Why IDP/Dynasty is the Fantasy for me
At the latest, last weekend was the end of the fantasy football season for some. For most it was earlier and the final two teams played in week 16. People have went back to their lives, some even doing work on their office computers. They tell themselves that now they can just relax and watch football. Today they are hung over watching some college bowl games, distancing themselves from the thought of how many fantasy points a player is putting up in a game on TV. Not me…I’m scouting today.
I’m sitting here watching The Rose Bowl. I see this Harrison kid from Illinois who snags an INT late in the first quarter, flying down the field. He was fast! I can’t sit on the couch and enjoy it. You see, I’m hurting at defensive back in my Dynasty League with individual defensive players. I’m up working on the 2008 season. The fantasy rookie draft is only four months away after all. I will be watching the Senior Bowl with an agenda.
It’s not just me. I just went by my forums and see a post from the guy who got second place in the league. He posted what he thinks is the draft order for next year, wanting to know if he is correct. IDP Dynasty is what separates the average fantasy player from the ones with it in their blood. I’m not necessarily sure that is a good thing. I’ll tell you what though, when the regular fantasy guy has nothing to look forward to but the NFL draft in April, I’m working my way through Restricted Free Agency and preparing my rookie draft board.
The first difference between the regular league and the Dynasty is the drafting, I suppose. We had our first major draft in early 2006. After that players were assigned contracts, never to be drafted again. From there on out it is only rookies draft each May after the real thing. Each year during the month of April there is auctioning on Restricted Free Agents (the players whose contracts run out). We get $75 a year to bid on free agents or to sweeten a trade pot. Those that were hording $$ from the year before have a better shot at hitting the top FA’s. Those that went spend happy will watch their team be plucked of studs, defenseless.
It’s very possible to have a league like mentioned above with your regular fantasy lineup…I’m in on of those too. But I have to say, after years of weighing it out and then finally making the jump a few years ago, adding defensive players is where it is at. I think the people who put this down are the ones that know they don’t have what it takes in their fantasy arsenal to manage this kind of team…or they just need to try it.
You can adjust the scoring for the IDP players to where they bring home the points of your offensive players. Now that I think about, comparing the scoring would be a a little like this…Linebackers=Running Backs, Defensive backs=Wide Receivers, Defensive Lineman=Tight Ends. We start 3 LB’s, 3 DB’s, and 2 DL in addition to the usual QB, RB’s, WR’s, TE, K. We drop the Defensive/Special Teams. I tell you what, if I’m going into the late game and I only have D players left and he has a couple studs, I’m not necessarily worried.
A few years ago when we played in our first league of the sort, a friend of mine and I agreed that this was the future of fantasy football. It has not really appeared to take off like we thought. Sure, the diehards are doing it. You will see a few new recruits each year who hesitantly make the jump. Maybe we should blame the mainstream media? They appear just as scared and apprehensive to get on board as some of the other guys. Not that I care about the mainstream media…it is just that these are the guys that many fantasy football fans still go to for guidance. The insecurities of these “experts” lead them to dismiss it, which in turns leads Joe Fan, who was about to make the turn, dismiss it. Sad…
Come with me Joe Fan! I will show you the way. I will be your Obi Wan, you can be my Luke. In the coming weeks I’m going to cover the basics for starting a Dynasty league. This will be able to get you started whether you want to use the regular fantasy lineup. Then we will make the turn on how to incorporate IDP’s. Won’t that be fun?
Until then, can you do me a little favor? I’m starting over here with this new site and I’m reaching about three guys and some woman in England who thought it was a gossip site about soccer. Can you hit a button or two below if you kinda liked what you read? If you do I will see what I can do about getting you a puppy.
Amen brotha. IDP Dynasty is the future of fantasy football. Convert now or be assimilated in the future.
[...] had discussed the other day why Dynasty/IDP is the fantasy for me. A few years ago I made the jump from being the regular in season fantasy [...]