If you are contemplating a trade in dynasty leagues, you may have a bit of work to do to sufficiently assess any incoming or outgoing offers. Dynasty trades can be tricky, to begin with, and the depth and breadth of knowledge needed to give yourself a chance in dynasty trades involving draft picks increases significantly.
Since this is my third year doing this article, I will avoid rehashing topics already covered and instead list and link below. In this installment, we will focus on the tools at your disposal when evaluating dynasty league trades involving draft picks. These tools should be part of any strategic process you use to evaluate potential offers.
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Topics already covered
Concepts to consider
Pre-Trade Analysis/preparation
Buyer modes
Seller modes
Things to consider when acquiring picks
Rival manager trade styles categories
Trade Types
Trade Tools
Trade calculators
Trade calculators can be useful tools when analyzing a trade. Not all trade calculators support dynasty leagues, but FantasyPros has one as part of the MyPlayBook subscription that uses dynasty ECR to evaluate trades.
If you have not already signed up for MyPlayBook, it is a tool that allows you to “Import your team in seconds for advice tailored to your fantasy football squad. Instantly view top available players, matchup advice, projections, and the latest rankings”. Trade calculators should not be used to make your decision for you, but they are a helpful guide, especially when constructing trade offers. When evaluating incoming trade offers, things like pick premium and team competitiveness also need to be weighed, but calculators remain a wonderful tool.
However, if you are looking for trade advice involving pick numbers instead of the actual rookies themselves, you may have to venture elsewhere. If you are looking for a free tool, DynastyProcess has a helpful calculator that uses FantasyPros dynasty ECR to evaluate trades. If you are looking for a premium tool, there are none better than those offered by DynastyNerds or DynastyLeagueFootball.
Mock drafts
Mock drafts are always a helpful tool when evaluating trades involving draft picks. Having a better understanding of which players may be available in your pick range will help you pinpoint which player(s) or pick(s) you may have to divest of to land a potential target. FantasyPros will publish dynasty mock drafts throughout the regular season and offseason, so be sure to check for our latest thoughts.
You can also do dynasty league rookie draft mocks with our Draft Simulator tool. These help ascertain where certain rookie targets may go, and thus what their cost may be in a trade. It is also helpful to participate in dynasty startup mock drafts, though our simulator tool may not give you true depictions of rookie values until about July.
Dynasty ECR
FantasyPros is known for, among other things, our Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR), but some may not realize that in addition to draft and in-season ECR, that we also have dynasty ECR. Getting a consensus of experts’ thoughts on particular players is always helpful when evaluating potential trades.
Dynasty ADP
As you probably know by now, ADP and ECR can sometimes differ significantly. This remains true in dynasty. Furthermore, draft rooms can differ significantly, even with the same managers. For evidence of this, you need to look no further than our mock draft simulator. No two mocks are ever the same, which is true for all mocks or live drafts, no matter the platform.
ADP, whether for rookies specifically or for startups as a whole, are effective guides for potential market value, but it is important to note that, as mentioned above under concepts to consider, that subjective value and intrinsic value may very well come into play.
Dynasty Football Podcast hosted by Kyle Yates and Ray Garvin
There are literally hundreds of dynasty and/or devy focused podcasts out there, but sorting through them can be cumbersome. If you are looking for information on a specific player, we suggest the Clipcast tool that allows you to search a specific player or team and be presented with various clips from podcasts discussing said player or team.
If you are looking for a podcast to help you in the offseason, our regular Fantasy Football Podcast is wonderful as it has three of the brightest minds in the industry in Mike Tagliere, Kyle Yates, and Dan Harris. However, if you are looking for a podcast tailored specifically for dynasty leagues, you will be happy to know that we have (finally!) started our very own dynasty fantasy football podcast featuring two of the very best dynasty minds in Kyle Yates and Ray Garvin. Both Yates and Garvin are excellent player evaluators who will bring top-notch analysis all year round.
Hopefully, these tools, along with the information in our prior installments, can help you succeed in your dynasty trades involving draft picks. And as always, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @FantasyContext if you have specific trade questions.
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Whether you’re new to fantasy football or a seasoned pro, our Fantasy Football 101: Strategy Tips & Advice page is for you. You can get started with Starting Your Own Fantasy Football League or head to more advanced strategy – like What is the Right Amount of Risk to Absorb on Draft Day? – to learn more.
Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.