Watch Now: Previewing 2019 Fantasy Baseball Drafts ( 3:49 )

When you think of dynasty leagues, you think of prospects. That's pretty much why they exist, right? I like to think some prospect hound somewhere realized it was a quick way to gain an advantage over his less studied opponents, and voila, the dynasty league was born.

Safe to say his advantage has narrowed in recent years. Prospect evaluation is now standard practice among Fantasy analysts. Why, I've spent the better part of the offseason breaking down the best at each position for SportsLine.com - check the related links box to the right for more.

But to build an actual dynasty, which is the stated goal in a dynasty league, you have to win, like, all the time. And the only way to do that is to balance your present with your future.

Which is a less-than-straightforward task, to say the least. It's something even real-world GMs struggle with, if the prevalence of full-scale strip-down rebuilds is any indication. Prospect rankings leave out half the equation. Traditional redraft rankings leave out half the equation. You want the full equation, darn it.

So here it is, my top 100 players for dynasty leagues based on three factors:

Immediate value: What a player is expected to be in 2019

Long-term value: What his peak looks like and how much peak he has left

Confidence rating: How confident I am in him meeting his immediate and long-term value



Each factor is measured by a 1-to-5 score, with five being the best. These rankings are primarily the result of adding those three scores. Ties typically go to the younger player, but personal preference plays a role as well. The distinctions become less evident further down the list, so at some point subjectivity has to reign.

As a general rule, though, I'm shooting for upside and longevity. You can't expect to win all the time unless you have the best players for a long time, so yes, these rankings reflect my willingness to wait a little for the bigger impact.

So in the end, it is all about the prospects. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.