The Art of the Next Move

A Dynasty Fantasy Football Article by Al Calo @Calo_Football

Like almost everything in life, there is always differing perspectives and approaches on how to handle any situation. One thing can affect my future more than my present, while the same thing can affect your present and not your future at all. I don’t want to get too deep down that rabbit hole, but this mental side of what we do and think is what makes dynasty fantasy football as fun as any game we play.

This is the closest thing to being a real NFL General Manager that we will experience (please let me know if you read this then become an NFL GM). In your dynasty league, you know your players individually, you pay attention to other moves around the league, you are constantly trying to figure out what type of team you have. Am I a contender? Do I go all in? Do I tear this whole thing down? That is the beauty of it. There is always a question to be answered. There is always a direction. There is always a next move.

Finding Team Direction

Some questions aren’t as cut and dry as we would like them to be. Deciding which direction you want to take your dynasty roster is something that is asked throughout the calendar year. But it isn’t fulfilled with one big move, even your full intent should be planned over a full year. How does this get me to the end goal? Starting that domino effect is the best part.

Because this game is insanely subjective based on roster and perspective, let’s use some general examples.

Team A finishes as the runner up and loses the championship matchup. Its nucleus is built on young WRs (Justin Jefferson, Amon Ra St. Brown and Nico Collins) and workhorse RBs who are getting a little long in the tooth (Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry). In a SuperFlex league, where two quarterbacks are almost always started, the overall QB room has some question marks in Baker Mayfield, Michael Penix and Matthew Stafford.

Team A’s manager has a couple different directions they could take this team. They were just in the championship, surely, they are a contender. Right? I would say so. The question now is, how do they lean into their success and not fall to the middle of the pack.

Now let’s say this same team lost in the first round of the playoffs. Finishing in 5^th place. This alters the mindset of most fantasy managers in this spot. The sheer luck of the fantasy playoffs making them think they need to make a large splash to become a true contender is a mistake that is often made in roster evaluation.

Let’s Take Some Action

So, you’ve decided, you want to beef up your roster a bit. Guess what? That decision immediately triggers another question. How much do you value depth at the same time as a juiced starting lineup? If you haven’t guessed already, as soon as you answer that question, it probes another. How much do you value rookie picks vs known situation and production?

You get the point. We need a plan. Here are some of my favorite steps towards high end roster building:

1. Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.

You know that handcuff that you’ve been waiting to hit for years? Well, the league mate with that handcuff’s starter will probably take him, I mean why wouldn’t he want him! If that player doesn’t see the field without an injury, go get a 3^rd round pick or a vet that sees the field. (Ex. Tyler Allgeier)

2. Tier down to a vet with a pick added.

Don’t do this with one of those stud nucleus players, we’re talking a late 20s ranked WR type of player. Let’s use Keep Trade Cut and find some:

• Jameson Williams WR27

• Jaylen Waddle WR28

• Jayden Reed WR40

Let’s tier down off all these guys to a vet and a pick, here are some packages I’m targeting right now:

• Courtland Sutton and an early 2^nd

• Calvin Ridley and a late 1st

• Jauan Jennings and a mid 2^nd

Once we turn youth into more fantasy points AND an asset, then we are really cooking with gas

3. Sell rookie picks for vets. Not just on contenders!

A great follow up move to #2 but also when the draft is approaching is to flip the unknown for stabilization. There is no better way to do this than selling picks. From 1sts to 3rds, every pick and player have an equivalent. Those values will differ from league to league and manager to manager. But for the most part you can build out assets by using picks. Players win leagues, not future assets. If you want to sell me your top-15 scoring RB for a 2^nd because you like a prospect, enjoy!

4. Tier your rookies.

One of the best ways to accumulate draft capital or depth is by moving back in rookie drafts. If you have an early pick in any given round, but like 4-5 guys in that range, slide down for an extra pick or an asset. There are plenty of pieces out there that turn into nice package sweeteners so we can get some real assets. Remember, nothing is final, we are building.

Piece Moves Together

Like I said before, we are playing the long game in dynasty. We don’t need to set a lineup for 5 months. So, you turned your 1.06 into the 1.10 and 2.05 because you were in a tier. Then you flipped that 2.05 for James Conner. Perfect! Remember when you traded Jameson Williams for Sutton and an early 2026 2^nd? That was awesome. Look at what you just did.

Jameson Williams +1.06

For

1.10, James Conner, Courtland Sutton and an early 2026 2^nd

That’s hundreds more fantasy points and an extra 2^nd, while keeping your first-round pick. And the best part is, we aren’t done yet. If we know where we stand roster wise, we’ll be able to choose our path.

Contender move – Let’s turn those extra pieces into a top asset. Conner, Sutton and 2^nd for a Devonta Smith level player. 2-3 year window of high-level production. Even if your league is a little sharper and you need to spend that 1.10 for a known asset like Derrick Henry or a little extra for a Rashee Rice, these are the type of moves you need to make to be a true contender, not just hoping that rookie shot takes you over the top.

Just Rip the Band-Aid

Entering the matrix of being middle of the pack to a non-competitive team can happen so fast that it makes no sense. In these cases, you absolutely must have a plan. First and foremost, don’t panic. Secondly, DO NOT SELL ANY FUTURE FIRSTS (I’m sorry for yelling). Thirdly, if you already have sold a future first, GET IT BACK!

We must get our own firsts back, and we have to do it quietly. It is the first move you make; you cannot show your hand that you are going to enter a rebuild prior to getting that pick back. Once that information is known, it becomes an invaluable piece.

My friends over at Smash Accept have a super thorough blueprint to full rebuilding, and boy is it fun as hell. They break it down in the video below.

Dynasty Rebuild Process

All it takes is one offseason, between free agency and the draft, to derail your team from being on the verge of contention to needing a rebuild. Prepare in advance, and it can be the most fun you have had in this format. It can also be the easiest way to truly building a *dynasty*.

There is No Offseason

No matter what situation you’re in, there is always an event on the NFL calendar that will affect your roster. The key is to get out in front of the ever-changing landscape of the NFL.

Was your WR1 on a passing offense that clearly underperformed? This should indicate competition is incoming, can they withstand competition?

Did a team lose offensive lineman in free agency?

Did your QB get a new OC?

These are just some questions that we need to be prepared to answer when assessing our teams. From there we can act on it. I know you’ll be more locked in then your league mates. There is no offseason in dynasty football.

So much more can go into being a great dynasty player. The format is continuing to grow for a reason. I expect it to become just as big as redraft within a couple years. Mostly all redraft players will have at least one dynasty team. If you love ball, why would you not want to be a General Manager.

Just like a real GM, there is always work to be done. A team always has pieces to trade. Someone always wants to move off a player that can be valuable elsewhere. There is always a rookie we like more than everyone else. We all have the same end goal. Wins. Trophies. Championships. We are never satisfied, we are always chasing that feeling. How do you get there repeatedly? Look at that, another question that needs to be answered. Guess it’s time to make the next move.