Time to Make a Move! Part 1

With the NFL trade deadline today we figured that it was time to talk about Fantasy Football Trades. Making a fantasy football trade is a delicate process, and like any business deal, the more you understand the more success you will have. Before you test the trade market, make sure you understand the type of your league you play in. If you are in a keeper or dynasty league then look to get players and/or future draft picks that can help you now and in the future. The following steps are geared for standard scoring leagues were your final standings have no bearing on where you draft the following year.

Step 1 Identify Position Need
Your team has depth at the HB position but you need a more reliable WR. First, look over every owner’s rosters and find someone that needs a HB. Don’t go to the owner who’s starting Foster and Johnson and offer another HB, its a pointless endeavour. Once you find a possible trade partner, identify and rank the players you would like to trade for.

Step 2 Know Your Team
In my experience, the casual owner focuses on the big name player and draft position. So if you have a player on your bench that you feel comfortable starting then you can offer a player you drafted in the first 2-3 rounds. Regardless of the statistics, you will get more in return if the best person you are trading is Chris Johnson then you would if the centrepiece was LeSean McCoy.

Step 3 Buy Low But Dont Be Cheap
The initial offer will let the other owner know how serious you are. Do not make a ridiculous, one sided opening offer, because this is the easiest way to stall trade talks before they even begin and ruin your creditability. Know what you want and what you are willing to give to acquire those players. Again, if you are trading the best player in the transaction then expect more, the same is true the roles are reversed. When making the initial offer request a counter, because your offer may be denied based on name recognition. You do not know what the other owner is thinking so make sure you keep the lines of communication open.

Step 4 Negotiations
Unless you have someone that accepts on the first thing offered you will have to negotiate. Use this time to sell your guys, point out all the good things about them and why it would make sense for the other owner to trade for them. Use any information you can to complete your trade. For instance, if the owner is a Patriots fan then use those players as trade bait. This is the most important stage of any trade and will determine who gets the best and worst of the deal. Being prepared and knowing player tendencies will give you the advantage. It is important to consider the potential of the players involved, not just past performance. Over the years I have noticed that 50% of a players’ production is achieved during 25% of the season. This is where your preparation will give you the advantage. You want to buy low and trade high this is the key to success in Fantasy Sports. If you can get a player who is not performing up to expectation, but has a history of performance, and you can trade a player who you think has peaked, then do so. Make sure you do your research because if you are wrong in your assumption then you could be throwing your season away. On a side note, do not send trade proposals that can be accepted while you are negotiating. To avoid a problem all negotiations should be done by email or phone only.

Step 5 Trade Acceptance
After you have a framework completed and you are ready to make a trade, take some time to review the trade and it’s implications on your team. Are you filling a team need? Are you giving too much for what you are receiving? These are all questions you should ask yourself before completing any trade. To be on the safe side, review your original rankings from Step 1, your team need, and the players involved one last time. Always go with your gut feeling, it may make sense on paper but if you do not feel right about the deal then walk away.

Working on Part 2 of this article and we will talk about Buy Low and Sell High candidates. Any player suggestions contact me on Twitter @fsportsguy