What Is Sleeper Dynasty? Play Fantasy All Year Long
When a season comes to an end, it can be hard to say goodbye to our fantasy teams that we’ve grown so attached to.
But what if I told you that you didn’t have to bid farewell?
Thanks to Sleeper Fantasy’s Dynasty leagues, you can carry your team over from season to season. I’ll share more about this innovative contest format in our guide—read on for details on how the drafts work, pros/cons, tips, and more.
Sleeper Dynasty: At a Glance
Dynasty is a league format at Sleeper in which you keep most or all of your players throughout years of play. It retains many elements of more traditional fantasy leagues such as trades and roster management but has a greater emphasis on long-term strategy.
Other fantasy apps run dynasty leagues, but Sleeper’s setup definitely goes above and beyond in its organization and user engagement.
Right now, Dynasty leagues at Sleeper are only available for the NFL and NBA. The app might add more sports for Dynasty in the future, so stay tuned for updates.
If you haven’t signed up for the app yet, be sure to use the Sleeper promo code.
How Dynasty Works
Since you’re essentially building an NFL or NBA franchise when you play Dynasty, you’ll start with an initial draft. Then, subsequent drafts focus only on rookies since you keep most of your vets.
If you’re starting a league from scratch, Sleeper recommends the following setup:
- 18 roster slows
- 2 injured reserve slots
- 3 Taxi squad slots (an extra space where you can put young players without contributing to roster limits)
As your league gains steam, rosters may expand to 25 to 30 players depending on the established rules.
The standard positions include:
- 1 quarterback (or 2 QBs in super-flex)
- Running backs
- Wide receivers
- Tight ends
- Flex spots
While some leagues require a kicker and defense, this format is becoming less common. You should note the presence of IDPs (individual defensive players), where you’ll have to draft, roster, and score points based on defensive players’ stats.
After you draft and set your roster each week during the season, consider using our NBA starting lineups and NFL starting lineups tools.
Pros and Cons of Sleeper Dynasty
Still trying to decide if starting or joining a Dynasty league is right for you?
The format’s top selling points include:
- Participate in fantasy even in the off-season
- Engage in your lifelong dream of becoming a team’s general manager
- Build your league knowledge over several years
- Score big wins that took a lot of effort
As much as I love Dynasty, I can recognize that it has its downsides:
- Fewer smaller wins as you focus on long-term goals
- A bigger time commitment
- Poor investment from other Sleeper users can result in a bad experience
As long as you’re in it for the long haul and in a league with other players who share your commitment, Dynasty is a great format to play.
If Dynasty’s cons outweigh its pros, Sleeper’s guillotine leagues might be more your speed.
Tips for Your Dynasty Team
While I’ve only been playing Dynasty for the past two years, I’ve picked up some pointers along the way:
- Stay in the know: The off-season is ripe with opportunities for making informed decisions. Get valuable insights by researching free agency moves, combine results, drafts, etc.
- Make sacrifices: Just because a move is good in the short term doesn’t mean it’s good in the long term. Dynasty is all about sacrifice, so be OK with taking losses to drive bigger wins.
- Save QB picks for later: Unless you’re in a super flex league with 2 QBs, I’d recommend prioritizing WRs and RBs early in the draft.
- Use the Empire format: More of a tip for commissioners, but if you’re starting a league, use the elite format so that you don’t pay out 100% of the dues each year. Keeping an ongoing sidepot encourages people to stick around and fully commit to their rosters.
Dynasty vs. Redraft vs. Keeper Leagues
When you sign up for a Sleeper league, you can choose between one of three formats:
- Dynasty
- Redraft
- Keeper
I’ve already discussed Dynasty at length. But what about the other two?
Redraft is essentially the opposite of Dynasty. It’s the standard, standalone fantasy league that requires you to, yes, redraft at the beginning of each sports season. You don’t carry over any players from season to season. It’s less commitment and a favorite among office pools.
Keeper is sort of the best of both worlds. It lets you keep a few of your players from year to year but requires a redraft for the majority.
Dynasty League FAQs
Here are some FAQs if you’ve still got questions about signing up for Dynasty:
What is Dynasty on Sleeper?
Dynasty is a fantasy sports format on Sleeper, available for the NFL and NBA. It requires users to participate year-round and from season to season as their roster rolls over.
Does Sleeper do Dynasty basketball?
Yes, Sleeper specializes in Dynasty basketball as well as Dynasty football.
Is a Dynasty rookie draft in snake format?
All drafts on Sleeper, including Dynasty rookie drafts, default to snake format. You can change this, though it’s ideal for fair play.
If you want another way to participate year-round, try the Kalshi promo code as it’s available in all 50 states and offers contracts on sports events.