Trading is one of my favorite parts of this game. Heading into rookie drafts is a great time to make some moves to put yourself in a better position to bring home that title next year. With that in mind, here is some advice I live by when it comes to trading before, during and after rookie drafts. If you’re new here, these might be worth memorizing, but if you’re experienced, you probably already know the gist.
Dynasty Rookie Draft Pick Trade Advice
Evaluate Your Team
Before you go into any rookie draft you need to determine where your team stands concerning the others in the league. I like to look at my starting lineup to see how competitive I will be. Depth is important and will ultimately decide if you win it all. However, without a solid lineup, you may not even make the playoffs.
Trading is one of my favorite parts of this game. Heading into rookie drafts is a great time to make some moves to put yourself in a better position to bring home that title next year. With that in mind, here is some advice I live by when it comes to trading before, during and after rookie drafts. If you’re new here, these might be worth memorizing, but if you’re experienced, you probably already know the gist.
Dynasty Rookie Draft Pick Trade Advice
Evaluate Your Team
Before you go into any rookie draft you need to determine where your team stands concerning the others in the league. I like to look at my starting lineup to see how competitive I will be. Depth is important and will ultimately decide if you win it all. However, without a solid lineup, you may not even make the playoffs.
If my lineup is solid and I have a late pick, I’m usually fine just letting things come to me. I’m probably not sending out many offers or trying to move around in the draft too much. You can be water and wait to see how things unfold. It’s a good place to be but don’t get lazy either. Don’t avoid making moves that come to you, just be tactical in those moves you do make.
If I have a lot of holes in my lineup and a lot of picks, some early in the round, then I’m probably trying to make more targeted moves. If I only need 10 starters and I have eight solid players, I’m trying to find Flex players I can plug into my lineup for cheap. I’m also more likely to move back in the draft depending on the tiers I create in advance. That’s another vital step in the process.
Determine Your Rookie Tiers
When I first started playing dynasty I would make my own rankings and tiers from scratch. As I became more experienced and found people I trusted, I leaned on them more and myself less. There is no single correct ranking but you can use a variety to balance things out.
Whatever rankings you find, be sure to break the players up into tiers. I do this by finding clear gaps in talent. Tier one might be two quarterbacks and a running back in a Superflex draft. This means picks 1.01 through 1.03 are all highly valuable. If my second tier is another five players, that means 1.04 to 1.08 are similarly valued, but less than the first, and so on.
Doing this allows me to target picks at the back of those tiers with lower acquisition costs. In most leagues, the 1.08 should be worth a little less than the 1.07 but if you value players similarly that pick value difference will be greater than the player value difference once the pick is used. I’d much rather spend less on a pick to get someone I was going to select at the higher-valued pick.
Consolidate or Expand
I use the tier model as mentioned earlier to help me decide whether or not I need to consolidate my roster or expand it. This goes back to my lineup evaluation. If I need two starters to feel like a contender then I’m more likely to move the 1.03 for two picks in the next tier back. On the flip side, if I have 10 starters already locked in, I’m more willing to trade up to get a better single asset.
Ultimately, the choice is yours. There is no hard and fast rule, but whatever your plan, execute it fully. No half measures. I don’t mind changing plans mid-draft based on trades or opponent strength but don’t lose the plot in the process.
Draft for Value, Trade for Need
Last but not least, don’t forget the golden rule of dynasty: Trade for value and need. This means you shouldn’t worry about positional value at the draft — focus more on true player values. If you need a running back to complete your lineup, don’t draft a running back over a player you value more just because you need one.
Honestly, I only look at my lineup to determine how many starters I have, not at what position. This is especially true in the offseason when you don’t need to set a lineup. If you take the better player you can likely trade him for that position you need between the draft and Week 1.
Don’t give your league-mates free value. Take that for yourself. Who cares if you have seven receivers and only two running backs? In the coming months, you can address that. The draft is all about value and nothing more. Keep your eyes on that and you’ll do just fine.
Dynasty Trade Value Chart & Advice
Whether it’s a dynasty startup draft or your rookie draft, we have you covered. Our team of fantasy football analysts includes Derek Brown, Pat Fitzmaurice, and Andrew Erickson. And Fitz and Scott Bogman will have you covered every week through the offseason with our Dynasty Football Podcast. They’ve all collaborated to provide our dynasty trade value chart. This is a dynamic chart created using a consensus of the analysts’ dynasty rankings.
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Andrew Hall is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his profile and follow him @AndrewHallFF.
