The trolley problem, whether pineapple should go on pizza and whether a hot dog should be considered a sandwich are all more straightforward questions to answer than how to build a dynasty roster. Like those three issues, there isn’t necessarily a right or wrong answer.
Earlier this month, I wrote an article about dynasty startup drafts. In this article, I build on my philosophy with a more in-depth analysis of my theoretical approach to dynasty. Despite this being my take on dynasty, I acknowledge that there is no one way to build a roster and many philosophies can be successful. It’s about winning a championship and creating sustained success. Now, let’s build a dynasty roster.
In this article, I will reference a half-PPR, 12-team Superflex roster.
How to Build a Dynasty Roster
Losing Isn’t Bad
The first question to answer is are you trying to win it all or are you comfortable trying to make playoffs each year? Making the playoffs each year is always a bit of a lottery, and you can find plenty of success just by making it to the dance each year. However, we aren’t trying to find someone to dance with, we’re trying to get a ring (a championship ring more, specifically).
If that is the case, my biggest advice would be to trust yourself and not be afraid to be wrong. The unpredictability of fantasy is part of what makes it so enjoyable. As a result, build a roster you enjoy cheering for every Sunday and is loaded with your guys. This will make winning that much more enjoyable and easier to handle if things aren’t going your way.
This also means not being afraid to push your chips in or pull them out. To quote Kenny Rogers, you have to know when to hold them and when to fold them. The key to this strategy is to objectively select your timing. For example, “Are you a contending team?” is as difficult a question to ask yourself. Sometimes, you have to take a long look in the mirror and determine your trajectory. Pro tip: If you aren’t sure, you’re not a contender.
If you decide this is your year, make moves. Don’t be overly cautious of age and hunt production. A great example of this is veterans like Adam Thielen and James Conner, two players you can get for late draft picks and who always outperform their perceived dynasty value.
If you aren’t a contender, take advantage of timing. Draft picks spike in value around this time of year, just like veterans hold their highest value before the trade deadline. At this point of the year, it’s impossible to collect only young players, so try to find third- or fourth-year guys who have a sneaky path to fantasy production this year to move them for a third or fourth-round draft pick. Last year, a few examples could have been Rashod Bateman, Rico Dowdle and Wan’Dale Robinson.
At the end of the day, you can’t always win. Instead of building a team to avoid losing, embrace losing seasons as a way to retool for the future. The worst thing you can do is have a losing roster and fail to accept it. This typically results in people making “win now” moves that are detrimental to future success. Instead, accept when it’s not your year and use it to make moves and strategize for the future.
Roster Configuration
Quarterback
Arguably, this is the most important position of a Superflex dynasty roster. Your quarterback is either your rock or the upside for your entire roster. Unfortunately, there are only five quarterbacks that check both boxes. In my opinion, they are Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow. If you don’t have one of those quarterbacks, you’re likely looking longingly at your league mates, trying to compensate with the rest of your roster.
Fear not. There are many ways to build a roster that can provide similar upside and stability. First, don’t over-emphasize rushing. I know this goes against everything you’ve heard in the fantasy community over the last five years, but it’s true. Rushing is an excellent source of upside for top-tier rushers, however, it’s not everything.
Last season, the top 12 quarterbacks were littered with pocket passers. Of course, you had your usual suspects in the above five signal-callers I mentioned finishing in the top 12. However, you also had Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff and Sam Darnold all in the top 10. I mention these names because, in fantasy circles, they are relatively cheap while showcasing their ability to produce consistently for fantasy.
Despite their low value, if you had a Mayfield and Darnold duo in 2024, they would have provided more fantasy points than Daniels and Hurts. The key to pocket passers is making sure they are on a good offense, otherwise, you’re looking at Russell Wilson and Geno Smith.
In the end, you need two quarterbacks. If you can pair a top-tier signal-caller with a steady option, you’re set. However, if you don’t have a top guy, don’t break the bank getting one. Ideally, you acquire a young quarterback with upside (for example, Bo Nix, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr.) and pair them with an undervalued veteran such as Mayfield, Goff or Patrick Mahomes.
That pairing should give you enough of a floor to stay in the fight against the top tier while potentially anchoring your team for years to come. Add an aging veteran such as Matthew Stafford for a late pick and you officially have three solid passers to play matchups and cover bye weeks.
Running Back
Probably the most divisive dynasty players on the market. Generally, running backs are the final pieces to the puzzle when it comes to your dynasty roster. Much like Thanos adding the final infinity stone, they need to be added at the right time in the right situation.
If you don’t have one of the shiny dynasty backs such as Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs, you likely need to play the producing veteran game. If you are a contending team, this should fit perfectly as you’ve already made the moves to complete your roster and can acquire these pieces relatively cheaply.
For example, last year six of the top 13 backs were 25 or older. These backs can likely be acquired for a late first, a second or a second and some change. If that’s the cost for a top-12 back, that’s an easy win for a contender.
As a result, don’t be afraid of the name fatigue – Joe Mixon, James Conner, Alvin Kamara. As a general idea, that is my advice, but I want to point out that this 2025 NFL Draft class is loaded with running backs. I wouldn’t acquire these players until after the draft.
Many great analysts are adamant you should get off of young overperforming backs regardless of their situation. Although, this might be the most difficult pill to swallow as a fantasy manager, over the last four years this has been a great strategy. For example, Cam Akers, J.K. Dobbins, Javonte Williams, Najee Harris, Jonathan Taylor and Breece Hall have all taken a value nose-dive from where they were in their first or second season.
For some of these players, this has been bad injury luck, which is always a risk at running back. I would argue the best example of the benefit of striking when the iron is hot was Breece Hall going into last season. Everything seemed to point to another massive year, yet the unpredictability of the NFL had other plans. While he is still a very good back, he has aggressively dropped from the Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson tier he was in.
This leads me to a new philosophy I’ve been workshopping over the last few years. Is there such a thing as a rebuilding back? To many, this is likely believed to be an oxymoron. It’s a risky strategy, but I think there is a case to be made that we have entered the running back rebuild era. Over the last 10 years, there have been 13 backs drafted in the first round. These backs and their respective picks were:
Looking back at that list, there is a clear tier difference between the front half of the first round and the back half. Except for Melvin Gordon and Leonard Fournette, all backs selected in the first half held five-plus years of high-end fantasy production and peaked with multiple top-five fantasy seasons to their names. Considering that dynasty is played in three-year windows, that is enough production to survive a proper rebuild and help contend.
As a result, if you are rebuilding and have the opportunity to take a top-tier running back prospect who is selected in the first half of the first round, it shouldn’t be a bad pick. Over the last three years, this would include Robinson, Gibbs and likely Ashton Jeanty. If you find yourself in possession of the first pick this year, don’t feel pressured to move down if you believe Jeanty is the next Bijan Robinson.
Wide Receiver
From the most divisive position to the most attractive dynasty position, it’s time to talk about wide receivers. I believe the receiver position is the most skewed in dynasty value. Because of their perceived longevity, they are superior to running backs, yet their value is contingent on the situation and quarterback. However, with the recent fluidity of the quarterback position in the NFL, the perception of longevity can be misleading.
For example, Drake London is an example of situation-changing production. Starting his career with relatively consistent numbers, he never reached his potential until the team prioritized getting a quarterback. The opposite side of this equation is a player like Odell Beckham Jr., who started great but rapidly declined along with his quarterback play.
As a result, it’s never a bad idea to prioritize youth, but youth that is connected to stable quarterback play is a different ball game. Some prime examples of this are Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Nico Collins, CeeDee Lamb, DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. Unfortunately, this makes me cautious about paying a premium for a talented player like Puka Nacua, Malik Nabers or Garrett Wilson.
Receiver is also one of the deeper positions for fantasy production. The big names often carry a premium and more consistency at the position, but every year some receivers are overlooked despite averaging similar fantasy points per game. An example of this last year is Jordan Addison, who averaged more points than Wilson.
While his points were more volatile if you are filling out your WR3 spot, a player like Addison can be acquired relatively easily and be just as impactful on any given week. This goes for Adam Thielen, Jerry Jeudy, Jauan Jennings, Jakobi Meyers and Courtland Sutton, who all averaged more points than DK Metcalf, Tyreek Hill and Zay Flowers.
All in all, I like having one rock at my receiver position. By rock, I am referring to a top-10 receiver linked to a top-tier quarterback as my WR1. Then I typically try to find veteran production for my WR2 such as Brandon Aiyuk, Terry McLaurin, Chris Godwin, DJ Moore, etc. This leaves the WR3 position and depth to be a collection of players who do not hold name value but continue to produce for fantasy.
My favorite name that fits this description for 2025 is Darnell Mooney. If you can collect three or four from the Mooney, Khalil Shakir, Rashod Bateman, and Jakobi Meyers tiers, you can play matchups each week and have steady production if you battle injuries.
Tight End
If you like chaos, this is the position for you. Over the last five years, the tight end position has pulled the rug out from under fantasy managers. Not to name names, but my therapist blames Kyle Pitts and Dalton Kincaid for my commitment issues. To make matters worse, their impact made me miss out on Brock Bowers. In other words, I’m writing this with a cup of coffee in a burning-down house telling myself this is fine.
In all seriousness, I think tight ends might be the last infinity stone. I know I’ve already made the reference with running backs, but the position is so volatile each year that unless you have Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Sam LaPorta or George Kittle, we won’t know who is producing for fantasy until the season starts. As a result, if you are contending and piece-mealing the position together I would wait until the season starts before acquiring your weekly tight end.
There are many names out there that all have the potential to be weekly contributors at the position and consistently finish in the top 10 at the position. The issue is that it’s a long list of players including Evan Engram, Dallas Goedert, Jake Ferguson, Kyle Pitts, Dalton Kincaid, Juwan Johnson, Jonnu Smith, David Njoku and Pat Freiermuth. Realistically, you can make a case for any of these players to be a consistent option at the position. If you are contending, I’d wait to see how the season looks before making a move.
If you are rebuilding, you can make this call in the offseason and prioritize youth. In that list above, Kyle Pitts, Dalton Kincaid and Pat Freiermuth are all very young. Jumping on them now could lock down the position for years to come. This includes the rookie draft, where tight ends typically fall as their fantasy return usually takes a few years (except Sam Laporta and Brock Bowers).
As a result, I would heavily consider Tyler Warren or Colston Loveland in this draft if they fall to the second round of your rookie draft. If you are a contending team this year, I would strongly suggest skipping the tight end position in your rookie draft and focusing on the abundance of young running backs that will likely be selected on Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
Conclusion
In summary, find your philosophy and stick to it. Dynasty is my favorite form of fantasy and it largely has to do with the various strategies that are used. At the end of the day, we play this game for fun. Having your takes and personal opinions on roster construction adds to the enjoyment.
If I’ve learned anything in my dynasty career, it’s don’t be afraid to be wrong. We’re all going to be wrong — it’s inevitable. So you might as well go down on a ship you built rather than following other people’s opinions. Who knows, maybe that boat will float and become a championship.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
