Fantasy Football Trading Essentials: Tips for Making Bye Week Deals Here

The following is an excerpt from the latest edition of Yahoo’s fantasy football newsletter, Get to the Points! If you like what you see, you can subscribe for free here.

If you’re feeling like the fantasy football season has been unusually difficult so far, eh… BWAHAHAHA.

The opening weeks were just a prelude.

As the byes begin, the difficulty of our game is about to increase dramatically. Traditionally, when the bye weeks roll around, fantasy trading season has officially arrived. Waivers alone cannot possibly meet all of your future scheduling needs. For those of you about to enter the trading market, here are four essential tips to help you close your deals:

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1. Take some time to assess the real needs of potential trading partners

It takes very little time to identify the teams that are legitimately a good fit for your team, and that is necessary. Too often, managers waste their time (and everyone else’s) spamming the entire league with offers involving a specific player they’d like to flip, without regard to anyone else’s immediate needs.

Yes, we get it, you’re willing to move Anthony Richardson. However, not everyone is willing to tackle that specific project right now. Read the room and find a good solution for whatever you want to unload.

2. Lead with a reasonable offer

Your first trade proposal doesn’t necessarily have to be your best and last, but it should at least get the conversation started. If your first offer is at all offensive, I will simply press ‘reject’ without a counter offer.

I’m afraid that Trevor Lawrence + Christian Kirk + the D/ST you streamed last week may not actually be a sufficient return for my Justin Jefferson. Not happening. I’m a fantasy manager who only asks serious questions when it comes to trades.

3. Keep it simple

One-on-one deals where both parties address glaring scheduling needs are by far the easiest to complete. Every time we add another name to the proposal, the chance of the deal going through decreases slightly. At the heart of every nine-player mega-transaction that ends in a veto, rejection, or Fantasy Court, we can usually find a good idea: a fair and reasonable exchange of two players of comparable value. Again, keep it simple.

4. Remember, it’s okay if both parties view the deal as a win

Actually, that’s the ideal kind of fantasy trading. We all try to act from positions of surplus to address obvious weaknesses. If two teams can help each other, that’s a good thing. Let’s stay focused on winning the league, not winning a random trade in October.

If you’re looking to wheel and deal, Sal Vetri has his latest trading tips and I covered some buy-low fantasy candidates in the newsletter.