This submission comes from a longtime friend of mine (we go all the way back to 10th grade) Mike Beckley (@NFLLionBlood). Mike is a veteran to the dynasty fantasy football scene, but wanted to submit this article to enlighten people on why superflex leagues are starting to grow in popularity. Make sure you give Mike a follow on Twitter, because he is always (and I do mean ALWAYS) up for a good dynasty fantasy football discussion.
I recently participated in one of the April DLF mock drafts that Ryan McDowell (@ryanmc23) uses to generate dynasty ADP. In the third round, I selected Andrew Luck since he seems locked and loaded as a top six fantasy quarterback for the next ten years. The quarterback position has become so devalued in 1QB leagues, that I was made fun of for taking him there. As the draft continued, I ended up taking Peyton Manning with the 120th pick as my backup. A player expected to be a top fantasy scorer for the next 1-2 years was available after players like – Bishop Sankey, Robert Woods and Rashad Jennings.
How Superflex Leagues Work
Superflex leagues are fantasy leagues in which you can (and should) start two quarterbacks instead of the standard one. This adds importance to the most important position in the NFL. Quarterbacks typically score the most points in all formats, so you should have two strong weekly quarterbacks. Parity at the quarterback position has allowed smart dynasty owners to wait 10-14 rounds before taking their first QB in standard leagues. This madness has to stop!
De-Valuing the Position
In my recent DLF Mock, young stars like Russell Wilson (ADP 116), Colin Kaepernick (ADP 110) and Matt Ryan (pick ADP 106) went after 13 rookies including Davonte Adams, Lache Seastrunk, Isaiah Crowell and Donte Moncrief.
Long-Term Outlook
Remember, your dynasty league is long-term and you want do not want to have regrets about your setup. Your roster setup and scoring settings should be forward thinking. Imagine if you created your dynasty league eight years ago as a “TD heavy”, non-PPR, no flex position league before PPR and flex was the predominant format. Leagues can dissolve if their scoring system is outdated. It is very difficult to make significant changes in dynasty that don’t unfairly affect some owners.
Why Superflex Leagues Are Gaining Popularity
Superflex leagues are becoming more popular as parity at the quarterback position seems to be increasing. You don’t want to look back at your league in two years and wish you would have made it a super-flex.
We love dynasty football because it is more like being an actual GM of a football team. If all of the NFL players were available to draft, these young QBs would be some of the highest picks. No NFL general manager would trade Russell Wilson (April ADP 89, Range 66-116) for Terrence Williams (ADP 68, Range 55-83), and I believe your dynasty set-up should reflect that. In 1QB leagues, young guys like Matt Ryan are more of a “throw-in” player than an actual valuable trade piece.
Rookie quarterbacks have very little value in one quarterback dynasty leagues. Guys like Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles or Teddy Bridgewater would need to emerge as a top 12 fantasy quarterback to be a starter in your league. That puts them with pretty elite company and it’s unlikely most rookies will make it to the top 12. As a result, these guys are often available in the third round of your rookie drafts. If you lower that standard to be a top 24 fantasy quarterback (as in 12 team Super-flex) they all become very relevant.
In smaller leagues (8-10 teams), you may consider having two QB starting slots instead of a flex position. This makes more sense in redraft leagues than in dynasty leagues. Since bye weeks will change year after year, you may need to make a trade to fill your bye week quarterback slot. I love trading, but I’m not a fan of a system that forces you to make trades due to a flaw in the system. In leagues with 12 or more teams, you need to have the second position to be a flex because there aren’t enough starting quarterbacks to cover bye weeks.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, remember that you are setting up your dynasty league for the long haul. You want to have roster and scoring settings that are fun, keep owners active and can stand the test of time.
With the trend of Superflex leagues growing, you may want to get ahead of the curve. If no one cares about their quarterbacks and the tight end position is very similar after the top few guys, you can create a league with very little trade activity. Make your startup a Superflex and you can bring significance back to the QB position and create a very active high scoring league.
