When I first started playing fantasy football, I thought making trades meant I knew what I was doing. Active manager. Serious competitor. Probably one clever offer away from becoming the general manager of an actual NFL team.
Looking back, I suspect some of my league mates had a different opinion.
I was looking at their players and imagining how much better my team would be. Whether their team improved apparently wasn’t always part of my extensive research.
Welcome to The Learning Curve. I don’t have all the answers…and that’s kind of the point.
This season, one of my teams has Bijan Robinson, Kenneth Walker, Chase Brown and Derrick Henry. Admittedly, I went a little running back heavy. Apparently, I went shopping for one and came home with the family pack. Still, I felt good about my team’s balance.
Then someone offered me Kaelon Black and Mark Andrews for Chase Brown.
I already had Tucker Kraft at tight end. I wasn’t looking for more running back depth, and I preferred keeping Brown. From where I sat, neither incoming player addressed a need. I looked at the offer and wondered whether they had looked at my roster.
My first reaction was, “Does this person think I’m an idiot?” Then came the uncomfortable realization: I probably sent offers years ago that made someone else ask that exact question.
Maybe this manager valued those players differently. A trade I dislike doesn’t automatically mean someone is trying to take advantage of me. But I couldn’t see how accepting it would improve my situation.
That’s the part I’m learning to consider before I ever hit send.
Too often, I’ve started with a player I wanted to move. He disappointed me, frustrated me or simply became someone I was tired of seeing on my roster. Once I decided he needed to go, finding a trade became the objective.
I’m trying to start somewhere more useful now: What does my team actually need? What can I afford to give up? Then, just as importantly, who has a reason to want what I’m offering?
That requires looking beyond the names in the trade window.
Sending two players for one might give me a better starter, but it could also cost me the backup I’ll need next week. Receiving two might mean cutting someone I still want. That player belongs in my evaluation, even though his name never appears in the offer.
Congratulations, I’m getting an extra player. Now I have to explain to someone on my bench why his locker is outside.
The same applies across positions. A receiver could improve my FLEX while leaving me scrambling at running back. As my Bucky Irving trade reminded me, having options at FLEX doesn’t necessarily mean I have someone available to fill an RB slot.
Before deciding a trade helps, I need to picture the lineup afterward, including the next bye week and any required cut. The other manager deserves that same consideration. Their roster has needs, too, and taking my unwanted player off my hands probably isn’t one of them.
The Learning Curve Challenge
Before sending your next offer, finish two sentences: “This helps my team because…” and “This helps their team because…”
Include any required cuts and the depth each side loses. If the second sentence is harder to finish, spend a little more time looking at their roster. A short conversation about what they need might help more than another offer.
I used to think making trades proved I knew what I was doing. Now I’m learning to give myself credit for looking at an offer, checking what it would do to my roster and deciding I’m better off keeping what I have.
Apparently, there isn’t a playoff spot reserved for whoever sends the most trade offers.
If I can’t explain how a deal improves my team, what am I rushing to change? Sometimes, the best trade is the one I don’t make.
Trust your process. Have some fun. And remember, we’re all somewhere on the curve.
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