The 2020 season has been an unpredictable rollercoaster, marred by injuries and the threat of COVID lurking in every team’s facility. And like most of you, I have not been immune to the ill effects of the chaos. Whether it’s an underperforming team that I (prematurely) pegged as a “contender” or one that is surprisingly exceeding expectations, recent articles from my colleagues have reminded me that this is the time to make moves and being proactive will always yield better results (See Trade Target Tilt and Navigating Trades). Don’t be the 2nd person in line at the buffet… cause we eating!
This is the time to turn up the activity in your leagues.
Whether you’re chasing a title or looking to accumulate assets, pay attention to your league mates’ needs and your areas of strength.
Attack the trade market early. Prey on the panic. 🦈
— ¢ʜᴀʟᴋ 🚫 (@101chalk) October 11, 2020
I have made 26 dynasty fantasy football trades during the past 14 days and decided to break down 20 of them by providing a look behind the scenes of the deal: the current state of my team and process behind each move. Remember that making trades isn’t about winning them. It’s about winning leagues whether that is this season or next.
All of these trades were made in 12 team Superflex Dynasty fantasy football leagues hosted by Chalk Leagues – PPR, 1.5 TE Premium, 6 pt TDs (vanilla scoring).
Trade 1
Current Team State – (Pretender – 7th Place) Came into this season with “contender” expectations although the core is young and somewhat unproven (Sanders, Moore, Golladay, Deebo, Andrews). RB and WR are positions of strength or at least abundance. QB is a slight concern with Jones, Darnold, and Roethlisberger, although Herbert has been a nice surprise.
Give – Josh Jacobs + Darius Slayton
Receive – Saquon Barkley + Tee Higgins + 2021 2nd
Process – I don’t see this team realistically winning it all this year so I decided to jump on the opportunity to acquire a (still) top 5 RB in Saquon Barkley who comes with a “I just tore my ACL” discount. I was not only able to receive a 2nd for my troubles but swapped Slayton for a hot young asset in Tee Higgins. This trade allows me to stay somewhat competitive while stashing Barkley for a stronger run in 2021. The 2nd round pick will be useful to acquire a rental-type RB if I stay competitive. Depending on your team situation, pivoting to players like Barkley and Dak Prescott who have been lost to season-ending injuries can yield assets on top of receiving the better player in the deal.
End Game – Reload for 2021 run 🔃
Trade 2
Current Team State – (Pretender – 6th Place) This team has been a pleasant surprise as it was one that I expected to be competitive in a year or two. RB is my position of strength, headed by Miles Sanders and Jonathan Taylor but this team sorely lacks QB firepower which is a major disadvantage. Jimmy Garoppolo is fading and Teddy Bridgewater doesn’t instill confidence in my chances for a championship level run. In terms of WR, JuJu Smith-Schuster and DJ Chark haven’t met my high hopes although Hunter Henry and Robert Tonyan have been nice surprises at TE. I also accumulated four 2021 1sts during the startup draft which sets me up nicely for the future and/or figure out my QB situation.
Give – Antonio Gibson + 2021 1st + 4th
Receive – Saquon Barkley
Process – At the time of this trade, I was in 6th place, in the thick of what could be a bloody playoff race. This league is one of the most active so there is potential for an arms race. Realizing that I don’t have enough for a real run at it this year, I decided to upgrade at RB when Saquon Barkley went down with his ACL injury (see above). Others may be fading him, but I have not dropped him much in my dynasty rankings. If you are not contending this year, you should look to acquire top-shelf talent like Saquon and Dak Prescott when there is uncertainty and panic. These guys should be fine in the long term and I’m willing to bet on that (with that discount)! This trade leaves me still with three 2021 1sts and now Barkley on IR waiting to join Sanders and JT next season. Chasing an elite QB is an option on the table looking ahead.
End Game – Reload for 2021 run 🔃
Trade 3
Current Team State – (Contender – 6th Place) This was a team that I felt was prepared to make a deep playoff run with Alvin Kamara and Josh Jacobs as my cornerstones, but aside from them, RB depth has been a concern from the start. With season-ending injuries to players like Marlon Mack and bye weeks starting to hit, I was left at a crossroads to wing it over the next few weeks and possibly slip out of the playoff picture or make a move to solidify my chances of success in 2020.
Give – Jalen Hurts + 2022 1st
Receive – Antonio Gibson + 2022 2nd
Process – Gibson is an ideal target for a contender that needs some punch at RB3 or Flex. He has lost some of his initial hype as the Washington offense falls into disarray but his upside remains extremely high. I decided to trade a developmental (but promising) QB in Jalen Hurts for a player who is ready to produce now in Antonio Gibson. Man, I really like Hurts as a future QB prospect, but Gibson’s upside is unlimited (and untapped). Although he is in a precarious offense for the time being, talent over situation, always. Being able to offset the blow of losing a future 1st by squeezing a 2nd in return will help me sleep at night. Winning it all this year will make those dreams even sweeter.
It only took 4 weeks for Antonio Gibson to compile more rushing attempts than he did in college.@TheUndroppables
Wheels up!
— MinshewBroFist (@Masterjune70) October 9, 2020
End Game – Title Run 🏆
Trade 4
Current Team State – (Disappointment – 10th Place) Coming into this season, I traded Christian McCaffrey and Russell Wilson (oof) in blockbuster deals that yielded me a king’s ransom of my favorite players – Kyler Murray, Miles Sanders, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, DJ Moore, Chris Godwin, AJ Brown – and picks. The league considered me a favorite to win it in 2020 but Carson Wentz and Jimmy G haven’t been consistent and injuries have befallen my team. At the time of this trade, I was sitting at the bottom of the standings from a win-loss perspective but one of the top teams when considering max points for. This is probably a mixture of bad luck and bad roster management as I’ve left a significant amount of points on the bench.
Give – 2021 1st + 2021 2nd + Kyle Allen
Receive – Terry McLaurin + 2021 3rd + 2021 4th
Process – Analyzing the standings and my team, I decided to make a move to contend. I am currently 2 games back and now face the last place team where I am an overwhelming favorite. It’s still early enough in the season and if I can tack on 3 or 4 wins over the next month, I will find myself in the playoff mix. Terry McLaurin is a player I have been able to acquire without pushback as fantasy managers seem to be concerned with his current QB situation. But a top 20 WR that’s been putting up numbers for over a full season now is a player I would love to slot into my WR core of Godwin, Moore, Stefon Diggs, and Will Fuller. This move definitely re-energizes my team to make a move for, at worst, the 6th playoff spot. Looking at my projected points (with a heavy grain of salt), my team looks really solid on paper now.
End Game – Title Run 🏆
Trade 5
Current Team State – (Rebuild – 9th Place) One of my many teams that took an early hit when Derrius Guice was released by the Washington Football Team. I have been treading water, but any chances of staying competitive were shot when Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle injury.
Give – Dalvin Cook + Mike Boone
Receive – Terry McLaurin + 2021 1st + 2nd + 2nd
Process – With Sanders and JK Dobbins on my roster, I felt that moving on from the oft-injured Dalvin Cook for what I considered to be top value would be a good call for a team that could use more draft capital. I would still have two solid RBs to build with while accumulating picks and adding McLaurin. Whether you’re contending or looking to build over time, players like McLaurin are reasonable pivots from elite young WRs like DK Metcalf and AJ Brown.
End Game – Productive Struggle (compete within 2-3 years or sooner) 🚧
Trade 6
Current Team State – (Contender – 6th Place) This team has been somewhat of a disappointment with McCaffrey and Godwin being sidelined, Joe Mixon being inconsistent, and Leonard Fournette turning into a pumpkin overnight. With all that, this squad still has enough firepower to make a deep run. The biggest issue with this team is the trio of aging QBs (Rodgers, Cousins, Brady) in a league where QBs are scarce (literally none of the wire) and sharp leaguemates highly value them (deservedly so).
Give – Aaron Rodgers + James White
Receive – 2021 1st + 2nd + 3rd
Process – I’m confident my team will be competitive in the playoff race when CMC returns as long as Brady and Cousins stay healthy so I decided to go ‘no safety’ and roll with only two QBs in Superflex (not usually recommended). From here, I can make a deep run (and trade those picks for a different QB) or retool with a full set of 2021 draft picks as I had only a 4th before the trade. Remember that it is always easier to trade away picks for players than the other way around. At this juncture, I prefer to move the 1st for a young QB but I need to move Rodgers first because rebuilding teams won’t take ARod in return for a young QB. In addition, it’s time to get off James White for anything of value. I have been moving him as much as possible (as you will see). A couple of other notes about this league: (1) QBs are scarce and tightly held and (2) rookie pick values skyrocket during the draft.
End Game – Do I try to make a run this year or look to reload this offseason? ❓
Trade 7
Current Team State – (Contender – 6th Place) Same team as in Trade 6.
Give – 2021 1st + Chase Edmonds
Receive – Justin Herbert + Devonta Freeman
Process – This deal happened a mere couple of hours after Trade 6. I had to move quick and opened negotiations with a rebuilding team that is clearly looking to add 1sts. The process is here is similar to changing out the parts of the plane while in flight. Instead of trying to add a top-shelf instant point producer at the RB or WR position, I used the 2021 1st as trade bait and made a move for Justin Herbert. I will admit that I had some remorse after trading away ARod and seemingly (rage) tearing down a contender, but I kept grinding and stayed busy in the DMs. As mentioned above, this team has a limited window to make a title run and by adding Herbert as a swap for Rodgers, I get younger at QB while adding one of the hottest young stars. My brother, Terminator, has been high on him from the jump.
🔦 Rookie Spotlight | Justin Herbert@FF_Terminator takes a closer look at a QB prospect who is being slept on by many. Our very own Term gives insight on Herbert’s outlook, including where he might be playing this season.https://t.co/4HVAU33B2u
— The Undroppables (@TheUndroppables) April 15, 2020
End Game – Championship Window Extension 🏆
Trade 8 (+ Bonus)
Current Team State – (Pretender – 6th Place) This team is ready for a deep title run but sorely needs depth at the RB position (with Barkley shelved on IR). I also have a war chest full of future picks that make this a formidable squad in the long term. The quandary was improving the roster incrementally (but impactfully) with limited spend.
Give – 2022 2nd
Receive – Myles Gaskin + 2022 4th
Process – Without sacrificing any 2021 draft picks, I was able to land a rental RB for the rest of the season. This took patience and negotiation. Gaskin has relegated Jordan Howard and Matt Breida to fantasy irrelevance and my The Undroppables colleagues have been touting Gaskins since he was an incoming prospect (See Tommy and Paulie).
Bonus Trade & Process – While writing this article, I received an offer for Gaskins in exchange for a 2021 3rd + 2022 4th. I counter-offered to send Gaskin this contender for a 2021 2nd + 2022 2nd. He has been hot on the Miami RB so I gladly moved him for a quick profit and now find myself trade market again. My buddies are high on Myles and I liked him during the pre-draft process. But I’m not fully committed to him and I don’t know what Miami will do in the offseason with packed rookie and free agent classes. After the math, I basically received a 2021 2nd + 2022 4th to rent Gaskin for a week (and his 20.10 PPR points in Week 5). Still a pretender, I have three 2021 1sts, two 2nds, and a 3rd so we will see what is next.
Give – Myles Gaskin
Receive – 2021 2nd + 2022 2nd
End Game – Do I try to make a run this year or look to reload this offseason? ❓
Since one of my favorite RBs in this draft class is getting little love from only a few #FFanalysts I thought it was only right to do a spotlight on Myles Gaskin…
“An Ode to Myles Gaskin (A Thread)” pic.twitter.com/O49OUIFTD6
— Tommy Mo (@2on1FFB) April 10, 2019
Trade 9
Current Team State – (Rebuild – 12th Place) This team was going to be a productive struggle from the startup draft. I have a promising young core with a mix of proven and rising elite players but decimated by injury after injury (e.g., McCaffrey, George Kittle, Dallas Goedert, Marlon Mack, Denzel Mims, Sterling Shepard, Sam Darnold).
Give – Myles Gaskin
Receive – 2021 2nd + 3rd
Process – This is an example of negotiating value from a deal based on the current state of your team. If you’re rebuilding then trade away time-sensitive assets for draft capital but always negotiate from a position of leverage. Seek teams that are RB needy and want to make a quick upgrade but don’t be greedy. Also, let the market come to you so you don’t come across as desperate. As I mentioned above, I do like Gaskin (for a contender) but beyond 2020 is a concern for a team that needs to reload and accumulate assets in the war chest. This team needs more firepower in 2021 and these draft picks are a step in that direction.
End Game – Productive Struggle (compete within 2-3 years or sooner) 🚧
Trade 10
Current Team State – (Rebuild – 12th Place) Same team as in Trade 9.
Give – James White
Receive – Gabriel Davis + 2021 4th
Process – James White has been a consistent PPR RB for several years but the clock is ticking on his ability to produce those types of numbers we’ve come to expect. For teams that are not going to be contending, there is no use keeping players like White. Trade for what you can get in return and move on. I’m extremely high on Gabriel Davis and with the recent improvements from Josh Allen, Davis is a nice potential flex option down the road. White’s value will only decrease over the next year.
Gabriel Davis, who I have talked up quite a bit recently, caught 5 of 9 targets for 58 yards last night and took *checks notes* 100% of the snaps 👀
— 🚫Paulie’s Sleepers🚫 (@PauliesSleepers) October 14, 2020
End Game – Productive Struggle (compete within 2-3 years or sooner) 🚧
