Fantasy Football Trading Tactics

This might be fun.

Is making trades difficult, and if so why?

Most people I've played with are generally risk-averse, so fantasy football trades aren't very common in my leagues. Also, some leagues are plagued with owners that barrage other teams with ridiculously one-sided trades. When present, I think they make owners even more wary for fear of getting hosed.

Also, I think owners tend to overvalue their own players, particularly underperforming high-draft picks.

What seems to work for you in making a trade?

I don't engage in trades very often, but when I do, it's to try to trade away depth on my bench to bolster my starting lineup before the playoffs. Because I tend to play in low trade/risk-averse leagues, I look for win-win scenarios. If I have a RB3 riding my bench that can start for another team that has a WR4 that's good enough to start for my team, I propose the trade. What surprises me is how often trades like this get rejected, even when I make a point to not try to screw the other owner.

I also sometimes offer the ol' Good RB/Great WR for Great RB/Good WR trade. One thing that makes this deal tough to pull off is the inability to achieve perfect equality (whether you measure by past performance or future expectations). In my experience, the advantage (however slight) almost always skews in favor of the offeror. Even if the offeree's team is improved by the trade, I've seen some owners (or commissioners for that matter) not accept offers like this, even if it's close to the deadline and other offers are unlikely. I think trades like this happen because the owners have different valuations of the players involved, or because of other considerations (e.g., the rookie keeper premium in the CHUD league).

One tactic that sometimes works against inexperienced owners is the "depth fallacy." Team A offers RBs X & Y, each with an 10 points per game average, to Team B for RB Z with a 15 PPG average. Noobs focus on the players' total production, instead of the trade's effect on the starting lineup, which may not be improved. This trade may make more sense in the beginning of the season, if the goal is to diversify point production to protect against injury, but it's a bad tactic later in the season, since bench points don't count in the final standings. I don't bother making these types of offers, since I play against seasoned owners that aren't susceptible to this trick.

Do you prefer to negotiate in person (either face-to-face or on the phone or what-have-you) or merely accept or decline?

When receiving trade offers, I just accept or decline. When offering, I like to negotiate over the phone if possible, since it's easier for me to elaborate on the "win-win" aspect of my proposals.

Does your strategy change based on whether you are trading with a friend or a stranger/acquaintance?

I'm in the CHUD league, and a money league with friends/former co-workers with very low owner turnover. There's definitely some repeat-player love going on, and there's probably some spillover that benefits new players in those leagues, too. If I were still doing anonymous Yahoo leagues, I would definitely try harder to con my competitors.

Trades are all about foresight. Is the hot hand you have now going to stay that way, or should you deal him while the interest is highest? I've seen guys trade away Peyton Manning late in the season because they don't want him for the playoffs, which usually include games where he's either sitting or playing one half. Throw in keeper considerations and you've got all kinds of seemingly lopsided trades that make sense.

I've always found so. Nobody wants to give value for the players they want and if you offer a team a fair trade they say no because they think their players are gold.
In Keeper leagues when a team is out of the hunt it's easier to trade with them. So I target them.

Other things that work is trying to trade someone the Back up RB to a starter they already have.

Also if you know a player likes someone and wants them on their team.
Trading WR for WR, RB for RB, ect.


I try and have a conversation via email and offer a few players I'm willing to give up. Only just decline if it's an insulting trade.

Yes and no. In a Keeper league if I need a player to win at the end or am out of it I look to next year.

Injuries also play a factor.

Never. It comes back to haunt you in future trades. Nobody will want to do it with you and if you do it could get vetoed by the commish or league. I'm not opposed to trade injury prone players though.

I think it's easier to trade with a close friend because you talk more but otherwise no.

I've found through years of fantasy games that getting another player to trade often involves me giving what appears to be too much to gain the player(s) I'm trying to pry from them. If I have the depth to make such an offer without causing great harm to my team, then it's worth it to me.

I've also found that offering the first guy on your bench is usually a way to get things rejected quickly. Regardless of whether or not that player will help them, the other team views it as you giving up "garbage" to get their best player. If the difference between your 2nd best WR and 3rd best WR (who doesn't start) is a point or two a game, offer your starter. The other guy feels better about getting your starter and if you're trying to make the argument that your bench guy is so good then isn't he good enough to start for you anyhow?

Last night's game provides a teachable moment -- there's going to be a lot of Tony Romo owners desperate for a new starter, and you might be able to pry away a good RB or WR from one of them if you have QB depth.

As was mentioned, never try to get one over on someone, especially if you're in a keeper or dynasty league. That person will most likely never trade with you again unless you offer the moon.

Also, don't panic and make a trade. When I started in my first Dynasty league 7-8 years ago, the team I inherited had no first or second round draft picks because the guy traded them all away to get Julius Jones (genius, right?). I panicked when the draft started, and traded away Reggie Wayne and my first rounder of the next season just to get into Round 1. Then the next year I traded Larry Fitzgerald away to recoup the first rounder I traded the previous year. I also had Greg Jennings, but traded him away to pick up a RB (who's name escapes me) who isn't even on my roster any more.

Now, I try not to offer silly trades, but if one gets offered to me where I'm obviously on the winning end, I'll take it. I had a guy in a league this year offer me Jahvid Best/TO for Reggie Wayne/Jonathan Stewart. I took it, and then saw today that the guy dropped Stewart. I could go pick him back up this week and gotten waaay over on that deal. But, it's probably just a one-shot league, so I guess it doesn't matter.

I prefer to deal over IM or e-mail, but usually it's difficult to do, especially when folks are busy. So you do your best to offer something viable and of interest, mainly when an owner isn't expecting a trade offer. You have to grab their attention, either with the player(s) you're offering, or what you'd like from them.

I agree on Romo--lots of teams, especially in deep leagues, will be looking for a promising back up other than Kitna. Hell, I'm trying to pick up Kitna in a league, just so I have a bye backup in case Favre isn't healthy/playing when Sam Bradford has his bye.

I'm always open to trade talks, but probably moreso if my season is tanking. Also, in a Dynasty League, you tend to just get tired of guys, especially when they're inconsistent. Example--my RBs in one league are Marion Barber, Tim Hightower, Julius Jones, Cedric Benson, and Anthony Dixon. I HAVE to do something in the off-season to remedy my RB situation. I also have Big Ben and Brady as my QBs, so maybe someone will trade me a good RB for one of those guys. I tried it last year, but no one was biting, even before the suspension for Roethlisberger. Maybe this year will be different.

I very rarely trade in redraft leagues. Most of my trades are in keeper leagues where I'm looking to the future.

I'm also pretty attached to players that I view highly, regardless of performance. Like right now, I would not trade Arian Foster for pretty much anything because the lure of having a dominant RB for the next 4-5 years outweighs anything else I could get in return.

I also have long memories. In one keeper league I'm in, I had Peyton Manning. He led me to zero championships and even knocked me out of the playoffs one year because I needed just one touchdown pass from him on a Monday night against the Dolphins, and he got me zero points. I traded him that offseason and have never pursued him since.

Trades for me are all about feel. I hate it when people quote numbers to me in a trade offer. Past performance is no indication of future production. True in the stock market, true in fantasy.