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Team – Eli’s Team – League of Legends (League #62043)
Owner – Eli Padilla (@Eli_Pad1224)
By: Jay Pounds (@jaypoundsnfl)
Dynasty Owners, welcome back to another week of rebuilding with yours truly. In this week’s article, we are going to do things quite a bit different than what you have seen in the past. Today, we will be looking at a contending roster and talking about how to push for another chance at a League Championship and hopefully avoid a rebuild. If we are being honest, the top is a tough place to get to and it is almost impossible to stay there long term. The main thing users should do in these situations is look at each rostered player’s window and decide, can I get similar value next off-season vs trading them today? If you can answer yes to this question, that player is a building block for your roster. If you cannot, It is time for a trade. You will still have your normal younger building blocks but the main reason I consider these “older” guys building blocks is because they will help you achieve your goals this season while still returning value in a trade next off-season, when the championship window is starting to close. If Eli plays this perfectly, he will win this season and trade these fading assets to another contender in the league in the off-season and make his team younger in the process. I should also mention the fact there is only a 2-year window for a championship in this league for reasons you will see later in the article.
Building Blocks
- Aaron Rodgers ($33,500,000)
- Davante Adams (Free Agent)
- Terry McLaurin ($961,918)
- Cole Kmet ($1,894,444)
- Darren Waller ($7,450,000)
As you can see building blocks for someone who is contending look much different from someone who is not. In all honesty, building blocks vary a lot from team to team. The player here that stands out the most is Davante Adams. If I were in Eli’s shoes, I would not move Adams until next off-season barring an offer he cannot refuse. Adams is extremely likely to help push for a title this season while still bringing back solid value in a trade next year. The same can be said for Darren Waller who I believe will be the tight end to have in 2022 in terms of value/production. Waller also has two years remaining on his deal meaning you should easily be able to move him next off-season while he is still seen as a value. As far as McLaurin and Kmet, I believe both will be very solid pros for a long time to come, especially with Kmet tied to Justin Fields. I know I left Rodgers out of this segment. If you are curious of my thoughts continue reading!
Players to Trade Away
- Damien Harris ($907,784)
- Aaron Jones ($12,000,000)
- Devin Duvernay ($1,143,952)
- Laviska Shenault ($1,924,017)
- Kendrick Bourne ($5,000,000)
I am sure one player stands out to everyone on this list and that player is none other than Aaron Jones. Jones is a phenomenal player and fantasy asset, but the ascension of A.J. Dillon ($1,321,458) has me a bit paranoid. That said, the only way I would move Jones is if it involves a running back in return. Austin Ekeler would be my preferred target. It also would not hurt to package Jones and Laviska Shenault together and see what offers come up. Damien Harris is another running back I would look to trade because of the player behind him, Rhomandre Stevenson ($1,057,264). As I mentioned with Jones I will mention with Harris, make sure you get a running back in return. If you cannot, I would hold both players. The other players on this list should all be used to help put any deals made over the top, though Kendrick Bourne and Shenault could bring back value if you are dealing with the right owner.
Hold these Players
- Brandin Cooks ($16,200,000)
- Van Jefferson ($1,402,784)
- K.J. Osborn ($890,693)
- Devontae Booker (Free Agent, cut by Giants)
- Darius Slayton ($688,497)
- Zay Jones (Free Agent)
- Adam Trautman ($1,124,851)
- Tommy Tremble ($1,231,608)
The Hold players, or in other terms, the players I have no idea what to do with. Let us start with the easy one, Brandin Cooks. I have Cooks as a Hold simply because of the community’s view on him at the moment. If Davis Mills proves to be a real threat at quarterback at the start of next season, Cooks will become tradable, and Eli will have to decide if Cooks gets traded or kept, to help with the goal of winning a Championship. If Mills comes out and struggles, Cooks could be a potential Amnesty Provision candidate to help clear space for another quarterback or high dollar player. Van Jefferson is another player I may consider trading but for now I would hold and see how the Rams manage this off-season. Zay Jones and Devontae Booker are both in similar situations and where they sign will determine if they are cut or not. The two most intriguing players on this list are Adam Trautman and K.J. Osborn who both have potential to be very solid starters in the near future, with Osborn already having shown flashes. The last two players on the list, Tommy Tremble and Darius Slayton, are both interesting stashes but can be cut if needed.
Players who can Be Cut
- Rex Burkhead (Free Agent)
- Chester Rogers (Free Agent)
- Ross Dwelley (Free Agent)
I will keep this one brief as all are self-explanatory. Eli picked these players up for depth purposes throughout this season and can now be cut for fresh blood.
Questions from Eli Padilla
Q. Should I keep Aaron Rodgers for the majority of the 30-day window to see how things unfold?
- After thinking on this a little, the answer is yes you must wait. After looking at the available options in free agency, you have three real choices heading into 2022 and in my opinion only one will allow you to truly compete for a title, which involves keeping Rodgers. Sure, you can trade Rodgers but realistically in that situation you must give up talent or draft capital to get worse at the position. The third option is to outright cut or use the Amnesty Provision on Rodgers which I would not recommend. I think the best route to take here is keep Rodgers regardless of the situation and try to find a solid backup in free agency at some point. The curveball here is Rodgers getting north of $50,000,000 and in that scenario Captain Kirk Cousins ($33,000,000) will have to do.
Q. Should I make a move for Calvin Ridley?
- Eli asked me this question on Twitter and at first, I was all for it but after really digging in, I think I would pass. The reason for this is because Eli is wanting to compete for a title this season and Ridley will not only not contribute towards that goal. Ridley will also eat up either draft capital or talent to acquire him via trade. At the end of the day, I believe the move will make the team better in the future, but can Eli spend assets for him and still win? That is the big question. Personally, I would target running back depth over Ridley as receivers are much easier to find when compared to the running back position.
Q. What is a good plan for picks 1.05 and 1.12 in the upcoming rookie draft?
- Trade them! I happen to talk to Eli quite a bit and know what his exact intentions with these picks are right now and I am here to try and talk him out of it. Eli is planning to take quarterbacks with at least one of, if not both of these picks and while I completely understand why he wants to go this route; I don’t think he can win a Championship by using both on rookie signal callers.
I feel Eli’s biggest need heading into this off-season will be running back depth and if I were thinking championship, I would use at least one of the picks on a shiny new running back. Take this advice from someone that learned the hard way twice, you cannot win in Dynasty Owner with average quarterback play. If Eli has trouble moving the 1.05 for a player he likes, I would take one of the stud receivers that will be on the board and see what you can do with pick 1.12. I would recommend a running back with the 1.05, but Eli has the benefit of knowing both Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker will likely be gone.
Summary
As you can see this is an extremely different process than a full-on rebuild and if were being frank, I would rather climb to the top then try and stay there, it is much easier. Eli’s big question this off-season will be between his depth at running back, or the quarterback position. As far as being able to keep this team at the top of his league for years to come, Eli has his work cut out for him because of not only his future quarterback situation but because Bryce Williams (@BryceNFL) owns 9 first round picks in 2023 on top of already rostering Kyle Pitts ($8,227,624), Trey Lance ($8,526,319), Jaylen Waddle ($6,771,498), Rashod Bateman ($3,149,853), and Michael Carter ($1,071,842).
I am sure Eli does not want to hear this but if this were my team, I would go all in this season and blow it up after by trading a bunch of my studs for future capital and hopefully set this team up for a run once his league mate Bryce starts running into contract issues down the road. I can also see a scenario where a 2023 championship is possible, but it would kill most of the value in return for players like Darren Waller, Davante Adams, Aaron Jones, and potentially Terry McLaurin. Overall, I think Eli’s best course of action moving forward is to trade every asset he has away to compete this year and worry about a rebuild after. In a league that has an obvious powerhouse being built sometimes you must take your championship and run!
Thank you all for reading and be sure to check out the work of our other analysts here at Dynasty Owner, Steve, Matt, and Nate! Stay safe and good luck on your 2022 Chase for the Ring!