An open dynasty team (commonly called an "orphan" by dynasty players) is any team whose manager has abandoned it after the initial startup. Finding new managers for orphans is one of the most challenging parts of being a commissioner of a dynasty league. A trend that we are seeing among dynasty leagues is more and more orphans opening up as managers have to leave the league for many reasons. One thing to keep in mind is do not, for any circumstance, shame anyone for leaving your league. Dynasty leagues are not blood oaths; no one should feel they must stay in the league. It is, however, your responsibility as a commissioner to mitigate some risks to people possibly leaving your league. I outlined ways for you to do that here. But even by taking those precautions, you will undoubtedly have to fill orphans in your leagues. This article aims to outline how to fill those orphans and utilize the openings to help the overall health of the Dynasty League.
Step 1: Where to find the Managers
Before we get into how to entice managers to take over these teams, which could be some of the worst teams in the league, we first need to discuss where you should be looking for managers to take over the teams. My first advice is to review your already existing league members from other leagues and look for candidates there. Try to target managers who are active, responsive, and responsible. That's the best way to fill an orphan, and getting someone you can trust will go a long way in keeping them around in the league. Getting managers you know and have a track record of staying in leagues should be your first priority.
If you can't find anyone in your other leagues to take over any of the orphans, you should ask the other league members if they know anyone who would fill the team. Only ask the members you know have been in the league for a while and have had positive track records as league-mates. Generally speaking, the managers they will ask will also be a positive addition to the league.
If those two options fail, the next step is to look through the various fantasy football forums for people willing to take over an orphan. Footballguys has its forum; you can use this to find people looking for openings. Multiple other forums can be an option out there.
If you need help filling any orphan teams, you may need to entice managers to want to join your league. Let's go over how to do that.
Step 2: Offer Different Choices
If you are filling an orphan team and need help getting managers to take over a team due to a lack of draft capital or the team just being bad, you must be creative in recruiting managers. Here are some ways you can be creative.
- Hold a Dispersal Draft - If you have multiple teams being orphaned, one of the best ways to fill the open teams is by having a dispersal draft. That entails combining all the assets and having all the teams redraft their teams. It takes a little work as a commissioner, but using a Google spreadsheet to organize all the assets is the easiest way to set up the draft. Once you have all the assets organized, you can share the draft board with prospective managers. Everyone loves drafting again, and many future managers enjoy this method. The best way to run the initial draft is to run each team through this generator and let them choose whatever draft position they want if they win the race. The dispersal will follow a traditional snake format, and you will place all draft picks on the Google spreadsheet. After the draft, you will use the spreadsheet to help add the players drafted to each team. To make it easier, I would drop them off each roster before re-adding them to the orphaned teams.
- Second Chance Draft - Another one of my favorite additions to dispersal drafts is allowing any manager in the league to add their roster to it. We call this a second chance draft. This enables members of your league who are staying to get a re-do. Perhaps they didn't draft well initially, or their team isn't built to their liking. Allowing them to add their team to the dispersal enables the dispersal to have better assets and refreshes the league. It also increases the likelihood of managers staying longer. Second-chance drafts should also be offered if there is only one opening in your league. Before looking for a manager to fill just one team, ask the league if anyone would like to do a second chance draft. If there is, then you can have a dispersal. It is the best way to refresh your league and allow people to rebuild their overall roster.
- Allowing Trading - Another fun twist when doing dispersals is allowing the league to trade assets while the dispersal is ongoing. This option is more challenging for you as a commissioner but can be fun for the entire league. While other league members can't trade into the draft, they can trade for assets, thus allowing the new managers to build their rosters from the player pool of the dispersal and other teams. This will require a little more housekeeping, but you can make a separate tab for players traded on the spreadsheet, and usually, your league-mates will help with that as well.
- Second Chance Draft - Another one of my favorite additions to dispersal drafts is allowing any manager in the league to add their roster to it. We call this a second chance draft. This enables members of your league who are staying to get a re-do. Perhaps they didn't draft well initially, or their team isn't built to their liking. Allowing them to add their team to the dispersal enables the dispersal to have better assets and refreshes the league. It also increases the likelihood of managers staying longer. Second-chance drafts should also be offered if there is only one opening in your league. Before looking for a manager to fill just one team, ask the league if anyone would like to do a second chance draft. If there is, then you can have a dispersal. It is the best way to refresh your league and allow people to rebuild their overall roster.
- Offer Compensatory Picks - If you don't want to hold a dispersal, you could offer compensator picks for teams to join the league. One way to do this is in a 12-man league offer the 1.13 for any manager willing to take over an orphan. This usually works if there is only one team to fill. Before suggesting that option, though, communicate with the league and get league approval. Giving draft capital away without asking the league should not be a road any commissioner takes.
- Offer a Discount - Another option is to offer one year free if no one is willing to take the team and if holding a dispersal is impossible. Giving managers that one year free could be enticing enough for them to take the team and provide them with a year to rebuild the roster. If you offer this, though, require managers to pay for the following year upfront. I have seen managers who get this option who weren't required to put a deposit down for the next year ruin the team even worse and leave the league. So if you offer a discount, always get a deposit for the following season.
- Consolidate Teams - If you still need help filling your teams and are in a league with 12, 14, or 16 teams, the last thing you could do is simply downsize your league. One thing we have done in leagues where we had an equal number of teams not being able to be filled is throwing all the players back into a supplemental draft or adding them to the upcoming rookie draft. It's not the ideal way to deal with orphans, but we have found success in the process. It could help save a league.
Final Thoughts
Having a manager leave the league where you are the commissioner can be less than ideal, but you should consider it an opportunity to breathe life back into your dynasty league. New managers bring different trade partners and different activity levels to the league. Orphans can be a good thing for a dynasty league and can help the league's overall health. As always, if you have questions or need help with orphans in your dynasty leagues, you can contact me with the Footballguys email or on “X.”
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