“I sell ice in the winter, fire in hell
I am a hustler baby I sell water to a well”
– Jay Z, You Don’t Know
Year after year, trades are increasingly challenging to make in Dynasty leagues. The average dynasty player has become more and more educated about player values. Sources of information like PlayerProfiler and The Dynasty Dominator App can help even the playing field for a less experienced player. Anecdotally speaking, I find the average player to be slightly more risk-averse.
The FFPC is one of the more challenging places to play Dynasty and has some of the best Dynasty players around participating in it. There is also an added challenge in the FFPC of dealing with roster constraints. On March 31st, rosters will be cut down to 16 spots- including kicker and defense. In more traditional deep Dynasty formats, trading a large package of players and picks for one asset can make sense for both sides, but in the FFPC, this strategy is way less common because of the constraints.
A Strategy Insight
I manage a high volume of fantasy teams on the FFPC with a total of (redacted for IRS purposes) entry fees. Almost all of these teams are ones I manage by myself, and I share a few with a partner. I consider myself to be an active trader. I am always trying to improve my rosters, and I am realistic when it is time to rebuild.
In Dynasty, it is essential to remember that a player can be a sell on one team and a buy on another. Looking at all players as, “this one is a buy, this one is a sell” is a simplistic mistake. Some of the best players in the FFPC may trade away and trade for the same asset in the same off-season.
Here are a few trades I have made. (All of these deals were completed before the NFL Combine)
All Leagues are PPR with TE Premium (1.5 Points PPR)
Dynasty Trade No. 1
Entry Fee $250 |
20-Man Roster |
Start QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, and 2 Flex |
PPR/Non-SF |
Team Finish in 2022: Won the Championship
Sent
WR Michael Pittman and the 2.12
Received
1.05
This team is pretty loaded. I won the title last season, and the team has the depth and firepower to win it again this year. During my title run, I sent my 2023 1st (which turned out to be the 1.12), Rashod Bateman, and Javonte Williams in a package deal for Saquon Barkley. This trade worked out great but left me in a bind pick-wise.
Pittman is a player that I believe will either have the same trade equity or less in 2024. My wide receiver room is loaded with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Devonta Smith, and Brandon Aiyuk, so Pittman was a player I could move on from.
The Process of the Trade
I have significant concerns about the Colts’ offense with a new QB and coaching staff. Pittman also follows an inexact Dynasty rule that I like to adhere to: if a player loses considerable redraft value, he is a player I am more willing to move on from in Dynasty, especially if the return is still solid. Pittman was going at the 2/3 turn in redraft last year. This year he will drop considerably.
There are some questions about the 1.05, but having the pick provides me greater flexibility than Pittman. The 1.05 could be packaged to move up in the draft, or I could use the selection on a WR or a player like RB Zach Charbonnet. The pick should gain more trade equity and value in the weeks heading into the NFL Draft.
Dynasty Trade No. 2
Entry Fee $250 |
20-Man Roster |
Superflex: Start QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE and 1 Flex |
Team finish in 2022: Won Championship
Sent:
Michael Pittman
Received:
1.11
The FFPC Superflex has a single flex as opposed to the other teams referenced in this article which have two flexes. This team had a strong playoff run and won it all, but the roster could use updating. Moving Pittman here was more difficult roster-wise than in my other Pittman deal. Currently, I have CeeDee Lamb, D.J. Moore, and Marquise Brown.
Adding the 1.11 gives me two late 1st round picks (I also have the 1.12). I can use the picks to add exciting youth to my roster, move one, or package them. This move gives me more flexibility with my roster. It also clears a spot for me to keep one more player through cuts.
Dynasty Trade No. 3
Entry Fee $500 |
20-Man Roster |
Start QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, and 2 Flex |
PPR/Non-SF |
Team Finish in 2022: Playoff Team
Sent
Rachaad White and the 1.07
Received
1.02
This team was somewhat “unlucky” in 2022, as injuries to Breece Hall, Kyler Murray, and others derailed what could have been a Championship-winning roster. I felt I needed to make a bold move to try and improve and consolidate my roster.
I already have high-end players on this team, with Hall, Kenneth Walker, Lamb, D.K. Metcalf, and A.J. Brown. I also have the necessary TE depth to compete in The FFPC with Kyle Pitts, David Njoku, and Noah Fant. Even with Murray banged up, and his status very much a question mark, I have enough to get by with Daniel Jones as a backup.
This trade is a trade calculator loss, but I view it as a win in the long term. The Dynasty Dominator App views this as a 249.95-174.25 loss for me- I hate seeing that. The trade is a big bet on my part that the player I select at 1.02 will become a fantasy stud- a WR1 or RB1 type player.
The Process of the Trade
Moving White was a difficult decision. I realize this could be a trade that backfires, as White has multiple paths to be a high-end RB2 in 2023, and if he produces well, his 2024 outlook could be quite similar. There are also paths to him losing a considerable amount of value on draft day. The Buccaneers were linked to Hall and Walker last NFL Draft, and while White is a Day 2 pick, he was a late one. Tampa Bay is a team that could decide their offensive future in a post-Brady era would look pretty good with Bijan Robinson as their focal point.
One final motivating factor in moving White is that I have a tremendous amount of exposure to him, both in the number of leagues and the total Dynasty money invested. If White has a big year, I will still get a chance to cash in on it. But this move mitigates some of my risk and exposure if he does not.
The 1.07 is a pick that I like, but there are some question marks as to who will be there and what sort of production I would get out of it- especially on a Championship-contending team.
Sometimes, fortune favors the bold in the Dynasty streets.
Dynasty Trade No. 4
Entry Fee $250 |
20-Man Roster |
Start QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, TE, and 2 Flex |
PPR/Non-SF |
Team finish in 2022: Non-Playoff team
Sent:
Dameon Pierce, James Cook, and the 1.04
Received:
1.01
(Note this trade was completed in late January)
Acquiring the 1.01 was my most impactful move in any league this season. I aimed to add as many 1.01 shares as possible, but it has been fruitless. The market for Bijan Robinson is just too high even in January and February in the pre-combine numbers days.
I took over this team as an orphan last off-season and made several moves to consolidate the roster. I traded for Pierce and drafted Cook. My WRs are very strong with Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, and Metcalf, but the RB position was filled with RB2/RB3 types: Cook, Pierce, A.J. Dillon, Brian Robinson. The 1.04 is a precious commodity, but it was not going to bring me a potential game-changing RB1 season. This team was ripe to consolidate further.
The Process of the Trade
I started making offers with Dillon, Cook, or Pierce, combined with the 1.04. I went back and forth with this manager several times, but Cook and Pierce moved the needle enough to complete the deal. There are outcomes here where Cook and Pierce are both mid-RB2s, and the 1.04 turns into a high-end impactful fantasy starter. There are outcomes where this trade ends up looking bad for me, but adding a player like Bijan Robinson is something I am always willing to do and willing to overpay for when necessary.
Elite assets win championships, and Robinson can be a 20+ PPG player for me – possibly as early as in 2023.
This team has plenty of holes. QB is shaky, with Geno Smith and Russell Wilson as my only two rostered. TE has enough to get by with Cole Kmet, Tyler Higbee, and Year 2 breakout candidate Trey McBride but lacks a high-end weapon. I may end up needing to make another move: stay tuned.
My hope is this article helps you in your Dynasty thought process. I will drop another trade article around rookie draft time.
