Early signs you can use to take action before your league mates catch on.

Self Scouting – Where Does Your Team Stand?

The first thing to address when making changes to your dynasty roster is identifying where your team stands. Take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of your team, and compare them to the other teams in your league. 

Stronger rosters will be considered contenders that are in play to give up younger players or future draft picks for productive veteran players. A weaker roster is considered a rebuild and should be looking to trade away their veteran players for youth or draft capital.

The trajectory of your team and the strengths/weaknesses of your roster should serve as the lens you peer through while making changes.

Impactful Offseason Additions

In 2024, offseason additions of Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley were two of the most impactful moves for fantasy and real-life football. The Ravens and the Eagles, respectively, told the football world that offseason that they wanted to emphasize the run game in 2024. Not only did both RBs finish with top ten seasons, but both offenses as a whole produced respectable fantasy output at multiple positions. Identifying which teams made a splash on skill position players early in the offseason can give you a better picture of the type of offense that team wants to play, and that they are generally making a push to try to be competitive in the present.

Skill Position Injuries

Check the injury reports often and know what players fill in for volume-heavy players on good offenses. Knowing who a key backup is can present a major advantage when injuries start to arise. Last year, Zach Charbonnet and Jordan Mason both impressed while filling in for their respective starters. Both Charbonnet and Mason saw increases in their dynasty value as a result of their performances.

Offensive Line Injuries 

Just as important as knowing when to buy into players is knowing when to jump ship. Injuries to the offensive line can have extreme impacts on that team’s production.

In 2024, the New Orleans Saints were scorching hot through weeks one and two of the season, but in week three, key offensive linemen Cesar Ruiz and Erik McCoy were injured. Over the next seven games, all of which New Orleans lost, Ruiz missed 4 games and McCoy missed all seven. This hurt the offensive production as a whole, and even top options Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara struggled at times throughout the stretch under shaky QB play.

Pay attention to which teams incur early injuries at the offensive line this year. That can be a red flag for fantasy managers to avoid players from that team before they lose their value.

Let The Stories Tell Themselves

Everyone in the fantasy community is simply making their best judgments based on the information that they have consumed and what they have observed. As we begin the season, what’s really important is to observe the stories that are playing out. We must not try to fit tomorrow’s reality into yesterday’s expectations or aspirations.

The first four weeks of the season will present dynasty managers with some of the biggest opportunities of the year to improve their rosters, play for a championship, or go on a selling spree. Keep your ear to the ground for signs and keep your mind open to a world of possibilities. Trust your eyes first, because you might see the story unfolding before anyone else. If you wait until everyone catches on, it’s already too late to act.

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Mike Vadala is a dynasty analyst here at Optimus Fantasy, where you can find his updated dynasty rankings.