First of all, if you are reading this, I assume you are an avid fantasy football player. If you are really into fantasy football, you need to try dynasty formats. I compare it to playing one season of Madden vs. Franchise mode. There are a lot of free options out there, and we encourage you to try it out this season.

In dynasty formats, trading is often one of the most fun parts of the game as well as the most difficult. I am seeing a lot of polls online and just wanted to share a few tips for people that are out there getting the itch to make some trades.

Trade Tips

Do Not Sell Low

You don’t want start inboxing everyone trying to sell Chris Herndon the minute his suspension is released or the second you get an alert about Derrius Guice’s hamstrings. You need to hold unless of course, someone comes to you looking to deal and is offering something of value. Don’t panic, hold on to your player and wait for a selling window. As soon as they say something positive, you can go back out and check the market.

Buy Low

Buying low doesn’t mean go buy up all of the bottom players. It is taking advantage of people that we are talking about in tip one. There is always one fantasy football owner that panics and just wants that player off of their roster. Utilize rookie fever to turn mid-late rookie picks into buy-low targets.

I’ve personally seen fantasy owners draft a player in the first round, and the next year they went to sell him for a late second simply because he didn’t meet expectations. People that were buying Tyreek Hill all offseason bought as soon as those tapes came out. If he gets a four-game suspension, they will be getting a big boost mid-season for a player they paid pennies for.

I’ve heard it on many podcasts. The time to buy is when there is blood in the water.

Never take the first offer

Fantasy football trades are based on negotiations, and even more so in dynasty formats. In dynasty, trades don’t just impact one season like in redraft. They can affect your team for years to come.

If a fantasy player is coming to you looking to trade for a player on your team, don’t just take what they are willing to offer right off the bat. Always ask for more, even if it is something small. Those small pieces add up and give the ability to make future deals.

It could be a depth player, a buy-low player, or even a late-round draft pick. Have them throw something else in and see how much you can get. If they really want the player, they will accept or come back with something slightly better than the original offer.

Don’t open with your best offer

If you open your negotiations with your best offer and they accept, you will still feel like you overpaid. Don’t low ball people, but always leave a little room for negotiation. Trade polls online are helpful to get public opinion and trade calculators are good to help get a ballpark figure. Neither of these should be used as fact. There are other factors in most cases and should just be used to give you an idea of where to start or how your offer looks.

Public Relations

Make sure you are staying in touch with your league-mates. If you don’t know some of them, get to them know through sports conversations or group chats, etc. Never publicly humiliate someone for poor offers or do anything that could burn a bridge. You only have so many options for trading. You don’t want to limit your options. I’ve seen a lot of public shaming of fantasy players on social media, and it’s a poor move.

There are many more. We will be back with more dynasty fantasy football trade tips, strategies, and dynasty content throughout the offseason. Please follow us on twitter @PFN365 & @DynastyDorks for further content.