Dynasty DIY: Trade Valuation

TheFFGhost

Many dynasty enthusiasts know that one of the best ways to improve a team is through the trading of assets. The obvious issue here is that each owner has their own needs, values and strategies they are looking to enact. As such, owners looking to get a deal done must attempt to be as flexible and open to ideas as they can possibly be, all while making sure not to be taken advantage of themselves. This Do It Yourself (DIY) tutorial will focus on how readers of the site can develop and assess trades using the following tools:

Tools:

Step 1: Ground Work

Trades are perhaps one of the most intimate aspects of a dynasty league. An owner has to trust another owner with the knowledge that they place a certain degree of value in one or more players from their potential trade partner’s roster.

Many initial offers or the initiation of trade conversations can begin like an awkward teenager asking their crush out. There are declarations of interest, the hope of mutual desire, and an underlying fear of rejection. However, unlike your awkward teenage years, DLF has got your back.

The tools provided on DLF can help take some of the awkwardness out of the situation, whether you are the owner initiating trade talks or if you’re the owner on the receiving end of a trade request, as a subscriber, the resources at your disposal will help you effective decide how, or if, to pursue trade talks, as well as how to navigate through those talks towards a mutually beneficial outcome.

Step 2: Getting Familiar With Rankings

Rankings help shape the valuations of many dynasty owners, it’s no exaggeration when I say that rankings are one of DLF’s most visited resources, so make sure you take advantage of them before proposing or accepting a trade. DLF’s dynasty rankings are constantly examined, evaluated and updated by our group of rankers. This constant focus on our rankings allows our reader and subscribers to feel confident that they are utilizing the freshest and most comprehensive dynasty rankings in the industry. DLF’s ranking are referred to by an enormous amount of dynasty enthusiasts when developing trades to send to their league mates.

We share this with you because we want all of our supporters to take full advantage of, what we feel is, one of the best dynasty resources available. DLF’s dynasty rankings are truly the primary input for many of the tools on not just DLF, but for many of our partner sites as well. The valuations present on our dynasty ranks allow readers to truly compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges or, if you want, to compare apples to oranges.

When you are seeking to develop a trade to propose or the moment you’ve received a trade from another owner in your league, simply head over to the DLF Dynasty Rankings to begin your evaluation. By default, the landing page will show the combined Top 200 offensive players ranked by our experts. The default rankings displayed are the top 200 dynasty resources but readers can opt to focus on rankings by position or format by selecting any of the options displayed below:

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The top 200 rankings allow you to compare player rankings, regardless of position, in order to compare the aforementioned metaphorical apples to oranges. It is here that you would first refer to when evaluating a trade that involves player pieces that do not all play the same position. You can obtain some context in terms of where a player is ranked in relation to another player, or players. This can provide some immediate “quick and dirty” valuation in larger trades.

If, though, you are developing or considering a more narrowly define trade, one that involves players all from the same position, then you will want to click on one of the appropriate links labeled “QB”, “RB”, “WR”, or “TE”. Each of these rankings sets focus solely on the selected position, ranking players against each other, yet within their position. Each positional ranking features the top 50 ranked dynasty players for that position.

If the trade you’re developing or considering is in a league that isn’t what one would consider as “standard”, such as leagues that employ an IDP, devy or superflex format, or a mix of two or more of those formats, DLF has you covered as well. By clicking on “SF/2QB” horizontal menu shown in the screenshot displayed above readers can find Superflex and 2 QB rankings. Conversely, if your league format is IDP or has a devy component, simply click “IDP Rankings” or “Devy Rankings” from the vertical menu shown below:

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On any rankings pages, players are ranked from top to bottom in terms of their perceived value in dynasty leagues. Readers can order rankings based upon the “Rank”, “Name”, “Pos”, “Team”, “Age”, “Bye”, “Height”, “Weight”, “DrYear”, “Eligible”, “(Ranker Name)” and “AVG” columns by clicking on the bold text in each column heading. By default, rankings are ordered by the “Rank” and “AVG” columns when the page is initially loaded.

In addition to reordering the rankings, readers may also filter rankings based upon the number of days since last updated, Eligibility year (Devy Rankings only), and by ranker. Mixing these filters can allow readers to drill down to the specific ranking criteria they chose, allowing them to make the most informed decisions possible.

One final feature included on all ranking pages is the ability for readers to export their personalized rankings to either CSV or PDF format. This is especially helpful if you want to take those rankings on the go or if you want to some kind of data analysis using different data sets. Either format can be downloaded by clicking on one of the two links directly to the right of the “Export To;” label.

Further Context: Filtering rankings based upon the days since the last update is an excellent way to help highlight recent movements in player values, be those positive or negative in nature. If a player is valued significantly different in more recent sets of rankings, then it is recommended that readers dig a bit deeper into the recent news surrounding that player in DLF’s Player News section so they can identify the source of that movement.

Step 2 Takeaway: The dynasty rankings on DLF are an excellent place to start when determining the fairness of a trade. Many dynasty owners will choose to accept, or decline, a trade based solely on the perceived dynasty value present on these rankings. Therefore, it is highly advised that you make sure to at least take a peek at our rankings section, no matter which side of the trade you are on, in order to make sure the values present in any proposed trades are at least in the same ballpark as the rankings DLF works so diligently on.

Step 3: Using the Dynasty Trade Finder to Assess Value

One of my absolute favorite tools on the entire DLF site is the Dynasty Trade Finder. Now, admittedly, I’m a bit biased as the tool was something I originally conceptualized and brought to the partners that run DLF. Luckily, they saw the potential in such a tool and I was able to work with the incredible Mike MacGregor who brought that vision to life with his coding wizardry.

At its very core, the Dynasty Trade Finder allows readers to search for trades involving specific players or draft picks that have occurred within a specific time frame or in leagues that utilize specific criteria. The trades are drawn from a database of roughly 5,000 dynasty leagues as of the writing of this article. That database has collected over 250,000 individual trades that have occurred in those aforementioned leagues. There isn’t a publicly available resource of this magnitude, that I’m aware of, anywhere on the internet that tracks this many leagues and trades, it is truly an invaluable resource for our readers to draw upon.

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To use the Trade Finder simply type a player name into the “Player Search” field and press enter or select a specific draft pick from the Draft Pick dropdown and press the “search” button. A list of trades that involve the specified player or pick will then display in four columns. Those columns are “#” which is the specifically numbered result returned, “franchise2_gave_up” which specifies one of the teams involved in that specific trade along links to the team roster and trades the team has been involved in as well as the players that team gave up, “franchise1_gave_up” which specifies the other team in the trade along links to the team roster and trades the team has been involved in as well the players that team gave up and “league” which provides the league name, a link to the league and some basic information about that league.

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The initial search provides a broad swath of trades involving the resource you selected; however, we can refine those results to only reflect trades that closely match the type of league you’re looking to compare against. In order to filter the results simply select from one or more of the filtering subsections: “Trade Date” which allows readers to narrow the results within the specified month and year selected, “Teams” which will narrow results to leagues which match the options selected, “Starting QB” which allows owners to specify if their league is a Superflex/2QB league or not, “Passing TD Scoring” which helps determine if a league places more or less emphasis on passing touchdowns and “PPR Scoring” which allows readers to specify if they want results returned that are full PPR, half PPR or standard scoring. Once you have selected the filter options that suit your fancy, simply press the “filter results” button and the list will be filtered accordingly.

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The Dynasty Trade Finder is incredibly useful to help determine if a trade proposed to you is fair, however, perhaps its greatest utility is in helping owners develop trades they can propose to others. It is very easy to get tunnel vision when developing a trade as you know what player or resources you want, but you aren’t always sure as to what is a fair price to pay. With the Dynasty Trade Finder, you can help reinforce your case by pointing to other trades that have occurred as a way to help convince possible trading partners and to show that you put some thought into the trade you crafted.

Further Context: Be sure to navigate over to the Reports section of the Dynasty Trade Finder. There is a ton of information here about players who are moving up or down in their ability to be traded. The Reports page displays the 30 top-ranked players in the DLF Rankings page and displays the number of trades in the database that each player has been a part of over the past 30 days and the percentage change that equates to over that period. Additionally, rookie draft pick trade totals are also shown with a percentage change over those same 30 days. This page is a great way to determine which players who may want to dig deeper into with the Dynasty Trade Finder itself.

Step 3 Takeaway: The Dynasty Trade Finder is an incredibly useful tool for dynasty owners that are looking to make a trade, but who are currently lacking for ideas and need some help. Just perform a quick search for a player you are looking to acquire, or trade away, and suddenly you are presented with a multitude of completed, real-life dynasty trades. Just what many of us need to get those creative juices flowing!

Step 4: Analyzing Trade Proposals

While the Dynasty Trade Finder might, somewhat accurately, be described as one of the most useful tools for an owner looking to propose a trade, there is an equally as powerful tool in the DLF arsenal for owners who have been proposed a trade and are looking for some guidance In terms of the value present on each side of that proposal, the Dynasty Trade Analyzer. The Dynasty Trade Analyzer allows readers to input the components of a proposed trade, be those players, draft picks or a combination of the two, and to input some basic information about the league such as the number of teams in the league, the number of startable quarterback positions, the option to increase or decrease rookie pick valuation and the option to turn on or off the Package Adjustment feature, more on that part later.

However, be aware, the Dynasty Trade Analyzer isn’t just for owners looking to determine if a trade, that was proposed to them, is fair or not. This powerful instrument is also useful for those proposing a trade too. Owners piecing together a proposal can add and remove pieces to a hypothetical trade in order to determine just how fair that offer may be and giving that owner a sense as to how likely it is to be accepted. Asset valuations in the Dynasty Trade Analyzer are developed by incorporating past, current and estimated future asset values. Completed trades, Average Draft Position (ADP) and rankings based upon the selected number of starting quarterbacks help to further determine those valuations.

To begin simply type the name of a player involved in the trade into the “Player Search” box under the “Team A Trades” header. After typing a few letters, a list of players is presented, and the reader can select the appropriate option. Upon selecting the first, and subsequent players, the ADP, Overall Rank, Position Rank are shown, all of which are clickable links, with Age and Prior Year Fantasy Statistics shown on the third line of information. Additionally, “Total Value” for each side of the trade is displayed, giving readers a way to determine which side is “winning” the trade. Readers can continue to add players to each side of the trade, or, if desired, they can add various future rookie drafts to a trade by selecting the specific draft pick from the “Future Draft Pick” dropdown menu under the respective team heading.

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In the event that a reader wants to remove one of the players, or picks, added to a trade they simply need to click the red “X” to the right of the first line of information about the asset. Conversely, if you want to remove the entire list of assets on one team or another, simply locate the “Clear Team A (or B)” hyperlink at the bottom of the asset and click it.

If you have opted to keep the “Package Adjustment” option on, the Dynasty Trade Analyzer will reduce the value of a side that is trading away multiple assets, based upon the idea that one team trading away multiple assets for a single asset, or a fewer number of assets, is attempting to package up lesser assets in order to obtain a more valuable asset. That adjustment will change based upon the assets included on each side of the proposed trade and serves as a way to help balance the perceived value of the trade.

The Dynasty Trade Analyzer is the immediate go-to location for any dynasty owners seeking an objective trade valuation, be it an owner who has received a trade, or an owner looking to create a trade that is more likely to be accepted by a potential trade partner. It’s the ability to draw from the massive database that powers the Dynasty Trade Finder and the rankings of the top dynasty minds at DLF, allows it to stand head and shoulder above most tools available to the dynasty community.

Further Context: After superficially examining some trades with the Dynasty Trade Analyzer, scroll a bit further down the page. Beyond the fold, as they say in the publishing world, readers are presented with several supporting sources of data to help back up the valuation displayed at the top of the page. Owners can examine the ADP trends for players identified in the trade, investigate how each asset contributed to the valuations displayed for each team, can delve deeper into dynasty trades that have incorporated one or more of the trade assets and explore related news stories featuring the involved assets.

Step 4 Takeaway: Finding an unbiased trade opinion is very difficult in the dynasty community. Many experts have players they prefer, promote or have sought to elevate, while also having players they view in some sort of negative light as well. The Dynasty Trade Analyzer helps remove much of that bias by pulling on completed trades, ADP and dynasty player rankings to give our readers the truest valuation of dynasty assets currently available.

Step 5: Listen To The Experts

DLF has a huge variety of podcasts for the listening pleasure of our readers. Currently, there are nine officially recognized podcasts developed by DLF, each covering specific formats or facets of the dynasty game. However, the Trade Addicts Podcast, hosted by Russ Fisher and Brain Harr, as you may well have guessed, is laser-focused on the concept of dynasty trades. Each week, Russ and Brian examine trades that have occurred in the dynasty community through the lens of recent news around the NFL, player performances, well-informed opinions and the tools provided on the DLF site itself.

As of the writing of this DYI, the show has cataloged 76 separate episodes and is still going strong as ever. Each episode averages around an hour and a half of pure trade goodness and the dropping of knowledge. If you find yourself with some downtime throughout the week or have a commute that could use a bit of freshening, this is a podcast you’ll want to add to your subscription list.

Step 6: It Takes A Village To Analyze A Trade

Easily one of the most utilized and visited sections of DLF is The DLF Forum. Since the site’s inception, the forum has drawn dynasty enthusiasts from all around the world with its beckoning call to discuss the dynasty format, in all its glory, with other dynasty players. If you’ve ever spoken with dynasty players, you know that very few of them hold back on their opinions. They are straight shooters who aren’t afraid to give their honest opinion on a wide variety of issues. So then, what better place to share some trades you’re pondering than the largest dynasty forum on the internet? Specifically, the Dynasty Team Advice forum is the place to go if you are seeking feedback on those trades. When last checked, there were over 108,000 separate postings on just this forum alone, not to mention the thousands of other positing housed elsewhere on the DLF Forum as a whole.

If you haven’t signed up already, be sure to do so soon. The knowledge shared here is incredible and the community and camaraderie is truly, second to none.

Aftermath

Trades can be one of the trickier aspects of the dynasty game to master. Varying player and asset valuations across a wide-ranging landscape of game formats, factored in with the individual preferences of countless owners that make up the dynasty fantasy community, means that some trade rejections will occur, no matter what anyone tries.

However, DLF has long shown a commitment to arming our readers with the best possible information, and especially tools, to hopefully keep those rejections to a minimum when proposed by our readers, and to ensure that trades they accept are the best possible values for their teams. We hope this DIY on Trade Valuation will continue to help you trade with the best out there and will give you the confidence to find numerous opportunities awaiting you in your league’s trade bait section.

Please continue to check out our “Do It Yourself (DIY)” series as we demonstrate not only how to effectively use the tools that we provide, or recommend, but also how to take your dynasty game to the next level while hopefully guiding you to many championship seasons to come.