More than ever before, these past couple of weeks I’ve been barraged
(in a good way) with trade questions. “Should
I trade players A and B for players C and D?”
In the big picture, if you’re looking for a quick answer, feel free to
subscribe to the Preseason Pass (on www.fantasyfootballforwinners.com), which gives
you updated regular season, fantasy playoff, and dynasty trade values for 350+
players. I spend many, many hours each
week researching and revising this information.
I use it in my own trade negotiations.
It’s the fastest way to know whether or not a trade will give you an
edge.
The Season Pass costs whatever you want to pay—as little as a penny. Its primary purpose is to help hundreds of
people or more get their questions answered faster than I can answer them.
Now for the strategy side of trade discussions: Don’t give up more
talent in a trade. It’s that
simple. Two seasons ago my two RB1s were
sidelined for several games. I had no obvious
replacements. Did I give up a WR1 for a
6-10 point RB2? No. Did I trade away my elite (#1) DST for a 7-12
point RB2+? No. Desperation is for the weak. I loaded up on handcuffs, bided my time, and
reached the playoffs.
I’ve received so many trade questions this week that essentially come
down to “Should I take a roster hit so I can fill this positional hole?” 99% of the time, the answer is no.
The answer is even clearer if you’re desperate for a WR. In my league we have two RBs, two WRs, and
two flex spots (along with a QB, TE, and kicker). It’s a 14-team league with deep benches. Why trade an RB2 for a WR2/3 unless that RB2
is about to be worthless? This morning I
added Russell Shepard and Marqise Lee.
Someone else grabbed Anquan Boldin.
There’s no good reason to take a positional hit because you’re
desperate at another position. Fantasy
success is about stockpiling elite and near-elite talents. When you trade down, you might—might—increase
the probability of picking up a few extra points that week, but you hurt
yourself in the long run.
In other news, my latest WRAL SportsFan column focuses on RBs: http://www.wralsportsfan.com/fantasy-pantries-can-t-have-enough-canned-rbs/16162033/. It’s content you won’t find on the FF4W site,
so hopefully it’s useful additional info.
And the latest Winners & Whiners Podcast is up: http://www.wralsportsfan.com/nfl/audio/16162061/. Each week, a 30-minute rundown on fantasy
insights that we (hopefully) try to keep entertaining enough for those long
drives into work.