Week 5 - Insider Trading

Contributing Writer: Russell Deleon of Prickly Prancin

The best day of year is hands down fantasy football draft night.  All the research, training camp watch, and excitement of a new season culminates in an evening of selecting your studs, sleepers, and avoiding those bust players.  Even with the greatest of drafts the team will evolve as the season progresses and you’ll need to be savvy on the waiver wire and trades.  A well timed trade can put you over the top and give you team the needed boost.  With that in mind I wanted to put together a fundamental list of tips to make successful trade.

1. If you’re initiating the trade, make the initial offer.
Be specific on what players you’re looking to exchange. Don’t just send a message asking “who do you want for player X” Make the initial offer and outline who you want and who you’ll give up.

2. Consider your trade partners needs as well as your own and act accordingly.
Look over your trade partners roster and see what the potential trade leaves their roster looking like. How will their depth and strength of position be affected?

3. Don’t lowball people so hard that its insulting.
This one is pretty straight forward. Give quality for quality. Don’t offer 3 mediocre players for one superstar.  Don’t offer bench players for starters.

4. If you don’t like the trade, send a counter offer or note.
Every player in fantasy has a price. Everyone. (now repeat that it in the Godfather’s voice) Tell people what the price is. As steep as the price is, at least your fellow manager will know…. Or send a note saying your player is off the market.

5. Don’t be upset when you lose a trade.
Sometimes the player you may trade for might tear up his ACL the following week, and the player you traded away goes on to be league MVP. Hey it happens.  No crying in fantasy football, the commish doesn’t want to hear it. You can bounce back, stalk the waiver wire like a crazy ex girlfriend

6. Trade.
If fantasy were won at the draft, no one would play. Trades are fun, they keep things interesting and create rivalries.  Now go out and make a trade!