I don't have much experience with real lineups, but real transactions work great for me. I would suggest using those, and doing 1-year recalc, and running some tests, perhaps tweaking some other settings, to try to get to where you want. Test on a few specific seasons that are favorites of yours or otherwise important to you... You might also try some tests with real lineups to see if that helps...
And by "tests" I mean simply having OOTP quickly sim to the end of the season, then you review results & stats... Don't immerse yourself in the day-to-day, or mess around with uniforms, facegen, logos... Save that time-intensive prep for after you've found your ideal settings
Good luck!