Part 1.03: Carry On, Carry On
By: All Outta Bubble Gum (@aobgsports)
Previously on this series of articles…
Why do I get the feeling I don’t want to read this?
Our hero wrote enough words to cover a week’s worth of bathroom breaks.
It was a lot of words.
And all of it basically told us why his first team still stinks.
I mean, kind of.
And now he’s going to throw a whole new slew of words at you to describe why he’s built a mediocre team that isn’t going to realistically contend.
I disagree with that assessment, but we’ll see what other people think.
If they even read it.
True.
Before we jump into it, I’m going to broadly cover the way that I’m looking to rebuild these teams. The key points:
- Don’t rely on exact player rankings. Tiers work best. Nobody can tell you who’s going to come in fifth versus sixth in any rankings system. It’s better to have players in tiers. It also allows for more flexibility in seeking trades, rather than not wanting to trade the fifth best player at a position in your rankings for the sixth best player at a position. You’ll likely have those players on the same tier and can then look to make the trade work best for you with other players or picks in the deal while not feeling like you lost out.
- Rely on specific tiers.
- Your QB1, RB1, WR1, TE1, and K1 players should be players that are going to reliably produce at a high level for your team.
- Flex Level and Level 2 players may or may not contribute consistently, but will be players you can call into duty when needed and feel comfortable doing so.
- Level 3 players typically should be players with promise who you can keep for years, or who have talent with very little opportunity in the moment.
- Build your player grid. Make sure you get enough Level 1 players to fill your Starting lineup, enough Level 2 players to fill your Bench, and Level 3 players for your Practice Squad.
You just summed up 3,000 words in a few bullet points.
I’m pretty proud of that.
I mean, couldn’t you have cut the length of that last article by about 95%?
Well, sure, but then there’s the nuance and the insight…
And the self-importance…
Let’s just agree that the summary did the job, and move on into the second team.
TEAM UPDATE: PRE-ROOKIE DRAFT
You’re going to see a chart with two sides here. One shows the roster as I inherited side by side with the roster I have now.
TEAM #2 – LOVE OF THE GAME LEAGUE
TEAM NICKNAME: THIS YEAR’S BUBBLE GUM
On the nickname thing, send me some better nicknames to use. Hit me up on Twitter. I have my account at the beginning and end of this article.
You are to nicknames what Picasso was to professional wrestling.
What the heck does that mean?
It means you stink.
Oh. Okay. I guess.
Onto the analysis!
This team went a whole different direction.
| Pos | Player | Annual Salary | Years Left | Player | Annual Salary | Years Left |
| K1 | Brandon McManus | $4,300,000 | 2 | Brandon McManus | $2,000,000 | 1 |
| K2 | Wil Lutz | $4,050,000 | 1 | Wil Lutz | $4,050,000 | 1 |
| K3 | Zane Gonzalez | $2,250,000 | 1 | Joey Slye | $1,200,000 | 1 |
| QB1 | Joe Burrow | $9,047,534 | 1 | |||
| QB2 | Mac Jones | $3,896,588 | 2 | Jared Goff | $33,500,000 | 2 |
| QB3 | Baker Mayfield | $4,000,000 | 1 | Baker Mayfield | $4,000,000 | 1 |
| QB3 | Jameis Winston | $4,000,000 | 1 | Kyle Trask | $1,383,834 | 2 |
| EXTRA | Andy Dalton | $5,000,000 | 2 | |||
| RB1 | D’Andre Swift | $2,134,729 | 1 | D’Andre Swift | $2,134,729 | 1 |
| RB1 | Tony Pollard | $10,091,000 | 1 | |||
| RBFL | Dameon Pierce | $1,118,858 | 3 | |||
| RB2 | Miles Sanders | $6,350,000 | 4 | Khalil Herbert | $902,677 | 2 |
| RB2 | James Conner | $7,000,000 | 2 | James Conner | $7,000,000 | 2 |
| RB3 | Antonio Gibson | $1,233,159 | 1 | Chase Edmonds | $1,232,500 | 1 |
| RB3 | Ke’Shawn Vaughn | $1,188,999 | 1 | Malik Davis | $750,000 | 1 |
| RB3 | Travis Homer | $2,000,000 | 2 | Demetric Felton | $910,285 | 2 |
| EXTRA | Leonard Fournette | $7,000,000 | 0 | Ty Chandler | $989,710 | 3 |
| TE1 | T.J. Hockenson | $9,392,000 | 1 | |||
| TE2 | Tyler Higbee | $7,250,000 | 1 | Cade Otton | $1,123,486 | 3 |
| TE2 | Tommy Tremble | $1,231,608 | 2 | Colby Parkinson | $991,360 | 1 |
| TE3 | Jelani Woods | $1,343,118 | 3 | Brevin Jordan | $958,046 | 2 |
| WR1 | DK Metcalf | $24,000,000 | 3 | DK Metcalf | $24,000,000 | 3 |
| WR1 | Stefon Diggs | $24,000,000 | 5 | CeeDee Lamb | $3,502,503 | 1 |
| WRFL | Drake London | $5,383,617 | 3 | Christian Kirk | $18,000,000 | 3 |
| WR2 | Tyler Boyd | $10,750,000 | 1 | Allen Lazard | $11,000,000 | 4 |
| WR2 | ||||||
| WR3 | DeVante Parker | $7,625,000 | 1 | Ben Skowronek | $891,131 | 2 |
| WR3 | Donovan Peoples-Jones | $870,402 | 1 | Romeo Doubs | $1,085,979 | 3 |
| WR3 | Wan’Dale Robinson | $2,046,292 | 3 | Quez Watkins | $866,166 | 1 |
| EXTRA | Tutu Atwell | $1,477,175 | 2 | Donovan Peoples-Jones | $870,402 | 1 |
| EXTRA | Kendrick Bourne | $5,000,000 | 1 | |||
TOTAL SALARIES | $146,499,544 | TOTAL SALARIES | $151,873,343 | |||
| Team #2 – 2023 Outlook Before | Team #2 – 2023 Outlook After | |
| 2023 Draft Picks | 1.01, 3.05, 3.07 | 1.09 |
| # of Players for 2023 | 27 | 27 |
| Amount Under Cap | $10,860,455 | $5,486,657 |
| Dynasty Dollars | 5.8 million | 6.9 million |
| Amnesty Provisions | 2 | 2 |
| Team #2 – 2024 Outlook Before | Team #2 – 2024 Outlook After | |
| 2024 Draft Picks | 1st (1), 2nd (1), 3rd (1) | 1st (another team), 2nd (0), 3rd (1) |
| Players Signed for 2024 | 14 | 13 |
| 2024 Salaries | $89,147,256 | $101,745,148 |
Summary: Open your eyes. Look up to the skies and see… this team may have a run in it.
Flags fly forever.
Flags fly forever. Stealing from Bill James now?
Let’s see who recognizes that quote.
But seriously, this team has the tools. I’d like another RB and WR to really fill up the roster, but if James Conner isn’t completely washed up, I might be able to make it work. And that’s before I take a player with the 1.09 rookie draft pick, or use that pick to remedy that RB or WR issue in another way.
And you traded the 1.01 rookie draft pick this year, so basically you traded Bijan Robinson ($5,489,634) away too.
I did. We’ll get to that in a minute. I’m sure it’ll be controversial. In fact, let’s get to the trades, starting with Bijan.
| THEY GET | I GET |
| Mac Jones ($3,896,588) | Joe Burrow ($9,047,534) |
| Tyler Boyd ($10,750,000) | Allen Lazard ($11,000,000) |
| Dameon Pierce ($1,118,858) | Tony Pollard ($10,091,000) |
| 2023 Pick: 1.01 | 2024 Pick: Round 1 |
There goes Bijan.
First, the team that I got the next year’s first rounder from is likely going to not be a very winning team. So, I’m hoping that I can recoup some draft value next year.
However, the chance to get a legitimate Top 3 QB (in my estimation), a Top 10 RB (that might be his floor), and a productive WR going into a great situation along with that potentially high pick was too good to pass up.
In giving up Mac Jones and Dameon Pierce, I’m giving up two players who could pop along with the 1.01. It might be that next year I look back and wonder why I did all this.
But with the cap space I’m going to have next year, I can afford to keep Burrow on his next deal. If he keeps his trajectory going, I might just have him for another 10 years.
I’m happy with what I got, but I’d love to hear if you think I undersold.
| THEY GET | I GET |
| Antonio Gibson ($1,233,159) | T.J. Hockenson ($9,392,000) |
| Wan’Dale Robinson ($2,046,292) | CeeDee Lamb ($3,502,503) |
| Drake London ($5,383,617) | |
| Tyler Higbee ($7,250,000) | |
| 2023 Pick: 3.05 | |
| 2024 Pick: Round 1 (my pick) | |
| 2025 Pick: Round 2 (my pick) |
This is the “Flags Fly Forever” trade. Meaning that when you win a title, it’s your title forever.
When I dealt Bijan, I was committing to a strategy where I push for the title this year. In giving away London and two first rounders for two players whose contracts will be up at the end of the year, I’m making that very apparent.
T.J. Hockenson is my #2 TE this year. Full stop.
You’ve never heard of Mark Andrews ($14,000,000). Or George Kittle ($15,000,000). Or-
I know. But look at what Hockenson did in Minnesota after being traded. Now he has an off-season to know that offense.
When you look at it from the perspective of getting a top TE and top WR at affordable contracts for this year, that gives me a lot of flexibility to make other moves to help with depth.
You saw my analysis of Drake London in the last article. This deal may, again, bite me come next year. But I’ll have the cap space to make up for mistakes. Or keep Hockenson on the team. Either way, I’m fine where I’m at.
Flags fly forever.
| THEY GET | I GET |
| Miles Sanders ($6,350,000) | Chase Edmonds ($1,232,500) |
| Stefon Diggs ($24,000,000) | Christian Kirk ($18,000,000) |
| 2024 Pick: Round 2 (my pick) | Khalil Herbert ($902,677) |
| 2025 Pick: Round 1 (my pick) | Romeo Doubs ($1,085,979) |
| Cade Otton ($1,123,486) | |
| 2023 Pick: 1.09 |
This is an upside trade. First, I wanted a first round pick to be able to wheel and deal. At 1.09, I’ll be able to get one of the top four rookie WRs to round out my receiving corps, or I’ll be able to trade down and get a couple more picks to bring more youth to the team and help for next year.
Help for next year is what this trade did. Three cheap players who are going to have significant roles and have multiple years in Herbert, Doubs, and Otton. We’ll have to see about Edmonds.
I gave up Stefon Diggs. However, the Lamb pickup gave me the space to make that decision. And the talk out of Bills camp has made me nervous about Diggs. We’ll see if I gave up too much here.
Miles Sanders is certainly a good running back; I just don’t know about his new location. And the high first round rookie draft pick in 2024 that I got in an earlier deal made me comfortable trading the picks away that I did to get this year’s first round rookie draft pick.
I can see where Diggs was too much to give up. But the cap flexibility and the depth that I desperately needed were a nice addition.
In all, we’ll wait and see on this deal.
I ended up dropping both Leonard Fournette and DeVante Parker (along with others of less consequence) and acquired a few Level 3 players who have some more upside in the Free Agent Auction. Plus, I got a nice savings of $2,300,000 when Denver released Brandon McManus and he signed a 1 year deal for only $2 million with Jacksonville. That helped with acquiring a couple of those cheap Level 3 dart throw players in the Free Agent Auction.
In a minor trade, I also dealt the 3.07 rookie draft pick this year for Kyle Trask, to get that Baker Mayfield handcuff and assure me of having a backup quarterback in some form or fashion.
Commentary: This orphan team is ready to rebel. So, you think you can stop this team and spit in its eye? You can’t do that to them, baby.
Still going with the Bohemian Rhapsody thing. I dare you to fit Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the fandango?
I think I just did.
Oh. Tricky. That’s meta.
Seriously, though, this team is ready to roll.
Draft Strategy
I have 1.09 rookie draft pick this year and that’s about it. I’ll be happy picking a top 4 rookie WR in that spot. I’d also be happy trading down and getting more picks. Or even trading out of the draft for a top RB, potentially. Having the 1.09 pick gives me a lot of options, and a lot more fun is to be had with this team in the rookie draft.
Final Analysis
I’m happy where this team landed. It has upside for this year, and this would be a pretty crazy turnaround from where the team was at the start to any type of contention.
As with anything, all of this analysis is just conjecture until the season plays out. That goes for my positivity and some others’ negativity about the moves I showed up there.
Drake London… you’re gonna pay for that. Twice.
I just may. Next time I write it’s likely that the rookie drafts for both teams will be over, and I’ll do a recap of those drafts and the 800 picks I made with the other team. This draft won’t be as exciting, but we’ll still dive into both drafts. I’ll cover the next steps for both of these teams, and how off-season news alters my team projections and player levels.
I’ll leave you with this. If you like what you’ve read, then take what’s been written here and go do it yourself.
Again… it’s TEN BUCKS FOR AN ORPHAN TEAM! A whole season of fun for less than a movie ticket!
If you don’t like what you’ve read, then ignore all this junk and go do it better yourself. Either way, go get some orphan teams and have some fun. And when you do, remember to be flexible. Go with your reads, don’t rely on the herd.
When it comes to consensus opinions, nothing really matters.
Anyone can see.
Nothing really matters…
Not again.
You know how it ends, you do it!
Fine. To meeeeeeeee…
Any way the wind blows.
Message me on Twitter (@aobgsports) and tell me what you think about all this. I would also appreciate it if you followed @Dynasty_Owner on Twitter as well as subscribed to Dynasty Owner on YouTube. The content there is terrific, and well worth the five seconds it’ll take to follow and subscribe.