The 2024 NFL Draft is a few months away. Dynasty rookie drafts will happen right after the NFL Draft concludes. While dynasty leagues are fun all year, the best part is the rookie draft. However, trading rookie draft picks can be stressful since one bad deal could alter the long-term outlook of your dynasty team.
Thankfully, I have three tips to help fantasy players make the best rookie draft pick trades possible.
2024 Rookie Draft Pick Trade Strategy Tips
Don’t Force a Trade
Never make a deal just to make a trade or because you’re determined to acquire a player. Overreacting or overpaying for a player or draft pick is never a good idea. Make sure whatever trade you complete is for the good of your team. If you are a contending team, the deal must improve your odds of winning the title next year. Similarly, the trade needs to improve your chances of building a superstar-loaded squad in the future if you have a rebuilding team.
There will be plenty of time before your league’s rookie draft in May. You don’t have to make a trade happen over the next 2-3 months. Things will change as time goes on, including NFL team trades, landing spots, and supporting cast. The last thing you want to do is sell the farm for Caleb Williams and find out he’s landing in a similar situation to Bryce Young last year. There is nothing wrong with putting trade talks on hold or circling back to them in a few weeks.
Please Say Hello
Everyone loves a friendly conversation. Therefore, say hello to your league mates when making trades. When fantasy players blindly send trade offers, it’s the equivalent of walking around in a landmine field blindfolded – it won’t end well. You have no idea what the other team wants in a trade or if they are willing to make a deal at all. The best-case scenario is your league mate declines the trade and makes a decent counteroffer.
However, the worst-case scenario is that they accept the trade immediately and you realize you severely overpaid. Saying hello and starting a conversation allows fantasy players to create the ability to find a happy middle ground for both teams. Your league mate might refuse to trade the 1.01 pick for rookie selection but might be willing to part with it for a young superstar like Breece Hall. You will never know if you don’t have a conversation.
Add Future Rookie Picks
Smart dynasty fantasy players think about more than one draft class at a time. While some draft classes are better than others, having a surplus of rookie picks is always good. They come in handy during future trade deals. Furthermore, more rookie draft picks equals more opportunities to improve the future of your dynasty team. For example, if you are sending the 1.07 to a league mate for the 1.09 and a third-round pick, ask for that selection to be in 2025 rather than this year.
Some fantasy players don’t think too far into the future, while others believe a draft pick loses value if it’s in a future draft. Therefore, you might get future draft picks at a discount in trade talks. More importantly, don’t discount later-round draft picks. While everyone focuses on first- and second-round picks, you find the league-winning additions in the later rounds. Remember, Puka Nacua, Rashee Rice, and Tank Dell were all third-round or later picks in 2023 Superflex rookie drafts.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.