So your 2022 dynasty season did not go to plan – or you prepared for your ‘22 season to be a rebuilding year. Regardless, you have likely been planning for the offseason for a while now – but which areas should you focus on?
Going on and on around draft picks will not give you the leg up that you are working towards, whether you planned for this season to be below average or not. Basing your future goals for your dynasty squad should focus on the following three buckets, covering all relevant aspects of building your team back into a playoff roster.
Self Scout
What areas of your roster are lacking the most? Which areas can you upgrade through the upcoming draft class versus free agency versus the trade market? Assessing your needs even before the season wraps up is important and helps you start planning early.
Weak at wide receiver? See which teams have the most options on their team and try to pry a player or two away for a low price. See that an owner is cooling on a particular player after an inconsistent season or injury? Swoop in and take the player off their hands, picking up nice value for pennies on the dollar.
As a rebuilding squad, your mindset should be quantity over quality, at least for the time being. Loading your roster with as many bullets as possible to try and hit on something is the only way you can build out a starting lineup and critical depth.
Consider aiming for players on teams that could see more prominent roles next year (Joshua Palmer, Hunter Renfrow, Van Jefferson) or players that likely will be joining new teams next year with high upside (Kareem Hunt, Parris Campbell, Darius Slayton).
Wow, Josh Palmer with the clutch catch. I’ll say this, former Tennessee WR’s have had a day.
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) January 10, 2022
That’s 3 touchdowns combined, from Jennings and Palmer. pic.twitter.com/rnXv3R1i4v
Focus on Contenders Rosters
Not necessarily how they built up their rosters (although that is important, too), but how an upcoming roster crunch may impact their positional groupings.
Consider this – a playoff-bound team in your league is looking at a potential roster crunch next year based on their draft picks, and they need to free up a few open spots.
By entertaining a trade for potential fringe roster options (a young backup tight end, a wide receiver stepping into a larger role next year, or even a young running back with a chance to become the bell cow next year), you can get ahead of your league-mates.
Potential options to consider include Khalil Herbert, Jaylen Warren, Kadarius Toney, K.J. Osborn, David Bell, Daniel Bellinger, Jimmy Garoppolo, Nico Collins, Tyler Allgeier, Alexander Mattison, Zamir White, Jordan Love, Kyren Williams, and others.
Your targets here are players that contenders will not think twice about moving on from, especially since they already have a core group of starters and depth options. Your targets here also need to have high-enough potential to take them on while not costing a ton for your rebuilding squad.
Bryce Young is in his BAG right now 😤 pic.twitter.com/t3yIoqmxur
— Brian Y (@byysports) November 26, 2022
Begin Prospect Scouting
This upcoming draft class looks deep in running back and wide receiver depth, so even if you don’t hit one of these positions early, you have chances later in your drafts. Both quarterback and tight end have some question marks tied to them, but needing a quarterback in ‘23 is a much safer bet than a tight end.
The household names like Bijan Robinson, Bryce Young, Jaxson Smith-Njiba, and Michael Mayer will dominate pre-draft headlines. Do your homework on guys like Blake Corum, Anthony Richardson, Quentin Johnson, and Sam LaPorta, as they could also make big impacts.
Building out metric trackers, prospect spreadsheets, roster needs, and other statistic-tracking aspects can help you understand where the rest of your league stands when it comes to drafting. Understanding which prospects your competition will likely target will help you prepare backup plans and give you a chance to come out of your draft as a far better rebuilding team.
Mock drafts can also be conducted currently, but plenty of hypotheticals still exist, which may skew any of your results. Take the results of your mocks with a grain of salt, but understanding rough estimates of round grades will help you understand the value of your targets and when you may have to reach or let the board come to you.