1: Bogman, do you have a preference like spending up quote unquote for Stafford versus seeing how little you can give up for a guy like Rodgers?
00:28:38
Speaker 3: I mean, I'd rather have Stafford just because he has two years and he's, you know, more viable fantasy wise than Aaron Rodgers is. But if it's a second round pick for Stafford versus a fourth round pick for Aaron Rodgers, give me a rod, you know, like the whole point is to get a guy for insurance injury. Maybe, you know, one of your quarterbacks is playing in a really tough matchup one week or weather or something late in the season. So I think that in that specific situation, a quarterback in a super flex league, specifically an older one, it's whatever the cost makes more sense on. If I can trade Tesla in a fourth to get Stafford, or it's just a fourth for A-Rod, then I'm going to go Stafford. But like we said, if we have to bump that pickup or start adding pieces, then I'm just going to take the cheaper asset, which would most likely in most scenarios be A-Rod.
00:29:29
Speaker 1: I think we're also just like, kind of assuming Stafford's having two more years, but there were some serious back questions a year ago. They're under 500 this year. If this year just like weighs on everybody, if they fall short of their immense expectations, like I think it's possible this is Stafford's last year.
00:29:45
Speaker 3: Same thing for A-Rod too, though. He says he's going to be done, but he said that last year. So I don't know if we can ever believe him either.
00:29:51
Speaker 1: This feels like the most definitively he's said it, but it's a good point.
00:29:56
Speaker 3: Pretty definitive last year and now it wasn't. You know, I just, I don't really trust what A-Rod says, but I would assume he's done after this year because he looks pretty done.
00:30:05
Speaker 2: Let's go to the Rebuilder moves here. Bogman, sticking with you, what's your first one?
00:30:09
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think if you're rebuilding, the first thing I want to do is, you know, just make sure that you don't trade to trade just because you're rebuilding. You know, you have assets, they hold a certain amount of value, and in Any scenario where you are the bad tree team trading to the good team, you hold the leverage. Now, the better the player, the more leverage you hold. So I'm not going to hold out and squeeze if I'm trading a guy that, you know, it's just a depth piece for the person I'm trading with. But if it's one of my top assets, like if I'm holding CMC, right, and he's my last good player, I really don't have much behind him at all. I'm holding. And I'm squeezing every bit of life I can get out of that deal until I feel like I'm being overpaid. Not really fairly compensated. You don't need to be fairly compensated if you are a bottom feeder in a dynasty league. You should be making that top person overpay. And they should be feeling that and be willing to overpay in most scenarios because it is tough to stay healthy, stay on top. and push everybody to the side. So I think you just need to realize making moves to make moves to get low picks isn't always the way to do it. Sometimes it's holding out. Now, like we said, the higher the player, the bigger the package that you're moving, the more leverage you have. So the longer you should hold. So don't hold out on those bottom feeder pieces or pieces that really aren't going to do anything. Like if you're holding JK Dobbins now, trade him for a song. You know what I mean? Like we don't think he's long for this job in Denver or He's got a pretty nice role right now, specifically with Coleman out. And when Coleman comes back, he may have a different role. So get rid of him. That's one scenario. But if you're holding Derrick Henry, you're holding CMC, hold. Hold the line. Squeeze. Get a couple offers. Play them off of each other. Do what you can to maximize your deals.
00:32:10
Speaker 2: What if those offers don't come, though?
00:32:11
Speaker 1: And it's a guy like Derrick Henry or Mike Evans or Travis Kelsey where you really are not expecting much beyond this year, realistically, just given the ages and the offers aren't coming in? Like, eventually, is there a point where you say, like, listen, it would be malpractice to.
00:32:28
Speaker 2: Get nothing for him?
00:32:30
Speaker 1: Or do you say, hey, on principle, I'm not going to give him up for less than, you know, something close to an overpay?
00:32:37
Speaker 3: I mean, I've been a jerk and gone the on principle way probably too many times. So I've let that burn me a couple times. But I'll say, you know, the deeper we get into the season, also, the less value those guys hold right because now currently you know we're five weeks in we're a third of the way through the season basically so those assets are worth less than they would have been week one so you have to take these things into account as well but if you know if the best time getting offered is a third round pick and a couple players for derrick henry i'll roll them in the next year and just see what he's worth he's a freak so not every player is a freak like that so I understand the malpractice side, but if I'm not getting fairly compensated at all, I'll just hold out unless I know the guy is absolutely retiring, which is very rare.
00:33:28
Speaker 2: What do you make of this, Fitz?
00:33:30
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, that's fair if you're not getting the price you want. I'm willing to do that, but there is a risk to playing chicken with these guys. And there's some guys I won't do this for, like in my earlier example, Mike Evans and Devonta Adams.
00:33:44
Speaker 5: Like, I don't want to mess with that.
00:33:46
Speaker 4: If Adams, he's already dealing with a rib issue, what if his hamstring goes next week? Like, this is your window right now.
00:33:54
Speaker 3: Well, your window's actually closed. You should have done it the two games that.
00:33:57
Speaker 5: Booker was out.
00:33:59
Speaker 4: Well, coming off the big game against Seattle, though, that's going to be appealing.
00:34:03
Speaker 5: To a lot of people.
00:34:04
Speaker 2: Fitz, what's your first Rebuilder move?
00:34:07
Speaker 5: So, yeah, I was going to.
00:34:08
Speaker 4: Obviously, you mentioned the corollary of what I said for the contender move to trade away these old valuable guys over 30, the Mike Evans class, the Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Travis Kelsey, those guys.
00:34:24
Speaker 5: So that's kind of obvious.
00:34:26
Speaker 4: If you're rebuilding, I think you owe it to yourself to move those guys now while they're all performing really well and are easy sells to contenders.
00:34:35
Speaker 5: But I'll throw in as kind of a bonus.
00:34:37
Speaker 4: Sort of a don't for Rebuilders. Don't trade away your mid. Guys who are players in their mid primes, don't sell those useful players for picks. Someone on our Discord was asking me the other day about selling, I think it was Garrett Wilson, for like a first and a third. And I'm like, no, don't do that. Garrett Wilson is 26th. He's going to have several other good years for you. And he's reminding us this year what a good player he is. He is more valuable to you, even as a rebuilder, than a late first plus a late third. So don't make moves like that. Try to focus on the older players. And maybe if you can get a blockbuster for a guy like Garrett Wilson. But I'm not just doing it for two picks that do not equate to the value of Garrett Wilson.
00:35:34
Speaker 1: Yeah, Pogman, are you, so like obviously selling veterans is kind of something that makes a lot of sense. Do you have this sort of same approach in terms of the guys that are still in their primes?
00:35:45
Speaker 3: Yeah, I would say if you're trading a guy in their prime like that, you're holding out for the Godfather deal. It's not a first and a, you're not holding out for fair market value. I think a first and a third might be fair market value for Garrett Wilson. That's not what we want, especially if we're a bottom feeder and we have a bunch of holes. in our roster, right? Like what we want is we want the two firsts for Garrett Wilson, the first and 27, the first and 28, and maybe a piece on their bench. They're not doing anything with, and you flip them back, you know, a mid tier piece that's on your roster. That is better than what's on the wire. You know what I mean? Like those are the deals that you're making. If you're trading, uh, guys that are in their prime or close to it, or, you know, even got like I'd say Jonathan Taylor might be a guy like that as well.
00:36:35
Speaker 5: Right.
00:36:35
Speaker 3: Fitzy, like a guy that is so good. He's been good for years for running back. This might be the peak year. And then we're on the back end after that, just as far as touches go and usage. So, but that guy, you hold out for everything when you trade a, you know, a top five at their position right now. So that's, it's kind of like what I was saying initially, you don't trade to trade, right? You trade when the good players, trade comes to you that we're waiting for that. We're holding out. We're squeezing. So, uh, like Fitzy said, you don't want to play chicken with the old, old guys like Devante and Mike Evans, but you do definitely want to play chicken with guys that are going to have at least a couple more seasons.
00:37:18
Speaker 1: Quick announcement for everybody. The winner of the bling ring and case giveaway is pizza machine for one nine three.
00:37:25
Speaker 2: Great name.
00:37:25
Speaker 1: Please get in touch with our customer support agents, That mailbag at fantasypros.com with your mailing address and a screenshot of your YouTube account page while logged in. Once we confirm, we'll get you taken care of. Again, congrats to Pizza Machine 4193. If you want a chance to win the ultimate symbol of fantasy glory, the Fantasy Football Championship belt, courtesy of our good friends at Trophy Smack, the number one destination for epic fantasy football hardware, then this is your moment. This massive gold-plated belt is built to make a statement.
00:37:54
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00:37:55
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00:38:05
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00:38:06
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00:38:14
Speaker 2: Bogman, give me another Rebuilder move.
00:38:17
Speaker 3: First of all, I thought Pizza Machine was what the Ninja Turtles drove around. Is that not right?
00:38:22
Speaker 4: I want to know if it's someone who puts away a lot of pizza or someone who maybe spins pizzas professionally at a pizzeria.
00:38:29
Speaker 3: Sells pizza, owns a pizza place. Yeah, could be a lot of different options here for us. We like pizza, though.
00:38:36
Speaker 5: We know that.
00:38:36
Speaker 3: Who doesn't? I would say, and this matters more the deeper your rosters are, but at the end of the season, just stay on top of the waiver wire, right? I think a lot of people... After the trade deadline, you know your team sucks. It's really tough to keep watching this, right? You want to move on and wait for next year. But you stay on top of that waiver wire because the contenders will start dropping players with future value to get a handcuff, to get a backup, to get a one-week piece, right? So really, you need to pay attention the whole season, specifically at the end, the deeper your rosters are because there will be some viable pieces dropped. at the end that you can add for free or for very cheap off of fab. And, you know, there's going to be fewer people paying attention at the end. It's just human nature. So just make sure you are staying up on the waiver wire. And when somebody drops a piece that is useless, to you, scoop them up and, you know, throw off whoever is not doing anything for you or doesn't hold that kind of future value. So just make sure you're paying attention. These are the little things that can help you in the long run.
00:39:43
Speaker 2: Fitz, is this a strategy you employ yourself?
00:39:48
Speaker 4: Yeah. I, Sometimes I'm just, I was trying to think of any concrete examples and I just could not think of any.
00:40:00
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:40:00
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:40:01
Speaker 3: It's not, I don't have any like concrete and, uh, you know, examples either, but I will say, I know off the top of my head, I've been able to grab somebody off the wire at the end of the season. And we hear a lot about this on discord to Fitzy. And this is kind of, What made me think of it is when I think one of our recent conversations, somebody was saying, yeah, I just grabbed RJ Harvey off the wire at the end of last year. And then going into the year, obviously, RJ Harvey not been great this season. But going into the year, there were still people in the RJ Harvey camp. Right. So he holds value for you at that time. And you can maybe you can take him in a pick and move up a spot that you need in the draft to get the guy that you want. It's just little tiny things like that. that give you a little boost going into next season. That's all.
00:40:49
Speaker 5: I suppose that makes sense.
00:40:50
Speaker 4: And there are some, and we hear from these people on discord all the time where they're shallower dynasty leagues. Cause I think in most of our dynasty leagues, it's, it's tumbleweeds.
00:41:01
Speaker 1: The difference between a shallow and a deep league is pretty stark here.
00:41:05
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:41:05
Speaker 5: That's why I struggled.
00:41:06
Speaker 4: Like I'm not, I picked up Dante Myers in a bunch of dynasty leagues a couple of weeks ago. I'm just like, throwing him into any deal right now probably isn't going to juice things that much even though i really like dante myers i'd just rather sit and hatch that egg myself.
00:41:23
Speaker 3: But this is more my advice is more for the end of the season when we're in the playoffs and people are and you're right i guess it can work both ways where it's a short roster versus a bigger roster i just think of it for a bigger roster because there is nothing on the wire So what people are cutting might be much better than what's on the wire at all. And there's fewer people paying attention. That's all.
00:41:46
Speaker 2: Fitz, any other rebuilder moves, young players to target, anything you want to highlight?
00:41:50
Speaker 4: Young players to target and mostly pass catchers. There are a bunch of them who are not really doing anything for their teams right now who might be able to be pried loose for veterans who can help teams that aren't getting anything from these guys. And here's a list of some of those pass catchers. Jordan Tyson, Mekhi Lemon, DeJuan Stribling, Chris Bell, a lot of rookies on this list, Jacoby Lane, Caleb Douglas, but then some non-rookies, guys like Ricky Pearsall, who's hurt, Jalen Noel, who's starting to pop a little bit, Isaac Tesla, who's just so interesting because of the physical traits, some of the tight ends, Kenyon Sadiq, Terrence Ferguson, Eli Stowers, Eli Raritan, who's starting to make noise, and I don't know if there's many running backs who fall into this category because some of these guys might have a handcuff value or whatever, but maybe whoever has Judarian Price is willing to part with them because it doesn't look like Judarian Price is going to be very impactful in year one.
00:42:50
Speaker 3: Charbonnet, not doing a lot right now, and.
00:42:53
Speaker 5: He's a free agent. Maybe.
00:42:55
Speaker 4: Kalen Black is another one if you're not trying to pry them away from whoever has Christian McCaffrey.
00:43:03
Speaker 5: Here's one.
00:43:04
Speaker 4: O'Marion Hampton. Totally haven't given up on O'Marion Hampton. He's just kind of a bad fit for the Mike McDaniel offense, it seems like. Pretty good time to swoop in and buy him for a more useful piece because right now there are a lot of teams that aren't even starting O'Marion Hampton.
00:43:22
Speaker 2: Yeah, Hampton, I think, is a really interesting call.
00:43:24
Speaker 1: On the trade show for this redraft, on the trade show, Erickson and I basically every week are.
00:43:29
Speaker 2: Like, It's only getting worse. Like we should have sold earlier with the way it's going again.
00:43:34
Speaker 1: That's for a redraft perspective, but that might kind of span out into, into dynasty as well for a lot of managers out there.
00:43:41
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:43:42
Speaker 1: I want to actually throw before we get out of here, one more rebuild or move at you guys that I was thinking about that. I didn't know if any of you would mention and you guys haven't. So I want to bring it up myself. And one of you, I think it was Fitz.
00:43:54
Speaker 2: Sorry. I forget which one.
00:43:55
Speaker 1: One of you mentioned the 2028 class. I think right now is the best time to go get 2028 picks. And if you're a rebuilder, especially, I think that is a really savvy move for a couple of reasons. Number one, I think it is always the best, most affordable time to get high picks in future drafts before they come up, right? So even setting aside what we think of the strength of the respective classes, right now would always be the best time to go get a 2028 pick as opposed to.
00:44:22
Speaker 2: A 27, in my opinion. But also, I think... these two classes are closer than they are by reputation in terms of 27 and 28. 27 is awesome. It is the better class as of right now, how we think about it. Like I'm not saying that 28 is better, but I think the 28 class is also going to end up being pretty good. This isn't like the difference between 26 and 27, like where one of them was terrible.
00:44:46
Speaker 1: One of them was amazing. I think it's going to be one of them's amazing. And one of them is still really darn good. And yet, because of the reputation of 2027 overshadowing these picks in any trade negotiations, I think they're attainable. I've seen so many trades go down in my leagues where it's, hey, I cannot give up the 2027 pick.
00:45:06
Speaker 2: Totally untouchable.
00:45:07
Speaker 1: 2028, sure, just because it feels worse and, of course, is also farther away. We're seeing this at the NFL level, right?
00:45:14
Speaker 2: A.J.
00:45:14
Speaker 1: Brown traded for a 28 first instead of a 27 first. Cam Juergens traded for a 28 second instead of 27. These guys are looking at future picks in a way, or the NFL general managers are looking at future picks in a way that I think we should be learning from as dynasty managers, because I do think now is the right time to go get these picks. And as a rebuilder, you're always going to want to have future firsts and seconds. And again, just to kind of put the bow on this point that I'm making, the 2028 class, I think is going to be very good fits.
00:45:48
Speaker 5: I agree with you, and especially in Superflex.
00:45:53
Speaker 4: And I'm not trying to let any air out of the 2027 balloon because I still think, regardless, that's going to be an outstanding class with a lot of good receivers and running backs and some tight ends. But a lot of quarterbacks are increasingly kicking the can further down the road. And there are a lot of really intriguing draft-eligible quarterbacks for 2027 that Probably a majority of those guys are not going to declare.
00:46:19
Speaker 5: Those guys can just make so much money in school now.
00:46:22
Speaker 4: It's very appealing for them to just stay in school, play it out, make a lot of money, and then come out after their senior years. So I think we might get a little bit rug pulled with the 2027 class. I think there's still going to be some really good quarterbacks, but It's not going to be the bonanza of a dozen interesting quarterbacks that we could possibly get if everyone came out when they're eligible. So I agree with you. 2028 is looking good. I don't know if Malachi Tony is going to be as exciting as Jeremiah Smith.
00:46:55
Speaker 5: But he's pretty exciting.
00:46:56
Speaker 2: He's going to be pretty up there.
00:46:58
Speaker 5: Yeah. So I like that thought.
00:47:00
Speaker 2: I like Malachi. I like Keelan Russell at Alabama.
00:47:04
Speaker 3: Keelan Russell looks like he might be the next Lamar. He looks awesome. If he starts running... he he could be lamar but he is so pocket focused right now he's a really great passer there's juice in there man there's a lot of for sure.
00:47:19
Speaker 1: And then you get into the guys like fit to say who might kick the cj car could could go back to notre dame and say you know what i can make a lot of money at notre dame and and going out in another class right like i mean there.
00:47:29
Speaker 3: There's a lot of doesn't need the money totally so totally so you can say doesn't look good right now i think i i thought i heard I can't remember if it was Daniel Jeremiah or one of the other big draft analysts say they thought maybe Drew Mestemaker was the best of the draft-eligible, 2027 draft-eligible quarterbacks. But this is Mestemaker's second year as a starter since grade school. And his first in the P4.
00:47:55
Speaker 4: Yeah, he is probably not coming out this year. So that's another guy who's probably going to kick the can.
00:48:01
Speaker 5: Down the road.
00:48:02
Speaker 2: And again, we're not knocking 27 generally speaking.
00:48:05
Speaker 1: We're saying 2028 is also very good, but it doesn't have the reputation that 2027 has had for years now building up to this point. So I think you can take advantage of that in trades, Bogman.
00:48:16
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:48:16
Speaker 3: And I think there's a good point to make too, that where, you know, Fitz has talked about how like, hey, sometimes it stinks to trade for a pick that's two years away because you do have to take into account, like, I don't have any value for that for 2027 either, but it's an asset, right? And if the class isn't as good as we thought, Maybe this pick from 28 helps you move to where you need or to get that veteran in the, you know, during the 2026 draft or the 2020, sorry, during the 2027 draft or the 2027 off season, right? It's still an asset that you have in the bag that you can move to get the piece that you need. So I think trading for those pieces specifically when they aren't being looked at in high regard Because everyone is not thinking about that class at all. They're all thinking about 2027 is a really good point to make. So I like this point that you brought to us, Worm, and it's a very smart move to try to get those picks right now because people are overlooking them.
00:49:17
Speaker 1: It's something I always like to do, but I think this... year in particular, it makes a lot of sense given how overshadowed the class feels compared to 27 and how good I think the class could end up being.
00:49:28
Speaker 3: A lot of those in this show too, like the one where I say, try to trade an upside guy that's in the league now plus a pick instead of the higher pick, That applies every year, but for this year specifically, like a little bit more. So a lot of that in this show today.
00:49:44
Speaker 1: I want to remind everybody they can join our Fantasy Pros Discord community, chat with other fans, and get access to exclusive AMAs that wind up on our podcast feed. A current schedule looks like this. Myself and Fitz at 5 Eastern on the first Tuesday of every month. Bogman and Fitz at 5 Eastern on the third Tuesday of every month. Welsh and Erickson at 2 Eastern every Thursday. Come get your questions answered and be on the show. at fantasypros.com slash chat. We'll wrap things up there. Thanks for everybody for checking out our contenders and rebuilders advice episode for Fitz and Bogman.
00:50:15
Speaker 2: I'm Ryan Warmly. We'll see you again next time.
00:50:18
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Fantasy Pros Dynasty Football Podcast. If you love the show, the best free way to support us is by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Follow us on X, Instagram, and TikTok at Fantasy Pros and subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com slash fantasypros.
Speaker 1: Hello everybody, welcome to the Fantasy Pros Dynasty Football Podcast brought to you by League Tycoon, the Dynasty First fantasy football platform. I'm Ryan Wormley, joined by Pat Fitzmaurice and by Scott Bogman. We are talking some Dynasty contenders versus rebuilders today, giving you a sense of evaluating your team and then also what should you be doing if you're in the contender bucket or in the rebuilder bucket.
00:00:27
Speaker 2: Bogman, how are you doing?
00:00:29
Speaker 3: I'm doing pretty good. I mean, the Longhorns lost this weekend. So pretty upset about that. But the Steelers won and the offense looked good. Like a Steelers win without six sacks and four turnovers is a rarity in recent times for me. So that was decent to kind of in the middle on my dynasty teams so far this season. So this is a good episode for me. Fits.
00:00:55
Speaker 4: Operation Tank is going splendidly in the league that we're all in together. I am 0-5 and my team is absolute hot garbage juice. So I think I'm going to wind up with Jeremiah Smith in at least one league. So I feel great about that. Pretty good sports week too. Brewers doing well. Packers teaching Ben Johnson some manners. That was nice.
00:01:17
Speaker 5: I'm feeling good this week.
00:01:19
Speaker 1: I was trying to tank in that same league, Fitz, and I have two very unfortunate wins that I'm not thrilled about. So you are doing a much superior job than I am.
00:01:30
Speaker 5: It's a super flex league.
00:01:32
Speaker 4: Can you do better than having your three quarterbacks be Bo Nix, Justin Herbert, and Malik Willis?
00:01:38
Speaker 5: That's hard to top.
00:01:40
Speaker 3: I'll do you better by only having two quarterbacks.
00:01:42
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:01:44
Speaker 1: I say unfortunately. Obviously, I'm happy to have Trevor Lawrence in that league. My other two quarterbacks are Kyler and Daniel Jones, so it's not that far off.
00:01:51
Speaker 2: It's just Trevor.
00:01:52
Speaker 1: Lawrence, unfortunately, is buoying the scoring I'm getting every week. But we don't need to talk about that. We'll see who wins the race to Jeremiah Smith there. Reminder for everybody, all of our 2026 consensus rankings and tiers can be found at fantasypros.com slash rankings. You can navigate to our Dynasty rankings from there as well.
00:02:11
Speaker 2: Before we jump into.
00:02:12
Speaker 1: some specific pieces of advice from you guys for contenders and rebuilders. I want to talk about diagnosing your teams. I think, and I talked about this a lot on the show over the last year, that it is a really valuable skill in Dynasty to be able to just sort of self-identify and say, I am a contender or I am a rebuilder and choose to lean into those directions. A lot of the times, my biggest frustrations in Dynasty trade negotiations, Bogman, are when the person I'm talking to seems to have a very different view of their roster than I feel like is the very obvious view of you should be leaning into contending or you should be leaning into rebuilding. Is this something that you feel like you run into yourself fairly often? Or do you feel like the people in your leagues are generally pretty good about knowing when's the right time to push.
00:02:58
Speaker 2: Their chips in?
00:03:00
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that for the most part, people know when to push their chips in and when they are rebuilding. But I'll say that everyone in my league, and this is constant for everyone in every league, has a different evaluation on every player than I do. And now, a lot of the times it's not different enough to make a difference and not get a trade done, but many times there are holdouts. Someone sees one of their players as having a little bit more you know, gas left in the tank or a little bit more upside for a future player or a draft pick that's worth a little bit more than I consider. So you have to take those things into account as well. So I do think that most managers know, you know, when their team is it's time to push the chips in or it's time to rebuild a little bit. A lot of times it's not completely rebuilding. It's just man, I've had some bad luck this year and I've had some injuries this year. It's not going to be this year. So let's go ahead and trade off the pieces we don't need for the future. But I think everyone has a different view of players pretty much universally.
00:04:10
Speaker 2: What do you think fits?
00:04:10
Speaker 1: Is this a problem that you sometimes run into yourself or do you feel like there's some pretty strong self-evaluation of people's rosters in your leagues?
00:04:19
Speaker 4: I think it's gotten better over time as people have gotten more familiar with Dynasty and people are now– the people who picked it up less than 10 years ago are now grizzled Dynasty veterans. But there's still some misdiagnosis that happens and there is no better way to bust the chops of a league mate than to be talking trade with them and to– Find out they're not in a rebuild and say, oh, you're not in a rebuild?
00:04:44
Speaker 3: Your roster says otherwise, friend.
00:04:46
Speaker 5: Exactly. Exactly.
00:04:48
Speaker 4: So, I mean, there are some people who, and we can talk about specifics and why some people maybe get off the right track as far as diagnosing themselves. But I think for the most part, people are pretty realistic about which direction they're headed.
00:05:03
Speaker 3: So how do.
00:05:04
Speaker 1: You guys go about diagnosing your own rosters and sort of evaluating, particularly if maybe you were more in the middle coming into the season, right? If you come into the season and you're like the heavy favorite to win this league, you got a really loaded roster. As long as you haven't taken so many season ending injuries, regardless of what happens the first few weeks, you're still generally thinking of yourself in that light in all likelihood. Same thing if you're a true rebuilder, right? You in our shared league fits, we're going into the season trying to rebuild, I think, and are 0-5. So you're feeling like you're on the right path there. When you're in the middle of Five, six weeks into the season, which is the stage we're at right now here in week six of the year, what are you looking at specifically? Is it something about just the record and the points scored fits? Is it about looking at the other teams around you and trying to pit yourself against them and playing out the rest of the season?
00:05:57
Speaker 2: Is it about the age of your team? Where are you.
00:05:59
Speaker 1: Looking when trying to determine if you yourself are a contender or a rebuilder?
00:06:04
Speaker 4: Pretty much just the makeup of my roster not so much the points scored because there's some guys who are underperforming and have a chance of turning it around their injuries other factors that might be holding down your point total or artificially inflating it but with roster evaluation I think a real contender should have at least one or two real engines guys who are force multipliers the Bijan Robinson, Jameer Gibbs, JSN, Josh Allen, Brock Bowers types? Do you have one or two of those to sort of be the cornerstone of your title run? But I think the bigger one is depth. And there might be a tendency with a lot of dynasty managers to just sort of look at the optimal starting lineup that you can run out as a measure of your team's strength. And I think that's a big mistake because in the NFL, guys are going to get hurt all the time.
00:07:00
Speaker 5: Way more than we'd like.
00:07:02
Speaker 4: I mean, we take stock of injuries every week, and it seems like one week is bloodier than the next. And more than half the weeks in an NFL regular season, or I should say in a fantasy season, are bye weeks. So we're about to hit a four-team bye week in week six. Depth, I think, is really the true measure of team strength. And if you have three or four pretty solid players behind your ideal starting lineup, then maybe you can start to feel better about your chances to contend because you can take some hits. You can weather the storms that are inevitably going to come up during the regular season.
00:07:39
Speaker 1: Bogman, do you feel like one of those pillars is more important in your opinion than the other when trying to call yourself a contender? Like, would you rather be the team that has Bijan, Kenneth Walker, and Tedaro McMillan, but zero bench? Or would you rather be the team that doesn't have those types of names, but you know, you have very playable pieces all scattered throughout the bench when you're trying to decide if you're a contender that year.
00:08:02
Speaker 3: I think if I'm picking one, I would rather have like the elite players on my starting roster than the depth. But I think Fitz is right. I don't think you can survive an entire season if you don't have some depth, right? Like if you were counting on David Montgomery to be a piece in your lineup, whether that was your RB2 or a flex or, even an occasional flex, and he's been awful and nothing has worked. You have an Ollie Gordon, right? Somebody that, man, this guy came out of nowhere. Did you add an Ollie Gordon?
00:08:36
Speaker 1: You know what I mean?
00:08:37
Speaker 3: Something like that to make sure the starting lineup is going to be good, I think is important. And I think the comparative thing is, you know, like it's tough to say points, right? But specifically if, because like I'm in a league where I have just made the wrong decision on who to start. in my flex spot like three weeks in a row. And I probably would have two more wins if I had that right. So I know my team is pretty good, right? But I've been making the mistakes. So I know I'm right there. So like Fitz said, you know, you compare yourself to the other rosters that are at the top. I think that's a big one. And just give yourself a realistic, like if I wasn't in this league, what I think this roster can stay with the leaders in the pack when we get down to the end, if not, am I far enough to where there's no moves I can make to get there, or do I have the assets to make the moves and potentially put myself within that realm as well, I think is a big thing. So I think you need to get a realistic comparison to the top teams in your league. And if you are the top team, then how do I make this last? Do I have players that I am confident are going to last a season, and do I have the depth that I feel like I need? So I think they're all important, but I think like Fitz started with, Having the horses is probably the most important part.
00:09:59
Speaker 1: Anything else you're looking at Fitz before we move on just that like you think is important to keep note of when you're considering if you're a contender or not.
00:10:07
Speaker 4: I mean definitely take stock of the other teams in your league who are the contenders how does your team stack up against the top contenders in your league so study those teams rosters and And maybe there are maybe there's one invincible team or you feel they're invincible. And, you know, sometimes there can be waves of injuries that kind of take those teams off their feet. But if they're like three really strong teams and you feel you're clearly below those three teams might be hard to topple one team. But if you know you're going to have to beat two of them in the playoffs, that can be tough. if those teams are clearly better than yours. So know the competition and study those rosters, and that'll help with the self-assessment.
00:10:54
Speaker 3: And I think if there's one team to beat, it makes it more realistic for you to push your chips in and get that big deal done to put yourself within arm's reach of that team. But if it's three, like Fitz said, probably less options to trade with as well. And now it's not just one team that you're trading for. Now you're trading future pieces to get assets to compete with three to four teams this season. It just, it does make things more difficult. So I think comparing yourself is, is, and being realistic about it is a big thing. And then, you know, just knowing you have the depth to survive a bump, right? Like no one can survive a bump if Bijan or Gibbs goes down, but if, your wide receiver to your tight end, whatever it may be goes down. Do you have a decent backup? And if not, is that acquirable at a cost efficient rate? So I think you just, there's a lot of things to break down to know if you're there, but I think most of the time you can do a quick scan of your roster in the top rosters and know if you're close or not.
00:12:02
Speaker 1: If you play in a serious dynasty league, you should check out league tycoon, the official dynasty football sponsor of the fantasy pros dynasty podcast. It's a modern fantasy football platform built specifically for dynasty leagues, not redraft. Standard dynasty leagues on League Tycoon are completely free. League Tycoon has tools for serious dynasty leagues, slow auction drafts with 20-plus players at once, trade auctions, draft lotteries, compensatory picks, and league history import with no ads or sportsbook clutter. And if your league wants to go even deeper, League Tycoon also offers contract dynasty with multi-year contracts, extensions, rookie deals, tags, and restricted free agency tenders. Standard dynasty is free for everyone. And for contract dynasty leagues, use promo code pros to get your first season free. Start your free dynasty league today at league tycoon.com. And for contract dynasty leagues, that's promo code pros to get your first season free league tycoon, the official dynasty football sponsor of the fantasy pros dynasty podcast. Bogman, give me your first move. If you are a contender.
00:12:59
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think if you're a contender, I think your first move specifically now is to, uh, float some of your picks for 2027 and see what you can get back. I wouldn't say go out and immediately offer them up because I think the fervor for the 2027 draft class within the dynasty community is getting a little higher every single day, right? Specifically now that we're seeing college football highlights and guys kind of jump up out of nowhere, there's been some moving and shaking within, you know, our thoughts on who is going to go at the top of this, but It remains a very deep class. So I think if you float those picks right now, see what kind of offers you're getting back, because I do think that people are willing to people are willing to pay a little bit too much for the mystery box. And we've talked about this a little bit ad nauseum on this show and on this channel that look, you know, people want the mystery. They want the pick. They think the pick is going to solve all of the problems of their team. Sometimes it does. Right. And with this class, it definitely can. But I do think that the overpays are starting to happen. So I think if you're a contender, you think you're a top two team, maybe you're a number one team and you want to keep that, I would at least float and offer my picks out and say, hey, look, I'm looking for a move that I think is going to push my team over the top. If you're rebuilding, I have picks to trade. And, you know, as Fitz always points out to us, the better your team is, the worse that pick that you trade, is going to be. So if it's a move that you think can put you over the top, I would say go and do it. So at least float your picks because people are overpaying for them right now. Doesn't mean you have to trade them. Doesn't mean you have to move them. We all want to stay in this, but flags fly forever. And the bigger your pot, the more I'm willing to move on from my 2027 draft picks.
00:14:56
Speaker 1: It's almost for me sometimes trading picks, particularly in a class like this, it's less that Oh, I need to be convinced that it's actually the smart value play or that it's smart to, you know, try and push all in for a title of flags fly forever. Like you just said, it's less that and more just the emotional of like, I will have so much FOMO if I don't have a first round pick this year. I'm like anticipating being pissed at myself in May. Even if I win the title, I'll be like, man. Sure would have been nice to have a pick in this really fun class. That's sometimes in the back of my mind.
00:15:25
Speaker 3: Well, remember, you have a whole lead up from January to the draft where you can trade back in. It doesn't have to be the end all. So you can get back in. But if you're offering me money now, I'm taking that money now.
00:15:40
Speaker 1: Fitz, what do you think about floating your picks, particularly in this class, given obviously you have been As excited as anybody about the 2027 class, are you interested in floating your picks as a contender this year and try to take advantage of some of the enthusiasm around this class?
00:15:55
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's an interesting idea because I know a lot of times we decide we want to target a certain player from another team and maybe.
00:16:04
Speaker 5: That player just isn't for sale.
00:16:06
Speaker 4: And to just let people know that your picks are available, I mean, that's going and let it be known publicly.
00:16:15
Speaker 5: So people know they have.
00:16:17
Speaker 4: To sort of bid against other people, right? Like that can generate some market interest rather than just specifically going... I mean, that's generally how I like to work, go after specific people with trades that I think are fair after I've asked myself, like, are they going to say yes to this deal? And when I think the answer is yes, that they will take it, that it benefits them, then I'm ready to take that deal around.
00:16:42
Speaker 5: But sometimes... I'm wrong.
00:16:44
Speaker 4: In that calculation. And some guys just aren't for sale. But yeah, I like Bogman's idea of basically putting those picks up for a very public auction.
00:16:56
Speaker 1: You say picks, both of you, but Bogman, do you try to say, hey, let's see what I can do with my second rounder here before you move to the first? Or is your mindset in this conversation, hey, the first is where I'm going to get the most value back. So let's throw that right on the table right now, as opposed to trying to thread the needle with maybe giving up a second instead.
00:17:18
Speaker 3: No, I just say my picks overall, right? Like I'm include your first, I would say, and you can work backwards from there. But I do think that if you, if you put a cap on it, it's almost, I think people roll their eyes immediately when they're like, okay, guy's willing to trade his picks, but not his first. I mean, what are we even doing here? Do you want to push those chips in or not? So I think, you know, you can work backwards from the first. I think if you take the first off the table, it takes people away immediately. So I would just float all my picks if I could. Of course, when we get to the negotiating table, I'm trying to save that first as hard as I can. But if it has to go and I think it's worth it, then it was worth offering it for. And just because you offer something doesn't mean you have to trade. If you get a bunch of terrible offers, don't make the move. But like Fitzy said, we're making it public, we're loud, we're telling everyone, not just one person, so everyone knows our picks are on the table and the best deal is going to win if I decide to trade them.
00:18:21
Speaker 2: Fitz, what's your first contender move?
00:18:23
Speaker 4: It is to try to acquire one or more of the players with significant 2026 value but limited long-term value. And I've got half a dozen of those guys. Specifically in mind, Derrick Henry. Christian McCaffrey, Devonta Adams, Mike Evans, George Kittle, Travis Kelsey. These are the useful geezers. Derrick Henry, 32. Christian McCaffrey, 30. Devonta Adams and Mike Evans, both 33, as is George Kittle. Travis Kelsey, 37. But these guys still have a lot of value. And for Derrick Henry... And CMC, I think I would be willing to trade a late first. And presumably, because I'm a contender, my pick will be a late first. And for CMC and his pass-catching ability, I might even be able to be willing to throw in a little more, like my late third. Maybe a young player with some minimal 20-26 value, but possibly value down the line. I think for Devontae Adams and Mike Evans, those guys are maybe worth late seconds. And for Adams, you might have to throw in a young player with some upside for the future. And I think Kittle and Kelsey are also sort of in that late second category. And you might have to grease the skids a little bit on Kittle, especially, because Kittle's a pretty important cog still for the 49ers and might have a little bit of run out after this year. but I mean some of these guys might not be around by 2028 and that's the thing I mean people are going to say well look Derrick Henry hasn't ever talked about retirement he's still going to be around next year that's why you've got to give up the first for him and for Christian McCaffrey But really, I think Kelsey is the only one whose retirement seems totally imminent. So you're going to have to pay up a little bit for these guys. I think I'm willing to.
00:20:18
Speaker 2: Bob, what do you think?
00:20:20
Speaker 3: I love this idea. And I think this is this is a, you know, pillar of a move that you do when you're a contender, specifically if you've had an injury. Right. Like you go after the veterans, specifically on the teams that are rebuilding and don't really need their kiddo. or their cmc is like the only good player that they have left you know what i mean i specifically with those teams i feel like it's almost easier to get them because they know time is running out on the value of these players and if there's one more big injury like i think a lot of people in the offseason thought kittle was maybe done right because torn achilles old uh veteran team They had a bunch of new targets and everything. And then all of the targets go down and Kittle recovers much faster than anybody thought. And then he's leading the league in touchdowns for tight ends. So, you know, some of the times those guys can last a little bit longer than we think as well. And I think it's a good move to go and trade for a vet. The cheaper you can get them, the better, obviously.
00:21:25
Speaker 1: Are these values that Fitz threw out Bogman about aligned with what you're thinking, like a late first for Henry or CMC, some of these second rounders that Fitz gave examples of?
00:21:36
Speaker 3: That's probably about the going rate. I don't think I have much argument with those top end guys.
00:21:41
Speaker 1: Fitz, when you are making a trade and you're throwing out like, oh, I'm expecting to be a contender, so I think this is a late first. I mean, you mentioned earlier in this episode that You know, sometimes it just takes a couple of injuries and all of a sudden that pick is not where you maybe expected it to be. That team is maybe not the contender you expected. Does that make you nervous at all in trades? I know it makes me nervous whenever I'm trading away a first thinking like, oh, I might contend because it just takes a couple of, you know, twists of an ankle or the bounces of the ball. And all of a sudden, well, now that's like the seventh overall pick in a great draft instead of the 11th or 12th.
00:22:13
Speaker 4: Makes me less nervous if I'm 5-0 or a really good 4-1 and everyone's pretty healthy. Maybe a little more nervous if I'm 3-3 and feel like my team is underachieved or I'm 5-1 and I've got a wave of injuries that I'm trying to battle with. And rather than adding these guys as extra ammunition, it feels more like they're patching holes than adding to the arsenal.
00:22:38
Speaker 5: Then I get a little more nervous about it.
00:22:40
Speaker 1: Bogman, your next contender move is sort of along these lines.
00:22:44
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's pretty much the same. It's just the way to buy these players. And I think if you're buying a veteran, I think if you add, we talked about the draft picks being the mystery box. If you add some of the players that aren't doing much for you right now, specifically in leagues where you have deeper rosters, right? And I think like Fitz has pointed out to us many times, most dynasty leagues have deep rosters. So You probably have some upside guys on your bench, even as a contender, that aren't doing anything to help your team right now. Ricky Pearsall, who's injured. Omar Cooper, who's injured. Tesla, who's buried. Chris Bell hasn't gotten anything straight yet. Nick Singleton is probably going to have a role should the Titans trade Tony Pollard, and we'll see what he has, right? So I think you can take some of these guys that aren't doing a lot right now, but have that are youthful and have room to grow in the future. And you can take them and maybe trade a lower pick a third or a fourth to get a veteran that you want. It's not going to be those top end guys that Fitzy talked about, but maybe, you know, a mid range depth piece, something like that. So I think that, and this is something I've just suggested and I've done in almost every league that I possibly can is when someone asked for a second and If you say, hey, look, I can't give you that second. I just think it's too valuable. I don't know where my team is going to end up 100%. Can I give you a third? And Chris Bell, you know what I mean? That gives you now two shots at replacing the guy that you're trading. You have the pick in a deep class, so that third is going to be worth more than it should. And you have a guy that's in the NFL right now and on an ascension. So I think you know, trading some of those pieces that are doing nothing for you now, but hold value plus a pick often works out better in your favor than just trading that second and trying to hold on to that guy. That is more of a mystery box. So, and I think a lot of people specifically the bottom feeders, every league, they need as many shots as they can get. So it probably works better if their roster is really thin, but it can work on, you know, it can work with whoever wants two shots instead of one.
00:25:02
Speaker 1: Fitz, would you rather, as the person acquiring somebody to help you contend, give up the slightly higher pick or one round lower, but then also a lottery ticket on, you know, whether it's Chris Bell or some other example that sort of fits the bill, would you rather be giving up two bites at the apple or the more valuable individual asset?
00:25:21
Speaker 4: Probably would prefer to give up the two bites at the apple, the lower pick and the young unproven player.
00:25:30
Speaker 5: And keep as much of that draft capital as I can.
00:25:33
Speaker 3: Okay. I will say those are the trades that sometimes when you see them being made, they're some of the worst ones because, you know, you trade Mike Washington and a third and you get a veteran that you need.
00:25:46
Speaker 1: Right.
00:25:47
Speaker 3: And Ashton Jente gets hurt and Mike Washington takes off and is one of the best running backs in the league. You know, those are the trades sometimes that will look the worst, but I can tell you from experience that, every five you do, you're going to get maybe one of those that is completely lopsided towards that other person. So it's a risk, but trading picks are risk too. These are the ones that can look lopsided. But again, who cares if it's lopsided if you won the pot, you know, in, in the current season?
00:26:19
Speaker 4: Yeah, you can get burned on those. I, Tried to patch a hole at quarterback one year and basically traded away Trey McBride for a bag of potato chips when McBride was having a redshirt year more or less with the Cardinals. And yeah, that trade does not look so good in hindsight.
00:26:35
Speaker 1: Just quickly, Fitz, is your interest in rather doing the two assets as opposed to the more valuable draft capital? Is that specific to this year because like the 2027 class is so good or is that like an.
00:26:44
Speaker 2: Every year mindset?
00:26:48
Speaker 4: Specifically because 2027 and 2028 are looking pretty good. I mean, more so now than usually, but that's also kind of a general policy, I think.
00:26:59
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00:27:37
Speaker 4: Yeah, and this is just kind of a variation on my earlier thing about targeting old veterans, but this is super flex specific. Go out and get the elderly quarterbacks. who still have something to offer, and namely I'm thinking of Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers. And we know it's the last ride for Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford this year and next year. Basically, he's signed a two-year extension. He's going to play two more years, and that's probably it. So Stafford's going to be a little pricier because he's more valuable and has another year on top of this year. Rodgers should be pretty gettable right now if he is on a non-contending team. That's a move you should definitely make if you don't have much for a third quarterback, don't have a third quarterback perhaps, or if you've got kind of a sketchy QB2 situation.
00:28:29
Speaker 1: Bogman, do you have a preference like spending up quote unquote for Stafford versus seeing how little you can give up for a guy like Rodgers?
00:28:38
Speaker 3: I mean, I'd rather have Stafford just because he has two years and he's, you know, more viable fantasy wise than Aaron Rodgers is. But if it's a second round pick for Stafford versus a fourth round pick for Aaron Rodgers, give me a rod, you know, like the whole point is to get a guy for insurance injury. Maybe, you know, one of your quarterbacks is playing in a really tough matchup one week or weather or something late in the season. So I think that in that specific situation, a quarterback in a super flex league, specifically an older one, it's whatever the cost makes more sense on. If I can trade Tesla in a fourth to get Stafford, or it's just a fourth for A-Rod, then I'm going to go Stafford. But like we said, if we have to bump that pickup or start adding pieces, then I'm just going to take the cheaper asset, which would most likely in most scenarios be A-Rod.
00:29:29
Speaker 1: I think we're also just like, kind of assuming Stafford's having two more years, but there were some serious back questions a year ago. They're under 500 this year. If this year just like weighs on everybody, if they fall short of their immense expectations, like I think it's possible this is Stafford's last year.
00:29:45
Speaker 3: Same thing for A-Rod too, though. He says he's going to be done, but he said that last year. So I don't know if we can ever believe him either.
00:29:51
Speaker 1: This feels like the most definitively he's said it, but it's a good point.
00:29:56
Speaker 3: Pretty definitive last year and now it wasn't. You know, I just, I don't really trust what A-Rod says, but I would assume he's done after this year because he looks pretty done.
00:30:05
Speaker 2: Let's go to the Rebuilder moves here. Bogman, sticking with you, what's your first one?
00:30:09
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think if you're rebuilding, the first thing I want to do is, you know, just make sure that you don't trade to trade just because you're rebuilding. You know, you have assets, they hold a certain amount of value, and in Any scenario where you are the bad tree team trading to the good team, you hold the leverage. Now, the better the player, the more leverage you hold. So I'm not going to hold out and squeeze if I'm trading a guy that, you know, it's just a depth piece for the person I'm trading with. But if it's one of my top assets, like if I'm holding CMC, right, and he's my last good player, I really don't have much behind him at all. I'm holding. And I'm squeezing every bit of life I can get out of that deal until I feel like I'm being overpaid. Not really fairly compensated. You don't need to be fairly compensated if you are a bottom feeder in a dynasty league. You should be making that top person overpay. And they should be feeling that and be willing to overpay in most scenarios because it is tough to stay healthy, stay on top. and push everybody to the side. So I think you just need to realize making moves to make moves to get low picks isn't always the way to do it. Sometimes it's holding out. Now, like we said, the higher the player, the bigger the package that you're moving, the more leverage you have. So the longer you should hold. So don't hold out on those bottom feeder pieces or pieces that really aren't going to do anything. Like if you're holding JK Dobbins now, trade him for a song. You know what I mean? Like we don't think he's long for this job in Denver or He's got a pretty nice role right now, specifically with Coleman out. And when Coleman comes back, he may have a different role. So get rid of him. That's one scenario. But if you're holding Derrick Henry, you're holding CMC, hold. Hold the line. Squeeze. Get a couple offers. Play them off of each other. Do what you can to maximize your deals.
00:32:10
Speaker 2: What if those offers don't come, though?
00:32:11
Speaker 1: And it's a guy like Derrick Henry or Mike Evans or Travis Kelsey where you really are not expecting much beyond this year, realistically, just given the ages and the offers aren't coming in? Like, eventually, is there a point where you say, like, listen, it would be malpractice to.
00:32:28
Speaker 2: Get nothing for him?
00:32:30
Speaker 1: Or do you say, hey, on principle, I'm not going to give him up for less than, you know, something close to an overpay?
00:32:37
Speaker 3: I mean, I've been a jerk and gone the on principle way probably too many times. So I've let that burn me a couple times. But I'll say, you know, the deeper we get into the season, also, the less value those guys hold right because now currently you know we're five weeks in we're a third of the way through the season basically so those assets are worth less than they would have been week one so you have to take these things into account as well but if you know if the best time getting offered is a third round pick and a couple players for derrick henry i'll roll them in the next year and just see what he's worth he's a freak so not every player is a freak like that so I understand the malpractice side, but if I'm not getting fairly compensated at all, I'll just hold out unless I know the guy is absolutely retiring, which is very rare.
00:33:28
Speaker 2: What do you make of this, Fitz?
00:33:30
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, that's fair if you're not getting the price you want. I'm willing to do that, but there is a risk to playing chicken with these guys. And there's some guys I won't do this for, like in my earlier example, Mike Evans and Devonta Adams.
00:33:44
Speaker 5: Like, I don't want to mess with that.
00:33:46
Speaker 4: If Adams, he's already dealing with a rib issue, what if his hamstring goes next week? Like, this is your window right now.
00:33:54
Speaker 3: Well, your window's actually closed. You should have done it the two games that.
00:33:57
Speaker 5: Booker was out.
00:33:59
Speaker 4: Well, coming off the big game against Seattle, though, that's going to be appealing.
00:34:03
Speaker 5: To a lot of people.
00:34:04
Speaker 2: Fitz, what's your first Rebuilder move?
00:34:07
Speaker 5: So, yeah, I was going to.
00:34:08
Speaker 4: Obviously, you mentioned the corollary of what I said for the contender move to trade away these old valuable guys over 30, the Mike Evans class, the Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Travis Kelsey, those guys.
00:34:24
Speaker 5: So that's kind of obvious.
00:34:26
Speaker 4: If you're rebuilding, I think you owe it to yourself to move those guys now while they're all performing really well and are easy sells to contenders.
00:34:35
Speaker 5: But I'll throw in as kind of a bonus.
00:34:37
Speaker 4: Sort of a don't for Rebuilders. Don't trade away your mid. Guys who are players in their mid primes, don't sell those useful players for picks. Someone on our Discord was asking me the other day about selling, I think it was Garrett Wilson, for like a first and a third. And I'm like, no, don't do that. Garrett Wilson is 26th. He's going to have several other good years for you. And he's reminding us this year what a good player he is. He is more valuable to you, even as a rebuilder, than a late first plus a late third. So don't make moves like that. Try to focus on the older players. And maybe if you can get a blockbuster for a guy like Garrett Wilson. But I'm not just doing it for two picks that do not equate to the value of Garrett Wilson.
00:35:34
Speaker 1: Yeah, Pogman, are you, so like obviously selling veterans is kind of something that makes a lot of sense. Do you have this sort of same approach in terms of the guys that are still in their primes?
00:35:45
Speaker 3: Yeah, I would say if you're trading a guy in their prime like that, you're holding out for the Godfather deal. It's not a first and a, you're not holding out for fair market value. I think a first and a third might be fair market value for Garrett Wilson. That's not what we want, especially if we're a bottom feeder and we have a bunch of holes. in our roster, right? Like what we want is we want the two firsts for Garrett Wilson, the first and 27, the first and 28, and maybe a piece on their bench. They're not doing anything with, and you flip them back, you know, a mid tier piece that's on your roster. That is better than what's on the wire. You know what I mean? Like those are the deals that you're making. If you're trading, uh, guys that are in their prime or close to it, or, you know, even got like I'd say Jonathan Taylor might be a guy like that as well.
00:36:35
Speaker 5: Right.
00:36:35
Speaker 3: Fitzy, like a guy that is so good. He's been good for years for running back. This might be the peak year. And then we're on the back end after that, just as far as touches go and usage. So, but that guy, you hold out for everything when you trade a, you know, a top five at their position right now. So that's, it's kind of like what I was saying initially, you don't trade to trade, right? You trade when the good players, trade comes to you that we're waiting for that. We're holding out. We're squeezing. So, uh, like Fitzy said, you don't want to play chicken with the old, old guys like Devante and Mike Evans, but you do definitely want to play chicken with guys that are going to have at least a couple more seasons.
00:37:18
Speaker 1: Quick announcement for everybody. The winner of the bling ring and case giveaway is pizza machine for one nine three.
00:37:25
Speaker 2: Great name.
00:37:25
Speaker 1: Please get in touch with our customer support agents, That mailbag at fantasypros.com with your mailing address and a screenshot of your YouTube account page while logged in. Once we confirm, we'll get you taken care of. Again, congrats to Pizza Machine 4193. If you want a chance to win the ultimate symbol of fantasy glory, the Fantasy Football Championship belt, courtesy of our good friends at Trophy Smack, the number one destination for epic fantasy football hardware, then this is your moment. This massive gold-plated belt is built to make a statement.
00:37:54
Speaker 2: It's bold. It's heavy.
00:37:55
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00:38:05
Speaker 2: That's it.
00:38:06
Speaker 1: We'll be announcing a winner right here on the channel, so make sure to turn on notifications so you don't miss your chance to claim this championship belt and flex on your entire league.
00:38:14
Speaker 2: Bogman, give me another Rebuilder move.
00:38:17
Speaker 3: First of all, I thought Pizza Machine was what the Ninja Turtles drove around. Is that not right?
00:38:22
Speaker 4: I want to know if it's someone who puts away a lot of pizza or someone who maybe spins pizzas professionally at a pizzeria.
00:38:29
Speaker 3: Sells pizza, owns a pizza place. Yeah, could be a lot of different options here for us. We like pizza, though.
00:38:36
Speaker 5: We know that.
00:38:36
Speaker 3: Who doesn't? I would say, and this matters more the deeper your rosters are, but at the end of the season, just stay on top of the waiver wire, right? I think a lot of people... After the trade deadline, you know your team sucks. It's really tough to keep watching this, right? You want to move on and wait for next year. But you stay on top of that waiver wire because the contenders will start dropping players with future value to get a handcuff, to get a backup, to get a one-week piece, right? So really, you need to pay attention the whole season, specifically at the end, the deeper your rosters are because there will be some viable pieces dropped. at the end that you can add for free or for very cheap off of fab. And, you know, there's going to be fewer people paying attention at the end. It's just human nature. So just make sure you are staying up on the waiver wire. And when somebody drops a piece that is useless, to you, scoop them up and, you know, throw off whoever is not doing anything for you or doesn't hold that kind of future value. So just make sure you're paying attention. These are the little things that can help you in the long run.
00:39:43
Speaker 2: Fitz, is this a strategy you employ yourself?
00:39:48
Speaker 4: Yeah. I, Sometimes I'm just, I was trying to think of any concrete examples and I just could not think of any.
00:40:00
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:40:00
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:40:01
Speaker 3: It's not, I don't have any like concrete and, uh, you know, examples either, but I will say, I know off the top of my head, I've been able to grab somebody off the wire at the end of the season. And we hear a lot about this on discord to Fitzy. And this is kind of, What made me think of it is when I think one of our recent conversations, somebody was saying, yeah, I just grabbed RJ Harvey off the wire at the end of last year. And then going into the year, obviously, RJ Harvey not been great this season. But going into the year, there were still people in the RJ Harvey camp. Right. So he holds value for you at that time. And you can maybe you can take him in a pick and move up a spot that you need in the draft to get the guy that you want. It's just little tiny things like that. that give you a little boost going into next season. That's all.
00:40:49
Speaker 5: I suppose that makes sense.
00:40:50
Speaker 4: And there are some, and we hear from these people on discord all the time where they're shallower dynasty leagues. Cause I think in most of our dynasty leagues, it's, it's tumbleweeds.
00:41:01
Speaker 1: The difference between a shallow and a deep league is pretty stark here.
00:41:05
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:41:05
Speaker 5: That's why I struggled.
00:41:06
Speaker 4: Like I'm not, I picked up Dante Myers in a bunch of dynasty leagues a couple of weeks ago. I'm just like, throwing him into any deal right now probably isn't going to juice things that much even though i really like dante myers i'd just rather sit and hatch that egg myself.
00:41:23
Speaker 3: But this is more my advice is more for the end of the season when we're in the playoffs and people are and you're right i guess it can work both ways where it's a short roster versus a bigger roster i just think of it for a bigger roster because there is nothing on the wire So what people are cutting might be much better than what's on the wire at all. And there's fewer people paying attention. That's all.
00:41:46
Speaker 2: Fitz, any other rebuilder moves, young players to target, anything you want to highlight?
00:41:50
Speaker 4: Young players to target and mostly pass catchers. There are a bunch of them who are not really doing anything for their teams right now who might be able to be pried loose for veterans who can help teams that aren't getting anything from these guys. And here's a list of some of those pass catchers. Jordan Tyson, Mekhi Lemon, DeJuan Stribling, Chris Bell, a lot of rookies on this list, Jacoby Lane, Caleb Douglas, but then some non-rookies, guys like Ricky Pearsall, who's hurt, Jalen Noel, who's starting to pop a little bit, Isaac Tesla, who's just so interesting because of the physical traits, some of the tight ends, Kenyon Sadiq, Terrence Ferguson, Eli Stowers, Eli Raritan, who's starting to make noise, and I don't know if there's many running backs who fall into this category because some of these guys might have a handcuff value or whatever, but maybe whoever has Judarian Price is willing to part with them because it doesn't look like Judarian Price is going to be very impactful in year one.
00:42:50
Speaker 3: Charbonnet, not doing a lot right now, and.
00:42:53
Speaker 5: He's a free agent. Maybe.
00:42:55
Speaker 4: Kalen Black is another one if you're not trying to pry them away from whoever has Christian McCaffrey.
00:43:03
Speaker 5: Here's one.
00:43:04
Speaker 4: O'Marion Hampton. Totally haven't given up on O'Marion Hampton. He's just kind of a bad fit for the Mike McDaniel offense, it seems like. Pretty good time to swoop in and buy him for a more useful piece because right now there are a lot of teams that aren't even starting O'Marion Hampton.
00:43:22
Speaker 2: Yeah, Hampton, I think, is a really interesting call.
00:43:24
Speaker 1: On the trade show for this redraft, on the trade show, Erickson and I basically every week are.
00:43:29
Speaker 2: Like, It's only getting worse. Like we should have sold earlier with the way it's going again.
00:43:34
Speaker 1: That's for a redraft perspective, but that might kind of span out into, into dynasty as well for a lot of managers out there.
00:43:41
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:43:42
Speaker 1: I want to actually throw before we get out of here, one more rebuild or move at you guys that I was thinking about that. I didn't know if any of you would mention and you guys haven't. So I want to bring it up myself. And one of you, I think it was Fitz.
00:43:54
Speaker 2: Sorry. I forget which one.
00:43:55
Speaker 1: One of you mentioned the 2028 class. I think right now is the best time to go get 2028 picks. And if you're a rebuilder, especially, I think that is a really savvy move for a couple of reasons. Number one, I think it is always the best, most affordable time to get high picks in future drafts before they come up, right? So even setting aside what we think of the strength of the respective classes, right now would always be the best time to go get a 2028 pick as opposed to.
00:44:22
Speaker 2: A 27, in my opinion. But also, I think... these two classes are closer than they are by reputation in terms of 27 and 28. 27 is awesome. It is the better class as of right now, how we think about it. Like I'm not saying that 28 is better, but I think the 28 class is also going to end up being pretty good. This isn't like the difference between 26 and 27, like where one of them was terrible.
00:44:46
Speaker 1: One of them was amazing. I think it's going to be one of them's amazing. And one of them is still really darn good. And yet, because of the reputation of 2027 overshadowing these picks in any trade negotiations, I think they're attainable. I've seen so many trades go down in my leagues where it's, hey, I cannot give up the 2027 pick.
00:45:06
Speaker 2: Totally untouchable.
00:45:07
Speaker 1: 2028, sure, just because it feels worse and, of course, is also farther away. We're seeing this at the NFL level, right?
00:45:14
Speaker 2: A.J.
00:45:14
Speaker 1: Brown traded for a 28 first instead of a 27 first. Cam Juergens traded for a 28 second instead of 27. These guys are looking at future picks in a way, or the NFL general managers are looking at future picks in a way that I think we should be learning from as dynasty managers, because I do think now is the right time to go get these picks. And as a rebuilder, you're always going to want to have future firsts and seconds. And again, just to kind of put the bow on this point that I'm making, the 2028 class, I think is going to be very good fits.
00:45:48
Speaker 5: I agree with you, and especially in Superflex.
00:45:53
Speaker 4: And I'm not trying to let any air out of the 2027 balloon because I still think, regardless, that's going to be an outstanding class with a lot of good receivers and running backs and some tight ends. But a lot of quarterbacks are increasingly kicking the can further down the road. And there are a lot of really intriguing draft-eligible quarterbacks for 2027 that Probably a majority of those guys are not going to declare.
00:46:19
Speaker 5: Those guys can just make so much money in school now.
00:46:22
Speaker 4: It's very appealing for them to just stay in school, play it out, make a lot of money, and then come out after their senior years. So I think we might get a little bit rug pulled with the 2027 class. I think there's still going to be some really good quarterbacks, but It's not going to be the bonanza of a dozen interesting quarterbacks that we could possibly get if everyone came out when they're eligible. So I agree with you. 2028 is looking good. I don't know if Malachi Tony is going to be as exciting as Jeremiah Smith.
00:46:55
Speaker 5: But he's pretty exciting.
00:46:56
Speaker 2: He's going to be pretty up there.
00:46:58
Speaker 5: Yeah. So I like that thought.
00:47:00
Speaker 2: I like Malachi. I like Keelan Russell at Alabama.
00:47:04
Speaker 3: Keelan Russell looks like he might be the next Lamar. He looks awesome. If he starts running... he he could be lamar but he is so pocket focused right now he's a really great passer there's juice in there man there's a lot of for sure.
00:47:19
Speaker 1: And then you get into the guys like fit to say who might kick the cj car could could go back to notre dame and say you know what i can make a lot of money at notre dame and and going out in another class right like i mean there.
00:47:29
Speaker 3: There's a lot of doesn't need the money totally so totally so you can say doesn't look good right now i think i i thought i heard I can't remember if it was Daniel Jeremiah or one of the other big draft analysts say they thought maybe Drew Mestemaker was the best of the draft-eligible, 2027 draft-eligible quarterbacks. But this is Mestemaker's second year as a starter since grade school. And his first in the P4.
00:47:55
Speaker 4: Yeah, he is probably not coming out this year. So that's another guy who's probably going to kick the can.
00:48:01
Speaker 5: Down the road.
00:48:02
Speaker 2: And again, we're not knocking 27 generally speaking.
00:48:05
Speaker 1: We're saying 2028 is also very good, but it doesn't have the reputation that 2027 has had for years now building up to this point. So I think you can take advantage of that in trades, Bogman.
00:48:16
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:48:16
Speaker 3: And I think there's a good point to make too, that where, you know, Fitz has talked about how like, hey, sometimes it stinks to trade for a pick that's two years away because you do have to take into account, like, I don't have any value for that for 2027 either, but it's an asset, right? And if the class isn't as good as we thought, Maybe this pick from 28 helps you move to where you need or to get that veteran in the, you know, during the 2026 draft or the 2020, sorry, during the 2027 draft or the 2027 off season, right? It's still an asset that you have in the bag that you can move to get the piece that you need. So I think trading for those pieces specifically when they aren't being looked at in high regard Because everyone is not thinking about that class at all. They're all thinking about 2027 is a really good point to make. So I like this point that you brought to us, Worm, and it's a very smart move to try to get those picks right now because people are overlooking them.
00:49:17
Speaker 1: It's something I always like to do, but I think this... year in particular, it makes a lot of sense given how overshadowed the class feels compared to 27 and how good I think the class could end up being.
00:49:28
Speaker 3: A lot of those in this show too, like the one where I say, try to trade an upside guy that's in the league now plus a pick instead of the higher pick, That applies every year, but for this year specifically, like a little bit more. So a lot of that in this show today.
00:49:44
Speaker 1: I want to remind everybody they can join our Fantasy Pros Discord community, chat with other fans, and get access to exclusive AMAs that wind up on our podcast feed. A current schedule looks like this. Myself and Fitz at 5 Eastern on the first Tuesday of every month. Bogman and Fitz at 5 Eastern on the third Tuesday of every month. Welsh and Erickson at 2 Eastern every Thursday. Come get your questions answered and be on the show. at fantasypros.com slash chat. We'll wrap things up there. Thanks for everybody for checking out our contenders and rebuilders advice episode for Fitz and Bogman.
00:50:15
Speaker 2: I'm Ryan Warmly. We'll see you again next time.
00:50:18
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Fantasy Pros Dynasty Football Podcast. If you love the show, the best free way to support us is by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Follow us on X, Instagram, and TikTok at Fantasy Pros and subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com slash fantasypros.
