Trades are a part of Fantasy EPL, and arguably one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking parts of it. Putting together a trade is always hard to do, everyone values their assets differently, and bias may lead to you overpaying for a player that won’t return that value. The toughest part is sending out that opening offer. You will hope it’s either good enough to receive a fair counter or be accepted, but you also worry if you could have got the same player for less, or you kill the trade with a poor offer.
In this article, I will give you different tips and tricks for constructing the Perfect Fantrax Trade. This begins with the opening trade offer, and what to do when you receive a counter offer. After 12 Gameweek’s, and the waiver wire becoming thin, trades will be the best way to improve your team going forward.
1. Who to Target For The Trade
The first thing you have to do is look at your team construction and ask yourself or others where your biggest strengths and weaknesses are. Do you have only 4 midfielders, but 6 forwards? Are you streaming defenders each week? Do you own 2 forwards who aren’t guaranteed to start each week? Do you have the proper balance of rotation and guaranteed starters? The proper balance of consistency and upside? All these questions will give you ideas of the “type” of players you should target. This could include types such as; a high upside mid, a consistent DEF2, a startable FWD3, and so on. Of course, everyone always wants to target the best possible player, but if you have a forward line of Salah, Abraham, Vardy, why would you want Mane also? You need to target the player that will have the most value on your current team.
Once you have figured out the type(s) of player you will target, you must find 3-4 names that fit that category. Once you have your list of players it is time to move onto step 2!
2. What Will Help Your Trade Partner?
A perfect Fantrax trade should more often than not be a win-win where both teams receive the value that they need going forward. Once you identify the manager that owns your target player, now you must look at their team’s strengths and weaknesses. You don’t want to offer them a player type they have too much. For example: If a manager has, Robertson, Doherty, Zouma, and Maguire, there is no use trying to sell them your Yerry Mina hoping, to get one of their limited starting midfielders.
If you find a clear weakness in their team, look to offer a player that will help that. If you see they have six defensive midfielders who can’t score goals, maybe offer them a boom or bust midfielder to get back some consistency. Remember, a trade will only be accepted if the manager it is proposed to feels that it helps their team improve.
3. Picking The Right Opening Offer
Now that you have identified the players you want to target and the opposing manager’s area of weakness; it is time to send an offer!
You never want to pay full price upfront in an opening offer, because if it is accepted right away, you probably could have offered less for the same deal. At the same time, you don’t want to send to lowball of an offer that it gets rejected instantly with no counter. You are targeting a high upside midfielder such as Bernardo Silva, from a manager who only has 1 quality forward. Luckily you have 4 forwards that you are having headaches choosing between. You don’t want to offer your best forward in a 1:1, so what should you do? I would look to offer your 2nd/3rd forward and throw in a defender to sweeten the deal as an opening offer. This is not an overpayment, but you will probably see the deal accepted or receive a counter offer.
**The Genie always likes to throw in an extra DEF2/DEF3 to sweeten the deal. Defenders can be streamed week to week even in deeper leagues based on matchups. Throwing one of them in as a package deal can get you an attacking player, and the points you lose from hat defender can be replaced through the Waiver Wire. A DEF2/DEF3 could be an essential aspect of finding that perfect Fantrax trade!
4. You Received A Counter Trade Offer…
Unfortunately, your first offer was declined, but luckily the manger has countered your offer. Sometimes the opposing manager will overvalue their player and come with an overpriced offer. Do not just accept a counter because you think it is your last chance! Make sure you are not ruining your overall team value and actually can use all players in the deal. If the counter satisfies your checklist and is within your value range go ahead and accept.
If the counter is not within your value estimate; time to send a second counter. When doing this be sure to understand what the other manager wants from this deal. Try to include some or all of the players that they asked for in their counter. You could try to add in a defender or take out a lesser player they asked for to try and even out the overall value.
5. Your Trade Offer Was Accepted/Declined
If your initial or counter offer was accepted, then Congratulations! You have successfully completed your trade. Look to add those players into your lineup and if you need to fill an extra roster spot take a look at your waiver wire for a player with high upside.
If your initial offer or counter offer was declined with no counter, it is time to look for another player. As said earlier, hopefully, you will have a list of 3-4 targets, so you should be able to send a different manager a similar offer. Another option is to also wait a week or two, hope your target player loses some value and send a very similar offer to the earlier manager.
Trades are all about improving the overall value and construction of your team. The best player in the deal won’t necessarily improve your team, sometimes it’s better to let the best player go. Don’t be afraid to say goodbye to your first-round pick if it means getting back a 3rd rounder + a 5th rounder.
Good luck finding that Perfect Fantrax Trade!
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