“I can’t believe I … if only I … how could I … I wish I had done things differently.” What happens out in the field is in the hands of an agent. They must be prepared so that they can endure and survive any obstacle in their path. A life dedicated to such rigorous standards is defined solely by success. Having the best intel, the greatest tech, and the most favorable circumstances can often lead to a sense of invincibility. Unfortunately, sooner or later, everyone encounters something they never trained for: failure.

There are various schools of thought on how to run a roster. Some have enough resources that can be deployed to overwhelm their competitors. Others rely on skillful manipulation to gain the upper hand. Regardless of how you achieve your goal, it cannot be argued that mission success can only be achieved through efficiently managing your assets. In our line of work, we carefully plan for the scenarios that may arise, but we do not waste valuable resources chasing the ‘what-ifs?’ Countless agents meet their doom because they were unable to make the cold and calculated decisions of what was best for the mission. They became too attached, always believing that every single asset was the key. In a game that relies upon quick reflexes, it is essential to understand the difference between an asset and a liability. The following principles can be applied in your startup drafts and throughout the regular season, but given the time of year, there will be an emphasis on how to best manage your rosters heading into the off-season. With this training, you won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

Footsteps from a pair of rattlesnake boots echo through the abandoned warehouse. They scrape across the concrete floor before they finally come to a rest in front of a row of shipping crates, each with a glass of aged tequila resting on top. Gathered around these crates are leaders of the Asset Trafficking Syndicate, commonly known as the Dynasty Lords. With outstretched arms, the man in the boots smiles and says, “Gentlemen, thank you for being here. We have a common goal. We have fought hard to be here. What I propose is that at this moment we form an organization. Bringing our resources together to strengthen our position in the league, we will share knowledge and trade away the finest assets only amongst ourselves. Let us make it known to our league that we control the championship. Inside each of these crates are the highest-valued players and picks in the league. If you place your trust in me to manage the operations, I promise that each of you will have your moment of glory, and you have my word that I will destroy anyone that gets in our way.” Each of the Dynasty Lords looked at one another nodding before they reached for the glasses glistening in front of them. Raising their drinks in the air, they proclaimed in unison, “Al Patrón!” The Dynasty Lords had now become the Contender Cartel.

Your senses are heightened as you look out your passenger-side window and bounce through the narrow city streets. In four unmarked SUVs, your covert ops team does its best to not draw any attention from any rooftop spotters. Based upon intel from your white-suited contact, the asset traffickers were looking to sure-up their remaining weakness at the RB position. The mission details were simple: extract the remaining RB assets before the dynasty lords, forcing them to move their picks out in the open and hopefully make a mistake. As you struggle to control your breathing, you notice the man sitting beside you is completely calm. A local advisor that you had no prior knowledge of before the mission briefing only a few hours ago. “Nothing will happen en route,” he says, “don’t worry.” You reply, “How can you be so sure?” Looking out the window he softly replies, “You’ll see.”

It’s dark and you can barely make your way through the thick crowd at the Last Dance nightclub. The blasts of mariachi trumpets and electric guitars ring in your ears as you are being escorted past the stage. You reach a stairwell guarded by two more men who pat you down and grant you passage with a slight nod. You descend into an entirely new world, hidden away deep below. In it you see a long wooden bar with low-lit glass shelves and at the end of it a red leather booth with a man in a white suit.

You shut the door to your small apartment, leaving the grueling five-day day-work trip and all of its demands behind you. Before you even take off your coat, you’re at your bar cart reaching for the Scotch your old Case Officer gifted you last Christmas. A deep exhale leaves your body as you think to yourself ‘Thank God that’s over.’ Only a brief moment of solitude passes before your phone rings. It’s the Chief of Station. “Agent, there’s been a murder of a failed-contender earlier this evening. I need you to go investigate the scene and then visit the coroners afterward. I’m sending you the address now.” “Sir, isn’t that for local law enforcement?” you reply. “This isn’t a regular murder, Agent. There’s evidence that ties the victim with high-level asset traffickers.” You say, “I already have my coat on sir, I’ll get right on it,” and then hang up.

At this stage of the season, you can no longer view your league mates as friendly competitors all striving towards similar goals. There are allies, who will help you achieve your mission, and there are enemies who wish to destroy your goals. The highest-level threat known to the agency is the Asset Trafficker. These individuals specialize in the illicit trade of both high-value players and the stockpiling of draft picks. Their smuggling business includes leveraging early-projected draft picks, elite QBs, young WRs, bell-cow RBs, and ultra-productive TEs. Early after a league’s inception, these individuals will own up to half of the high-value draft picks heading into the off-season after the first dynasty championship. In the first year, they have built a network of relationships in which they have supplied the contenders with the “valuable” players they needed for their championship run. But in actuality, the contenders who fail to reach their ultimate goal now find themselves in the pocket of these Asset Traffickers who now own their entire future of draft picks. The most dangerous Asset Trafficker is the manager who not only stockpiles assets but also information. These individuals are known as Dynasty Lords.

You’re walking the winding brick path by the river, needing to clear your head of the chaos back at the agency. As you stare out at the yellow glow of the street lamps reflecting off the pitch-black water, your phone vibrates. “Can you meet? Harbor Hotel. Rm 507. 30 minutes.” There is never a time for rest at this point in the season. You quickly dart through the side streets and alleys to make sure you aren’t being tailed - can’t afford to blow the cover of your best informant. You take one last look down the hall before you knock on the door, ‘507’ displayed in bold brass. “It’s me,” you mumble. The door swings open and you walk over to the table covered with glossy photos and stapled documents. “The league has certainly been busy with all of these recent trades. A lot of panic with injuries. But that’s not why you interrupted my late-night stroll, is it?” The informant smiles and shakes his head. Opening up his jacket, the informant pulls out a pen and begins to unscrew the barrel. Tucked inside, the informant pulls out a tiny scroll of paper and hands it to you. You read the four names quickly before you pocket the paper. “This can be pretty massive, are you sure about this?” The informant replies “It’s reliable. Those assets can turn the tide.” You twist the doorknob to leave and say “I’ll stay in touch.”

In our line of work, missions are not accomplished through luck. Though there are a multitude of variables that cannot be accounted for and circumstances that are impossible to foresee, victory comes to those who have prepared for it. Part of this planning includes an honest assessment of your chances. “What is your team’s record, where is your team in the standings, and how does it stack up with other teams in terms of points scored?” are all necessary in order to establish a baseline. But beyond these preliminary questions is an inventory of your arsenal: “Do you have a strong QB duo and a serviceable backup in your superflex league?” “Can your WR corp keep up with the best in your league?” “Do your RBs have any consistency or upside?” “Is your TE serviceable?” “How many injuries can you sustain to each position before you are out of the race?” And lastly “Do you have assets that can be liquidated to help strengthen your position?” At this Agency, we train our agents to work toward outcomes that can be all but assured. This involves not only overwhelming your competition with your resources but perhaps the most important factor is timing.

Operating as a field agent demands a calculated focus. This will often require a cold and detached inclination that is ready to make difficult decisions and necessary sacrifices for the good of your team. With half of the regular season complete, there are assets that are still retaining trade interest because of their dynasty value or volatile production, but overall they are jeopardizing your mission success with their lack of consistent/up-side production. Prove your resolve and make the difficult decisions before your operation is compromised.

The reports of those who have been wounded in the line of duty continue to mount every week. Soon, it will become apparent that the most capable agents are those with the depth and the draft capital to survive the unforgiving season. But perhaps the highest level of skill is found in operators who know when to risk acquiring an asset before the competition does. This can often be achieved by flipping an underperforming asset that carries dynasty value for an older, highly productive veteran. There will be many champions crowned at the end of this year who did not hesitate in forgoing youth and were willing to pay a little more than the competition for these league-winning assets. Read the following (and previous) dossier carefully for the full report on these trade targets.

We are 1/3 of the way through the fantasy regular season. Catch your breath and compose yourself. Newer field agents will look upon their fantasy rosters drunk with power, drowning in dismay, or abandoned to oblivion. The top operators on the other hand are keen to observe that a key shift for the remainder of the season is taking place. Without having to be instructed, they understand that this is the time to move off of the risky assets that have overperformed for the established assets that have so far underperformed and to hold onto valuable draft capital so that they can buy the few, surviving difference-makers later in the season.

It is only natural that as highly-trained professionals, our agents will feel the urge to exercise their newfound abilities and test themselves against other combatants. As strong as this inclination is, it is essential to repress this outward course of action. Remember that our battle isn’t waged through superficial displays of strength but beneath the surface through meticulous planning, the subtle allocation of resources, the hoarding of intel, and remaining patient for the perfect opportunity to strike. Suffice it to say, that the agents who survive the longest do not reveal themselves by investing multiple high-priced assets (like 1st round picks) so early into the season. Dig in - we have a long season ahead.

We all know WoRP gives you past results, but if you just used WoRP as your rankings, how well would it work? Can WoRP predict the outcomes of individual players?

Each week is another opportunity to gather critical intel, stay ahead of the opposition, and accumulate valuable resources. It will be difficult for untrained managers to remain disciplined in the face of a losing record and refrain from employing drastic counter-measures when they should remain resolved and undeterred. When in doubt, hold onto your draft capital until further instruction.

Being comfortable with being uncomfortable is one of the major traits we ingrain in all of our agents. The injury report is a cruel reminder of how brutal this game is and highlights the importance of stockpiling draft picks and solid depth pieces to endure the 17-week season. Gather yourselves and prepare for week 3.

Welcome back. We thought you were dead. I trust that your time away was used wisely and wasn’t wasted away on a beach drinking endless Mai Tai’s. The season has officially begun, so we don’t have much time. You will immediately be reinstated into Active Service. Report to Field Surveillance to begin your briefing.

Analytics and projections are pivotal, but having backup plans and contingencies can be equally paramount. What will you do if your starting QB gets hurt? What will happen to your playoff hopes if your stud RB holds out? Will you be able to overcome the devastation you wrought by drafting a rookie TE in the 9th round? The first step in being prepared for these scenarios is to ground both our research and strategy in historical data. The past cannot predict the future any more than data or statistics can. But what history can do is train us for the unforeseen. History is not kind to those who are oblivious to it.

The Allied evacuation of Dunkirk during WWII, King Leonidas’ Spartans at the Hot Gates, and the army of Rohan at the Battle of Helm’s Deep… these moments in history are a lazy Sunday afternoon compared to the odds faced in Underdog tournaments. In a Best Ball Mania IV contest that features 677,376 entrants on the battlefield, the only chance for survival is the most rigorous commitment to a tempered strategy.