Dynasty trades are exciting. Part of the intrigue is found in the differing approaches teams take based on their roster and current competitive window. This is why it is important to take a retrospective look at your completed trades during the offseason or even several years later. This installment will highlight my ‘best’ trades completed in 2016 based on current value.
Selling Troubled Players
*Trade made 8.2.2016* 14-team Superflex, .5 PPR, .1 per return yard
Give: Josh Gordon, Duke Johnson, 2017 3.13
Received: Tyler Lockett, 2017 1.04
When negotiating this trade, I projected this pick to be late in the 1st round. With a perfect storm of injuries and disappointments, the other team struggled and vaulted the pick to 1.04. The key to the deal was selling Josh Gordon when his suspension had been reduced to 4 games.
Selling Situation
*Trade made 10.5.2016* 12-team PPR
Give: Josh Ferguson, Dwayne Washington
Received: 2017 2.04
Josh Ferguson and Dwayne Washington were 4th and 5th round rookie picks in 2016. These players had always been flip candidates for me. When Ferguson was starting to get some passing downplay and Ameer Abdullah got hurt, sell windows opened for both. This trade highlights the importance of identifying core assets and flip players. Sell windows can be extremely short so there is no time to waste when deciding whether to make a move.
Post-Hype Sleeper
*Trade made 6.9.2016* 12-team PPR TripleFlex, 6 rounds devy
Give: Kenny Bell, 2017 Devy 4.09
Received: Davante Adams, 2017 Devy 6.06
After his disappointing 2015 campaign, Davante Adams was a screaming buy last year with an ADP outside of the top 100. I admit I was tentative and did not acquire him in many leagues, but this deal is likely the best trade I made all year. While Kenny Bell had a run of offseason hype, he was never going to be a core asset for a dynasty team.
Conclusion
All three of these trades were great value looking back. While all were structured differently, the common thread is classifying players as core assets or non-core assets. The best way to gain value for your dynasty team is to capitalize on fluctuations in situational value of non-core assets. When a player sees an increase in value to where he can return a premium pick (round 1 or 2) or player, it is time to sell. This classification needs to be made before a player sees the increase in value. While it is easiest to sell a producing player in-season, it is also the hardest to feel comfortable letting them go. There is the fear of selling the next superstar. It is just as important to identify devalued core assets as buy-low targets. These deals are more difficult to find as they typically require an injury or slump but are vital to building a dynasty.
