The 2022 NFL trade deadline is November 1 at 4 pm eastern time. There have already been a few trades made in the past few weeks, headlined by the Carolina Panthers trading Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers for multiple draft picks.

However, this isn’t an article about the NFL trade deadline but fantasy football trade deadlines.

Depending on the platform you play on, your league’s trade deadline could be right around the corner or still several weeks away. At the same time, your league could not have a trade deadline at all, so be sure to check your league settings or ask the commissioner about the deadline.

Trading players is one of the best parts of playing fantasy football. Improving your team with players more valuable than the ones you can get off the waiver wire makes trading so critical. But why is there a deadline? Typically leagues have a trade deadline for a couple of reasons.

One, it keeps teams mathematically eliminated from the playoffs from trading away their star players for a pair of bench players. No one wants to see Team X win the championship because their friend traded them Saquon Barkley for Nyheim Hines and Corey Davis in Week 16.

Two, it helps the league remain active when the waiver wire starts to dry up. The later we get into the NFL season, the less appealing additions there are on the waiver wire. Teams fighting for a playoff spot will get pushed into making a deal to fill the holes on their roster. For example, a team needing a running back might make a deal at the deadline instead of waiting a few weeks and hoping a valuable option appears on the waiver wire.

In this article, we will look at two critical pieces of information. One, when is your league’s deadline? Two, what strategies and tips should you use when trading?

Trade Deadline for Various Platforms

Every platform has a different default trade deadline date. Usually, the deadline is sometime in mid to late November. Sometimes they are even on Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

The dates below are the default deadline date for most fantasy platforms. However, check your league’s settings or speak with the commissioner to find out when the trade deadline is for your fantasy league. You might be surprised to learn that your league doesn’t have a deadline or that it’s this week.

• ESPN: November 30
• Sleeper: Doesn’t have a default deadline
• Yahoo: November 19
• MyFantasyLeague: Doesn’t have a default deadline
• CBS: November 19
• Fleaflicker: Doesn’t have a default deadline
• NFL: November 14
• Fantrax: Doesn’t have a default deadline

Trade Strategy for Redraft Leagues

Trading in redraft leagues is harder than in dynasty leagues. The reason is that there is no such thing as tanking or rebuilding teams in redraft leagues. Therefore, there won’t be any trades where a contending team sends a younger player to a rebuilding team for an aging but still a productive veteran player.

However, don’t like that stop you from trying to make deals. Sometimes a trade can be as simple as balancing out the depth on your roster. For example, Team X has plenty of running back depth but needs help at wide receiver. Meanwhile, Team Y has depth at wide receiver but needs some running back help with their star player out the next few weeks. Those two teams could work out a deal to swap a wide receiver for a running back to make both teams better.

Similarly, doing two players for one or three players for two types of deals is a smart way to get a trade done. If you have two players on your bench that rarely make it into your starting lineup, look for a league mate’s roster struggling with depth. You could potentially swap your two bench players for one of their starters.

The logic behind that deal is that your team is upgrading one of the starting positions (potentially at tight end, where you stream off the waiver wire). Meanwhile, they get more depth to help fill out their lineup. A potential deal like this could be trading Tony Pollard and Jahan Dotson away for Dallas Goedert.

Pollard and Dotson might not make it into your lineups most weeks, while Goedert will give you a clear upgrade at tight end over streaming. Meanwhile, your league mate gets the much-needed depth at running back and wide receiver. Since they added Tyler Higbee off the waiver wire earlier this season, they can afford to trade away Goedert.

Trade Strategy for Dynasty & Keeper Leagues

Unlike redraft leagues, dynasty leagues might not have a trade deadline. The argument is that there is less chance of collusion or cheating because there is no offseason. Since you keep the same players for next year, fantasy players have no reason to trade away their star players at a discount to help their friends win the league. Also, as I mentioned before, doing trades in dynasty leagues is easier because some teams are contending while others are rebuilding.

You can make all the similar-style redraft league deals I mentioned above in dynasty leagues too. Furthermore, when two contending teams are making a deal, those examples above are typically the type of deals that get done.

In dynasty leagues, you always want to look for potential trade deals, regardless if you have a contending or rebuilding team. Buying the dip on certain players and selling high on others is the key to winning your dynasty league. Don’t pass on the chance to trade for a veteran at a discount, even if you have a rebuilding team.

For example, I traded a third-round rookie pick for Derrick Henry after Week 7 of the 2018 season. He struggled at first but then averaged 146.3 rushing yards and 1.8 touchdowns per game over the final four weeks of the year. Then, I traded him away to a different team during the rookie draft for a mid-first-round pick. In hindsight, I wish I had held onto Henry, as I could have gotten two first-round rookie picks for him midway through the 2019 season.

Meanwhile, keeper leagues can be similar to dynasty leagues. However, it depends on the number of keepers. If you only keep 1-3 players, you should treat your trade deadline similarly to redraft leagues. However, if you keep 50% or more of your roster, you will want to treat the deadline more like dynasty leagues. Either way, fantasy players need to look at their roster and be honest in determining if they are a contender or not.

If you are contending, make a move to improve the top part of your roster. Send away a young player with a good keeper value moving forward for a veteran that can help you win this season. Similarly, if you aren’t a contender, trade away a star veteran with a high keeper price for a younger player and an extra draft pick next year.

However, make sure you understand how your keeper rules work. Not only the number of keepers but how many years you can keep them on your roster. Also, what is the cost for your keepers? Is it your top X number of draft slots, or does each player have an assigned draft penalty for keeping them? When in doubt, check the league setting or ask your commissioner.

General Trade Advice

Whether playing in a redraft, dynasty, or keeper league, there are four simple things all fantasy players should remember when making a trade deal.

Use the Trade Block

Always take advantage of the trade block feature if your league has it. It’s great to distinguish which players you are open to trading and which you aren’t. It also notifies all your league mates that you want to trade without sending a bunch of texts or direct messages.

Quit Trying to Rip Everyone Off

Yes, you always want to “win” your trade, as you don’t want to make a deal you know is bad for your team. However, that doesn’t mean you should send ridiculous trade offers to your league mates. It’s insulting and a great way to create drama in your league. No one is going to trade you Jonathan Taylor for Zay Jones, no matter how many bad performances in a row the star running back puts together. Before making an offer, ask yourself if you would make this deal if you were in your league mate’s shoes. If the answer is absolutely not, then don’t make the offer.

Small Deals Matter Too

While everyone loves a blockbuster trade involving four superstar players and a bunch of future rookie draft picks, not every deal will be that complex. Furthermore, the most productive trades are smaller ones. Making a simple deal that helps both teams out is the best and easiest way to improve your team. The blockbuster deals are flashy and fun to put together. However, the league-winning deals are often the ones you forget about 20 minutes after they happen.

Don’t Send Random Offers

Sending blind trade offers is easy. However, it’s like shooting in the dark. Instead, you are better off talking to your league mate and seeing what they think. Maybe you don’t think they need help at tight end, but they do. More importantly, if you blindly send a trade offer and your league mate accepts it on the spot, you likely overpaid for what you got in return. Talk to your league mates. Ask them how their family is, and then get down to business.

Final Thoughts

Trading is arguably the best part of playing fantasy football outside of winning. However, I have one bone to pick when making deals: trade charts.

Stop citing a trade chart as the reason to make a deal! Yes, they are an excellent resource. However, they are not The Gospel. Not everyone in your league will have the same opinion on Player X’s trade value. Some will view him as an elite player, while others might see him as a high-end flex option.

Instead of treating the trade chart as the final word, use it as a guide to starting trade talks. Trading is more of an art than it is a science. Sometimes you need to feel your way through trade talks and not purely look at the numbers.

If you would like trade advice specific to your league, reach out to me on Twitter (@Mike_NFL2), and I’ll be happy to help. Best of luck!

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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.