Okay, so, I’ve been playing fantasy football for a while now, and let me tell you, I’ve learned a thing or two. Recently, I got into this thing called “dynasty leagues,” which is like, a whole different ball game. And in these dynasty leagues, there’s this concept called a “taxi squad.” I was like, “What the heck is a taxi squad?” So, I did some digging.
It turns out, a taxi squad, also known as a “practice squad,” is like a separate little section of your team’s roster. You can put players there, kind of like stashing them away. It is separated from your main guys, you know, the ones you actually play each week, and it’s also different from the injured reserve (IR) list.
So, why did I even bother with this taxi squad thing? Well, in dynasty leagues, you keep most of your players from year to year. It’s a long-term commitment. And these taxi squads are typically for rookies or players in their first few years in the league. So it is a pretty good strategy.
I thought, “This is perfect!” I could draft some young players with potential, put them on my taxi squad, and let them develop without taking up space on my main roster. It’s like having a little farm system for my fantasy team.
I started small. I put a couple of rookies on my taxi squad in my first year. One was a wide receiver who was buried on his team’s depth chart, and the other was a running back who needed some time to adjust to the pro game.
Here’s what I did, step-by-step:
- Drafted rookies: During the draft, I targeted a couple of rookies who I thought had potential but might not contribute right away.
- Moved them to the taxi squad: After the draft, I moved these players to my taxi squad. This freed up space on my main roster for other players.
- Waited and watched: I kept an eye on these players throughout the season, following their progress and development. The rules for when you can move them off the taxi squad and onto your active roster can be different for each league, so make sure to check on that.
It took some patience. That first year, neither of those guys did much. But in their second year, that wide receiver started getting more playing time, and his numbers went up. I was feeling pretty smart at that point, let me tell you!
Eventually, I moved him up to my main roster, and he became a solid contributor for my team. The running back, well, he didn’t pan out, but hey, you can’t win them all. He ended up being demoted back to the taxi squad from my main roster. That is one of the rules with taxi squads, once they are on the main roster, they can’t go back to the taxi squad. So make sure you are aware of your league rules.
The Big Takeaway
Using a taxi squad was a cool little strategy. It allowed me to take some risks on young players without clogging up my main roster. And it paid off, at least with one of them. It’s definitely something I’ll keep doing in my dynasty leagues. It might take some time to see results, but if you are willing to wait, it can really work out. Using a taxi squad in your dynasty league is super useful if you learn the rules and are patient with the players you choose to hold on to.
