I entered a new FFPC dynasty startup this summer (of the $750 variety). I liked what I did in the $1250 with the 6 1st rounders, but I'll always be left wondering what could have been had I kept the 8 1st rounders that I had at one point during the startup draft rather than trading away two of them. I am also left wondering what the team could have looked like if I was not so quick to consolidate value during the offseason (rather than waiting a bit for value to come to me).

So I entered this new FFPC $750 to take a shot at rectifying those mistakes and to see what really is possible. It may well be that I'll end up with a lesser team than what I have in the $1250. It also may be that this strategy isn't all that great to begin with and that it's crazy to try it again, particularly in an even more extreme fashion. I am very open to these possibilities and am going into 2011 a little more skeptical about the strategy in general. That said, I couldn't resist giving the strategy one more shot (as it is a lot of fun to try).

The basic strategy is similar to last year:

1. Aggressively acquire 1st rounders during the startup draft, even sacrificing having the truly elite player to do it. Target number = 8 1st rounders.

2. Acquire players that have the potential of joining the elite ranks in 2012 at the expense of sacrificing production in 2011.

3. Be aggressive in bidding on free agents that will have a potential impact in 2012 where most others are looking to fill lineups for 2011.

Here is the team I drafted:

3.02 AJ Green
3.03 Jon Stewart
3.08 Julio Jones
5.04 CJ Spiller
8.11 Chris Wells
12.11 Alex Green
14.06 Donald Brown
14.08 Demaryius Thomas
15.03 Heath Miller
15.07 Cam Newton
17.07 Tashard Choice
18.06 Jordan Cameron
19.04 James Jones
19.07 Julius Thomas
19.11 Clyde Gates
20.02 Dion Lewis
20.06 Eddie Royal
20.08 Dallas Defense
20.09 Matt Bryant
20.11 Brandon Tate

As you can tell, this team is paper thin with little talent at the moment. I couldn't of had it any other way and still acquire the 9 1st rounders. I am excited though at what this team could become in 2012. On this plus side, there are always gems to be found in the free agent bidding market with the limited sized rosters, so its always good to have a few players that are droppable in any given week. This team has no shortage right now in scrubs.

At the end of the startup draft, I came out with 9 1st rounders, one more than my initial target. The plan for now is to keep all 9 until after the season is over, and then figure out what to do with them during the offseason. Trading them any earlier would likely yield the least value in this format. Besides, I have already experienced the danger of trading a pick or two of teams that were seemingly a lock to make the playoffs. My goal is to come out of this season with 5 or 6 of the top 6 draft picks (a realistic possibility given the number of picks I have).

Moves thus far:

During the free agent bidding period just prior to Week 1, I picked up Danarius Moore for $127 of my $1,000 bidding dollars.

After week 1, I made a trade acquiring Jeremy Maclin for Chris Wells and Cam Newton and picked up Matt Cassel, Andy Dalton and Blaine Gabbert off the waiver wire (using nominal bids).

As of Week 2, here is my roster:

QB: Dalton, Gabbert, Cassel
RB: Jon Stewart, CJ Spiller, Alex Green, Deji Karim, Donald Brown, Tashard Choice
WR: AJ Green, Jeremy Maclin, Julio Jones, Demaryius Thomas, Denarius Moore, Clyde Gates
TE: Heath Miller, Julius Thomas, Jordan Cameron

Preliminary Analysis:

I am set at WR for 2012 with the Green/Maclin/Jones trio, but I'm going to need at least one of the RBs to break out this year and present startable options in 2012. I have a feeling Spiller will be that RB1 stud that I'll need next year. Stew has a decent shot as well, although having Deangelo signed long term is a huge bummer.

I plan to go a little heavier on rookies that I’ll actually draft and roster in 2012 than I did in the $1250. Of course, I'll still need to trade a good amount of the 1st rounders in order to compete in 2012, but I'll worry about those details in the offseason. For now, I need to maximize value on the waiver wire.

I'll be checking in with this team's progress from time to time as developments occur.