In this article series, Theo Gremminger breaks down real Dynasty fantasy football trades that he has made in high stakes Dynasty leagues.
“I take summers off ’cause I love Winter Beef.”
-Nas, Thief’s Theme
Writing Part One and Part Two of the Dynasty Trades I made in the FFPC was an excellent process for me as a fantasy manager. I could explain the rationale and reasoning behind several trades I completed in the context of my team builds. When I write about, Podcast, or discuss trades, it ramps up my desire to make more trades and acquire more value. I may even send a trade offer when I finish writing this article.
Trading players and draft picks to reshape your roster is one of the most exciting aspects of Dynasty. And there is no time of year in Dynasty when trading is more active and rampant than around rookie drafts. The entire league is active.
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Aftermath of Rookie Draft Week
Dynasty Managers have survived rookie draft week and settled into the summer. In FFPC leagues, trades generally die down a bit before a brief ramp-up at the end of the summer. Dynasty managers are participating in startups or simply waiting out the summer, hoping that none of their players get hurt. Timewise, these trades are a mix. Some happened during rookie drafts, and some came after the dust had settled and managers looked to reshape and balance their rosters.
The FFPC is a TE Premium scoring, PPR format. Rosters are trimmed to 20 players at multiple times of the season. Post-rookie drafts, rosters can be larger before a cutdown day in August.
The summer can be a great time to identify which direction your league mates are heading this season. If they are attempting to win a title and are “going for it,” they may be more apt to take on an older veteran and be more willing to trade future picks. With the unique FFPC format, some managers benefit from two and three-for-one deals from managers looking to consolidate their rosters.
I am so glad I can share this article with you during PlayerProfiler #DynastyWeek. Here are a handful of trades I have completed across my (redacted for IRS purposes) leagues.
Dynasty Trade No. 1
Entry Fee $250
20 Man Roster
Start QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, 2 Flex
PPR/Non-SF
Team finish in 2022: Orphan
Sent: Chig Okonkwo, Terry McLaurin, 2023 5th
Received: Cooper Kupp
(Pre-NFL Draft)
This trade was a fun one. I purchased a strong orphan team that had finished poorly the season before but was loaded with draft picks (multiple 1st and 2nd rounders, including the 1.02 and 1.04) and some quality youth pieces (Drake London, Kenneth Walker, DK Metcalf). Additionally, I had made a pre-NFL Draft trade, sending the 1.11 and Trey Lance for Joe Burrow. I also selected players such as Jahmyr Gibbs, Jordan Addison, and Dalton Kincaid during the draft.
With my team loaded with youth and depth at TE, I moved to acquire Cooper Kupp from a manager looking to get younger. Trading McLaurin and Okonkwo for the chance at one of fantasy’s elite PPR producers was a trade I could not pass up.
I have the firepower to compete for the league this season and a quality young roster that will stay competitive for years.
Dynasty Trade No. 2
Entry Fee $250
20 Man Roster
Start QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, 2 Flex
PPR/Non-SF
Sent: Brian Robinson, Devin Singletary, 2024 3rd
Received: Keenan Allen, Tyler Allgeier
(Post NFL-Draft)
This roster is coming together very well. I made a big move to trade up for the 1.01 well before the NFL Combine. Naturally, I selected Bijan Robinson, and he joins a promising roster with players such as A.J. Brown, Justin Jefferson, Jahan Dotson, and DK Metcalf. RB2 was a mixed bag of players such as AJ Dillon and Robinson.
With Robinson’s high cost, importance, and value, handcuffing was imperative. I made a few preliminary offers and had conversations with the Allgeier manager. He wanted to get younger, and Allen became an intriguing piece to add to the trade. I already have WR firepower, but Allen has aged gracefully. He should maintain at least flex value for me. None of the players I traded should burn me down the line. This trade made sense structurally and gave me more weekly firepower.
Dynasty Trade No. 3
Entry Fee $250
20 Man Roster
Start QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, 2 Flex
PPR/Non-SF
2023 Outlook: Contender
(Post-NFL Draft)
Sent: Travis Etienne, Christian Kirk
Received: Saquon Barkley
(Pre-Rookie Draft)
Sent: DeVonta Smith
Received: 1.02 (used to take Jahmyr Gibbs)
I purchased this team last year as an orphan for cheap, and this year have made some aggressive moves to add significant backfield firepower. I also did it in multiple ways.
Before the NFL Draft, I sent DeVonta Smith straight up for the 1.02. At the time, before we knew the landing spot of Jahmyr Gibbs and the draft capital behind him, this trade may have looked unfavorable. Fast forward to this summer, you will not find an FFPC startup where Smith goes ahead of Gibbs. Sometimes trading the known for the unknown is the incorrect move, but I believed it was worth the risk with a player like Gibbs. With his receiving upside, if he can hit as a high-end RB2, he will fly up draft boards in 2024. I still have a significant amount of Smith in Dynasty and love him. This deal also allowed me to diversify my exposure.
To add context to my second trade, I had Kirk and Calvin Ridley. I did not mind splitting up the pair. Etienne is a player I have a lot of in Dynasty, and I wanted to trim down exposure to him with some potential usage red flags (lack of pass-catching) and increased backfield competition (Tank Bigsby). Trading for the 26-year-old Barkley speeds up my win-now window but also provides me with a player who can finish as RB1 overall this season.
Dynasty Trade No. 4
Entry Fee $250
20 Man Roster
Start QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, 2 Flex
PPR/Non-SF
2023 Outlook: Contender
Sent: 1.07, 2024 1st, Samaje Perine
Received: 1.02
(During Rookie Draft)
Trading future 1st Rounders is risky and limits what your team can do in the season, but making this move with this roster made a lot of sense. This team already had the 1.01, 1.03, and 2.01. This team also had second year WRs Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams, and Drake London. With significant youth equity already in place on the roster, the 2024 1st Rounder became expendable.
I completed this deal in the small window between D’Andre Swift‘s trade from Detroit to Philadelphia. I sent the 1.07 (this manager used it on Zach Charbonnet), the 2024 1st, and Samaje Perine. While I do not dislike Charbonnet, he is not who I would have selected with the 1.07, and he has significant hurdles to really make me regret this pick. By adding another share of Gibbs, to go along with Bijan Robinson, this team is loaded at RB and WR, and I have a build that would be impossible to replicate in a start-up.
Dynasty Trade No. 5
Entry Fee $500
20 Man Roster
Start 2QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, 2 Flex
PPR Superflex
2023 Outlook: Defending Champion
Sent: 1.12, Jimmy Garoppolo
Received: 1.07 (selected Jordan Addison)
This league is an FFPC Triflex format, a start 3 WR, two Flexes, and a Superflex. QBs and WRs are invaluable. My team has Patrick Mahomes and Kirk Cousins, two locked-in and dependable players. Garropolo is QB depth, and despite being the starter this season in Las Vegas, he is a purgatory player who will never move the needle for my weekly scoring. He also has a short window as the starter with Las Vegas likely going in another direction in 2024.
This year there was a clear “Big six” for Triflex drafters: Gibbs, Robinson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and the three QBs (Richardson, Stroud, Young), and a tier break after as drafters decided between players like Addison, Quentin Johnston, Zay Flowers, and Dalton Kincaid. At 1.12, all three players would be off the board for me when I picked, and I wanted exposure to one of them.
Addison adds to a solid group of WRs on my roster: A.J. Brown, CeeDee Lamb, Marquise Brown, Drake London, and second-rounder Marvin Mims. I still want more. For Triflex, you cannot have enough WRs.
Dynasty Trade No. 6
Entry Fee $500
20 Man Roster
Start QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, 2 Flex
PPR/Non-SF
2023 Outlook: Young, but not necessarily rebuilding.
Sent: Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, 2024 3rd
Received: Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Michael Mayer
I love Smith-Njigba and did not end up with enough Mayer (I ended up with a lot of Kincaid and LaPorta) in my rookie drafts. A move like this is the sort of trade that, on paper, makes my team weaker, and there is a perception of a rebuild. Still, Smith-Njigba is already being drafted ahead of Etienne in Dynasty startups, and despite the presence of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, he should be a big-time player in the league.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
My roster is now imbalanced but oozing with intriguing young players who could break out this season. I am loaded with TEs and will probably have to move one this summer for an RB. But with Justin Fields, Jaylen Waddle, Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers, George Pickens, and TEs such as Pat Freiermuth, Chig Okonkwo, Mayer, LaPorta, and McBride, I have many valuable pieces and a significant amount of trade equity. Maybe I will write about another trade later this summer.
Dynasty Trade No. 7
Entry Fee $1250
20 Man Roster
Start QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, 2 Flex
PPR Non-SF
2023 Outlook: Young but dangerous roster
(BOTH TRADES DURING ROOKIE DRAFTS)
Sent: Rashod Bateman & the 3.03
Received: Christian Kirk & the 3.08
Sent: Jameson Williams
Received: 1.12 & 2.01 (selected Kendre Miller and Sam LaPorta)
This roster was another discounted orphan I purchased last season. I made multiple trades to acquire 2022 draft picks and future 2023 picks. I was happy with my three first round selections (Gibbs, Addison, Charbonnet) from 1.02, 1.05, and 1.11.
The Bateman trade was straightforward. My starting QB is Trevor Lawrence, and I also have Calvin Ridley and Evan Engram. I am leaning entirely into Jacksonville pass catchers, for better or worse. If I can reach the semi-finals of this league, hopefully, this promising passing game can give me an edge to compete against some rosters that are stronger on paper. With a young roster, I expect multiple players to have growing roles throughout the year.
Trading Williams was tough, and I still go back and forth on this move. But Miller and LaPorta give me several outs. LaPorta now becomes my TE of the future behind Engram, and Miller joins a promising group of younger RBs in Gibbs, Rachaad White, James Cook, and Charbonnet. This roster already has Treylon Burks and Addison, two younger WRs I expect to help my team for many years to accompany the Jacksonville WRs and Brandon Aiyuk.
Have a great start to your summer. If you want to register for an FFPC league, use the code UNDERWORLD for $25 off. Join FFPC Today!
