I recently participated in a superflex, TE premium dynasty startup and wrote up my approach. This time, I interviewed a fellow drafter with a different strategy than mine to get some insight on why he drafted how he did and what played into those decisions. While I went with a draft skewed toward younger, hyper-athletic players, my fellow drafters executed unique strategies that kept me intrigued throughout the startup. One team, run by Justin Edwards of 4for4.com, went with an early dash on the blue chip players at QB and TE, capitalizing on the positional scarcity of the superflex and tight end premium aspects of the league. This is where I wanted to start in my conversation with Justin.
Conversation with Justin Edwards
Tyler Strong: You went with a unique start in the early rounds of the startup, taking Lamar Jackson No. 6 overall and pairing him with Mark Andrews, only to follow it up with selecting Carson Wentz and Zach Ertz with your next picks. What played into your decision to go this route?
Justin Edwards: First and foremost, the league settings heavily weighed in my decisions; being both a superflex and tight end premium league, it boosts the value of all four of those guys. I may have made a hasty decision to trade up to complete my second pairing, but the Wentz-Ertz handcuff was the only QB-TE connection left on the board that I really cared about. Now with a couple dozen rounds to go, and a rookie draft to follow, I have secured two positions and can really feel free to go any direction I want.
Mark Andrews Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
TS: That’s true, the superflex and TE Premium aspects certainly give credence to that approach. Locking in those still-young QB-TE pairings makes a lot of sense. You also zigged while others zagged by forgoing running back until round 10. Any insight into why that was?
JE: The QB-TE handcuff strategy and my preference in how I typically build dynasty teams really played well together and shoved the running back room into the back of the pecking order. I missed out on the first, second, and likely third tiers of RB and the amount of value at the wide receiver position was too much to ignore. I’d prefer to build my running backs through rookie drafts and if I can be lucky enough to snag James Conner and/or David Johnson in the double-digit rounds, then I’ll plug my nose and hope for the best.
https://youtu.be/MXMEgC_0xs4
TS: The folks at home also need to know that this is just a “start 1” at RB, WR, and TE, so the flexibility of the other starting spots encouraged owners to build however they want and arrive at the finish line their own way. That inventiveness was part of why we saw so many unique strategies. I also noticed you choose to largely ignore rookie picks in this draft in favor of older players, primarily at wideout. Is this also part of your usual dynasty M.O.?
JE: Yes and no. If all things are equal, give me the guy who has done it before. I love youth on my team as much as the next guy but I’ll go down with the ship if the ‘ship’ is Julio Jones, T.Y. Hilton or even broken down Alshon Jeffery (if the price is a 16th-round pick). There were a number of times when I wanted to force my hand to take a rookie pick —mostly because my team was so bereft of young running backs— but I stayed the course, and I think it ended up working out. I could use some youth injected in my roster but with the flexibility of the league, I have a team I believe can compete for the gold right off the bat, even without some young’uns at RB.
T.Y. Hilton Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
TS: Just as you missed out on the top tier running backs in the startup, skipping rookie picks that would’ve yielded middling RB prospects makes sense. If you can squeeze the last bit of value from those aging wideouts, I agree you have a playoff run-ready team. Thanks for taking the time, Justin. Tell the good people about your offensive line work over at 4for4!
JE: My pleasure, Tyler! I’ll be cranking out content all year long but my o-line work is definitely my baby. My latest, How Offensive-Line Play Impacts Fantasy Football, delves into the correlation between the efficiency of the big men up front and raw fantasy points. Thanks for reaching out!
