Fantasy Football for Winners devotes an entire chapter to fantasy trading. There's a science and art to trading that goes beyond simply making offers and weighing counteroffers. It entails capitalizing on your opponents’ fears and luring them into making bad decisions. Are they Jedi mind tricks? No, but they get the job done.
With Week 5 underway, a lot of fantasy owners are looking to make that one key trade to turn a 2-2 team into 6-2 and in the driver's seat for a playoff berth.
Here are a couple of techniques you can employ vs. your opponents. Yes, I've used them in my leagues. And yes, they really work:
"Quick Withdrawal"
Through your fantasy league’s website, propose a trade that's slightly in your favor. That should trigger an e-mail alert to the recipient. Then withdraw it a few seconds later. When clicking on the website to view (and likely reject) your offer, your opponent will discover that you already have. “Why did he cancel it?” he’ll wonder. Even if he'd intended to turn it down, his inner voice will ask, if only momentarily, “Did he think this trade would have helped me?” Then you’ll have him where you want him.
Two or three days later, call him to discuss trade possibilities. He’ll likely bring up your rescinded proposal. Tell him you made a mistake, further piquing his interest. After discussing various trade options, say, “Well, it looks like the fairest trade might be the one I withdrew.” Trade completed. Advantage: you.
I actually heard from a guy a few weeks ago who employed this strategy last season. It played out exactly as expected, and the guy got a huge RB upgrade. Yes, it really works. But it requires you to act cool and let the action come to you.
"Saving the Best for Last"
Propose a trade that's clearly yet modestly to your advantage. Don’t insult his intelligence. Just suggest something that undeniably would benefit you in a small way. After a few minutes, submit a much fairer trade request that would help you only marginally. Like an optical illusion, while the second offer remains a bit lopsided, when compared to your earlier offer, it'll appear much more palatable to your opponent.
The key here is not to be greedy. Don't offer a WR3 for the other guy's WR1 and then a few minutes later offer a WR2 for a WR1. Instead, offer a WR2 for a WR2 with more upside. Then follow up with the same trade, but add an RB4 from your roster for the other guy's worst player (e.g. a WR5). It's about getting high probability upgrades, one trade at a time.
With Week 5 underway, a lot of fantasy owners are looking to make that one key trade to turn a 2-2 team into 6-2 and in the driver's seat for a playoff berth.
Here are a couple of techniques you can employ vs. your opponents. Yes, I've used them in my leagues. And yes, they really work:
"Quick Withdrawal"
Through your fantasy league’s website, propose a trade that's slightly in your favor. That should trigger an e-mail alert to the recipient. Then withdraw it a few seconds later. When clicking on the website to view (and likely reject) your offer, your opponent will discover that you already have. “Why did he cancel it?” he’ll wonder. Even if he'd intended to turn it down, his inner voice will ask, if only momentarily, “Did he think this trade would have helped me?” Then you’ll have him where you want him.
Two or three days later, call him to discuss trade possibilities. He’ll likely bring up your rescinded proposal. Tell him you made a mistake, further piquing his interest. After discussing various trade options, say, “Well, it looks like the fairest trade might be the one I withdrew.” Trade completed. Advantage: you.
I actually heard from a guy a few weeks ago who employed this strategy last season. It played out exactly as expected, and the guy got a huge RB upgrade. Yes, it really works. But it requires you to act cool and let the action come to you.
"Saving the Best for Last"
Propose a trade that's clearly yet modestly to your advantage. Don’t insult his intelligence. Just suggest something that undeniably would benefit you in a small way. After a few minutes, submit a much fairer trade request that would help you only marginally. Like an optical illusion, while the second offer remains a bit lopsided, when compared to your earlier offer, it'll appear much more palatable to your opponent.
The key here is not to be greedy. Don't offer a WR3 for the other guy's WR1 and then a few minutes later offer a WR2 for a WR1. Instead, offer a WR2 for a WR2 with more upside. Then follow up with the same trade, but add an RB4 from your roster for the other guy's worst player (e.g. a WR5). It's about getting high probability upgrades, one trade at a time.