X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

The King's Keeper Corner: Decision Guide and Tips

In the King’s Keeper Korner, Scott Engel provides a guide to making the tough keeper calls and tips on how to build your dynasty fantasy football league roster for success in 2020 and beyond.

We are at the point where many fantasy football GMs/coaches have to make their crucial keeper league decisions. This edition of the King’s Keeper Corner is an essential guide to making your best choices and having the ideal plan heading into the upcoming draft.

Nothing in fantasy football is absolute and every keeper decision is unique. Yet we have laid out many key approaches to making challenging decisions here.

For specific answers to any of your keeper questions, ask them @scottetheking on Twitter and I will answer them in upcoming articles.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Winning This Season, Not Just Beyond

Top 12 WR Decline Chart via FantasyPros.com

Depending on your league structure, you can often keep one to three players, although some leagues will vary on such requirements. While you lose a round for keeping certain players in many leagues, others will not penalize in that manner at all. Some leagues use contract structures. In any sort of format, fantasy GMs/coaches are always emphasizing youth and how long a player can potentially impact a team. That’s the default first step of keeper evaluation.

Many fantasy players, by default, use age 30 as a marker to start believing a player is “getting old.” That is an old RB-related tale and does not apply to all positions, or even all players. Mike Tagliere of FantasyPros does a great series every year on when players decline at key fantasy positions.

According to his latest research, running backs have a very good chance of slipping in production after the age of 28, not 30. Wide receivers, however, can still be highly productive in their age 31 and 32 seasons.  So you cannot apply the same axioms to all positions. You cannot make keeper decisions based solely on youth, either. You have to strongly consider keeping top-notch players who can still deliver one or two more strong seasons.

Julio Jones is a prime example here. He has just turned 31 years old, but that is not truly “old” for a WR yet. He’s getting there, however, you can still get one or two more excellent seasons out of him. Jones finished as WR3 last year and was second in the NFL in receiving yards. He finished No. 11 on the NFL Top 100 for 2020. There is no apparent reason to expect a significant drop-off in production this season based on an age marker of 30 that is a myth. He gives you a great chance to contend in 2020.

It's understandable to lean to youth over older veterans for the most part, yet in the end, you should be keeping the better player, period, if there are no round penalties. Obviously, when there are round penalties the call comes down to who incurs the lower round designation. If the decision is close, though, you should take the better player, period. Jones should win a lot of close keeper decisions. DeAndre Hopkins is 28, and I cannot quite recommend keeping DK Metcalf over him yet in any tight decision.

Also, when you are drafting, do not steer clear of players who can still produce at high levels for 2020. Youth should be your basis and core focus, yet should not completely govern all decisions. Keep both the upcoming season and the future in mind.

 

Making The Tough Calls

When a keeper league does not require you to sacrifice rounds for players kept, decisions are obviously a bit easier, but still challenging. Certain players may be “no brainers” to retain, yet there are still tight calls to be made as in any keeper format.

For instance, if you keep three players and the first is Michael Thomas, and you can only keep two, the second choice is a very difficult one if it is between Chris Godwin and Miles Sanders. Keeping Godwin would give you the ultimate WR combo in your league. But if you throw Sanders back into the player pool, you may lose out on a possible RB1 and that is more valuable. Running backs are the most highly coveted players in any format and you already have a WR1. Retaining a RB1 is more important than having a luxury at the WR2 spot. You should lean to keeping an “anchor” player at a key position over a “luxury” choice at another. You should keep Sanders in such a situation.

Obviously such close decisions become more complicated when you lose a round for the player you keep. But it’s not always about retaining the better value in terms of rounds lost. If you have a choice between keeping Allen Robinson with a fourth-rounder or Diontae Johnson with a much later pick, you keep the more proven and established high-level player despite the higher penalty.

When you incur round penalties for superstars that are worth it, you should pay the price. If you have to sacrifice a first-rounder to keep Joe Mixon or a second-rounder to keep Dalvin Cook you should not overthink it. If you throw either one back into the player pool they will likely be picked at the value you were not willing to keep them for. Don’t risk losing them in favor of a lesser player with a later round penalty. Keep the best players when they are top-shelf choices, not just the perceived best values.

 

Positional Depth Considerations

Running back is obviously the position of highest demand in any league. If you have two Top 20 RBs you may have to keep both of them. WR is much deeper and you can utilize high-end WR2s as your No. 1 if you must. If you are able to keep Mixon and Josh Jacobs you should do it, and having a duo of Tyler Lockett and D.J. Moore is very acceptable if it works out that way. Unless you have a very elite WR such as Tyreek Hill or Chris Godwin you should lean to RBs with your top choices. Only Travis Kelce should get consideration as a prime TE keeper. He puts up WR1 numbers at the weakest position in the game. Other TEs such as George Kittle are good keepers but not pure prime choices. You won’t be keeping TEs over RBs in most cases and only a handful may be worth keeping at all.

Lamar Jackson is so unique as a rusher I would personally consider him as the one QB keeper to challenge any other superstar you may consider retaining. I would strongly consider keeping Jackson over many others because he gives you RB type production at QB, and will still have an unmatchable floor in that regard even if he regresses. In yearly leagues he is a back-half of the first round pick to me, so I would strongly consider retaining him over a second-round type player in keeper formats, and you may not have to give up a high pick to do so. In many leagues you can keep a superstar worth a first rounder and Jackson because you likely drafted him much later in previous situations. If there are no round penalties Jackson is a Top 10 overall keeper choice to me.

For the most part, as we all know, QB is deep unless you play in a two QB/superflex league, and only Patrick Mahomes may get strong keeper consideration in standard leagues. In two QB/superflex leagues the quarterbacks get nearly equal keeper consideration with the running backs and the WRs become clear lesser options.

 

Preparing for the Draft

Most keeper league owners try to guess who other teams will retain once they have pretty much settled on their decisions. It’s a fun exercise, but you can never fully guess what others are thinking, and even if they tell you what they may be considering, they may not be fully forthcoming and could change their minds. Just wait for the other teams’ decisions to roll in first, and then let the draft come to you.

Be wary of pre-draft offers. If your league requires three keepers, getting first-round picks back is not as exciting as it seems. It becomes the equivalent of a fourth-rounder. If you are also getting a lot of offers for a player, such as DK Metcalf, then you know you have someone that all the other people in your league value highly. You should hold onto that player unless you get an offer you simply cannot refuse.

Once the draft starts, it simply is a matter of building around your core. As we advised earlier, focus on “anchor” players at each position. If you kept two RBs, WR has to be a top priority. If you kept one WR and one RB, you should lean to taking an RB and WR with your first two choices. Of course, having a shot at a Lamar Jackson or Kelce could alter such plans. Have a loose plan in mind and go with the flow.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Dynasty League Strategy




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Moises Ballesteros

Riding An 11-Game Hit Streak
Victor Mesa Jr.

Starting Rehab Assignment On Saturday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF