The trade is a sacred art not just in fantasy sports, but also in economics, youth baseball leagues, and major sports leagues like the NFL. The beauty of a trade lies in the reaction it evokes in a fantasy manager. The emotion is felt whether you are directly involved in the trade, an innocent bystander, or the manager above one of the teams in the standings. The cocktail of disgust and jealousy is often the most popular drink on the menu. Managers not involved will always have an opinion or shout “FLEECED!” in the fantasy group chat, regardless of the return. That is the beauty of this complex entity known as “The Trade”.
A trade in fantasy sports is a way to (hopefully) improve your team and bring you one step closer to the coveted fantasy crown. There are many different ways to complete a trade in fantasy football, and this article will highlight some of these tactics. The following will be categorized into which fantasy format (Re-draft, Keeper, or Dynasty), where the trades are done in best practice, and where the trade will most often occur.
SELL HIGH
“Selling High” is a classic trade that occurs when a manager decides that a player on their team is out-kicking their coverage, so they trade him away to find a player who performs consistently at a higher level throughout the season. A manager is projecting the new player to outperform the old player. Often, this trade involves sending away a player who has had a couple of good performances, like Gabe Davis after Week 5 in 2022, when he scored 2 touchdowns on 6 receptions for 171 yards. He might then be traded for someone like Chris Godwin, who totaled 16 receptions for 155 yards through 5 weeks in 2022, proving to be much more reliable than Davis for the rest of the season. (ALL FORMATS)
BUY LOW
“Buying Low” is another staple within the fantasy football landscape. “Buying Low” is one of the most case-by-case types of trades we see in the industry. It is truly based on perception and knowing the manager who has the player you are trying to “buy low” on. For you to truly “buy-low” one must research the player in question. A general rule of thumb is that if the player is aging and in a declining state, or has fooled fantasy managers many times in the past, they should be avoided. Yes, the stats from Kyle Pitts are real – do not be tempted once again. (ALL FORMATS)
THE ROSTER SWAP
“The Roster Swap” is an unconventional move to shake up the season and perhaps the league. A 4×4 swap is the minimum for the trade to be placed in this category. This would be one of your rarer moves, with an even scarcer hit rate. There is an odor of desperation when it comes to this move, as you are swapping 2 to 3 key pieces of each team, with a couple of other ancillary pieces. This move is best executed early in the year (weeks 4 to 6) to overcome early-season struggles and hope that you hit on the new squad. This move often incorporates elements of other types of trades we have discussed previously. Re-draft is the preferred format to make this type of deal because you cannot be hurt years down the line by the 5th player “throw in.” (ALL FORMATS)
THE TWO FOR ONE
“The Two for One” is a classic affair between two managers in different spots in their fantasy season. One smartly (or luckily) had a great draft and has an abundance of riches to deal away for a player in a higher tier. The other is looking to send away their first or second round pick to save their unlikely playoff season. Many times, “The Two for One” can be a difficult road to go down if you are the manager selling their first round pick. You will likely never get equal value for it, and other managers may be upset with you for trading it away. These types of trades are usually unpopular with the group. The transaction typically looks like this: WR1/RB1 for 1WR2/RB2 and a WR3/RB3. (ALL FORMATS)
THE THREE FOR ONE
“The Three for One” is similar in name to “The Two for One” but often is much trickier when it comes to fantasy sports trades. This type of move often looks bad for one manager in the end because it leaves a large margin for error on both sides. “The Three for One” is used to send some WR3/RB3/FLEX options to someone in exchange for one of their best players. The manager sending the trade feels one of two emotions, sly or scared. They feel sly because they think they are getting away with some top-notch highway robbery. On the other hand, they may feel scared because of the potential impending doom of trading away three valuable pieces for one. Thoughts may rapidly come to mind as you send the offer, such as, “What if Justin Jefferson gets hurt?” or “What happens if two of the guys I’m sending away are impact players by the end of the season?” Having depth is important, and this is a risky type of trade to complete. (ALL FORMATS)
TIP: One thing to mention, “The Three for One” often occurs in Keeper and Dynasty formats. In these formats, you can send a grab-bag of keeper prospects to the other manager in hopes of advancing themselves to the fantasy playoffs or championship. This specific example would be a part of the Buy/Sell dynamic.
THE SELL
“Selling” happens when a manager feels their season is done. For Football, Week 9 is the absolute earliest you can sell. A manager will send one of their better players who is either not keepable (KEEPER FORMAT) or aging (DYNASTY) for a younger player and/or good draft picks to better position themselves for the future. This is a move that is smart for your long-term success, but a difficult one.. You must swallow your pride and do what is best for your future. Keep in mind, Professional GMs sustain and lose their jobs during this period. You should expect the same type of pressure. (KEEPER/DYNASTY FORMATS)
Tip: There are a few things to look for when it comes to a “Sell”. Ask the manager to give the best prospect or draft pick that they can. If they would like to win, they want your player. You have the leverage. Another aspect of the “Sell” would be not to overextend yourself. Throw in extra picks or players only if necessary. Allow the other manager time to come back to you. Lastly, look for someone on the edge of the playoffs, in that 4th, 5th, 6th, or 7th seed. They will be the most desperate to make a move. When they show interest, pounce like a lion. Just because you did not win this season, does not mean you can’t be aggressive during your “Sell”.
THE BUY
“Buying” is the counterpart to “Selling”. It is a move where you will be looking to enhance your fantasy playoff-bound squad. The obvious move is to look for positions of weakness or “holes” on your roster and try to make them better. Another way to “buy” that is unconventional, yet effective, would be to upgrade positions of strength to make them even stronger (this can be done with another contender). This trade can occur throughout any point in the season, but is most often presented within weeks 7 through 13 of the fantasy season. (KEEPER/DYNASTY FORMATS)
KEEPER LEAGUE APPROACH: When presenting your league mate with a “buy” type of trade, make sure that this manager is out of contention, or close to it, there is nothing worse than when a trade offer comes through and it is insulting to the manager that still believes they are in on the season. (Tip: Throw out some messages in your league chat and see who is frustrated and willing to look to improve their odds for next season’s campaign.) Throw the manager a higher draft pick in preliminary talks. (5th, 6th, and 7th round picks for a WR2/RB2 and below; 3rds and 4ths for WR1/RB1s) This will start to shape the way they approach a counter. If that does not entice them, throw them a lower level Keeper and go from there.
WEAKNESS UPGRADE EXAMPLE: Buying Tyreek Hill in 2024 (whose value was lower than in previous years) to upgrade a squad that rostered Chris Godwin and Chris Olave, who both saw season-ending injuries. This trade would probably require a 3rd or 4th round pick to get the deal done.
STRENGTH UPGRADE EXAMPLE: Buying an older Travis Kelce in 2024, who still accounted for 97 catches and 823 yards of the less-than-stellar Kansas City offense. You could trade for him by dealing a struggling and injured Dalton Kincaid, who down the stretch of the 2024 season only played 3 games and tallied 10 catches for 92 yards. You will have to sell the Buffalo Bills offense, which is not difficult to do, in this type of deal. This trade would require an additional pick swap as well, e.g., 5th for 7th.
DYNASTY LEAGUE APPROACH: When “buying” in a dynasty league you want to look for a player toward the tail end of their prime. That way the manager will be less likely to require a king’s ransom. You do not want to mortgage the current season to “buy” for it. Sounds self-explanatory, but it happens. A return often accepted for this type of player would be your anticipated back half of the first-round rookie draft pick (or top half of the 2nd round), plus a young player that has shown flashes of success with light at the end of the tunnel.
DYNASTY EXAMPLE: Davante Adams, who was teaming up with his old running mate Aaron Rodgers, was surely a button to press in 2024 playoff-bound dynasty teams. Adams rounded up 67 Catches, 854 yards, and 7 touchdowns in 11 games with the New York Jets. This put him as a fringe WR1 the rest of the season on a week-to-week basis. Sending your 1.11 rookie draft pick with a player like Jalen McMillan who had shown great development as a receiver down the Stretch for Tampa Bay should get the deal done.
ACQUIRING A DRAFT PICK/CLEARING A ROSTER SPOT
Acquiring a draft pick is a very simple task. You send a player that is of value to another league mate in exchange for a draft pick next season. This can be a quick and savvy move to clear a roster space and get something in return without dropping the player for nothing in return. Another way to incorporate this move would be as a part of a “Sell”. This is often a popular way to complete this move. Acquiring a draft pick for next season, by selling some of your best players to drastically improve your chances for next season. This would not be classified as a dump, because your league mate would have to mortgage a hefty part of their future to get the deal done. (KEEPER/DYNASTY FORMATS)
TIP: If you are doing this as a “Sell”, spread those “good” players out to multiple leaguemates. Stacking one team can frustrate your league and bring in two ugly words to fantasy discourse (Collusion and Corruption)
THE NEXT TWO ARE BAD… VERY, VERY, BAD
THE FLEECE
Everyone knows it, everyone fears it, you just do not want it to happen to you. “The Fleece” can take shape in multiple ways. The first occurs when you made a trade early on in the season, and you look back in week 12, saying, “Why did I make that trade?” This happens to all of us at some point, but it’s not malicious—it just didn’t work out over the long haul. The next type of “Fleece” is one that we all have offered (especially as a young fantasy player) and has been offered to us. This “Fleece” is done to get a leg up on the rest of the league and to put your trade partner down. Think of it as having one more 1st or 2nd-round pick than the rest of the league—not great, right? Acquiring a player or two worth much more than what you offered, would be categorized as “The Fleece”. (ALL FORMATS)
TIP: If you find yourself wanting to pull off “The Fleece”, try to think who you are trading with. Is it a new player in your home league still learning fantasy football? Or is it someone who has been playing for a long time and can “handle themselves”? This matters. Just think about it.
THE RAGE QUIT
“The Rage Quit” is a type of trade that should never, and I mean ever, be done. Each manager signs a contract with their buddies at the start of each season, promising they won’t do anything nefarious or hurt the integrity of the league. You may be asking yourself, “Who takes it this seriously?” You do, because you’re reading this article. The “Rage Quit” is the most nefarious of them all. It entails sending away a haul of good players for what otherwise would be accredited with the title of “TRASH”. This signals to the league that you have quit, and are loading up your closest buddy within the trade to make sure he wins grossly. Please, do not do this. (ALL FORMATS)
TIP: Any commissioner who does not put their foot down on moves like this should not be your commissioner moving forward.
VOLUME SHOOTER
“The Volume Shooter” is categorized as more of a style of trading that can be effective. A manager can send out trade offers like hotcakes in the one-for-one or two-for-two variety. This strategy proves effective over time. The old adage, “You do not know until you try” rings true within the sentiments of this trading style. Often, you will have a 10-20% hit rate of these trades being accepted. That is okay, because at the end of the day, if you are following the correct process in completing trades, these trades will improve your chances over the fantasy season. The goal is not to swing big in one trade and pull off a move like “The Fleece”. The goal is to improve your team by 3-5% each trade. And if you make 15 to 20 trades throughout the season, you will improve your team by at least 50% over the year (assuming some of the trades do not work out). One thing to remember—and this is true for all of fantasy—is that “Process is King.” (ALL FORMATS)
TIP: Do not be afraid to deal with good players, even if you have just acquired them. It is important to constantly be open to new ideas, while sticking to a process. A championship-level fantasy team does not happen in one week or one trade, but it does happen over the course of one season.
CLOSING
Trades, especially fantasy trades, are one of life’s greatest gifts for us players. They combine the magic of the draft with heartbreak and excitement when an offer is accepted or rejected at the 1-yard line. Playing not just the players in the lineup, but also your league-mates, is why we love fantasy sports. Accepting a trade and then sending the player you just acquired to another league mate for an even better player may be one of the single greatest feelings in the world. You are orchestrating a piece of art while building a championship-level contender. Be proud of your work. Be fair, but relentless. Be excited, but calm. Enjoy those moments, because when we are bored in the down times of a fantasy week, waiting to watch our lineups go head-to-head on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays, this is what you can do to fill the void. One might argue, it may even be more entertaining than the football games themselves.