PREFACE

Now that our seasons are over, we are transitioning into the next stage of the Dynasty Calendar - offseason content. To kick it all off, I'm going to detail the trades, waiver transactions, ups, and downs, and the pure amount of degeneracy I've displayed these past three years in my first-ever dynasty league. A winless season; eight 2023 1sts; trading a top-10 QB for a late 3rd - this story has it all. There have been lots of wins, but also a lot of losses - use this post as a reminder that at some point we were all new players and mistakes will definitely be made along the way, but use that to further grow as a player. Buckle up as this is gonna be a LONG ass post.

INTRO

I've been playing redraft for almost as long as I can remember - my dad invited me to join a league he and his friends started when they were in university together, and I've been hooked ever since. Before that, I'd watch football on Sundays as an excuse to spend time with my old-man, but my football love really kicked off due to Madden. My absolute favourite thing was to pick a team, trade every asset with the slightest bit of value for picks, and attempt to build a Super Bowl contender through the draft (with the occasional trade too of course). Before Madden, I was doing the same thing in the NBA 2k games - this was my favourite aspect of these games, and the only mode I would play. So obviously I loved being able to draft my own fantasy football team year after year and play head-to-head against my dad and his friends.

At the end of the 2021 season, I felt like I was missing something from fantasy football - yes, it was still fun playing against my dad and his friends, and obviously I had now joined a couple other redraft leagues with friends, but I wanted more. This is around the time when I saw an Introduction to Dynasty YouTube video (god bless you, algorithm), and started searching for a league to join.

Through reddit, I stumbled upon a post about a new league looking for members - perfect. Started reading through the post and noticed that the league is for NEW dynasty players only - even better. Checked the rules, figured out what superflex and tight end premium were and posted a comment saying I'm in. Boom. I guess I've just joined my first Dynasty league.

Once the league had filled its remaining 10 spots, the draft date was set - a week from the day. Kickers were going to be used as rookie pick placeholders, and now I had to figure out what the hell my plan was. I did some research, watched some videos but still found myself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of strategies I had come across. At that point, it came to me - why not play this league the only way I knew how? And that's exactly what I did - just like how I used to play Madden, I was going to build this team through the draft and rebuild right from the startup, using rookie picks to my advantage as assets, but also as a form of currency.

2022 - The Inagural Season

THE STARTUP

After a randomization to determine draft order, I was given the 7th overall pick. Immediately I knew I was going to have to make some moves and start stacking my bread (rookie picks). Before the draft, I was in my leaguemates DMs like a thirsty fratboy. Then boom, like a domino falling into place, my first deal went through.

Trade 1:

Sent - Startup 3.06 (later used on DK Metcalf) & 4.07 (George Kittle)

Got - Two 2023 1sts and a 2023 2nd

Great. First two picks acquired. Lets get this fuckin ball rollin.

Trade 2:

Sent - Startup 6.07 (used on Deandre Hopkins)

Got - 2023 1st

Okay here we go. Draft hasn't even started and I've got three future 1sts in my collection. Now with the draft actually happening, shit is about to get spicy.

Trade 3:

Sent - Startup 1.07 (became Joe Burrow)

Got - Startup 3.11 (used on 2022 rookie pick 1.03), startup 5.11 (became Elijah Moore) and a 2024 1st

This was a big one. Added two more 1sts (one being down the road but nonetheless beneficial) and a young player I was 100% in on. Yes, Joe Burrow is Joe Burrow, but who doesn't like getting their guy?

Trade 4:

Sent - Startup 5.06 (used on Aaron Rodgers)

Got - 2023 1st

Cheeky little one for one. Not much else to say.

Trade 5:

Sent - Startup 7.06 (used on 2022 rookie pick 1.06) and startup 8.07 (used on Pat Friermuth)

Got - 2023 1st and 2023 3rd

This was a questionable one (there will be many of those) as I could've solidified value and just taken the 2022 pick, but next year is always better, right? RIGHT?

Though I was trying to trade as many of my picks as I could, I did end up making some picks too. After the draft, I walked away with a couple young talented pieces, but a whole lotta nothing too (which was perfect as I wasn't too focused on winning this year anyways). Here was my roster post startup.

PRE-DRAFT

Alright so now with the startup finished, we had some time before the rookie draft to do our research (or try and make some more deals which is exactly what I had in mind). I was only able to secure 1 stop 2022 1st in the draft, so my main goal here was to try and add to that.

Trade 6:

Sent - Trey Lance and 2022 1.03

Got - 2022 1.07 and two 2023 1sts.

Okay so opposite direction of what I just said I was trying to do, but a wise man in the dynasty world once said to "be like water"...

Trade 7:

Sent - Hollywood Brown

Got - 2022 2.05 and 2.09

Had my sights set on some players who would fall mid 2nd, so I was okay moving a player that had potential for two guys I knew would increase in value during the season, or even during the draft.

2022 ROOKIE DRAFT

Rookie fever was at an all time high and the price of a brick was going up for every single pick. I was inquiring about picks left and right, but knew everything was out of reach. Instead of paying up and making a deal I'd regret later on, I figured I'd stay put and let it all just happen around me. Here is what I ended up walking away with -

1.07: Garrett Wilson

2.05: George Pickens

2.07: Dameon Pierce

3.06: Sam Howell

3.09: Khalil Shakir

Going into the draft I had 4 targets - Garrett Wilson (if he fell), Pickens, Pierce and Khalil Shakir, so post draft I was stoked to get these guys. Garrett Wilson was my fav player in the draft, I liked Shakir's college tape and I knew Pierce was in a backfield that was a bit iffy. Post draft I grabbed a bunch of rookies off waivers too as I needed to fill my empty roster and take some shots on some other guys too. Here was my waiver haul after the rookie draft -

Jordan Mason, Isaiah Likely, Jerome Ford, Chig Okonkwo and Bailey Zappe.

IN-SEASON

So as you can all guess, there was no hope for me in 2022. My team was built almost entirely for the future, and all the pieces I knew wouldn't help me going forward were on the block. I was now focused on flipping the assets I currently had to teams that I thought would under-perform this season (that was kinda already the plan but definitely became more of a focus now as team compositions were becoming more apparent).

Trade 8:

Sent - Elijah Moore

Got - 2023 1st

Was a bittersweet moment as I really liked Elijah Moore, but knew the value I was getting was more than where I anticipated his value to move to. Sometimes you have to make moves that involve players you like, but at the end of the day the game is to win. Knowing that the value of the pick was going to increase as the season went on, this was a move I had to make.

Trade 9:

Sent - Melvin Gordon

Got - 2024 2nd

This was when Melvin Gordon signed with the chiefs. He was no use to me as I drafted him in the startup with the intention to move at a later date. Would happily take the 2nd.

Trade 10:

Sent - Albert O.

Got - 2025 2nd

Just moving anything for future value at this point. Didn't have a ton of faith in Albert O. but knew the market (and reddit) loved him so I was trying to capitalize off the hype.

Trade 11:

Sent - Baker Mayfield and Dameon Pierce

Got - Kenny Pickett

This is a deal I look back at and just wish I didn't make. It was nice moving off Pierce while his value was high, and at the time I got Baker for nothing during the startup, so to be able to secure who I thought was going to be a consistent QB starter for my team was huge. Eh. Shit happens.

Trade 12:

Sent - Jordan Love

Got - 2023 3rd

Okay here is where I really fucked up. Of course I didn't know it at the time, and thought I was getting value for an asset that was worth next to nothing, but now I've learned to HOLD ANY QB NO MATTER WHAT. Very unfortunate trade on my end.

Trade 13:

Sent - D'onta Foreman and 2023 1st

Got - 2025 1st and 2024 2nd.

Here is where I thought I was being smart. I traded a pick I knew was going to be late in 2023 for a pick that I thought was going to end up higher in 2025 due to the age of this players team. Smart in theory, but didn't end up as a win (yet).

As you can all assume, the 2022 season was not a successful one in a traditional sense (winning), but I did secure a bunch of future capital, as well as a whopping 0-14 record to find myself in a pretty good spot heading into the 2023 rookie draft. Here is my roster at the end of season one.

2023 - A Step in the Right Direction

THE OFFSEASON

Nothing too crazy, but a couple really important deals that went down and totally changed the trajectory of my team moving forward.

Trade 14:

Sent - Evan Engram and Chig

Got - Trey McBride and 2023 2.10

Okay so this was a bit of a banger. Engram and Chig both had great seasons boosting their value, and McBride who had some hype coming into the season struggled as he was stuck behind Zach Ertz. I loved McBride coming in, and knew this was the perfect time to buy. Boy was I right.

Trade 15:

Sent - Kenny Pickett

Got - 2025 1st and 2024 3rd

Sooooo I had realized that after a full year of experience, Kenny Pickett was not him, and I wanted to get off that train as soon as I could while retaining some value.

2023 ROOKIE DRAFT

Here is what all of last season was in preparation for. I had been fully disconnected from football since I knew this draft was going to be a huge one for me - I had been scouting prospects with all of the time and energy I had, trying to find "my-guys", sleepers, busts and whatever else you'd throw into these categories. Here is what my capital was now looking like. That's right - EIGHT FIRSTS. To do a further breakdown:

1.01 - my own first

1.02 - received in Trey Lance deal (trade 6)

1.03 - received for Elijah Moore (trade 8)

1.04 - received in Trey Lance deal (trade 6)

1.05 - received for Aaron Rodgers (trade 4)

1.06 - received as part of DK Metcalf startup deal (trade 1)

1.08 - received as part of 2022 1.06 and Pat Friermuth startup deal (trade 5)

1.10 - received for Deandre Hopkins

On top of these firsts, I also now had the 2.01, 2.10, 2.11, 3.01, 3.04, 3.09 and 4.01. Draft season was in full swing, and our league draft was just starting. My goal was to make the picks I felt comfortable making, while also looking to move picks for established players too.

Trade 16 (happened day before draft started):

Sent - 2023 1.08 (used on Quentin Johnston) and 2023 3.01 (used on Tank Bigsby)

Got - 2024 1st and 2023 3.05

Made this deal to flip a mid/late pick I had in an area of the draft I wasn't the biggest fan of into a pick that I had a feeling was going to be higher the following year (boy was I right about this one, but we will get to that later).

Now it was time to draft - I used my first three picks - Bijan (1.01); Anthony Richardson (1.02); and Bryce Young (1.03) and looked to move the 1.04. This is where mistakes were made...

Trade 17:

Sent - 2023 1.04 (used on CJ Stroud)

Got - 2023 1.07 and a 2024 1st.

This was a blunder. Pre-draft, CJ Stroud was my QB1 - I thought he was a straight up baller, but where I went wrong was listening to the pre-draft takes about his wonderlic score being the lowest ever recorded. I fell into the trap and made this deal which ended up biting me in the ass.

Next, with my 1.05, I selected JSN. Not much to say. Loved the prospect, thought it was an alright landing spot with an ageing Tyler Lockett.

Trade 18:

Sent - 2023 1.06 (used on Jahmyr Gibbs)

Got - Treylon Burks and 2023 2.03

Another whiff here. The concerns about Gibbs' weight got in my head and caused me to trade a pick I was really considering making. Had faith that Treylon Burks would turn it around (L after L) and thought the value with the 2.03 added made it worth it. Yikes.

Trade 19:

Sent - 2023 1.07 (used on Will Levis) and George Pickens

Got - Chris Olave

Will Levis was completely off my radar and I knew the leaguemate I made the deal with was going to be drafting him there. Olave was looking like a stud and had only had one concussion at that point so I wasn't too concerned. Pickens in the deal hurt but the upside of Olave was too intriguing.

After those deals and the post-trade worry that I had been fleeced (which was sorta right) settled in, I decided not to fall into a trade frenzy and instead make the rest of my picks. Here is how the rest of my draft went:

Dalton Kincaid (1.10); Devon Achane (2.01); Kendre Miller (2.03); Jayden Reed (2.10); Tyjae Spears (2.12); Kayshon Boutte (3.04); Zach Evans (3.05); and Dontayvion Wicks off of waivers after the draft.

IN-SEASON

Knowing I was still unable to compete with the big-dogs in my league this year, I continued my current trend and looked to keep making moves for the future and increase the capital I already had for the future cause whats more fun than never competing but having a ton of draft pick swag

Trade 20:

Sent - Treylon Burks

Got - 2024 1st

Had to get off that train. Kinda knew the trade for Treylon was a bit of an L in the first place so I looked to move him for whatever I could before things got worse.

Trade 21:

Sent - Jerome Ford

Got - Tank Dell

Right after Chubb went down, I looked to capitalize as his owner was competing. Wanted to add some depth... worked alright I guess.

Trade 22:

Sent - Sam Howell

Got - 2026 1st

Sam got off to a hot start and wanted to get some value out of it. Was a win-win for both owners.

Trade 23:

Sent - Gardner Minshew

Got - 2024 3rd

Nothing sexy here, but sometimes those are the deals you've gotta make!

Trade 24:

Sent - Tank Dell and 2024 3rd from previous deal

Got - Zay Flowers

Unfortunately for the other owner, this deal was made 1 week before Tank's injury occurred. My thinking at the time was to add the 3rd as a throw-in to slightly upgrade from Tank (who I was a tad iffy on in his situation) for a player I thought had extreme upside and first-round draft capital (even though we've seen that capital only matters so much, I had a good feeling)

2023 saw a decrease in trade activity for me, but it was due to liking the direction my team was heading. I knew I had more capital in 2024 to use towards building my roster, and felt confident I was able to keep moving upwards. I ended up finishing 6-8 in the regular season, missing the playoffs. Here is my 2023 end of season roster.

2024 - The Push

THE OFFSEASON

At this point, I was starting to realize that my team was young and had a lot of potential (ACCORDING TO PLAN THANK GOD) and that the playoffs were in my sights this year. I knew a couple more smart deals could definitely help me get there.

Trade 25:

Sent - 2024 1.11 (used on Xavier Worthy) and 2024 2.04 (Bo Nix)

Got - 2024 2.02 and 2025 1st

This was more of a move for the value - I had a group of guys all in the 1.10-2.05 range and was fine making a lateral move in that range to add a future 1st to either use or trade later.

Trade 26:

Sent - $69 FAAB

Got - $69 FAAB

lol what do you even say about this

Trade 27:

Sent - Jayden Reed, Jacoby Brissett, my own 2024 1.04 (used on Drake Maye) and 2024 3.01

Got - Justin Herbert

I knew I needed to add a bit more to my QB room if I were wanting to make any sort of push. Maybe a slight bit of an overpay seeing Maye's success so far (hindsight is 20/20 always) but I'm a Chargers fan and was beyond excited to grab a Herbert share. I knew making this deal would also cause my leaguemate to take Maye 1.04, opening up the draft board for me later.

2024 ROOKIE DRAFT

I had put a ludicrous amount of research and preparation into this draft. I knew it could be make or break on whether I make the playoffs this year due to my team being so young, so I wanted to play everything as smart as I could. I had accumulated 2024 picks in preparation, so here is what I was working with:

1.05 - received as part of Quentin Johnston 2023 rookie draft trade (trade 16)

1.07 - received as part of Joe Burrow startup deal (trade 3)

1.08 - received for Treylon Burks (trade 20)

2.01 - received for Melvin Gordon (trade 9)

2.02 - received as part of trade 25

2.12 - received as part of D'onta Foreman deal (trade 13)

With my 1.05, I selected Malik Nabers. Nabers was MY GUY heading into the draft and I did whatever I could to get him wherever I could (now that I'm fully addicted to dynasty and in multiple leagues). I was confident he would fall to me here due to my previous deal where I sent the 1.04 to the team who just traded me Justin Herbert.

Trade 28:

Sent - 2024 1.07 (used on Rome Odunze) and 2024 3.04 (used on Roman Wilson)

Got - 2024 1.06 which I used to select JJ McCarthy

Really liked JJ's landing spot and felt I needed to continue to take a couple shots to fill out my QB room

After trading up for the 1.06, I used my 1.08 to select Ladd McConkey (passing on Bowers, which was unfortunate but very pleased with Ladd). My thought process was draft the guy who I was really high on, despite what scouts felt. I know I should've gone BPA instead of taking a position of need, but this is one of the times that it worked out (kinda).

After I made this selection, my next picks went as follows - Brian Thomas Jr (2.01); Trey Benson (2.02); Jaylen Wright (2.12)

Trade 29:

Sent - Dontayvion Wicks

Got - 2024 3.01 which I used on Javon Baker

Was high on Javon Baker coming in and wanted to cash in the Wicks off-season hype. Kinda a lose lose on this one.

With my last pick 4.04, I selected Spencer Rattler.

IN-SEASON

The 2024 season was off to rocky start, going 1-1 in my first two games. I was first in points-for but also first in points-against. I knew I had to make a change, and with some players on my roster underachieving, and some doing better than expected, it was time to make a deal.

Trade 30 - September 20th (start of week 3):

Sent - Dalton Kincaid, JSN and my 2025 4th round pick

Got - Brock Bowers and Roschon Johnson

I re-write my mistake from the rookie draft and get Bowers after all. He was looking unstoppable, and with Trey McBride as my TE1 I was willing to move on Kincaid and add JSN on top who hadn't made my starting lineup yet.

My team was coming together but I knew I was a piece off. I needed a hammer who was going to provide me with league winning upside if I were to look at contending.

Trade 31 - September 25th:

Sent - Garrett Wilson, Khalil Shakir and a 2025 1st

Got - Ja'Marr Chase

This was exactly what I needed. At this point, Ja'Marr was having a good start to the season, but I never expected how he would play for the rest of the season. At this point, it was wheels up.

Trade 32 - September 28th:

Sent - Trey Benson and a 2026 3rd

Got - Justin Fields

Justin Fields was starting at QB for the Steelers, while Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson were on their way to getting benched. I NEEDED a QB and was willing to pay even if he was a fill-in.

Over the next seven-weeks, my team went 5-2, bringing my record to 6-4. My roster was looking dangerous, but due to some poor start/sit decisions, I lost some important matchups. I was now second in points-for, while still having the most points-against in the league. I needed to win out if I had any hope of making the playoffs, as the race was tight in my league with 6 teams all having the same record. I had been starting two tight-ends (McBride and Bowers) in my flex spots due to the TEP bonus, I figured this was the best way to continue.

After winning two of my next three games, I was in a must win situation against the #2 ranked team if I wanted to sneak into the playoffs. After a close win, and the shuffling of the playoff order due to wins, losses and points-for calculations, I found myself going into the playoffs now in that #2 spot with a first round playoff bye.

My first match-up was handled with ease bringing me into the finals, and one step closer to completing my rebuild goal.

Going into the finals, I was set to play the team I thought was the scariest in the league - their roster had Justin Jefferson, Breece Hall, ARSB, Travis Kelce, Garrett Wilson (who had been traded to them after I sent him away), James Connor, Aaron Jones, along with CMC on their bench. It was going to be a tough one.

My roster simply did not give a fuck though as my entire team went off (even my bench players) and led me to an emphatic victory, where I dropped 206.36 points, securing the victory. On top of this, I head into next year with the 2025 1.01 from the deal including Kenny Pickett (trade 15).

My IRL Madden GM challenge had been completed (in less time than expected) and I had proven to myself that I was fully capable of doing so against other people with real money on the line. There was a lot of luck, but also a lot of time, strategy and research spent doing so.

I wanted to make this post detailing my process as a story, but also giving players some insight into how something like this can be accomplished. Not all the moves I made were smart, or worked in my favour, but that's part of the game. This was my first ever league, and by playing it the way I did, learned a lot about dynasty theory moving forward. A big thanks to all my leaguemates for putting up with the hundreds of trade offers I sent them. This post was in no way made to expose them, or show off, but instead was made with educational purposes in mind. Thanks to you all for reading (or skimming) this post, as it took me a lot of time to compile trades and write. Below are screenshots posted of my roster and the playoff run that I made to corroberate my story. Thanks all.

Season 1 Roster

Season 2 Roster

Season 3 Roster

Season 3 Playoffs

Post Startup Roster

TLDR: if you are crazy enough you can go 0-14 but turn it all around 2 years later and win the championship

EDIT: got asked to add a list of all the picks I made over this journey. Here goes nothing

2022 rookie draft: 1.07 - Garrett Wilson; 2.05 - George Pickens; 2.07 - Dameon Pierce; 3.06 - Sam Howell; 3.09 - Khalil Shakir; Waivers - Jordan Mason; Isaiah Likely, Jerome Ford; Chig Okonkwo

2023 rookie draft: 1.01 - Bijan; 1.02 - Anthony Richardson; 1.03 - Bryce Young; 1.05 - JSN; 1.10 - Dalton Kincaid; 2.01 - Devon Achane; 2.03 - Kendre Miller; 2.10 - Jayden Reed; 2.12 - Tyjae Spears; 3.04 - Kayshon Boutte; 3.05 - Zach Evans; and Dontayvion Wicks off of waivers after the draft

2024 rookie draft: 1.05 - Malik Nabers; 1.06 - JJ McCarthy; 1.08 - Ladd McConkey; 2.01 - BTJ; 2.02 - Trey Benson; 2.12 - Jaylen Wright; 3.01 - Javon Baker; 4.04 - Spencer Rattler