Trade Like A Pro In Your Fantasy Football League
Fantasy pros know that you have to be able to adapt your team throughout the season to come out on top. The Barter System, Blind Spot, Vulture, and Insider are four strategies that will help you trade like a pro in your fantasy football league.
The Barter System. Before humans were smart enough to invent money, we traded with the people around us. Let’s say you had plenty of milk but need eggs. Your best option would be to find someone who has too many eggs but needs milk. The same goes for fantasy — if you need a wide receiver and have running backs, find someone who has wide receivers but needs running backs.
Many people go into fantasy assuming that the only good trade is one where the benefits weigh in their favor. At the end of the day, you never know the outcome of a trade, so if you see an opportunity that would strengthen your team, grab it. Don’t let it disappear, only because it may benefit your opponent as well.
The Blind Spot. You know that player on your team, the one who drafted a rookie running back and thinks he’s going to be the next break-out superstar? Yes, you know who I’m talking about. Well, it turns out that you can use your teammate’s personal biases to your advantage. Get to know your competitors and find out which players they overvalue. If you have a player you would like to trade, find someone in the league that has a bias toward him.
The Vulture. As week 3 or 4 of fantasy roles around, the teams with losing records will start to get desperate. More than likely there is going to be a player who hasn’t won a single game and they want to revamp. Pay close attention to their line-ups, chances are that they have at least one player that could benefit your team. Most of the time you will end up getting that player for a lot less.
The Insider. Knowledge is power, know where all your teammates get their information. If you find a gap in their knowledge, use it against them. Maybe a certain player is dealing with an illness, but those are not listed on the injury report. Sick players tend not to perform well, but you know the player will eventually get better.
For example, Mike Evans was dealing with an illness in the first couple of weeks, but now he is over it and coming back. If you didn’t know Evans was sick, chances are that you think his talent may be fading. This is the time to swoop in and trade. Who knows, you may get your player for less than he’s actually worth.