RADIO
Scott Engel identifies fantasy football buy-low candidates, and also players to sell now. Plus, he offers tips for successful trading. Read his buy/sell advice heading into Week 8 of the 2019 NFL season.
Many fantasy football trades get rejected or talks break off because the team making offers does not think things through. The owner sending the offer usually thinks about only what they want and need and how little they may be able to part with.
Such offers usually consist of one owner simply deciding on the star or superstar player he wants and then compiling a package of two to three players in exchange. The offering team does not look at the other roster to see what they truly need or they quickly gloss over it. Or they just simply want to sell someone and think “what can I get for my guy” if the offered player does have higher value.
One-sided thinking does not help you complete deals in most instances. Nor does pairing two under-performing, inconsistent or widely undesired players in an offer for the guy that you want. An offer of Calvin Ridley and Joe Mixon is not going to bring back Chris Carson. Here are some simple steps and pointers to increase your odds of making a trade.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
10 Keys to Executing a Fantasy Football Trade
1 – Decide the range of player you want and what you are willing to give up. If you want a WR1, be prepared to at least part with a higher-end RB2.
2 – Review your roster and see if you truly need a superstar to boost your outlook. You don’t always have to get a Michael Thomas or Chris Godwin to improve at WR.
3 – Knowing where you have quality depth, review the roster grids in your league. If you are loaded at WR and need a RB, find teams that have good depth at RB and need a WR. You must identify the right trade partner first before you decide what players you want to target in a deal. You should not just blindly go after who you want if the other team doesn’t need what you present.
4 – Remember the goals of a quality trade for yourself: Either upgrade at a position or fill an area of need. One for one deals at the same position are often a wash and don’t help both sides very much. We don’t rule them out, but offering Derrick Henry for Josh Jacobs doesn’t really help either side. It’s two players at the same position with similar value.
5 – If you think you can rip off the other team for any reason, go for making a lopsided offer in your favor. We’re not saying don’t try if you think you can pull it off. But remember who you are dealing with. If the other owner has your level of experience and insight, don’t bother making an offer that will be ignored or rejected and is a waste of time.
6 – If you know you can’t rip the other guy off, then put yourself on his side and ask yourself honestly if you would consider such an offer. Thinking how the other guy does is a huge key here and one too many owners ignore when structuring their offers. Think outside yourself!
7 – If the other guy comes back with “I’ll think about it” or “I will look into it” you are getting a tactful rejection and need to restructure your offer or move on to other partners. Realize the signs of why the other guy is not interested and inquire why if he doesn’t tell you right away.
8 - Be ready with a respectable counter-offer when you get rejected and told why.
9 – Know your potential trade partner. Don’t offer sales pitches if they are very experienced fantasy players and they just want to shoot straight. But if you can charm and reason them into thinking the deal through further, go for it. The King personally gets frustrated by sales pitches. I know what I am doing here, spare me the BS. But someone else in my league may fall for it.
10 – Build a respectable offer that helps both sides from the start and you may be able to complete a deal quickly and easily.
Week 9 – Buy ‘Em
Tevin Coleman, RB, SF: Many owners are shopping him as he comes off a 105-yard, three TD rushing performance and you should strongly consider buying from them. They believe they should “sell high” as Coleman’s value is at its peak after such an outing. Moving a player just because he had a big game isn’t always the way to go. The undefeated 49ers are riding high on the NFC’s best rushing offense and will continue to employ Coleman as their lead guy. Just don’t overpay for the singular performance and refuse to part with a high-level WR1 for Coleman.
Miles Sanders, RB, PHI: Earlier this season, the rookie was running tentatively and his owners were widely considering him as a cut candidate. But he has come on strong recently and is a dazzling package of pretty cutback moves, speed and receiving skills. Sanders is blossoming quickly and his price will be lowered because of a shoulder injury that is not a major issue, according to published reports. He has scored 15-plus Fantasy points in two of his past three games. He has the look of a strong flex play.
Melvin Gordon, RB, LAC: It shouldn’t take much to acquire Gordon based on his recent performances and he may benefit from an offensive coordinator change. Last week he looked like he was starting to run with more authority at times and he delivered a rushing TD for the first time this season.
Allen Robinson, WR, CHI: He is not spectacular, but Robinson is steady and admirably rises above the offensive levels of his teammates. He has at least five catches and 60 yards in every game since Week 2.
Golden Tate, WR, NYG: In this space this week, we are featuring guys that can help you and don’t have superstar labels. You don’t always have to shoot sky high to improve your team and Tate is a perfect example. He has at least six catches and 80 yards in each of his last three games and will continue to produce pretty well for you if and when Sterling Shepard returns.
Tyrell Williams, WR, OAK: Underrated player alert! Williams is back healthy again and has scored in all of the five games he has played this season! Plus, he has big play ability and is Oakland’s clear WR1.
Mark Andrews, TE, BAL: He is coming off a game where he was plagued by drops and we get the sense some of his owners are down on him after that outing, plus a bye week created holes in their fantasy lineups and box scores.
Mike Gesicki TE, MIA: This is a lower level recommendation in larger and dynasty leagues. Before Monday night he had shown some signs of progress. Swing a low level deal to get him if you can, as improved play may not be far away.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, KC: Some owners are very willing to deal away injured players, especially if they are in a must-win situation this week.
Matthew Stafford, QB, DET: He is playing like a Top 10 Fantasy QB right now, but many of his current owners may not trust him to keep up his recent pace. With no running game and a terrible pass defense in Detroit, he will keep gunning like he did prior to last year.
Sell ‘Em
Le'Veon Bell, RB, NYJ: Any fantasy player with decent knowledge knows how friendly the Jets schedule is through Week 14. The production has been just adequate so you should see what you can get for Bell.
Austin Ekeler, RB, LAC: As noted above, we could start seeing more of Gordon soon.
David Montgomery, RB, CHI: Finally came through with what many believe was his awaited breakout game in Week 8. But you cannot rely on anyone in Chicago other than Robinson.
Robert Woods, WR, LAR: He does not have a single TD reception and has been a source of some fantasy frustration for his current owners. But reputations from previous seasons can linger in fantasy circles and he does have name value.
Calvin Ridley, WR, ATL: He is wildly inconsistent, but plays in a high-flying offense. He is on a bye, so if you are using a sales pitch, make it seem like you are desperate to unload him because he won’t play this week. The other guy may think he is getting one over on you.
Courtland Sutton, WR, DEN: He was playing at a high-end fantasy WR2 level with Joe Flacco. Focus on previous production in your sales pitches, saying that he produced well with a washed-up QB. The truth is, the loss of Flacco is going to hurt his outlook. They had a terrific on-field rapport.
Kirk Cousins, QB, MIN: After two big games, Cousins reminded us last week that he just cannot be trusted to sustain momentum. With an upcoming game against K.C. perceived as a good matchup, sell him to a QB needy owner if you can. The Matt Ryan team in your league is a good target. The Falcons are in a bye and Ryan is recovering from an ankle injury.
NOTE: We are not recommending to sell on any specific TEs this week. If you have a Top 8 or so guy you really cannot afford to part with him unless you can upgrade. But we are hearing from a lot of owners who have two top TEs complaining they cannot get rid of one. Many teams out there need a TE upgrade, maybe some tight end heavy owners are asking for too much in return.
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