You’ve caught the dynasty bug and now you’re ready to step up your game by becoming the Commissioner of a Dynasty League.
Before taking that leap, there are a number of primary elements you need to consider. Dynasty leagues take a different level of care and feeding than redraft and, if you don’t give enough forethought to a few key areas, you risk the potential of having a poor experience, GM dissatisfaction or, worse, excessive team abandonment.
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Let’s look at just a few of the most important factors to consider.
League Dues
While many people like high stakes leagues, there’s an inherent issue. Winning teams have a catalyst to keep paying, but losing teams may quickly abandon a league if they feel they cannot be competitive. The higher the stakes, the higher your abandonment will be. Balance the dues with the payout structure.
My preference: $100 annual dues strikes the balance of material returns for good performance while not being too costly such that abandonment becomes a big issue.
Number of Teams
The number of teams is important in that it helps spread assets (players) across teams and sets the stage for competition. Too many teams and it’s harder to win and poor teams will have a more difficult time improving their rosters. Too few teams and rosters will be loaded with talent, making it more difficult to gain a roster advantage. The number of teams also impacts your divisional configuration.
My Preference: 12 teams. It allows for three divisions of four teams with league winners making the playoffs in addition to three wildcard teams.
GM Selection
I can’t stress enough the importance of GM selection. Knowing your GMs, their level of experience and their willingness to commit to the league for the long term will make your job a commissioner much more enjoyable. Choosing random GMs for a dynasty league presents a minefield of potential issues. League drama, abandonment, competition, bullying and payment issues are just a few looming possibilities you can expect if you don’t know your GMs.
My Preference: Stick to people you know, friends of those people or those who are referred by a trusted source.
League Host
Many sites now offer dynasty league services. Choosing the right site, with the best options for the experience you desire, is an important consideration. Some sites excel in customizability but with less intuitive interfaces or poor mobile integration, while others are just the opposite. Spend some time researching options and be sure to ask your GMs and dynasty community what they prefer.
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My Preference: I still prefer MyFantasyLeague.com. They don’t have the fancy mobile interface and there is a learning curve, but the customizability can’t be beat.
Roster Size
Too many new commissioners don’t give this topic enough attention. If the goal of your league is to allow GMs to build deep teams, increase trading and provide a GM-like experience, consider allowing deeper rosters. My belief has always been that dynasty leagues should provide for no less than 300 rostered players. That’s 25 players per team in a 12-team league. Any less and the waiver wire may be talent rich, reducing potential trading. For myself, the more the better.
My Preference: 25 regular season roster spots at a minimum.
Starting Roster
The starting roster requirement is an important factor as it will influence the start-up draft strategy for coaches. Primarily, this will involve determining the required number of starting running backs, receivers and available Flex spots available.
My Preference: I favor (1) RB, (2) WR, (1) TE and (2) Flex but this may be impacted by league format options. Like many others, SuperFlex is becoming a favorite format.
League Format & Scoring
Years ago, this wasn’t an issue as format and scoring was largely standardized. But, now, options abound as do the preferences of dynasty players. Before setting up your league, know the following:
PPR – Point Per Reception (PPR) scoring standardly awards players 0, .5 or 1.0 points for each reception. Doing so improves the performance of wide receivers while zero PPR, also called “standard” scoring, prioritizes running backs.
TEP – Tight End Premium (TEP) scoring awards extra points to tight ends for each reception, standardly an additional .5 for a total of 1.5 per reception.
SuperFlex – The SuperFlex format allows for a second quarterback, typically a high producing position, to be started in a flex position of a starting lineup. This format is widely gaining popularity and is important to understand prior to inviting GMs and running the start-up draft.
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IDP – Individual Defense Player (IDP) leagues require starting rosters to contain defensive players. This will increase the roster size of your league. IDP leagues continue to gain in popularity and the number of defensive players, and their scoring, widely vary.
Trade Deadline – Always a hotly debated topic, the trade deadline question must be considered. If set too early, teams may not have the ability to augment their rosters due to injury or positional deficits. Set too late and you allow a “player dump” by uncompetitive teams which could unfairly swing the power curve late in the season. My belief is that the trade deadline should be no later than week 10. I believe trades need to occur when most teams are still in competition for the playoffs.
Playoffs – How many teams make the playoffs and what is the format? Limit the number of teams making the playoffs to no more than 50% with the best two teams receiving a bye in the first week. Fantasy scoring can be extremely variable and top teams should be rewarded for their performances during the season. Reduce the chance of bad beats eliminating a top team early by offering bye weeks. Head-to-head playoffs remain the standard but multiple week pool-play formats are gaining popularity and are fun for all involved.
Alternative Playoffs – Keeping your players engaged is the name of the game. For those out of the playoff money, consider alternative playoffs to give everyone something to play for. A “toilet bowl” for the top-overall rookie draft selection and, perhaps, even head-to-head games for other draft selections will go a long way to make sure it’s fun for all involved, even those out of the money
Summary
I find the dynasty format to be the most immersive and engaging fantasy format without question. But being a commissioner of your own league requires careful planning and forethought toward creating a fun and rewarding experience for all GMs.
I hope these tips will give you the start you need to hit the ground running.
Jeff Haverlack is one of the founders (2006) and owners of DynastyLeagueFootball.com (DLF) and has been an avid player of fantasy football from the 1990s. While much of his time is spent on the business of fantasy sports including writing content for DLF and other websites, Jeff is also passionate about NFL-related rookie and collegiate player scouting and development. In his spare time he likes to involve himself in photography, guitar, hiking/exploration, financial planning and the wine industry. Follow Jeff on Twitter @DLF_Jeff
