Utz Dynasty, Baby! 2025 Pre-Draft Newsletter
I've got a fever... and the only cure is drafting rookies
Off Season Recap
Been a while, hasn’t it! I hope everyone has had a great offseason, and is equally itching for football to start again like I am. As an Eagles fan, I can only hope this upcoming season is a great as last season was.
We’ve had quite a few transactions this season as the league gets ready for it’s first Rookie Draft, and there’s been some huge shifts in team compositions as managers dial in their strategy for the upcoming season. Let’s dive right into those trades.
Trade #1: Three’s a Crowd.
Looking to acquire the RB for his favorite team, Grant began hashing out trade talks with Aaron for Chuba Hubbard. Aaron, ever the trade shark, was interested in Kenneth Walker III. However, given KWIII’s injury history, he didn’t want to give up that stability at RB, and also approached Jamie for Zach Charbonnet. After multiple days of trade talks, including the exciting prospect of a three-way trade, Aaron decided to deal with each manager individually to make the process easier. The final product:
Trade #2 and #3: How come he don’t want me, man?
Later, while Jamie is returning home in early March from a phenomenal destination wedding in Cancun, he fires off the following text:
This struck inspiration through the league, and the following two trades were made that day:
Capitalizing off a Super Bowl performance where 6/8 of his catches and 148/157 of his receiving yards came after the Chiefs were down 34-0, Grant sent Xavier Worthy to Peyton for Pick 1.06. Then, right afterwards, Grant sent consensus top 6 Dynasty WR Brian Thomas Jr, Pick 1.10, and a 2027 2nd for Keon Coleman and Pick 1.03. Shockwaves rippled throughout the league.
Given Grant’s involvement in both of these trades and the huge value of assets he was giving up, league managers began wondering just what exactly he was building towards. Well, dear reader, let’s look at a post-combine pre-draft ranking of the 2025 rookies, shall we? (Shoutout Footballguys)
Wait, zoom in on that Hampton guy.
JARVIS, what college did Grant go to?
OHHHHHHH! It all makes so much sense now! And by acquiring 1.03 in the BTJ “trade”, Grant was perfectly positioned to grab Hampton at 1.03. He’s an extremely talented player, and would likely be in contention for 1.01 if Jeanty didn’t exist.
Slightly miffed in the midst of binging Severance, Jamie sends the following to his certified Outside Fantasy Consultant:
Trades #4, #5, #6, and #7: A-A-Ron Marches On.
Some dynasty managers prefer to build their teams solely through the draft. Other managers prefer to trade their draft picks for known commodities. Elite managers know how to employ both strategies effectively throughout the year. Angling to be one of these managers, Aaron made 4 more trades in the month of March. First, he completed the following trade with Austin:
A few days after that, Aaron completed the following trade with Peyton:
Seemingly uninterested in retaining these league vets, Aaron opted to send them off with some additional compensation to move up 5 spots in the Rookie Draft and acquire some 3rd rounders for the next two years. Could this be Travis Hunter? Or maybe one of the two Ohio State RBs?
A day later, Aaron and Jamie finish hashing out a trade for depth pieces on their rosters:
Then, a few days later, on a Sunday where diehard NFL fans still felt a hole where football would be, Aaron and Desmond complete the highest volume trade so far of the offseason.
A fanatic Steelers fan, Aaron acquired his favorite team’s WR1 while simultaneously praying they would somehow not sign Aaron Rodgers (RIP). In turn, he also acquired a TE looking for a second chance and moved up a full round in this year’s Rookie Draft. For these assets, Desmond acquired a couple proven but injured veteran and moved back a round in this year’s Rookie Draft.
Aaron’s March was not done. With one day left in the month, Aaron and Conner complete a RB trade:
Looking to roll the dice, Conner traded away the emerging Bucs RB1 and received a 2nd rounder, a RB on a team heavily rumored to be drafting an RB, and a backup Panthers RB that might have some of the worst injury luck in the world. While Bucky broke out in a big way last season, analytics do not seem to like him, and Rachaad White is still plenty capable of pounding the rock. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Trade #8: The Last Puzzle Piece.
Remember how the world’s biggest UNC stan was in prime position to select Omari Hampton at 1.03? Unfortunately for him, there’s this little thing called the
Where despite any pre-draft analysis and college film, fantasy football aficionados find out what professional scouts and football organizations REALLY think about all these guys. And with the Chargers selecting Hampton in the first round, where his only competition is *checks notes* Najee Harris, and Tetairoa McMillian going to a rocky Panthers team, Hampton became a lock for consensus 1.02 in dynasty rookie drafts.
This caused some panic for our dear Grant. He was not about to let his darling Hampton slip out of his grasp. And just two weeks after the NFL Draft, Grant and Conner made the following trade:
Paying a premium price to move up one spot, Grant ensured he’d secure his UNC RB. Pray that he’s worth it, Grant.
Trades #9, #10, #11, #12: The Deep End.
Grant’s epic journey for Omari Hampton was the last major event in the offseason. Four more trades were completed afterwards, and all of these were for bench pieces or late round picks.
Trade #9: Desmond trades 2025 Pick 3.08 and 2025 Pick 4.08 to Aaron for Roschon Johnson and 2025 Pick 4.02
Trade #10: Aaron trades Mike Gesicki and 2025 Pick 4.08 to Will for Isaiah Likely.
Trade #11: Aaron trades Adam Thielen to Peyton for Luke McCaffrey.
Trade #12: Grant trades 2025 Pick 3.11 to Peyton for Keenan Allen.
Trade #13: The Champion Stirs.
Right as the month of June came to a close, our reigning champion finally made an offseason splash. Looking to get younger at WR, Eric made the following trade for a home favorite:
Approved by the champion himself, of course.
While I’m sure being a Chiefs fan sweetens the deal, Eric opted to trade away a key piece of his 2024 championship roster for a WR that looks poised to be a key contributor for a top AFC team now that his knee is healing up and his court date keeps getting pushed back. Who knows what lies ahead.
The Rookie Draft
Our Rookie Draft is THIS FRIDAY! Here’s the current draft board:
And for fun, here’s the current top ranked rookies based on crowdsourced website KeepTradeCut.com based on 1 QB 0.5 PPR.
Interview with a Champion
Winning a dynasty league is no easy feat, especially in the first year where most teams are on pretty equal footing. We had 5 teams finish at 8-6, and one of those teams was the one that emerged victorious. Let’s step into the mind of your 2024 Utz Dynasty, Baby! Champion: Eric!
Q: Our Startup Draft was a grueling 24 rounds spread over two weeks. What strategies did you employ during the draft to try and build your team?
A: I actually think we made a few early round mistakes overvaluing a couple of unproven talents. We ended up making up for it in the middle rounds though with several veteran players who put up serious numbers down the stretch. Also Sam Darnold played out of his mind as our 21st round pick.
Q: Your season wasn’t exactly a straightforward path to the playoffs. Slumping towards the end, you managed to make the playoffs as a #5 seed. What moves, whether it’s picking a certain player in the Startup Draft or an in-season trade/waiver acquisition, do you credit the most towards your ultimate victory?
I’m gonna have to go with our trade for Scary Terry. We brought him over to fill in after Godwin’s injury and he did exactly that. We hate to see him go but we were glad he’s leaving with a ring.
Q: Who would you say is your team’s 2024 MVP?
St. Brown, and it’s not even close. After playing well all season he went absolutely nuclear in the playoffs averaging 25.4 ppg.
Q: How are you looking to remain in contention for 2025 and beyond?
Our main goal this offseason was to find a way to better position ourselves to win now, without jeopardizing our future which I believe we’ve accomplished by bringing in Rice. Our front office is confident as long as we can keep him out of sports cars he can become one of the stars of this team for years to come.
Q: The floor is yours. Do you have any parting shots for league that you want in the public record?
Not exactly a parting shot, but I would like to announce that due to ongoing backlash from the grandmas of Southern Maryland, The Nursing Home Knockers have decided to enter a rebranding period. We have not arrived at a new name yet due to our front office lacking creativity so we will go by “The Southern Maryland Football Team” for this season.
Parting Shots
Extra! Extra! Hear all about it! This Friday! Rookies go flying off the board!
