Building a Dynasty Roster

Building a dynasty roster can be challenging. Do you draft to win now—giving up future draft picks and loading your roster with proven veterans who have a safe floor and upside combo that can get you that championship in year one? Or do you punt your draft, acquiring only young assets and rookie picks, looking to grow together throughout the years to build that ultimate dynasty team?

I’ve had success building Superflex rosters through the quarterback position. Your stable should consist of four to six signal-callers. I call this QB Extreme—three to four inside the top 20 at the position, with the remainder a mix of rookies and veteran backups. If two or three of those are top-10 QBs, then you’re a boss.

I build this way because two elite QBs give you a consistent 30-point weekly upside and an advantage against weaker opponents every single week. That overall stability also becomes tremendously valuable in future trades. When other owners get in a pinch and need a quarterback, you can charge them the max.

Remember this: the easiest time to acquire a quarterback is during your startup draft.

Quarterbacks (QB)

Now, let’s talk about age. Quarterbacks have the longest lifespan in a dynasty league—roughly 18 seasons. (See: Tom Brady.) So when is the age cliff where you need to move on and get some value in return?

Bill Belichick once said, “I would rather trade a player one year earlier than one year later.” I feel the same way. After a QB’s age-32 season, I like to move on—getting younger while still receiving proper value in return.

Running Backs (RB)

Next up is the least important position: the running back. Your build should consist of one young elite workhorse (age 21–24), with the rest of your stable being a mix of veterans who currently hold starting jobs, their handcuffs, and rookies with upside.

Running backs have the shortest shelf life—about six years. You can see why investing heavily in this position doesn’t yield a great long-term return. The age cliff for me is 27 years old or 2,500 career carries. History shows a huge drop-off once either milestone is reached… unless you’re a freak like King Henry.

Wide Receivers (WR) and Tight Ends (TE)

Next are the pass catchers—your wide receivers and tight ends. Your divas should be greedy target hogs with a reliable weekly floor. Don’t stress about big-play ability; those splash plays are random and can’t be predicted. You’ll still get the occasional spike week because of the nature of the position.

Wide receivers age gracefully. Their lifespan is generous—around 10 seasons. Think of guys like Mike Evans. The big age-30 mark is when those tall, physical freaks usually start to break down.

Finally, we get to the tight ends, an interesting position because some are basically blockers, while others are motion players who line up everywhere and run real routes. The most important stat to track is routes run and targets—this gives you a true understanding of how a tight end is used in the offense.

Tight ends usually start their careers slowly before they settle in—unless they’re a freak like Brock Bowers. The shelf life for tight ends is roughly 15 seasons, so age 34 is a good point to start moving on.

– Scott Fitzgerald
Sudden Death Fantasy Sports