This article will differ slightly from others in my “Dynasty Renovation” series. We won’t be discussing specifics but rather the underlying concepts of renovating your roster through trading in general. This is primarily done in the non-points scoring season, but that’s not a requirement.

Here are the top three trade types and when to make them:

Consolidating Your Lineup to Win

The first, and by far my favorite, kind of trade is where you consolidate your assets to push for the title. These are trades where you send some depth in exchange for a single starting roster player. Think of it like sending Brandon Aiyuk and Keenan Allen for Mike Evans or something similar. The goal is to get your lineup as heavy with studs as possible to make your team as dominant as possible for the upcoming season.

The vast majority of times I make trades like this are when my team is in a position to contend and I’m one or two players away from dominating. Consolidation trades are usually two for one, often in the same position group, but that’s not a requirement. You can do more players in return for more players, but the thesis here is that you’re sending more players than you’re receiving back.

If you’re a beginner and think your team is in the top half of the league in June or July, this might be a good trade to look for to see what you can get done. Target the bottom of the league. Look for bad teams with one or two studs in no position to contend. Those teams will be more likely to agree to a trade like this because they’re probably looking to break up that stud into multiple lottery tickets that are ascending, which is the second kind of trade we’re going to discuss. Perfect segue!

Breaking Players Apart to Help Rebuild

If you’re not contending, you’re rebuilding, or at least you should be. That said, these trades are the opposite of the consolidation trades. These trades involve sending fewer players than you get in return. Think of this as splitting up the value in a single player into two or more parts that you think will grow in value in the next year while your team doesn’t need the points to win anything. You want your bench to outscore your lineup, if possible. You want depth growing on the vine while your lineup doesn’t contend.

When making breaking trades, I look for players on the rise on other teams’ benches. This would be like sending your starting RB (JK Dobbins) for bench pieces like AJ Dillon and Garrett Wilson. A player like Dobbins has question marks to some people. Yet, he’s still a top-15 dynasty RB, so you move back a few spots to Dillon and add a young rookie with upside in Wilson to fill that gap. These trades are tricky to find because you have to find a roster that’s relatively top-heavy but still has a few middle-of-the-road depth pieces available to send away.

In my experience, these trades are the hardest to pull off at value. Almost every time, the opposing manager will realize what you’re doing and not be as receptive to sending their ascending assets for a (potentially) descending one. Dynasty is a long game; many managers hold onto ascending players longer than they do descending ones. In consolidation trades, other managers are often much more interested in sending away their aging WR for two younger options. That’s just the nature of the game. But in breaking trades, you’re trying to do the opposite without tanking your team’s value.

Again, if you’re new to dynasty, this kind of trade is probably not one I’d recommend until you are better able to value players within your league’s specific economy. These trades can quickly cause you to lose overall value if you’re not careful. I’m fine sending production value away in return for future trade value, but sending a stud for less-proven assets is risky. You can’t win it all without a bit of risk, so if you’re rebuilding and comfortable enough to break your team down, go for it. Just be careful.

An Even Trade That Helps Both Sides

Last but not least is probably the least exciting but also the most necessary trade option. In an even swap, you’re looking at sending two players and getting two players back. Most of the time, these trades benefit both teams by addressing both teams’ specific needs. These trades can be made both by contenders and rebuilders, but they’re often made with lineup decisions in mind.

An example of an even trade is sending Nick Chubb and Courtland Sutton for Tee Higgins and Elijah Mitchell. You’re sending Chubb for Higgins and Sutton for Mitchell to make up the positional difference. You’re trading your RB value for WR value while also getting an RB2 for your WR2. You downgrade at one position while upgrading at another.

Trades like this are the ones I made the most when starting out. These are the easiest to find and negotiate with other managers. Still, if you’re approaching a team with no WR depth, they will be less likely to make this move. So you want to target teams that are heaviest where you’re lightest. Think of these trades as the ones that benefit everyone equally, regardless of overall roster construction. Both managers leave with a better-looking lineup.

That said, if you are rebuilding, then I love the idea of making this trade to send running backs for wide receivers. Wide receivers tend to hold their value longer in dynasty than running backs do. If you’re rebuilding, you shouldn’t worry about your running back group. Send them away for younger or at least more stable WR assets if you don’t need to win. If you’re contending, you might want to send some of the WR depth for a stud RB to set you up for success down the stretch as injuries occur. Even trades are made to help both teams’ long-term goals, making them one of the more appealing trades in dynasty.

Other Types of Trades

These are not the only types of trades you can make in dynasty. There are the classic “studs for picks” trades, where you send a single player or two for a haul of picks in future rookie drafts. This is great if you’re rebuilding because picks rarely lose value year to year and can be acquired for very little the sooner you trade for them.

Another fun trade is what is commonly referred to as the “drunk trade.” This is a move that looks good after a few beers, but when you wake up in the morning, you can’t remember which side was yours. I’ve fallen victim to a few of these in my time. It’s not the end of the world, but it can be a topic of conversation in the league chat if things have gotten stale. Do so at your own risk, of course, but don’t forget this is all about having fun too.

Lastly, there is the kind of trade that I call “trading just to trade.” These are trades like Marlon Mack for a 2024 third-round pick. These are small trades at the bottom of your roster, just to make a move. These are the best trades to do if you’re bored. These can also be useful if your league has gone stale, but be careful because they can sometimes negatively affect the long run. If other managers see you spamming their inbox with crappy trades, you might scare them away, and you don’t want that. But if it’s fun for you, that’s all that matters.

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Andrew Hall is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his profile and follow him @AndrewHallFF.