Trading league? (1 Viewer)

[ATG]

Last season I only played in non trading leagues for the first time. In the past I always seemed to get burned, trading a rising star for someone better. The problem was the rising star would continue to rise in the rankings making my trade a bad one. Would you recommend waiting to trade an up and coming player even though he might just have had one unusually good game? I find trading leagues to be fun, however it's frustrating when players vote down reasonable trades. It also rewards those who had a poor draft, enabling them to make up for that. Does anyone have thoughts on preferring trading to non trading leagues? Thanks.

 

[mjr]

I don't understand why anyone would want to play in a non-trading league. I would feel suffocated if I couldn't make deals. Even if I were not so great at judging talent and always seem to get burned, I would still rather be in a trading league and refrain from trading until I'm better at it then to never have that option at all.

 

[comfortably numb]

Last season I only played in non trading leagues for the first time. In the past I always seemed to get burned, trading a rising star for someone better. The problem was the rising star would continue to rise in the rankings making my trade a bad one. Would you recommend waiting to trade an up and coming player even though he might just have had one unusually good game? I find trading leagues to be fun, however it's frustrating when players vote down reasonable trades. It also rewards those who had a poor draft, enabling them to make up for that. Does anyone have thoughts on preferring trading to non trading leagues? Thanks.

Non trading league would be like getting a no sex marriage.IMO poor drafters will usually = poor tradersJust try making better decisions on the trades you make Seems like you have identified an issue in your past trades.

 

[dmac37]

IMO:

Redraft- non trading is better. There are too many questionable trades in redraft, there is no reason that each team can not be held responsible to field a team via draft and free agency. It sucks to watch a team benefit from another team making a horrible trade. Injuries suck but it is a natural part of the hobby, bogus trades are frustrating.

Dynasty- there is no reason that you should not have trading, this is a major factor on how well you will succeed.

 

[Skeletore Eh]

Yeah no trades would ruin half the fun atleast. What makes dynasty fun to me is that I'm the GM. I can judge when I'm on the cusp of making a run and acquire another player to put me over the top or when it's in the best interest of my team to start rebuilding.

No trades = no fun

 

[ConnSKINS26]

You sound like you don't know what you're doing. Maybe go back to 6-team leagues?

 

[Couch Potato]

Last season I only played in non trading leagues for the first time. In the past I always seemed to get burned, trading a rising star for someone better. The problem was the rising star would continue to rise in the rankings making my trade a bad one. Would you recommend waiting to trade an up and coming player even though he might just have had one unusually good game? I find trading leagues to be fun, however it's frustrating when players vote down reasonable trades. It also rewards those who had a poor draft, enabling them to make up for that. Does anyone have thoughts on preferring trading to non trading leagues? Thanks.

I think a large majority of people posting on this board this time of year would tell you trading leagues are the way to go, because they are the people more fully invested in fantasy football and freedom to trade is pretty much a requirement of these kinds of people.So, rather than ask that question, what you need to be asking is "How do I get better, and not destroy my team as I learn?"First, you need experience, but it doesn't have to be your own experience. Study the thread on offseason dynasty trades, usually floating around on page one of this forum. See what completed trades are being made and what comments are made about them. Also go to the assistant coach forum and look at contemplated trades and what people are saying. Find both redraft and dynasty rankings from various sources, and study them until you begin to get a natural feel for how players are ranked. Make these things a habit and you'll begin to get a better sense of player and pick valuation.Second, understand that patience is a virtue. Some people "need" to trade like a junkie needs his fix, and that can be dangerous. Only make a trade after you feel like you understand what it will do for and to your team both short and long term. You mentioned dealing away younger players for "better" players and then being burned. Remember, there is a life cycle of a playing career, and one of the worst things you can do is make a trade on the basis of last year's stats without understanding why those stats occurred and the likelihood of them recurring. Example -- Let's say stud WR A gets hurt in Week 2 and is lost for the year. Aging so-so WR B ends up getting most of his stats for the year because young WR C isn't ready to take on more of the offense yet. But following year, stud WR A will be back and young WR C will be more experienced. Clearly aging WR B will have worse stats than last year, but the inexperienced trader will see his 1,000 yards from last year and want to trade for him. By the way, this was not a hypothetical example, this was (A) K Britt, (B) N Washington, and ( C) D Williams of Tennessee.Also, since post-prime and pre-prime players are in different places on their career curves, you need to project ahead for at least the next 2-3 years where each player will be in terms of role and workload rather than relying on prior year stats. Comparing redraft and dynasty rankings of a particular player from sources you trust will help you with that. You can also use these ages as rough rules of thumb, with the understanding that you'll always have some exceptions -- (prime / decline phase)QB (26 to 31 / 34 to 36+)RB (2nd season to 26 / 29 to 31+)WR/TE (3rd season to 29 / 32 to 34+)Before prime is the pre-prime phase where the learning curve is in effect and they are getting better, and post-prime is where good players continue to produce but the danger zone is on the horizon. I'll guess you've been trading away guys in this pre-prime phase for guys just exiting the back end of the prime phase, or already entering the decline phase. Again, those ages I've given are rules of thumb, but be very cognizant of the ages and experience of guys you're trading.

 

[ATG]

I'll give you an example of what I'm talking about. Last year Victor Cruz came out of nowhere. He had a great game scoring two touchdowns. Many thought that they were lucky touchdowns and just a fluke. In a redraft league you could evaluate players, use top 200 going forward, etc. and trade accordingly, taking advantage of hot performance. The problem here is that he continues to improve and ultimately becomes a top 10 ProBowl caliber player. That is my dilemma. I think that it might ultimately be better to wait and see. If he is a one hit wonder, you lost an opportunity. However if he continues to improve, you'll kick yourself for trading too soon. I looked back at last years Footballguys ratings. He wasnt taken seriously until very late in the year.

 

[Couch Potato]

Hi ATG. The Cruz situation was pretty unique, it's true. There are only one or two guys per position per season who surprise the way he did, and in his case it was extreme.

But your recollection I think is off on FBG not reacting until late in the year. After his Weeks 3-5 (3-110-2, 6-98-0, 8-161-1), Dodds had him ranked #19 for WRs in Week 6. He had a low game and a bye, and Dodds then had him at #41, but after his 7-99-1 in Week 8, Dodds had him ranked #5 for Week 9. He was never ranked lower than #28 thereafter (San Fran game), and was actually ranked #1 for Week 13. As far as 200 forward is concerned, I don't know. I don't use it.

Anecdotally, I know that after that Week 3-5 stretch I tried in vain to trade for Cruz in several leagues for less than an arm and a leg. Most guys knew they had something good and they weren't letting go of him cheaply. A one-week wonder is one thing, but a three-game stretch of 17-369-3 is a wake up call.

Cruz aside, we all make mistakes -- sometimes big ones -- because no matter how much we learn and no matter how experienced we are, there's no crystal ball and we're going to sometimes guess wrong. I picked Colston up in pre-season of his rookie year before he took off, then let him go far too cheaply a few weeks into the season as it turned out. We all blow it sometimes, that's just a part of trading. But if you consistently follow the right principles you'll succeed in the long run.

 

[wiscstlatlmia]

Last season I only played in non trading leagues for the first time. In the past I always seemed to get burned, trading a rising star for someone better. The problem was the rising star would continue to rise in the rankings making my trade a bad one. Would you recommend waiting to trade an up and coming player even though he might just have had one unusually good game? I find trading leagues to be fun, however it's frustrating when players vote down reasonable trades. It also rewards those who had a poor draft, enabling them to make up for that. Does anyone have thoughts on preferring trading to non trading leagues? Thanks.

I think a large majority of people posting on this board this time of year would tell you trading leagues are the way to go, because they are the people more fully invested in fantasy football and freedom to trade is pretty much a requirement of these kinds of people.So, rather than ask that question, what you need to be asking is "How do I get better, and not destroy my team as I learn?"First, you need experience, but it doesn't have to be your own experience. Study the thread on offseason dynasty trades, usually floating around on page one of this forum. See what completed trades are being made and what comments are made about them. Also go to the assistant coach forum and look at contemplated trades and what people are saying. Find both redraft and dynasty rankings from various sources, and study them until you begin to get a natural feel for how players are ranked. Make these things a habit and you'll begin to get a better sense of player and pick valuation.Second, understand that patience is a virtue. Some people "need" to trade like a junkie needs his fix, and that can be dangerous. Only make a trade after you feel like you understand what it will do for and to your team both short and long term. You mentioned dealing away younger players for "better" players and then being burned. Remember, there is a life cycle of a playing career, and one of the worst things you can do is make a trade on the basis of last year's stats without understanding why those stats occurred and the likelihood of them recurring. Example -- Let's say stud WR A gets hurt in Week 2 and is lost for the year. Aging so-so WR B ends up getting most of his stats for the year because young WR C isn't ready to take on more of the offense yet. But following year, stud WR A will be back and young WR C will be more experienced. Clearly aging WR B will have worse stats than last year, but the inexperienced trader will see his 1,000 yards from last year and want to trade for him. By the way, this was not a hypothetical example, this was (A) K Britt, (B) N Washington, and ( C) D Williams of Tennessee.Also, since post-prime and pre-prime players are in different places on their career curves, you need to project ahead for at least the next 2-3 years where each player will be in terms of role and workload rather than relying on prior year stats. Comparing redraft and dynasty rankings of a particular player from sources you trust will help you with that. You can also use these ages as rough rules of thumb, with the understanding that you'll always have some exceptions -- (prime / decline phase)QB (26 to 31 / 34 to 36+)RB (2nd season to 26 / 29 to 31+)WR/TE (3rd season to 29 / 32 to 34+)Before prime is the pre-prime phase where the learning curve is in effect and they are getting better, and post-prime is where good players continue to produce but the danger zone is on the horizon. I'll guess you've been trading away guys in this pre-prime phase for guys just exiting the back end of the prime phase, or already entering the decline phase. Again, those ages I've given are rules of thumb, but be very cognizant of the ages and experience of guys you're trading.

yup, this is pretty much everything you need to know right here lol.Like he said though, no matter what, every trade is some sort of a gamble. The general rule of thumb here is that when making trades, dont let people force your into them. If they are offering you 'equal value' that you dont want for guys on your team that you want to keep... stay away. It sounds obvious, but some people are pretty sneaky at masking trades. I would suggest being the guy to propose rather than just fielding offers. If you want to trade a guy, trade him for something else that you want.

 

[ConnSKINS26]

"masking trades"?

 

[Johnny Blood]

I find trading leagues to be fun, however it's frustrating when players vote down reasonable trades.

I wouldn't call a league that votes on trades a "trading league." Quite the opposite.