The Dynasty Trading Post

Ryan McDowell

tradingpost

The Dynasty Trading Post is back and hopefully you have already been an active trader in your league this off-season, as early savvy moves this time of year can lead to championships a few months from now.

While most rookie drafts are still at least a few weeks away, I’ve noticed many people buying and selling rookie draft picks in preparation for their league’s annual draft. In most cases, I advise people to wait until the draft has kicked off before they look to sell draft picks. After all, that is the time when every owner in your league is active and involved and it coincides with draft picks being the most valued commodity in the league.

Of course, that advice and practice can be tough to follow if owners in your league are willing to drastically overpay for a draft pick. We’ll take a look at a few examples of that, along with some other dynasty trades involving rookie picks exchanging hands.

This is a pretty unique trade compared to most others I’ve seen involving the 1.01 rookie pick, which could land a team a player like Todd Gurley or Amari Cooper. This valuable piece is often used to land an elite stud player who can be plugged into starting lineups for years to come and is already a proven commodity. In this deal, the top pick brings a pair of veteran receivers whose value is highly tied to their aging quarterbacks. The good news is that both Julian Edelman and Emmanuel Sanders are reliable and startable in the majority of fantasy formats. The bad news is both players lack upside and their value will be decimated once Tom Brady or Peyton Manning decide to call it a career. While I think both players are being underrated in dynasty leagues this off-season, I would aim higher if I am flipping the 1.01 pick. Here are a few examples of deals I like a little more. [am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]

Here are several examples of deals where owners are using the growing value of the 1.01 pick to acquire a stud player, as I mentioned earlier. In most of these deals, you’ll see additional players or picks added to the 1.01 side, but when that means acquiring a player like DeAndre Hopkins, Alshon Jeffery, Demaryius Thomas, Mike Evans or AJ Green, it is usually worth the cost. You’ll also notice each of the players targeted by the former 1.01 owner is a wide receiver, which is just another reminder of which position currently rules the dynasty landscape.

If you had the chance to check out the recent addition of the DLF Dynasty Podcast with guest Adam Harstad, you heard some discussion about the trade value of wide receiver Calvin Johnson in comparison to upcoming rookie draft picks. Here are some recent deals I’ve seen involving Johnson and draft picks.

Here are three trades, which have taken place in the past few weeks that demonstrate a couple of things. First, Johnson’s value (along with the value of any player over the age of 27) is dropping this off-season, just as it does every off-season. This is something you should be taking advantage of if you have the opportunity. The off-season is the ideal window in which to buy players like Johnson, Matt Forte, Marshawn Lynch and other veterans at a greatly discounted cost.

While each of these trades involve draft picks, the headliner is again the player being exchanged for the draft pick and the collection of lesser talents. These types of consolidation deals are almost always a win for the team receiving the best player. While that may sound obvious, stacking a group of three or four player and picks in exchange for one key player is not a deal every team can make. First, you have to have the depth to maintain a successful team after the deal. Secondly, you have to find the right trade partner, which can prove to be a major challenge. Dynasty owners are hesitant to make a deal in which they are giving up the best player, and rightfully so.

I think each of these deals are easy wins for the team receiving the top player, especially the Le’Veon Bell deal. Players like Juwan Thompson, Bernard Pierce and Markus Wheaton are foster fodder at this point of the year and while they are not the main pieces involved in the trade, the sheer volume of players and picks on that side clearly made it attractive to at least one dynasty owner.

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ryan mcdowell