First of all, we hope that 2025 treated you and your fantasy teams well! We want to thank you for being part of Apex and for helping to make our dynasty leagues what they are today.

With that in mind, we’d like to share several dynasty-specific updates that will take effect beginning in 2026. While not every change will be universally popular, each is being implemented with a single priority in mind: improving the long-term sustainability, fairness, and overall health of our dynasty leagues.

Apex has never closed a dynasty league, and these updates are designed to help ensure that remains true for years to come.

1. Community Deposits

Historically, dynasty deposits (paid by the original startup owner) were tied to individual teams. In certain cases, we’ve used those deposits to help offset the cost of selling orphan teams when discounts were required.

Beginning in 2026, we are introducing community deposits.

Community deposits belong to the league as a whole, not to any individual team. Their sole purpose is to help keep leagues intact by providing flexibility when orphan teams need to be discounted to attract new owners.

Important clarifications:

  • No additional deposit is required. Nothing changes financially for active owners.
  • Community deposits are funded only by teams that have been orphaned and not renewed.
  • If a team has been abandoned, its deposit is added to the league’s community deposit pool.

If you are an original owner, your deposit remains tied to your team. Should a league ever fold, original owners receive their deposits back, while any remaining community deposit is distributed equally among the teams that contributed to it.

This structure gives leagues more resilience and helps prevent avoidable league closures.

2. Trading Future Picks: 50% Prepayment & Auto-Renew Policy Update

Previously, owners could gain access to future pick trading by requesting trade rights with the simple promise of renewing the following season. Unfortunately, this system has been abused and no longer protects teams (and therefore leagues) adequately.

Future Pick Trading Requirement

To trade future draft picks going forward:

  • Owners must pay 50% of the following year’s renewal fee upfront.
  • This amount can be refunded at any time if no future picks are traded.
  • This policy is the industry standard for paid dynasty leagues, yet still more flexible than the full prepayment required by many public dynasty platforms.

Auto-Renew Reversal Policy

Beginning in 2026:

  • If you trade away your own future 1st-round pick at any point, auto-renew may not be reversed.
  • This applies even if you later reacquire a 1st-round pick or trade back for your own.

This change addresses a recurring issue where teams made short-term trades solely to regain draft capital in order to abandon the team — often while not in the best interest of their team.

Simply put: future picks should only be traded by owners who plan to manage the team moving forward.

3. $5 Dynasty Fee & Startup Deposit Adjustment

As operational costs and orphan discounts continue to rise, we are introducing a $5 dynasty fee per team to help offset those expenses.

Apex dynasty leagues are designed to last indefinitely. This modest fee helps ensure that long-term vision remains viable.

To ease the transition:

  • The fee will only take effect starting March 1st.
  • Any renewals or negative balances paid before March 1st will not be subject to the fee.

Additionally, startup deposits will now match the annual renewal fee.

4. “For Sale by Owner” Program & Orphan Auctions

As Apex continues to grow, we are expanding and refining our orphan-sale process.

We will now hold two orphan auctions:

  • April Auction (April 1–5)
  • May Auction (early May)

Timeline Overview

  • January–March: Owners may list orphan teams for sale at a set price.
  • April 1–5: All teams listed prior to April enter the first auction.
  • Post-April Auction: Unsold teams are gradually discounted.
  • May Auction: Remaining unrenewed teams become available.

The April auction is designed to be the most favorable for sellers:

  • Fewer teams
  • Higher-quality rosters
  • Better supply-and-demand dynamics

If you orphan a team before April 1st and opt into the auction, it will be included in the April auction by default.

In short: Earlier listing = better odds of maximizing value as a seller.

5. Updated Dynasty Trade Review Process

Our peer-voting trade review system has generally worked well, but we’ve seen inconsistent outcomes across leagues.

Beginning in 2026:

  • If a trade receives multiple review requests within 24 hours, the Commissioner will review and rule on the trade.
  • The primary benchmark will be whether the trade falls within a 2-to-1 value threshold using DynastyTradeCalculator.com.

While no calculator is perfect, this method:

  • Reflects current market values reasonably well
  • Ensures consistency across leagues
  • Provides clearer expectations for owners

The Commissioner will still evaluate trades for collusion or exceptional circumstances, though true collusion remains extremely rare, and Commissioner rulings that go against the above primary benchmark will be uncommon exceptions.

We understand that change—especially in dynasty formats—is never easy. These updates are proactive steps designed to protect leagues, owners, and competitive integrity over the long haul.

As always, we appreciate your trust and commitment to Apex. If you have questions, feedback, or concerns, we encourage you to reach out.

Thank you for being part of the Apex community!