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The FFPC (Fantasy Football Players Championship) is the place for serious fantasy players to compete in dynasty leagues for high-stakes action. Scott Engel tells you how to get set for dynasty roster cutdown day.
Dynasty leagues give you the most immersive fantasy football experience possible. From a gaming perspective, they best replicate the feel of being a pro football owner, general manager, and coach in one interactive package.
This is especially true in the high-stakes gaming world, on platforms such as the Fantasy Football Players Championship. Dynasty leagues are usually comprised of highly competitive players, and in the FFPC, many of the best and most dedicated players sign up at all price levels. There are leagues for every budget, and the action never stops throughout the yearly calendar.
We are getting closer to the NFL Draft, and trade offers are filling up FFPC player inboxes as teams look to maneuver for rookie/free agent draft positioning. Right now, some tough decisions need to be made first, though, as the FFPC dynasty league roster cutdown day is this week.
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FFPC Dynasty League Cutdown Day: Dealing And Depth Decisions
By 11:59 ET on Friday, March 31, all FFPC dynasty rosters must be reduced to 16 players. While dynasty fantasy football does its best in a gaming environment to simulate the pro football front office and coaching experience, we are spared the unpleasant responsibility of telling players personally that they are being cut from the team.
Still, even though the “Turk” does not visit anyone in fantasy football as in the pros, we are still faced with challenging decisions about which six players to get rid of before the upcoming rookie/free agent draft. You get to keep the core of your team in the dynasty format, but some complementary and depth players must be jettisoned.
There is a 24-hour “trade freeze” in FFPC dynasty leagues once the deadline hits. So many dynasty players are looking to offload extra pieces before they must cut them. You can pick up draft picks or fill other roster needs by unloading any perceived surplus players that have legitimate trading appeal.
In my two leagues, I have seen Darnell Mooney traded to move up a few spots in a draft, and I have been offered Jordan Love. These players may have been considered expendable by the teams rostering them. Moving such players will make other roster decisions easier and can net draft choices, or even helps to move up a few spots in the draft, as in this trade.
Mooney was not likely to be cut, but the team trading him away definitely had excellent WR depth and did a good job of getting rid of a player in advance of the cutdown date and improving its draft position. I expect more offers to be circulating around the league as the roster cutdown deadline gets closer.
When making my own roster evaluations in this league, which is a superflex format, it was more challenging to cut players than in my other league, where I had won a 2021 championship and was well-stocked at most positions. The team in my second league, as I will refer to it, was an FFPC dynasty orphan team that I took over.
Evaluating Player Outlooks And Depth
Heading into last year’s rookie/free agent draft, I thought my team looked formidable at QB with Tom Brady and Trey Lance. I drafted Geno Smith very late, not expecting much of a return.
A year later, Smith is my QB1 at this time, and Lance is a total gamble who has seen his outlook take a big hit. I ideally wanted to keep Brady for now, just in case he changes his mind about retirement, but I simply did not have the roster room.
When making these cuts, players with more solid outlooks or certain upside have to be kept over guys who have just an outside shot of making an impact in 2023. A Brady return is unlikely, but not impossible, and “not impossible” was not enough to keep him on the roster.
Unlike some other dynasty players, my perceived window for success is two to three years down the line, not five-plus. So I got what I could out of Brady to try and win in the short term and now I have to move on.
Cutting Deon Jackson, Zonovan Knight, and Zack Moss were not difficult decisions. But getting rid of Greg Dortch and Terrace Marshall was. Those players were not going to coax anyone else to make a significant trade with me, but they do have some longer-range promise for 2023.
Marshall showed some signs of progress last season, and Dortch was a productive waiver wire add. Marshall may be blocked by Adam Thielen and D.J. Chark on the Carolina WR depth chart. Dortch could be impactful again when DeAndre Hopkins is traded, but I expect Rondale Moore to be ahead of him on the Arizona WR depth chart.
Well if you think Terrace Marshall is better than DJ Chark and/or Adam Thielen then it might not be a bad move to jump on Terrace. But Marshall was playing 85-95% of the snaps last five games and couldn't crack 3 targets so I'm a little scared.
— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) March 24, 2023
Considering I already have Tee Higgins, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jerry Jeudy and Romeo Doubs at WR, Marshall and Dortch had to be released. I have no room for regrets on fifth and sixth WRs, and both will be available in the rookie/free agent draft.
At running back, I do like my depth chart with Derrick Henry, Tony Pollard, Dameon Pierce, and Ezekiel Elliott. I had to keep Hassan Haskins, as it is possible he may be the future at RB for Tennessee and will be the likely top injury insurance backup for Henry if he remains with the Titans.
Haskins’ path to playing time may be blocked more than Marshall or Dortch right now, but he is an essential roster piece for those who have Henry.
At tight end, I have Travis Kelce, but Cade Otton may be my starter a few years from now, so I could not cut him, either. At positions where the outlook and depth are solid, you must cut the extraneous players who have not proven themselves enough yet and are not guaranteed a significant role with their respective NFL teams in 2023.
Quarterback is unfortunately my weakest position, and at your weakest position, you have to keep players who have less certain outlooks. I would not cut Lance, as he may still have some future upside. I also must bank on Smith to show that his 2023 campaign was no fluke. I do have confidence that he will do so.
Ultimately, though, when making your cuts, do not cling to players who have longer odds of making an impact next season unless you are thin at a certain position. Now start making some trade offers to rid yourself of surplus players before the FFPC cutdown deadline. The clock is ticking.
Scott Engel's fantasy and betting analysis is also featured at The Game Day.
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