When the season starts, dynasty and redraft become very similar. Scoring points and winning matchups are all that matter. However, the one way that the two formats differ is that in dynasty, planning for next year also matters. If you’re having a rough year, it might be time to rebuild, so here are some tips to help you out.

1. Trade Away Veterans for Youth

The easiest and most basic advice to bad dynasty teams is to send any veteran players away for youth. Get younger. If your team isn’t winning this year then you need to pivot off of those aging assets and look to the future. A 30-year-old wide receiver will be 31 next year and at a much higher risk of dropping in both value and production. Trade him away for the injured 25-year-old receiver plus a rookie pick. Or, better yet, trade away anyone scoring points now for draft picks. A perfect example is Tyler Lockett. If you can send Lockett for a younger player like DJ Moore or Terry McLaurin, even if you have to add another piece, I’m doing that in a heartbeat.

2. Add as Many Rookie Picks as You Can

Rookie draft picks don’t have a lot of risk in dynasty and almost always accrue in value. They’re one of the safest assets you can have on your roster, and as a rebuilding team, you need as many of them as possible. Try to get late-round picks thrown into almost every trade. You never know when you might need them to either move up in the draft or to add another player down the road. Adding more rookie picks doesn’t mean you need to actually make the pick, it just means you’re insulating your team’s value in an asset that is less likely to depreciate over time.

3. Add Risky Players for Cheap

Depreciation is the one thing a rebuilding team wants to avoid. That being said, adding risky players that have low value can be another great way to increase your team’s value. Buy players that are hurt or just underperforming, but do at less than market value if possible. Try sending a 3rd round rookie pick for someone who’s worth a 2nd just to see if the other manager will sell low. Then you can either turn around and sell that player for his true value when the season is over or ride him to a championship at a discount next year. A prime example of this is Cam Akers. He probably has the highest range of outcomes in fantasy right now with all of the rumors of him being traded by the Rams. I’d be happy to send a 3rd round pick as a rebuilding team to get on that ride. It may take time, but I think he’ll be a solid starter in a year.

4. Be Patient and Play the Long Game

Patience is really the key to rebuilding. Timing is everything in fantasy football, but even more so in dynasty – and even more so when rebuilding. If you can buy at the bottom of a value curve and sell at the top multiple times your team can turn around quickly. Trades are the best way to do this but don’t trade just to trade. Find the right partner and trade at the right time. Keep your eyes on the prize and make sure every decision is based on winning next year.

Rebuilding can be a long and arduous process but it can also be a lot of fun. My favorite championships have come after I took an orphan team and turned it around. There’s no better feeling than knowing you did everything yourself to win that title. Obviously, there’s still a lot of luck involved, but if you do it right, rebuilding can be a very rewarding game to play within this game within a game within a game. So enjoy it!

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