Tiering Down Without Tearing Up with Mike "NerdBoi" Lamoureux

JSN, Trey McBride, and De'Von Achane are locked in as first-round dynasty assets, primed to finish as a top producer at their position this year. Knowing when their value has actually peaked lets you sell before the market catches up. Dynasty Degens' Mike "NerdBoi" Lamoureux joins Jeff to discuss tiering down, a repeatable framework for building insulated trades where you send top-tier producers for rising assets plus draft capital. The strategy builds value whether you're rebuilding or trying to extend a championship window. The two also dig into specific tier-down targets at every position heading into the 2026 season.

💡 Key Takeaways

• Tiering down means trading a top-tier producer for a slightly lower-tier asset plus extra value.
• These draft picks or additional players on top of a lateral swap "insulate" the trade, reducing the risk that it doesn't work out.
• Selling a player right after his best season feels like giving up value, but that fear fades once you focus on what you're getting back rather than what you're giving up.
• Contract timelines are a key signal, since a player's second contract can mark the start of a decline in tradeable value.
• Wide receiver is the easiest position to tier down from, since production is more linear than at running back.
• A tiering-down strategy fits perennial contenders looking to extend their window, not just rebuilders trying to start over.
• Timing matters more than the asset itself, since waiting too long to sell can cost more value than the framework can recover.
• Specific 2026 targets span every position, from Emeka Egbuka and Zay Flowers at receiver to Tyler Warren and Kenyon Sadiq at tight end.

⏱️ Chapters/Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction
02:03 – What Is Tiering Down? 
09:13 – Positional vs. Cross-Positional Trades 
13:47 – Overcoming the Fear of Selling High 
18:26 – Reading the Contract Clock 
22:50 – A Strategy for Contenders, Not Just Rebuilders 
29:55 – Timing Your Window and Learning From Misses 
35:30 – Wide Receiver Targets 
41:48 – Running Back Targets 
48:52 – Tight End Targets 
54:13 – Quarterback Targets 
58:06 – Final Advice and Where to Find Mike

🔗 Links Mentioned

• Follow Mike on Twitter/X 
• Follow Dynasty Degens on Twitter/X 
• Dynasty Rewind YouTube Channel 
• Jeff's Dynasty Rankings on Footballguys 
• Follow Jeff on Twitter/X 
• Footballguys

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Transcript

Jeff: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Trey McBride, De'Von Achane, highly coveted players, first-round picks in dynasty startup drafts, and they may well finish as the WR1, TE1, and RB1 respectively. But is now actually the time to trade them away? My guest today is NerdBoi Takes himself, Mike Lamoureux, and he's gonna talk about the idea of tiering down and gaining additional value for producing assets right now. And here's the catch. That's not just a strategy for rebuilders, but contenders can also take advantage of this approach, and we're gonna go really deep into that next on Dynasty Compass.

[theme music]

Jeff: Welcome to Dynasty Compass. I'm your host, Jeff Blaylock, the other Jeff B. from Footballguys. Thank you so much for joining us today, whether you're watching on YouTube or listening on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. You are the reason that we are here trying to help you become a better dynasty manager, and I've got a great guest to do exactly that today. You probably know him as NerdBoi. I've-- But I, I know him as Mike Lamoureux. He is joining me today from Dynasty Degens. Mike, welcome to the show. Thanks so much for joining me today.

Mike: Jeff, I appreciate you having me on, man. I'm excited to talk some, some dynasty, some tiers. Um, I like the, the show sheet that you dr- sent over and, uh, I think that, you know, it's gonna be a great show, so I appreciate you having me on for sure.

Jeff: we think about tiers, we're thinking about guys in the same tier, and we're warned not to stray from that tier because you risk losing value. But that's, that's really just part of the story. There's a more sophisticated way of looking at it and, and I think that you have really hit onto that. Um, when we talk about tiering down, you know, what does that, that mean to you, and why is it sometimes a better way to gain dynasty value than staying in the tier that you're looking at?

Mike: So that's the thing, you know, you have to look at the landscape. Tiers to me come with time. You know, I don't think that you can go into dynasty immediately and just have a tiered system in place and understand, you know, the ceiling of this player is equivalent to the ceiling and the floor is equivalent to the floor. It's a really hard thing to adjust to. And like I said, it's adjusted over time and things change and shift. Uh, but once you kinda have your own value system in place, there becomes a, a way to gain value or to stay at the same level by also kind of getting a future asset or, you know, I call it insulated trades. And when you make an insulated trade, you're essentially selling production for production that is similar while also gaining value. So, you know, taking a CeeDee Lamb about four or five years ago and trading him for an Amon-Ra St. Brown plus plus, or, you know, trading a CeeDee for a Puka that first year and getting a couple firsts on top. You know, there are ways that can really benefit you. You can also have it blow up in your face, but at the same time, that insulation is what makes that worth it because you are getting X amount of chances on top of the production. So you're taking a chance that this guy's gonna produce similar to that guy. But if he doesn't, you're insulating that value and you're saying, "All right, I have another chance to take another shot here. I have another chance to get another shot." You know, essentially... Or if you ma- you hit right, you have a s- the same guy, and then you also have a first round pick once you actually think about a trade in a long-term lens, you have traded CeeDee Lamb for Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs. You know, you got Jayden Daniels somehow and it's like, it, you know, you can keep going down the line a little bit and it's so fun. Sometimes when I'm bored, I will look at old dynasty leagues and I'll just look at a trade and then I'll do the math and say, "This is what this became and that's what that became." And, um, it's, it's fun and that's how I, I nerd out sometimes when I'm, I'm looking at... If I wanna look at a value thread or make something, make content, I'll look at old leagues and I'll just say, you know, "This is the best trade that I've ever made. This is the worst trade I've ever made. Um, but this is how you get out of bad trades." And, and it's very possible people give up too soon in dynasty.

Jeff: the more chances you get, even on a, even on a what turns out to be a bad trade, you may still end up at the end with the best asset in the trade. It just may take some time for that to work its way out. But one of the beauties of dynasty is you actually do have that time. In redraft, you make a bad trade, kills you for the season, then it's over. But you, you never get to know the benefit that might have come for that. If that player does eventually become better, you no longer have him because it's, it's redraft and not dynasty. Um, when did you realize that there was an edge here that you could apply to just about every dynasty trade or league that you have, and it was an edge you had over the other guys in your league who weren't thinking along these kinds of lines?

Mike: I think it was really like when I got into scouting and, and understanding player development and getting into like contracts and, um, you know, offensive coordinators and just kind of taking all of that and making it a clear picture. I had always an idea of like, you know, a good offensive coordinator's impact on a player or the contract of a player giving you longevity and making you a player that's going to actually withstand value. Um, but then it kind of clicked maybe like five, six years ago where I realized, you know, I could look at a value system or a value chart, and even if you look at ADP, you can kinda take a look at it and you can say, "All right, Amon-Ra St. Brown and JSN, they're about seven picks apart, eight picks apart right now." And realistically, I think Amon-Ra St. Brown could eclipse JSN's production. So last year you could have traded, you know, Amon-Ra St. Brown for JSN plus. This year I wanna trade JSN for Amon-Ra St. Brown plus. And that's really the value game that you have to play, and there's a risk attached to it, but you have to look at regression. You have to look at the team breakdown. You have to look at how they have moved on, like Kubiak's gone off of that team. There's definitely a lot of factors, and it's really you're playing weatherman. You know, I'm not telling you that there's a sure bet that you're gonna actually hit on these value systems, but you do have to look at multiple faceted factors, and you have to try to look at every, like, outcome of that player and understand, you know, like for instance, um, a Trey McBride, he has had coming off one of the most productive tight end seasons ever. You know, had the most receptions of any Cardinal ever at this point, you know? And not, not we're just talking tight ends, we're talking about wide receivers. And, um, it's just not sustainable in my mind because of the way that they've kinda moved as a team. They've moved coaching. They essentially said, "We're gonna go spend massive DC on a running back." And, and the team that had the least amount of balance last year when it came to running and passing, we're talking about a team that just spent top five DC on a running back. Everyone is gone. All these new coaches, this whole system is gone. If Jeremiyah Love isn't producing this year, at some, some capacity we have to say they're going to run the ball more, they're gonna have more of an balanced attack. And that leads me to believe that Trey McBride is a sell. And then I look down the line and I look at everyone that's behind him, Colston Loveland, you know. Even Brock Bowers in some circles is behind McBride when it comes to ADP. I, I play ADP like a fiddle and I just say, "Well, I wanna go get Loveland. I'm gonna see if I can make an, a, an insulated trade." You know, if I can get Loveland plus for McBride right now, I don't think it's possible, but I think that maybe in some circles you can get a little second or, you know, a upgrade at the running back or the wide receiver position. It's, there's no direct science to this, but I think you have to look at factors and, and make educated guesses. And I won't tell people that I'm gonna be right 1,000%, but I mean, even if I'm right 50% of the time on one team, I'm gonna make probably, uh, return on investment, like immediately. In, in 50% of the time you're still gonna hit on a lot of starters and that's still gonna result in at least a competitive team. So I, I think that there is a game to be played, but I, I won't always say that there's a specific game that you can play when it comes to tiering.

Jeff: Do you tend to, to do these kinds of insulated trades within the same position? We're- we've done a lot of comparisons within a position just in the last little bit, like, you know, uh, JSN versus Amon-Ra St. Brown or McBride versus Loveland. Or do you, do you, like, go outside of positions a- and try to, to make more trades that way? Which, which way do you tend to, to operate in, or is it, it kinda either/or?

Mike: It does, it, it does make sense when it comes to positional tear downs. You know, I think that it's a lot easier to say, you know, um, I think that Zay Flowers is going to make a jump this year, and I think that, um, somebody like JSN is gonna regress this year, and I wanna try to move JSN for Flowers plus plus. If I can trade him, you know, uh, Matt Stafford and JSN for Flowers, and I don't know who you could get at that point. Like, if you could get, um maybe, uh, uh, uh, probably not gonna get a Drake Maye but, like, you can get a significant bump at quarterback. But you can also look at it in the sense that in dynasty, the windows of operation and in value are longer when it comes to certain positions. Like, the quarterbacks and the wide receivers stay high in ADP longer than the running backs. You know, like, you can look at guys like Jonathan Taylor, and y- they're still producing at the level of somebody like Amon-Ra St. Brown. You know, but they're never gonna be valued as an Amon-Ra St. Brown just because they are running backs, and they are gonna drop a little f- faster. And, you know, a 26-year-old running back is not valued the same as a 26-year-old wide receiver. So if I can take a 26-year-old running back that still looks good and, and is producing and will produce, and, and no doubt you're, you might be taking a loss in value for a little while but... you have to be okay with that. You have to understand that every trade's not gonna be, um, "Hey, I'm, I won in the league this year." But like ultimately you wanna sell before the window closes, and you wanna get off of these players like the, the, the guys that were valued in the second round just five, four years ago. Like, uh, Deebo Samuel was honestly a fourth-round draft pick in 2024, I think, or 2023. I'm not, we're not going too far back right now. He's undrafted. A lot of the times you go into a best ball league or you go into a redraft and Deebo's not even taken. So, um, Cooper Kupp was in the, the third round in 2024, 2023. I, I, I'm sorry if I'm getting the year wrong, but we're not going too far back on these guys and they're- point. They are so, so far. You know, you could've traded Tyreek Hill about two years ago for the farm. You could've traded him for three firsts, and that was, it wasn't that long ago. I'm talking 2024. Tyreek Hill was valued as a top 10 wide receiver in Dynasty. And, and you just have to understand that, you know, some players aren't built for longevity. If you rely on speed, if you are reliant on pure speed, you are a sell the second you're 27, 28, and you just have to go in on that. But you have to understand their skill sets, like a Deebo Samuel, like hyper usage and used out of the backfield. That's not sustainable. You know, I think sustai- sustainability's something that I hammer home to people because you have to look at usage and understand that, you know, this isn't gonna be a forever thing. This is a 'cause we need it right now kinda thing. Um, so there's, uh, like, you know, I'm going all over the board right now, but I, I hope I answered some sort of the question right there.

Jeff: I-- yeah, you certainly did. A- and I think sustainability is there, but you've-- I-- you've also hit on, I think, the, the big hangup that a lot of dynasty managers, and even I run into this too, you know, let's use JSN as an example, or even-- or Trey McBride, either one of them. They're coming off of historic seasons, essentially. And to take that asset right now and trade that away, y- you're thinking this is a value hit now, regardless of what it's gonna do for me in the future. I don't wanna let go of that value now, or I don't-- I'm not gonna get the, you know, the farm back for this guy. I'm only gonna get maybe a little bit of extra value down the line. How do you, how do you talk someone out of the, the fear of doing that, of trading a JSN right now for players who are good but not producing at the level he just produced at, uh, and, you know, a future draft pick or a rising star who may be two or three years away from being anything to you?

Mike: Yeah, that's the thing though, and this has to be the right trade. I'm not necessarily advocating that you trade JSN right now just because he fits just about any build. Like even in, if you're in a rebuild in dynasty, JSN is still somebody that I want on my team. He's not somebody that's gonna age out or completely lose value. But if you can get like an Amon-Ra St. Brown plus for JSN, there are, there are moves where I'm going to say just jump on those because, you know, you're looking at two similar tiered players, and I think that they're both gonna contribute to their team in the same manner, have the same outlook as far as dynasty goes, and they're not moving off of each other, but you're also getting value plus. Um, a McBride to me, I think that tight ends are easier for me because we don't see them outside of the likes of Brock and Kelce and select few. You know, they, they do wane and, and, and they do have kind of a up and down type of trajectory a lot of the times, you know? I don't think McBride's gonna fall out of the top five producers by any means, but right now he's considered a top one in tight ends when it comes to production, especially after last year. I think that that's a, a sell high moment, and I think that you do have to take advantage of that in, you know, it's not going to be for anybody. But I'm talking about trading these top tier guys for rising or, you know, almost linear assets. But you have to use the hype and you have to use the, the fact that they just had the WR1 or TE1 numbers last year. It's just so hard to repeat that, you know? Like I'm not saying he's not gonna be top five, I'm not gonna say that JSN at his age and, and the way that he produced last year is going to regress completely. But I think that he's gonna get closer to that second round tier of wide receivers than he is that first round tier of wide receivers, you know? I, I mean, you know, somebody like Justin Jefferson is out of the first round for the first time in, since his rookie year. You know? Like, he is somebody that you can target big time for these tier-down trades. You know, if you can get Justin Jefferson in a first for JSN right now, I think that I'd do that in a heartbeat. You know, I, I think that we're looking at a team that just lost its OC and, um, I think that we're still gonna see production, but I think you're, you're looking at guys that we've already seen produce for long periods of time, and ultimately, if you can get the value on top, and really the fact that the quarterback probably is the only thing, um, holding back somebody from becoming, you know, that top three wide receiver again, I'm gonna make that chance. I'm gonna take that bet, and I think that you all have to understand that some of these trades aren't gonna feel great at the moment. Um, but I think that if you are in need of depth or you're in need of a revamp on your team, you know, just knocking on the door and just checking the value of your players, 'cause every league is different, and understanding that, you know, if you can take advantage of a insulated trade at that moment, just jump over and try to do it, man. You know? I think that it's not gonna be pretty, and I, I hope that the takeaway from this is sell JSN, 'cause it's not. So don't, don't think of it that way, please.

Jeff: I was just thinking about if you l- through that lens of McBride, but particularly JSN right now, if you had-- if you're a dynasty manager that had been playing for a long time and you've had Travis Kelce on your team for the last 10 years, you've probably reached that point where you're like, "Man, I should have traded him about two or three seasons ago." That's kind of what we're talking about, right? Is understanding where that moment is in real time, whether it is immediate because they're coming off historic seasons like the guys we've been talking about, or we've got a vet who's been performing at a high level for a long time, maybe a Jonathan Taylor, what is step one to understanding that that moment might be here for somebody that's on your roster right now?

Mike: I think that once their first contract is over, you already have to be thinking about how many contracts does this player have right now. You know, when you look at a player in the sense, okay, they're, they're coming in. Were they drafted at a young age? Were they drafted older? You know, they, they were likely 22, 23. Their, their first contract ends when they're 25, 26. At 26, do I start questioning their value a little bit? Yes. I mean, for a running back, big time, because that second contract is probably their last contract unless they start signing one-year deals. And even then, it's like you wanna take the production, but you also understand that after that second contract hits, that value's already gonna be sliding a little bit, you know? So I think that it, it is... So contracts, age, all factor into it, you know. I think that people understand a player moves from a different team and they're just not the same player. Or, you know, like if, if by chance I, I will try to target these certain guys that I think are, are on the last year of their contracts. Like Nico Collins is falling out of favor right now. I don't think they have the money to sign him to a long-term contract. I think that I wanna take a stab at Nico Collins later in this year, you know. And, and he's a sell in a lot of communities at the time, but he's also becoming a buy. So I think that contract's a big thing. Um, I also think that the team layout is, is huge. You have to look at like somebody like De'Von Achane. I wanna sell him all day. His value this year, he might be the entire offense. And that's cool. And he just signed a good second contract. He got the contract extension. Get rid of Achane right now. If you can move him for a top-tier running back, like with some plus on top, I'm doing it. Like Achane, trade him for Omarion Hampton, or somebody in their first-year contract, trade him for TreVeyon Henderson and a first. Whatever you can really muster right now, you understand that these guys are still gonna produce, they're still going to be one of the top running backs in the league, but you have to bite the bullet and say their value is never going to exceed what it is right now. Miami is so far away from production. Miami, it-- This is-- He's the Jonathan Taylor right now, and Jonathan Taylor is still producing at a high level, but he also isn't sniffing second-round value anymore. And next year he won't be sniffing fourth-round value, and he's still gonna be going down. So you have to think, "All right, they've been rising, they've been rising, they've been rising." You have to look at contract breakdown and layout of the team and say that Achane is probably done rising. This is probably the highest he's ever gonna be right now, and I think I wanna move him for somebody that still is gonna rise. Like TreVeyon Henderson, not done rising. I'm okay with getting plus plus on TreVeyon Henderson for Achane right now, just because I know that they're gonna meet in the middle at some point, and I think that TreVeyon will jump him in value at some point too. While Achane's going down, these guys are going up, so you kinda have to look at it in that sense. All right, who already produced? Who is still on their first contract? Who's on their second contract? Who's at the level where they're never gonna go up again? And this, th-this is the guessing game. This is really what you have to do. Can Achane, like, suddenly jump even more in value? I don't think so. Personally, I think he can come out and be the RB1 this year, and I think he still is gonna stay exactly where he is next year, you know. And, and that's, that's kind of like what you have to do. You have to say, "There's no exceeding of value for this dynasty player, but I also see guys behind him that can jump up into this tier." So then you have to play that game of, "All right. I know that they're still gonna produce. I understand that they're still gonna be of value. I get it." But you have to bite the bullet and just say, "They're never going to get me what I'm gonna get for them right now."

Jeff: Yeah. So, you know, the show's called Dynasty Compass, and, and I use the compass as a metaphor for navigation and going in certain directions. And in that metaphor, the west is for the win now teams. These are guys who are throwing everything they have at going after that trophy right now, even if it means several years of a painful rebuild is coming. The strategies that we're talking about to me don't really fit that mold because you, you really don't wanna give up production today for something later because you're- you've thrown everything at this right this moment. But the north, the true north, those are where the perennial contenders are. And this to me is a perfect kind of perennial contender strategy. You are extending that contention window out another year or two or three by moving some of these assets, and you have the kind of a lineup that can afford to let an Achane go in what could be an RB1 season for him, so that you can bring in a TreVeyon Henderson, who a year or t- who will do fine for you now, but you say a year or two from now, he may be in that RB1 territory. And oh, you also picked up a 2027 first and a 2028 second, let's say, and you can either use those or flip those for other assets as well. So this, this, the sophistication that's here is really not for every kind of team. I think you'd, you'd-- Would, would you agree with that or do you say, "No, even if you are a win now, this is something you should be pursuing"?

Mike: I mean, I always say that you can definitely tier off of guys for production and still have a future and win the league. It's very possible, you know, if you, if you make these moves. Like I traded, uh, Tee Higgins for Luther Burden III last year, and, you know, I got roasted for it. I think that everyone said, "You just traded Tee Higgins for two seconds." And I think, you know, it still offered... Like, I started Luther Burden in a, in a playoff game last year, and, and I, I think that he was more consistent down the stretch for me than Tee Higgins would've been. I, I don't think that it's gonna look pretty or look that way immediately, but you can definitely have productive teams. You can definitely do this as a contender. And there's also the format of, of, you know, these tiered trades don't necessarily have to be for better players, you know? You can take, um, you know, somebody that is in that, like a Jameson Williams and, and trade him for a Davante Adams and, uh, uh, whatever, a second. You know, you can, you can take these younger guys and trade them for older productive vets and then picks on top, you know? And you can still get production, and I know it's gonna be shortsighted production, but you're gonna insulate that trade with the picks, and hopefully you can replace... You know, that's like the beautiful ecosystem of dynasty. 'Cause sometimes these trades are blind. You know, if you, if you trade A.J. Brown for Makai Lemon plus, you're really just, like, hoping and praying that Makai Lemon hits, and that's okay. Sometimes you have to make blind trades like that. You have to trust your process. And if you don't have a process, you have to follow people that do have a process. Um, but then you have to look at team breakdowns. You have to look at the fact that, you know, A.J. Brown was moved because they took Makai Lemon, and there was a plan in place that Philly had. And understand, you know, that there was this plan all along that they said, "Makai Lemon's here. We're gonna grab him." That makes A.J. Brown expendable. That tells me that he's gonna be a big part of the future, and that he's gonna be maybe a big part of the immediate future, honestly, because he's gonna probably slide in and be the WR2 of that team immediately. But if you have an aging roster and you wanna kick the tires and see, you know, if this guy wants points and he's sick of Marvin Harrison Jr. or Brian Thomas Jr., hey, you know what I mean? Like try to take a Davante Adams and, um, whoever, you know, whatever you wanna add on top of that, maybe a couple other productive pieces and, and send them over for one of these wide receivers. I'm okay with that. And then you look at, uh, contract breakdowns with Nico Collins, like I mentioned. Nico Collins probably isn't on the Texans long term. Jayden Higgins flashed 600 yards as a rookie. He's, he's Nico Collins Jr. at this point, you know. He has the same skill set. I'll, I'll go for a guy like that. I'll, I'll target Jayden Higgins late in a draft or, or as a, a throw-in in a trade, you know. Somebody that is undervalued. There's undervalued guys everywhere, you know. Uh, Josh Downs. I mean, they let Michael Pittman walk, and we still saw him have a very productive year last year. And, and the fact that, you know, he's so late in ADP still tells me that people aren't valuing the way that he should be valued. I think that he's a good throw-in. He's somebody... You know, so really there's like many things that you can look at, but I think that, you know, looking at one, the way that teams are looking next year, you have to guess that, you know, the way that it's been looking for, for Nico Collins, they're not gonna sign him to a long-term deal. I think that, um, you know, Stroud might not even be on a long-term deal there. I think there's a lot of volatility. Um, I'll take the guy that's cheaper.

Jeff: I love that you mentioned the plan in place that, that you see for teams. You're talking about Makai Lemon going to Philadelphia, that, you know, there is a succession plan. It was already one ready to go essentially for A.J. Brown, and you just hit it with Nico Collins in Houston. I also love that you mentioned the sort of third-year players who can flash because a lot of people have lost patience with them, and you named I think two of the poster children in Brian Thomas and Marvin Harrison. I might throw Matthew Golden on that pile as well. I'm not as high on him as I am the other two, but he is another kind of a, uh, I guess I would consider him more... A- and you can, you can say how you, how you view him. I see him as one of those pluses to me, not necessarily a target I'd go after, but somebody I'd like to get thrown into a deal, uh, as I tear down for a different asset and say, "Okay, if a 2027 first is a mountain too high, how about Matthew Golden and a second?"

Mike: Yeah. Yeah, I like that. I think that Matthew Golden is in that mold of Jayden Higgins where, you know, you're looking at a team breakdown. You know, Romeo Doubs is gone, Dontayvion Wicks is gone. Jayden Reed is a part-time player there. I think Matthew Golden is gonna get, you know, 80% to 90% of the snap share next to, uh, Christian Watson, the opportunity is there. You wanna go for opportunity. You wanna go for newfound opportunity. Matthew Golden, Jayden Higgins probably is gonna be on the field a lot more with Christian Kirk gone. And then you're looking at, you know, Josh Downs with Michael Pittman gone. He's probably gonna be a full-time wide receiver finally after... I think he's a year four guy, so I think, you know, he's not quite a year three guy, but like he's finally gonna be a full-time player. Um, and, and that... I'm excited for that. I am, and I think that these are the guys that you wanna go for in these, in some trades.

Jeff: Is there a point that's too late? Uh, is it, is-- I assume it's before the market has already fully reacted. Um, but when is, when is, when did you miss your window?

Mike: Well, I think that, you know, the, the market is dictated by ADP, and ADP is dictated by, um, you know, groupthink at this point, you know. I think that a lot of that is, you know, players getting bumped up because of situations, getting bumped up because of videos dropping or coaches talking. You know what I mean? Like, everything can shift. Somebody's traded, immediately the guy behind him is valuable. Somebody's injured, immediately the guy behind him is, is valuable. I think that there are windows to sell, but ultimately you have to sell and make a gamble. You know, like for instance, when you have a handcuff running back, you know, you, you have Will Sh- Shipley, but also, yeah, it's before Tank Bigsby's on the team and, and Barkley goes down. you have to make the gamble. You know, there are certain guys where people are like, "Oh, Zamir White, I can't trade him for a second." Like, you know what I mean? Uh, Isaac Guerendo, when, when, uh, CMC was injured, everyone was like, "Hold on to Guerendo, he's the future." You know, like you, you definitely make these gambles where you can't... If you're, if you're holding on to these dynasty assets, you know, Guerendo is, is zero at this point. These guys are zero. Will Shipley is a drop. You know, all these guys that you could have gotten thirds, sometimes seconds, you know. Like, you pretty much have to trust your process.

Jeff: what were the sorts of lessons that you learned from those times that you waited too long that you're now able to, to put into, to practice and see maybe a little bit better what these windows look like?

Mike: Well, I think, you know, I have a, um, a love affair with the rushing quarterback. I think that I always value quarterbacks that have their feet and can scoot. And I, I, you know, I fell victim to Trey Lance and to, um, Justin Fields and, you know, I think that Anthony Richardson spoke to me and, um, I am now kind of over that, that process, but I think holding onto priors is something that I struggled with mightily when I was coming into, to fantasy football and, you know, saying that, you know, Trey Lance is better than Brock Purdy and that he got the DC and that he's, he was traded for multiple firsts and all this stuff, like, I couldn't grasp the fact that, you know, he wasn't going to get his opportunity. I think that that's the biggest takeaway from, you know, missed opportunities. I could have traded Justin Fields for multiple firsts. I could have traded, uh, Trey Lance. You know, I could have not taken him in the first. And, you know, there's so many things that you look back on and say, you know, you definitely had a type and you absolutely, like, fell for it every single time because the idea of getting a, a, you know, a Jalen Hurts or, you know, a Lamar Jackson and, and these guys who aren't valued, I, I can tell you right now, I've been in Dynasty for a long time, I got Jalen Hurts in the second. I got Lamar Jackson in the second. I got these guys where you would get a Justin Fields. You know, ideally, um, that's really what I held onto for a long time. And, um, I don't know, I j- it just... Th- there's lessons learned, and I think that, you know, you have to adjust, but there are teams out there that I still have Justin Fields, and I think that I still have Trey Lance in a couple leagues at this point. And it's just a friendly reminder that, you know, you, y- you're not gonna always be able to sell, you know? And, and that's okay. You're not gonna hit on sells, you're not gonna hit on buys all the time. the best piece of advice I can give somebody in Dynasty is, like, make the, the losses more important than the wins because ultimately you're gonna keep your priors longer if you just forget about them and then don't hold on to them.

Jeff: I think that's great advice for, for dynasty managers, for life, for fantasy analysts and content creators, uh, touts who are trying to come up in this industry is to, you know, really embrace when you're wrong because that's when you learn, that's when you get better. this is a lesson I learned from J.J. Zachariason, it, it makes me, I think, more human as an analyst. I, I don't always get this right. I make lots of mistakes. I get lots of things right. I was right about Anthony Richardson, for example. I was not right about Justin Fields.

Mike: Yeah. I mean, hey, he, he had, he had a couple weeks last year. It is, the reality is, you know, we see second, third chances for quarterbacks in the NFL right now. You know, the Sam Darnolds, the Genos, the, the Baker Mayfields. These guys, I, I don't think it's ever, you know, uh, too late as far as quarterbacks go. They always usually get a second chance, especially if they were drafted in the first round. I think that somebody will always roll the dice at some point.

Jeff: Yeah, I mean, super flex formats, you can have a really excellent career for a very long time as a backup quarterback who you have down that roster because at some point your starter's out and this guy's available. Um, is do you think there's a position where the, the tiering down approach works better than others.

Mike: I think that the wide receiver position is probably the easiest one to tier down from. I think that there is more, um, linear production as wide receivers. 'Cause running backs realistically, like there's top 10 and then there's a massive drop, you know? But like for wide receivers, WR8 and WR15, there's not a big, huge difference. There's not like, um, even tight ends in the same sense, you know, off of the top three. But once you get past the top three, top four, it's pretty much a straight line.

Jeff: you know, who, who are some of the guys we've probably talked about a few of them already, but who are some of the, the tear down swaps that you are either looking to make or think would be good moves for dynasty managers in the right circumstances with the right roster situations? Obviously, this doesn't always apply to everybody all the time.

Mike: Um, you know, I think that tier down guys, and I like Emeka Egbuka for this, this, I mean, for dynasty in general obviously, but I think that, you know, with Mike Evans gone and Chris Godwin often injured and, and really just at an age where he's not consistent as far as health-wise goes, I, I just don't see him being a consistent guy for the entire year. I think there'll be moments where Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan are pretty much running that offense and, and I think that Emeka is gonna be the alpha for Baker Mayfield, and I think that we're gonna see a massive rise. So I think that the guys that I see exceeding their production are the ones that I wanna target in this sense. I think that Zay Flowers with a healthy Lamar, we saw what he did last year. I think I have Zay Flowers as a big-time riser. I think that Zay Flowers will probably jump into like the, the Tetairoa McMillan stage. Like, I think that he's in that second round area, maybe third round. I think that he's gonna jump as a fifth, sixth round guy in dynasty. I think that he could jump into the third round. Um, just because he did have that productive year last year, I think a lot of people are holding on to that productive year, but they wanna see it again. They wanna see, you know, what he can do, and I think that, you know, the Ravens will be fully healthy. Lamar will be fully healthy, and I think that's only gonna, you know, produce a bigger year for, for Zay Flowers and, there's guys that I will target like Ladd McConkey in the, um... These are all like, uh, third, fourth year guys, second year guys, like still young, still have, um, the ceiling that they haven't hit yet. Uh, McDaniel offense with Ladd McConkey as the motion guy, I think I'm in on that. Um, I like, I want a piece of that for sure if I'm gonna tear down. Um, who else is, is kind of on that list right now? I mean, there's also like the, the, I mean- DeVonta Smith and, and, you know, and Jaylen Waddle, these guys are falling into... I mean, Smith's not on a new team, but he is finally gonna have an alpha role, and I think that, you know, he's gonna exceed in that role. And I think that we're gonna see a team of Smith and Makai Lemon and, you know, he's finally gonna be the big dog, and I think that he's gonna jump a little bit. He's a little older, um, so I don't know if I would make that, that trade unless it made a lot of sense, but he's definitely somebody I could target. Jaylen Waddle is somebody that his value hasn't jumped at all, but he got traded to be with Bo Nix. Bo Nix is, you know, above and beyond anything that, um, we're looking at, uh, Tua actually, you know, ha- has been for the last couple years at this point. But, you know, just the team in general, going from the Dolphins to, to the Broncos, I mean, he's, he's gonna have a massive year when it comes to production compared to what he used to be, um, in Miami.

Jeff: Yeah, you hit some of the guys who I really like this year. Uh, we'll just start with Waddle for a second. Going to the pass happiest team in the league, McConkey, another one I really like. I had a, a spotlight piece on him in Footballguys a few weeks ago. Got one coming up on Flowers. It may not be out yet by the time this episode drops, but look for it shortly thereafter on Footballguys. It's another one that I think is underappreciated for the situation that they're in, the talent that they have, uh, and, you know, the stars aligning in a way that they could, and not necessarily they will. I mean, Zay Flowers isn't guaranteed to be anything, neither is McConkey or any of the guys we're talking about. But these are pretty good bets, and I'm willing to be wrong on, on these kind of bets. I, I really like all the guys, uh, all the guys that you mentioned there.

Mike: Yeah, and these, these tier down options aren't gonna be like for the Ja'Marr Chases and the Jaxon Smith-Njigbas or Pukas. But like, you know, if you have a, um, a George Pickens maybe, a George Pickens for one of these guys with a plus or Nico Collins, one of these guys in a plus, I think that both of those guys are valued higher than the ones that we've been talking about. I mean, that, you know, you could throw a Luther Burden in there as well. I think that, um, he's kinda jumped the shark a little bit in his value. I think that people even now, like I think his value has exceeded like his like outlook in dynasty. But at the, at the same time, if you can kinda get any of these guys, I, I like that we're looking-- I'm looking at the board right now and I'm seeing a lot of value that I would definitely move off of for, for some of these guys. Like even Tetairoa McMillan, I don't believe in Bryce Young. I think that, you know, you have to look at, you know, his production probably being capped quite a bit in that offense. You know, especially Jalen Coker signing a, a big contract. Well, not a big contract, but I mean, obviously for him, you know, where he was drafted, I think that's a great contract for him, gonna be a big part of the offense. You know, I, I think that he's kind of a sell right now, you know, if we're talking about second-year guys. I think that he's probably stuck in the range that he's in or he's gonna drop a little bit, kind of like a Garrett Wilson after his first year.

Jeff: Yep. Wilson's another one that, that a year ago I would've put on this pile. I don't know that you can get quite the same value for him now, uh, given just the situation that, that he's in there, uh, in, in New York. Uh, let's move over to, uh, to running backs for a second, uh, and, and do the same sort of exercise. Now this position, of course, a lot more volatile. There's a lot less runway here, so you may have fewer guys that you're thinking of. But let's, uh, let's see. Let's look at your board and, uh, and see who you might like here.

Mike: Yeah, I mean, I'm looking at it. I see that TreVeyon Henderson, I think I mentioned him earlier in the pod. I wanna trade for him. Um, Chase Brown, I think he is somebody that is undervalued right now, and I think that he has the possibility of being a top five running back this year. So, you know, if you're taking somebody like, um, uh, James Cook and you can get Chase Brown in the first or, you know, something like that, I know that James Cook is still gonna produce this year, but I also think that you could probably match his production with Chase Brown and get a, a free first on there. Um, they both are at an age where they probably are gonna be timed out on their contracts, and they, they will ideally get a second contract. I, I don't wanna go for somebody like Tuten or Jadarian Price just because, you know, there isn't sure production there. You don't really know how that's gonna play out. I mean, ideally you could get a Jadarian Price, and I'm not gonna like tier off of a top guy for him, but a Kenneth Walker for Jadarian Price plus plus or, you know, Kenneth Walker is kind of a sell. Kenneth Walker's probably the biggest sell in, in running back for me just because he's got this perceived value bump, you know. Like, and I always say going from Seattle to the, to, um, the Chiefs isn't like the biggest value bump that you... You know, the fact that he was a featured role, I know that he wasn't getting the usage that people wanted, but that was by design. You know, I think that they understood if they used Walker to the extent that people wanted him used, he probably wouldn't have been available when they needed him the most, and that's kind of... You know, if people are expecting him to be an absolute workhorse, I'm gonna tell you right now, it's never worked in his favor to be a long-term producer. He does get injured. He d- he does need a little breather. He needs a running mate to actually be a productive guy in the NFL. Um, so I mean, you know, just, just this year I think that he could be a big-time producer, but at the same time, if you're telling me that I could trade him for Chase Brown or I can get a TreVeyon Henderson for him, I'd probably do that. Quinshon Judkins, like any of these guys that are, are younger and probably gonna produce similarly and then still have a longer, um, NFL, uh, outlook as far as production goes. Um, I mean, uh, it's not pretty down here. You know, Javonte Williams is definitely a target, but it depends on where we're going with that.

Jeff: Well, and it says that you're going back to your, you know, the, the team situation and contracts. I mean, Jerry Jones is not known for giving contra- second and third contracts to running backs, so the fact that that was done suggests that he's part of the plan for some time to come and not just a, "Here's a reward for being really great this year." That's not the way Jerry, uh, operates.

Mike: No, I mean, that's, that's exactly what it is. You know, the fact that he got a long-term contract, we waited, you know, Ezekiel Elliott could never really lock that in at that point, and then Pollard after him was never gonna lock in a contract. So the fact that Javonte Williams was there for a year, I don't know if he's getting old or, or what it is, but I, I value that contract that he got for the Cowboys for sure.

Jeff: And speaking of Pollard, his current team, I, I think Nick Singleton is a guy I would not move off of a high-end guy for, but he could certainly be a throw-in to a trade involving other people and other assets that are here. But that to me is a bet on, despite his lousy draft capital, uh, that is a bet on potential volume in the future because both Pollard and Spears are, are free agents after this season there in Tennessee. The offense may still be terrible, uh, but he may be the, the guy who could be looking at 200 touches a year from now.

Mike: Oh, yeah. Yeah, I love that. Uh, you know, sneaky guys like Blake Corum. I like Blake Corum a lot as far as a target goes, just because, you know, we saw what he did last year working within the same system and working with, uh, Kyren Williams. I think that that becomes a closer split than people really want it to be. So I think at value, Blake Corum's definitely the guy I want in that backfield over Kyren Williams. But, you know, you gotta play the value game in that sense where, you know, if you miss on Kyren Williams, I'm fine getting a, a piece of that McVay offense with Blake Corum, you know? And I think that they're still gonna produce similarly. Honestly, I think that they are very close to the same player, uh, with Blake Corum being a little more talented. But I think that Kyren Williams fits the system better, oddly enough. You know, I, I don't know if that makes sense to people, but.

Jeff: Do you see a world where you might trade Kyren Williams for Blake Corum plus plus?

Mike: Yeah, I, I would honestly. You know, I think that it's, it's gotta make sense. I see a world trading Kyren Williams for Kyle Monangai plus plus. I, I mean, I, I see a world trading him for, um, I don't know how deep I'm going right now. I, I don't think I would go Jonathon Brooks just because, I don't know. I mean, I, I believe in Jonathon Brooks the talent, I just don't believe in Jonathon Brooks' health and I, I don't know, um, if we're gonna see the Jonathon Brooks that we saw in college or if it's gonna be like a new amped up, like kind of like a J.K. Dobbins type of situation with Jonathon Brooks. So I, I, I gotta wait to see it. He's definitely a wait and see option. But yeah, I mean, if you're gonna, if you're gonna send... I mean, Kyren Williams to me is worth a first, you know, honestly. Like, if I can get Blake Corum and a first, yeah, all day. I mean, I don't know what kind of plus I'm getting on Blake Corum, but they are significantly farther. They're probably about six or s- five rounds apart from each other. So I make that deal. It's just gotta make sense 'cause I'm not gonna say that Kyren Williams isn't gonna produce, but I have to at least make my league mates understand that they're gonna have to pay a premium for somebody I took there, you know?

Jeff: Yep. Yeah, completely understand there. Um, let's move on to... Oh, uh, one other thing on Brooks is about maybe I'm, I'm cooler on him than a lot of people are. The third reason, uh, to the two that you rattled off is, is one we've already talked about, which is the offense is just not that very... It's not good. And if we don't have faith in the passing game there, suddenly having a lot of faith in the running game to me is, uh, is not a consistent viewpoint. So I, I... Even if Brooks is able to overcome his injury history and, and his lack of now playing time for several years, still on a crummy offense.

Mike: Yep, that's fair. You know, I just talked about Tetairoa McMillan, so I mean, I, I gotta at least ride that tape with you a little bit and talking about my hate for Bryce Young.

Jeff: Let's move over to, uh, tight ends for a second. Uh, any candidates that you see here? Uh, and it's, and as you pointed out earlier, man, you've got a, you know, you have your elite two or three or four or five guys, depending on how you, where you wanna draw that line, and then just sort of this jumble of people on a slowly declining slant, uh, from higher to lower. So there's probably a lot of jumping off points here that you could then just reinsert somebody a little lower. Uh, any favorites you've got in this tight end.

Mike: Yeah. I mean, of the top four guys, I want Tyler Warren. Honestly, I think that Tyler Warren is probably g- gonna be the guy that, um, benefits the most as far as the team breakdown goes. I mean, I talked about not having Pittman there. I think that a full year of Tyler Warren and a fully healthy Dimes is probably gonna boost his value quite a bit, a little more than these three guys. I think that Brock Bowers might have the overall producer numbers, but he's not getting that much higher than he is right now. You know, Trey McBride, you know, I think that he's gonna regress a little bit. He still could end up being TE2 this year, but I, I think that he's not gonna rise. Colston Loveland's also pretty high. I think Tyler Warren could rise a little bit, and I think that's probably why I'm gonna target him out of these four guys. Um, Tucker Kraft is still a value. You know, I think that we talked about Matthew Golden a little bit. In the same sense, Tucker Kraft is probably gonna be Jordan Love's favorite target when he's healthy. Um, you know, obviously we saw that last year when there was more target competition. Now think about it this year when there's less target competition. I think that Tucker Kraft's gonna be that safety blanket that Jordan Love needs. Kyle Pitts is still a big-time value. I mean, Kyle Pitts is down there and he is essentially, you know, he finished as TE2 or s-

Jeff: TE2 or 3 last year. He was very high.

Mike: Yeah.

Jeff: quietly he was, he was that.

Mike: yeah. And, and honestly, they didn't add anybody. I mean, if you were afraid of Zachariah Branch taking from Kyle Pitts, I don't know what to tell you, but, you know, there is Drake London, there's Kyle Pitts, and, and maybe Tua is an upgrade from Penix. I think that I like Tua for Kyle Pitts a lot just because of his depth of targets, the way that he, he pretty much... His arm, you know, caters to Kyle Pitts a little more. I think that Penix likes to huck it and chuck it a little more than, than Pitts will or than, than, uh, Tua will. So, you know, and then also the coaching changes over there. I think that he's just set up for success, and I'd probably have him in that Tucker Kraft range, you know? And I think that he's not right now, which is, um, you know... And, and then going even deeper, deeper, there's, there's guys like AJ Barner and Isaiah Likely and, you know, even, um, Chig Okonkwo. Like, all these guys I think are falling into a favorable... Gunnar Helm. They're all falling into a favorable, favorable situation where, you know, they are going to be... Like AJ Barner, for instance, like he could be the second option on that team. and I'm not worried about, you know, sacrificial Xs when it comes to tight end production at this point. Um, and then the Chig, like, you know, I think that Chig could be the second option as well. And, and when I value late round tight ends, I wanna, I wanna tap the guys that could be the first or second op- option on their team. You know, just because you want the guaranteed targets, you want the guaranteed usage. Um, that's what these guys are probably gonna offer. I don't know who's gonna break out and be the, the second option bes- bes- uh, aside from Terry McLaurin, and they could still sign a vet, but right now Chig is, is probably gonna be the second option for Jayden Daniels-led offense. Um, and then rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq is still a value. I mean, I know that everyone gets that, that Jets taste in their mouth, and they really can't look past it. But you know what? He is definitely... He's got the DC. He was drafted so high, and they, they took him first. And the fact that, you know, he has that, that, you know, uh, jackknife, that, that skill set, that kind of you can line him up anywhere on the field, I think they're gonna use him a lot. I think that he's gonna be absolutely on the field full time. And just that alone, if you're gonna get a guy, like in round 10 that, you know, and especially in dynasty at the tight end position, that's at least gonna come in as a rookie and be on the field, you know, 80%, 90% of the snaps, I want that guy. You know, I don't know... I know that they're not gonna be a productive offense, but still, I wanna at least target one or two guys in that offense. They're gonna throw the ball to somebody.

Jeff: I'm with you on Sadiq actually, a- and that will surprise some people who've been following me because I've been down on him, uh, since the -- he's not been my TE1 in that class, uh, ever. Uh, but it's because I didn't wanna pay a mid-first round rookie pick for him.

Mike: Yeah.

Jeff: interested in acquiring him for a- as now that he's in the player pool with everybody else, he suddenly, uh, I think is appropriately priced for where I value him. And I'm with you in that I think he's a longer-term project for me, but definitely I, I, I... The talent's there. who are some of the, the quarterbacks? A- and I'm assuming Superflex here. To me, in one QB, there isn't really much reason to be in a lot of trades for quarterbacks because there's plenty of startable options out there all the time. But in Superflex there aren't any, so wha- who are some of the quarterbacks you, you're chasing?

Mike: Yeah. I mean, honestly, quarterbacks are, are so readily available this year. In past years it was kinda difficult, but this year I find myself waiting on quarterback, and especially in a startup, they're really going much later. You know? I, I think that even in Superflex you can wait on, on guys and still get viable starters, you know? I think... I, I don't even have to go up top. I still like Br- uh, Bo Nix, honestly. Trevor... If we're talking about immediate risers, um, I, I... You know, I'll still take Caleb Williams at the back end of the first. I, I like Caleb Williams. But if I'm gonna go a little farther down, Trevor Lawrence is somebody in the third round that I wanna grab. Absolutely somebody that I see after last year, the way that he ended, um, I think the second year of Liam Coen is only gonna expand him and, and pretty much just, like, put him on the map as that, that generational quarterback that everyone said, "Oh, Trevor Lawrence. Wait for Trevor Lawrence." I think they're finally unlocking him, and I want a piece of him. You know? I wanna take him where he is. Bo Nix, he's got the injury discount. I want Bo Nix too, honestly. I think that Bo Nix is definitely a value where he is. Brock Purdy. Um, going down even farther, Cam Ward I see rising up. Tyler Shough is definitely somebody that I want a piece of. Um, they're only expanding that offense, and I think that he's set up for success. They're kinda telling me that he's their guy and they're gonna build around him, which is nice to see. Um, and then Kyler Murray. You know? Like, I'm taking a chance on Kyler Murray. You know, he's throwing to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, um, the ghost of T.J. Hockenson. I think that there's still going to be a big-time jump in value. You know? And he's still got some legs. Tua's down there, and I like Tua at value. You know? Tua is, is even in Superflex ADP in the 12th, 13th round. You know? So if you wait on QB3, Tua's absolutely the big-time tap that I want. Um, a- outside of that it's, it's pretty much tough sledding. Mac Jones, I want Mac Jones at value. He's in the 17th, 18th round. I think Mac Jones is gonna fit the mold of what we saw with, you know, like these guys drafted in the first round that get their second chances. I think Mac Jones after this year is probably on a new team and probably starting somewhere, or at least being a bridge quarterback to, to boost his value a little bit, he's definitely a target for me if I'm wa- if I'm just, like, trying to grab any type of value. And then there's our guy, Justin Fields, down here, and, you know, even go even farther, Deshaun Watson, maybe he wins that, that starting... I, I don't know. I don't even... I'm not going for it, but I can see the vision if somebody wants to grab him in the 19th round.

Jeff: Yeah, one of my blind spots in, in fantasy is, is I have kind of what I call the no knuckleheads policy, and so Watson's sort of out for me just on that basis. He could-- I don't think he'll.

Mike: I don't blame you, man.

Jeff: QB1 level production again, but I, I need people I can cheer for on my roster and, and unfortunately he, he's not one of those kinds of people. So I think I do have him in a couple of deeper Superflex leagues where you, you, if you don't play quarterbacks, you, you're out basically. So, uh, but he's, he's sitting there just as a hold my nose and, and play him if, if that's, uh, if that's all I've got.

Mike: Fair. Yeah.

Jeff: Some leagues it is. Well, let's, uh, let's kind of move back a little bit. We've been sort of down in the weeds with a lot of players, so a- as we're, we're coming into the finish line here, what would be your, your best piece of advice, uh, for dynasty managers when it, it comes to, you know, being comfortable with trading away a producing player now for a lower tiered guy, maybe same production, maybe not, maybe it's a bet, maybe you're taking a chance, maybe somebody like Makai Lemon, we haven't seen them on the field yet. We don't know what they're ultimately gonna be. What's, what's your advice for dynasty managers to turn them from, you know, passive looking at the players they have and liking them to being aggressive about a tier down strategy?

Mike: You know, I think that doing your homework is important. I would never go and make a trade because I saw some post and say, "Hey, like go trade for Makai Lemon and trade these players for him." You know, I think that a lot of people are influenced by certain managers or certain content creators that just tell you to do this, and I think, you know, don't be reactive and don't jump into something without doing your research first. So I think that ultimately you do have to look at it, um, from a value lens. You have to look at the players that you're trading for and understand that there's a lot of different avenues that you can go for when assessing this player value. Um, you know, but once you understand that, I think that, you know, you do have to jump in the pool every once in a while, and you have to essentially not be scared of the cold water. And, and when you make these trades, I think that, you know, you, you do have to cover your bases, understand that you've done your research, feel good about it. I would never tell you to just do a trade, um, just to trade. You know, I think that there has to be a reasoning, there has to be a vision, there has to be a process behind everything that you do. And I think you can always refine it, you can always develop it, you can always figure out ways to make it better. Um, but you know, you do have to just make the plunge every once in a while and, and there's no way to just tell you to do that besides, you know, do your homework, make sure that you feel good about it, you know, and understand that it's not gonna always look good. Sometimes things that look good end up looking bad. Sometimes things that look bad end up looking good. Dynasty is so long. Like I told you earlier in the pod, Dynasty will exist when we're gone and it'll keep going. This is not a game that just ends. Unfortunately, you know, there are, uh, situations where Dynasty Leagues end, but ultimately, you know, the concept of Dynasty lives on forever. So it's like- I don't think that you should ever regret a trade immediately. You have to look at it in a three-year window. If you go back on a trade after three years and it still doesn't look good, I'm sorry, brother, it didn't work out. But you have to understand that these things aren't immediate. You have to let it mature, develop, and grow, and I think that being patient is probably the best thing that you can do. Um, a- and there's a lot that I could tell you about, you know, what you can do to, to fully embrace this, this concept, but really it's not something that you can just be told to do. You have to be ready for it. You have to understand it, and it's not something you're gonna be willingly, um, able to do until you do fully understand it. So give it, give it some time.

Jeff: Well, Mike, thanks so much. This has been an awesome conversation and that's some great advice to close on. But before we do close out, uh, let everyone know where they can find you and the outstanding work that you do in the fantasy space.

Mike: Nice. Well, I appreciate you having me on, Jeff. I can't tell you, um, how much it's been nice to really just kinda open up and talk dynasty with you. But, um, so I am Dynasty Degens, and we are merged with Dynasty Rewind, so you can find all of our YouTube content over on Dynasty Rewind YouTube. Um, you can jump into our Discord, which is Dynasty Degens. You can DM me. I can send you that over. We are on all audio platforms, and we do the Dynasty show live every Thursday, and we have, uh, the Devy show going every Monday, and Mock Mondays, and there's just a lot of content, um, flowing right now, and it's really fun and, and if you are looking for rankings or dynasty help, you can always DM me. I can send you over the links, and I can set you up. So, um, don't be shy. My, my Twitter is @NerdBoiTakes, and then my pod Twitter is @DynastyDegens. So any of, any of those, um, the, the DMs are always open.

Jeff: All right. And, and take advantage of that, uh, guys, 'cause I, I know Mike is really good about answering those kinds of questions and, and enjoys trying to help you out a- and make you a, a better manager, uh, and, and win your league, uh, or get ready to win it in a future year if this one is not in the cards for you. Uh, so thanks so much for being here, and thank you for watching or listening. Please do us a favor, uh, and like and subscribe and, uh, go over to Apple and leave a five-star rating and a really nice review. All of those things really help this show to grow. And another way you help it grow is by tuning in next week, uh, for the next great episode of Dynasty Compass.

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