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+---- Thread: *DSFL offseason overview V1.0 (/showthread.php?tid=49975)
*DSFL offseason overview V1.0 - yonggarius - 03-06-2024
Compared to the ISFL draft, it is a lot harder to do a mock draft/ analysis media for the DSFL draft. It's mostly because of the chaotic nature of the draft, with most of the players joining a week or two before the draft when the recruiting hits, and the status and needs of each teams fluctuating wildly even with the slightest changes in the callup/ senddown lists each ISFL teams submit after the conclusion of ISFL draft. It is mostly because of those reasons that DSFL mock drafts are only sparsely written, and are in most cases inaccurate. The same can be said about analysis media pieces, as a team's picture can change significantly over an unexpected callup or senddown. But even with those limitations, I felt the DSFL offseason deserved some attention of its own, mostly to entertain the first gen users who have either joined during the trade deadline waiver season or will join during recruitment, which will most likely come around ultimus in the end of this week. So I decided to write an analysis about the projected status and needs of each teams heading into this offseason (becasuse writing a mock draft at this point will be completely meaningless as it is most likely that the majority of this class would not have created yet). I am writing this article with the help of the trusty TPE tracker and the budget sheet, and my speculation tapping into my longtime DSFL and ISFL war room member experience about 20 seasons ago. Hence, this article is most likely to be inaccurate in retrospect as it has multiple variables to go wrong starting from callup changes to my understanding of the league meta being outdated. So rookies, please only view this article as a light, speculatory piece, and don't use it as a foundation to write a mock draft or something. And with that out of the way, let's get to the real article!
The variables of DSFL offseason
1. IA ineligibility
One unique thing about the DSFL is that the inactive players (henceforth called the IAs) are rendered inelligible to participate in the sim. This is done mostly to clear up space for new, active players (back when DSFL was clogged with players from big classes such as S22 or S25) as they stand no chance in competing against higher TPE inactives from past seasons, especially during the first part of the season when basically every rookie is sporting low TPE level. The exact rule regarding this quirk is listed below.
ISFL rulebook VII. C. 6.
Players that are determined to be inactive at the time of the Ultimini lose their DSFL eligibility for the upcoming season and may not be permitted to be on their team’s depth charts. Should the user return to activity, they regain their DSFL status and may be added back to the depth chart. The exception to this rule is QB players.
This means that unless a player records meaningful activity (doing PT, AC or posting media, etc.) within 2 weeks prior to ultimus, they will not be able to play in the next season unless they are a QB. Of course, a player will be eligible from the moment they record said meaningful activity even after they were rendered ineligible. Because of this, one of the biggest tasks of DSFL GMs and war room members in this season is to encourage inactive and fringe- active players on their team to do an AC so that they can use their player during the next season. As DSFL draft classes tend to be smaller nowadays, the importance of returning players have only gone up. For this offseason, the cutoff date for S47 eligibility is February 23rd, as ultimus is on March 8th.
2. Callup/ senddown
Callup and senddowns are hands down the biggest variable in a DSFL offseason. A player being called up means that the player wil now be playing for the ISFL team that they have been drafted. And the player being sent down after the draft means that the player will play the upcoming season in the DSFL. The process of calling up / sending down a player is done through senddown lists, which are posted right after the ISFL draft. As that time is almost precisely when the DSFL pre- draft starts, the DSFL GMs are always bound to race against the clock as they check the status of their players and devise a draft strategy around that. The reason why they do it this way is because this point is the earliest that the status (and more importantly the new ISFL team) of a DSFL player can be disclosed to a DSFL GM who is not in an ISFL war room without leaking the draft. So unfortunately there's no way around it. Regarding the callups, the tricky part is the rookies. While the status of older players can be easily obtained through communication with either the ISFL team or the player, the rookies will need to talk with their new ISFL team before confirming whether or not they will be staying in the DSFL. And at this point of the season, it is too early to even project which rookies will be called up. So I'll be assuming that all S47 rookies will be sent down in this article, and will only try to speculate the callup status of players S46 and older.
3. DSFL eligibility
You might think this one is the same with the first one, but it's quite different. What I'm talking about in this part is the super old players not being eligible to play in DSFL, whether they are active or not. This rule is here to prevent old players clogging up the roster spots (Usually starter spots as those kind of players are fringe active whose TPE level is slightly above the DSFL cap of 250) that can go to the rookies and younger players. The exact rule for this is listed below.
ISFL rulebook VII. C. 5
DSFL players retain DSFL eligibility until one of the following occurs
iv. The player has existed for 3 seasons following their ISFL draft.
This means that S44 players, who would've existed for 3 seasons after their ISFL draft in S44 offseason, will be ineligible to play in DSFL next season regardless of their activity status.
DSFL North
Minnesota Grey Ducks S44 players
QB Tuna TurnDaBallOva
OL Ivan Ivanov
Projected loss due to ineligibility
CB Micah Dixon (S45)
K/P Eye-Hardly Knower (S45)
LB Dennis Li (S47)
Projected Callups
N/A barring rookie callups
Currently siting at the top of DSFL North, the Minnesota Grey Ducks will most likely continue to be in a successful position heading into next season. Their roster is quite young, comprised mostly with S46 and S47 players, and almost all of them are active and updating. Only major positional need for the Grey Ducks at this point is the quarterback position, where their long-time signal caller Tuna TurnDaBallOva will be departing to play with the Berlin Fire Salamanders after his DSFL eligibility running out. This might cause some problem for the Grey Ducks, as there is literally no quarterback prospect in the upcoming S48 draft class as of now. So the Ducks should really hope for either a recreate QB creating after ultimus or a well earning rookie QB, as their alternative is 50TPE QB Kemari Bennett, who have avoided being ineligible for next season due to his position. And seeing that he is of scrambler archetype, rolling with him as the starter will be very rough for the Grey Ducks, even with the supporting cast that they have.
My prediction of the Grey Ducks' draft strategy is to draft a QB round 1 (if there is any). They'll also need to pray for other teams to not need a QB as they will most likely hold a low pick in the first round. After this, they will address positional needs caused by possible rookie callups, which I think will be either DE, CB or LB. Minnesota will also have the luxury to invest in non-skill positions such as OL and K(if they don't get Bauer, the user behind their current K Knower, to get an AC done) in higher rounds.
London Royals S44 players
N/A
Projected loss due to ineligibility
WR Hollywood Tez (S47)
DE Derek Becker (S47)
LB Siris Inderbitzen (S47)
S Demarcus Brothers (S47)
WR Gavin Bebardo (S47)
K/P Hamm Hargreaves (S47)
TE Oliver Wilson (S47)
Projected loss due to callups
N/A barring rookie callups
Having grabbed the second spot in DSFL North in the last game, London is another young team. In fact, it is even younger than Minnesota, with most of its key players being S47. Under status quo, it seems like London's biggest loss would be the departure of wide receiver Hollywood Tez, who will be ineligible for the next DSFL season due to the user being suspended following a detrimental conduct punishment. However, as his punishment is set to be over on March 18th, there is a good chance that Tez will be returning to London's roster after missing a game or two at the start of S47. Apart from Tez, most of London's projected losses are low- TPE IA players whom they will have little to no difficulty replacing through either later rounds of this draft or GM bots.
At this moment, London's biggest need is secondary, with them projected to lose two of their safeties, and their only CB, Mooty Poop- Eater, being a prime callup candidate after ISFL draft. So I think that's the direction they'll go in the first round of the draft. After that, their most likely course of action would be to address LB, where they can use some upgrade on, or defensive line, where they will be losing DE Derek Becker and Maurice Gunner having a possibility of being called up right away.
Kansas City Coyotes S44 players
WR Leonard McCoy
Projected loss due to ineligibility
DE Damian Prince (S46)
LB Brennan Kennedy II (S47)
LB Daddy Dimes (S46)
DE LaMarcus Love (S47)
WR J’von Williams (S47)
Projected loss due to callups
LB Duilio's beard (S46) --> San Jose Sabercats
After sitting in the second spot of DSFL North for a long while, the Kansas City Koyotes had the experience a heartbreak when they lost the playoff berth after a last game loss to Minnesota. And now it seems like they'll be losing a few key pieces in the offseason, as well. First off, they have wide receiver Leonard McCoy departing for greener pastures after he played out his DSFL eligibility as a S44 player. The most notable player from their projected IA kill loss is linebacker Daddy Dimes, who is currently the team's LB2 with 101 TPE. However, Dimes, along with other players whom the Koyotes are projected to lose due to IA ineligibility, will be easy to replace as they are all low TPE players with only Dimes being the only one to break the 60TPE barrier.
At this point, the Koyotes' greatest need is defensive line, where they have literally no one after losing two defensive ends to inactivity. Fortunately, this upcoming class has strong defensive line class, especially at DT. So a DT is the most likely course of action for Kansas City in the first round in my opinion. After that, they are most likely to address their other great need in linebacker, where they are projected to lose two players to inactivity and their LB1 Duilio's Beard to the San Jose Sabercats of the ISFL. Other than LB, wide receiver where they need a WR2 is also a possibility, while the team double dipping on defensive line also can't be overruled.
Portland Pythons S44 players
S Felix Waterman
Projected loss due to ineligibility
K/P Tar XF (S47)
WR Ricky Ray (S47)
Projected loss due to callups
N/A barring rookie callups
Portland struggled mightily this season, finising with league- worst 3-11 record. And there was a good reason behind this performance. The team's roster is very young, with only 2 of their players not being S47. However, they should improve a lot next season, as most of this young roster is active, and they hold the first overall pick in this season's DSFL draft. The biggest blow for the Pythons at this point is the departure of S44 safety Felix Waterman, who won't be able to return to the Pythons next season due to him running out of DSFL eligibility. Other than that, their projected IA losses are 2 50 TPE players whom they should be able to easily replace or improve, and they don't have any projeceted callups bar any rookie callup following the ISFL draft.
Being the worst- performing team in DSFL this season, the Pythons have several gaping holes in their roster. Their most dire needs include defensive line, where they only have 1 107 TPE player in Kiwi Flapjacks, secondary and linebackers, in which there are only one player despite needing 4 starters. The Pythons can choose either one of those three aforementioned positions with the first overall pick, as all three position groups have promising recreates, and will most likely be complimented with rookies joining after recruitment. My draft projection for the Pythons is that they'll select a DT, LB and CB/ S in some order for the first three rounds of their draft.
DSFL South
Tijuana Luchadores
S44 players
CB Tyrell Ramsey
Projected loss due to ineligibility
RB James Linch (S47)
K/P Cameron Gold (S47)
Projected loss due to callups
RB Corey Trevor (S46) --> Chicago Butchers
WR Pitter Patter (S45) --> Berlin Fire Salamanders
S Sebastian Lovecraft (S45) --> Cape Town Crash
The Tijuana Luchadores started the season red hot, going undefeated for the first half of the season. And although they stacked up some losses in the latter half, they still finished on top of DSFL South. For next season, however, the Luchadores will be losing quite a few key pieces on both sides of the ball. First off, they will lose cornerback Tyrell Ramsey to lack of eligibility, as Ramsey is a S44 player. And then, they are projected to lose their two best players on the offensive side, running back Corey Trevor and wide receiver Pitter Patter, to Chicago Butchers and Berlin Fire Salamanders, respectively. Finally, I had them losing their capped S45 safety Sebastian Lovecraft to the Cape Town Crash, due to the ISFL corners not having enough safeties at the moment, but this has high potential to change depending on Crash's draft strategy in the upcoming ISFL draft.
Dallas Birddogs
Bondi Beach Buccaneers
Nolfolk Seawolves
DSFL South
Tijuana Luchadores S44 players
CB Tyrell Ramsey
Projected loss due to ineligibility
RB James Linch (S47)
K/P Cameron Gold (S47)
Projected loss due to callups
RB Corey Trevor (S46) --> Chicago Butchers
WR Pitter Patter (S45) --> Berlin Fire Salamanders
S Sebastian Lovecraft (S45) --> Cape Town Crash
The Tijuana Luchadores started the season red hot, going undefeated for the first half of the season. And although they stacked up some losses in the latter half, they still finished on top of DSFL South. For next season, however, the Luchadores will be losing quite a few key pieces on both sides of the ball. First off, they will lose cornerback Tyrell Ramsey to lack of eligibility, as Ramsey is a S44 player. And then, they are projected to lose their two best players on the offensive side, running back Corey Trevor and wide receiver Pitter Patter, to Chicago Butchers and Berlin Fire Salamanders, respectively. Finally, I had them losing their capped S45 safety Sebastian Lovecraft to the Cape Town Crash, due to the ISFL corners not having enough safeties at the moment, but this has high potential to change depending on Crash's draft strategy in the upcoming ISFL draft.
At this point, the Luchadores' top need is undoubtedly secondary, as they will only have one player - 136TPE Bunny - in that position group after losing Ramsey and Lovecraft. And as it is most likely that they will hold a lower pick in the draft, my projection for the Luchadores' draft is them drafting best available defensive back, whether it be safety or cornerback. And they're probably praying for quality rookie defensive backs in recruitment class too, as there's a good chance of recreate defensive backs running out before Luchadores' pick due to other teams also having major needs in the position group. After that, the Luchadores are most likely to seek for upgrade at RB or WR, due to their losses in those positions and the fact that high TPE WRs and RBs will be remaining even after all the high TPE defensive players are gone. Tijuana also has a good possibility of investing in an active offensive line player during the draft.
Dallas Birddogs S44 players
S Dewey Greenbeans
WR Lane Frost III
Projected loss due to ineligibility
S Logan McGinnis (S47)
S Roman Furchi (S47)
TE Raffi Turnbull (S47)
DT GoTo http://imnegs.net/ (S47) (Retired)
Projected loss due to callups
N/A barring rookie callups
After an up and down season, the Birddogs ended the season on a positive note when they clinched the second playoff spot for DSFL South. But on next season, though, they will be using some capped players. First, they'll be losing star safety Dewey Greenbeans and wide receiver / return specialist Lane Frost III due to lack of DSFL eligbility next season, and one of their defensive linemen, defensive tackle GoTo http://imnegs.net/ (I have to say though, this is the worst name ever smh) ended up retiring before the end of the season. Other than that they will lose a couple safeties and a tight end, but they were low TPE backup players, who can be easily replaced either with human players or bots.
At this point, the biggest need for Dallas is defensive back. The birddogs are projected to lose 3 defensive backs - albeit 2 of them were 50TPE IAs - this offseason, and replenishing high quality players in the defensive backfield should be their highest priority. But due to other teams having needs at the same position, they might need to pray for more defensive backs to create. After that, Dallas would most likely be addressing LB or defensive line, where there might be some positional holes due to potential callup of their S47 players there.
Bondi Beach Buccaneers S44 players
N/A
Projected loss due to ineligibility
S Michael Mann (S47)
TE Local Cryptid (S45)
WR Treyverion Bernardrick (S47)
Projected loss due to callups
DT Leo Simon Schwartz (S46) --> Honolulu Hahalua 
After missing the playoffs by a slight margin, the Bondi Beach Buccaneers will be looking to regroup and reload in preparation of a possible playoff run next season. Their biggest projected loss this season is the departure of their top (and only) defensive tackle Leo Simon Schwartz to ISFL's Honolulu Hahalua, leaving the Buccaneers' defensive line devoid of any players. The Bucs will also lose their Capped TE Local Cryptid and couple other low TPE players to IA ineligibility.
At this point, the Buccaneers' biggest need is defensive line, and they have a good chance of landing one of the top defensive line prospect at their first round pick, the third overall. After that, the Buccaneers should move to their second biggest need - defensive backfield where they have only one player - with the 11th overall pick. As they are good in other positions, we might see the Buccs investing in a tight end or a running back in the third round.
Nolfolk Seawolves S44 players
N/A
Projected loss due to ineligibility
K/P Matthew McDairmid Jr. (S46)
S Cassius Ketch (S46)
WR Waldo McCrunchy (S47)
WR Benny Hanna (S47)
CB Jeffrey Jefferson (S47)
RB Jack Mancuso (S47)
OL Doug Mango (S47)
CB Jah’cee Collins (S47)
Projected loss due to callups
RB(FB) Worsethan Blaze (S45) --> Honolulu Hahalua
CB(Swapped to DE) Sergei Nunkanblok (S46) --> Yellowknife Wraiths 
S Lasse Zeigler (S46) --> Orange County Otters 
After a rough 5-9 season, the Norfolk Seawolves now hold the second overall pick entering the DSFL draft. However, they will be losing a lot of players to ineligibility and callups. They will be losing their 3 best players in running back Worsethan Blaze, CB Sergei Nunkanblok and S Lasse Zeigler to ISFL teams, while losing most of their low TPE backup players to IA ineligibility. While the backups will be easy to replace, the loss of Blaze, Nukanblok and Zeigler will be big for the team.
Heading into the draft, Seawolves' biggest need will be secondary, with only one player of that position group being over the 100TPE marker. And with the second overall pick that they hold, Nolfolk will be able to snag the top defensive back of the class, whether it be a rookie or a recreate. And with their only real positional hole being defensive backs, the Seawolves can go boosting positions such as running back, linebacker and wide receiver in response to potential post-draft callups.
RE: DSFL offseason overview V1.0 - Chicken Lips - 03-06-2024
Ducks in much need of qb, taking applications