Tue Jul 7th 2026

Mistakes Dynasty Managers Make

Starting Lineup Over Depth

• Some managers love to have the strongest starting lineup, but they give up depth to do so. Managers who value their starting lineup over depth are willing to make two-for-one trades and trade away rookie picks to make their starting lineup the best, but this hurts them in the long run. Injuries hurt dynasty teams, but they hurt these teams the most. If one or two of their starters go down for the season, teams that make this mistake have little chance of winning a championship. Additionally, we all know how hard it is to win a championship and how often the best starting lineup loses to a worse team in the playoffs. Having the best starting lineup does not guarantee a championship, even if the starters remain healthy all season. Teams that make this mistake over time also miss out on breakout seasons from players, and their rosters can become devoid of players whose dynasty value can rise over the next two or three years, especially if they trade away rookie picks. When I analyze dynasty rosters in my leagues, I am always more fearful of a contending team with solid depth than I am of the team with the best starting roster.

Unbalanced Rosters

• Another mistake dynasty managers make is having unbalanced rosters. This mistake varies greatly depending on the league settings, so it requires more explanation. For instance, in a one-quarterback league, it is unwise to roster five or six starting quarterbacks. They become roster cloggers. Similarly, in non-tight-end premium leagues, it is unwise to roster five or six tight ends. Managers in those types of leagues are unwise to let their rosters be 20% loaded on a onesie position, let alone if they did so for both and rostered 40% quarterbacks and tight ends. I’ve also seen certain managers fall in love with one position and load their rosters with 50-60% running backs or receivers just because they love the position. That limits your ways to win in most leagues that require two running backs and three receivers as starters and only have one or two flex positions. The only way loading up at one position is not unwise is in leagues with few roster requirements. I am in a few leagues where you only need to start one running back and two receivers, and have five to seven flex positions. In leagues like that, managers can load up in one position and win that way, but I know most dynasty leagues are not set up that way.

Overvaluing Youth

• One of the best parts of dynasty leagues is watching rookies and young players develop and break out, so I see the appeal of having young rosters. However, rosters loaded with first, second, and third-year players rarely win championships. Managers who love to see their young roster and imagine what it will one day become rarely have enough players break out into the top tier at their position to compete for championships. Most championship teams are composed of a mix of veterans and first-contract players, if not mostly all veterans. Dynasty managers cannot get infatuated with youth even though it’s fun to do so.

Player Mistakes

Impatient with Players

• Some managers are too impatient with young players. I see this a lot with a few managers in particular in my leagues. They get frustrated when a young player has not broken out yet, while others in their draft class have. There are many factors that can contribute to a player’s slow start in the NFL, such as a mental or physical learning curve, coaches trusting veterans more, or poor play by teammates, like a bad quarterback or offensive line. Dynasty managers should consider the factors surrounding slow-to-breakout players before deeming them busts, putting them on the trading block, or cutting them. This is especially true for tight ends who, except for recent years, take longer to break out. I’ll never forget picking up Trey McBride off waivers in a league when a manager dropped him after his rookie season. Now I have won back-to-back championships in that league. One manager in a few of my leagues regularly gets frustrated with players and puts them on the trading block. I make sure to be the first to make an offer because when he gets disappointed in a player, he wants him off his roster. I almost always win my trades with this manager as a result.

Beholden to “Their Guys”

• The opposite of impatience is the manager who is too beholden to what he considers “his guys.” I get that dynasty managers naturally have an affinity for the players on their roster. They added, drafted, or traded for their players for a reason. Still, the best dynasty managers believe every player on their roster is tradable for the right price. I have made generous offers to managers, even going so far as to overpay to get a player off a rebuilding team, but they refuse to let their player go. Managers can do this with back-of-the-roster players, too, and thus wind up with several roster cloggers. Once a young player hits year three or four and has yet to produce, wise dynasty managers cut them, even if they were once a “my guy” for them.

Having a Type

• Sometimes dynasty managers have a type. Whether it’s a size, speed, or overall athletic score, some managers fall in love with a type. I’ve been guilty of this one. I used to highly favor receivers who were the prototypical X size. I believed they had to be over six feet tall and two hundred pounds to become a superstar in the NFL. I’ve been proven wrong. I also highly favored running backs that were 5’ 10” or under and 220 pounds. That’s why I drafted Zach Charbonnet over Devon Achane three times in rookie drafts. Oops! I have one manager in my leagues who overvalues speed and one in another league who overvalues SPARQ score. It’s okay to prefer a type of player, but I’ve learned that it’s unwise to let my preferred type outweigh other factors like draft capital, landing spot, and collegiate production.

Stuck in the middle

• Too many dynasty managers are stuck in the middle and refuse to admit they need to rebuild. I used to be this way. If I were a middle-of-the-pack roster, I would be too competitive to rebuild because I thought that if I could just get the final playoff spot, I could surprise teams in the playoffs. I never did. I’ve seen it happen before, but middle teams rarely advance in the playoffs, and all they do is hurt their rookie draft position year after year. It’s far more fun and more successful to admit when you’re not a contender and go into full rebuild mode. This, of course, assumes that your league is active in trading. If not, you’re stuck in the middle for good!

Fearful of Trading

• One of the best parts of dynasty is the trading. Even so, some managers are fearful of doing so and rarely, if ever, do. What a terrible way to play dynasty! Some managers get too in their heads about trades and overanalyze every offer. Others are stingy managers who always want a little more in a deal to be sure they won the trade in their eyes. Others are plain inactive and unresponsive. Dynasty managers who don’t regularly look at their roster and their team needs and compare them with the rosters of others will rarely, if ever, trade and doom their teams as a result. Plus, they miss out on the best part of dynasty leagues!

Offseason Inactivity

• Dynasty managers who check out during the offseason miss so many opportunities to improve their teams. They miss the player value changes that occur during the NFL free agency period. After free agents sign with new teams, depth-piece players can be found on the waiver wire, and back-of-the-roster players become droppable. Let alone all the trade opportunities after free agency, given players’ dynasty value shifts in free agency. Plus, every signing is a big statement about what the NFL teams think about their depth charts. Managers who don’t follow training camp news or preseason games miss out on very valuable information regarding depth charts, scheme changes, player performance, and more. For instance, one of my most rostered players is Jaylen Warren because I picked him up off waivers after watching his first-ever preseason game. It could amount to nothing, but my most added player last week was George Holani since he was taking first-team reps in mini-camp. These are small things, but sometimes they make a difference. Dynasty Freeks stay involved year-round. Bad managers do not.

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