It can be tricky as a dynasty manager to stay active in your leagues. As we get into the thick of the season, the roster starts to slowly feel cemented into place. The waiver wire is typically empty in these deeper leagues, making trading your only avenue for change. But trading is hard! Trading involves plenty of brainpower and negotiations. It’s taxing, but it can be so incredibly worth the effort. 

It’s not much, but I do offer just a few dynasty fantasy football tips for you, reader, to help guide you as you enter the trading floor. 

Dynasty Fantasy Football: How to Master Trade Negotiations

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Communication Is Key, But Don’t Drone On

If you want to trade effectively in Dynasty, you need to communicate with your trade partner. I firmly believe that every good trade is built on a solid conversation. The trade discussion should be a good back-and-forth between the two owners, as the final trade lands somewhere a little different from the initial offer. This doesn’t happen if you send a trade without any follow-up or invitation for debate.

However, there are times when too much back-and-forth leads to a dead deal. There have been plenty of times when a potential trade partner sends me a message asking whether a player is available and what I am looking for in a deal. Great start! I’ll respond to some degree about where I think the value is for that player, as we all would. At this point, the inquiring owner should submit an offer to kick off negotiations. Any more back-and-forth at this point slowly decreases the chance a deal gets done, at least anecdotally. 

Talk is good, but no one wants a back-and-forth hindered by fear of making the first move. 

Be Flexible, But Come In With A Plan In Mind 

Trading in Dynasty has to be deliberate. That means when you head into trade discussions, you need a solid plan in mind. The other owner will try and sway you into some options that may not be in your best interest. It happens often, and if you go in without a plan, you may end up in a sticky situation. 

That plan should also account for some wiggle room in the trade negotiations, since being too stubborn could end the conversation prematurely. If you are dead-set on getting Player A, don’t walk away from the deal if you can’t send away Player B while keeping Player C. Be open to some variation of your initial deal. Sometimes, the other owner will ask for a player that you didn’t even consider. Just keep your original plan in mind as the deal slowly warps into something completely new.

Utilize Tools Available, But Remember They Are Not The Final Verdict 

Oh, trade calculators. What do we do with you? 

Everyone loves using tools like KeepTradeCut (KTC) to determine whether a deal “makes sense” from a value perspective. And I understand the use case for trade tools, because no one wants to be on the wrong end of a trade screenshot on socials. At the end of the day, however, you need to remember what’s best for your team at any given time. Trade calculators lack insight into your roster construction, your team’s record, your roster’s role (rebuilder/contender), or any other information that adds context to the trade. These are simply tools for you to leverage in trade deals, but they aren’t the end-all, be-all. 

That’s to say, it’s ok to “lose” on a trade if you believe it works for your roster. Take this as permission to accept a trade that KTC says you lose, but you believe is in the best interest of your team. 

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