FANTASY SPORTS: The Art of the 2-for-1 Deal
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Jan 14 2010, 1:01 PM
Here's a helpful fantasy sports trading tip, courtesy of TheFantasyGeek.com. One way to give your starting lineup a boost is by pulling off a 2-for-1 trade. When assembled shrewdly, a 2-for-1 can net you an All-Star who can be a difference-maker for your team. But beware, savvy fantasy owners are keen to the twofer, and many won’t get into a deal in which they give up the best player. You never know exactly how other owners value players, so it’s always worth a shot. For the purposes of this column, I used NBA players, since we're in the heart of the fantasy basketball season. These guidelines, however, can and should be applied to any fantasy team sport. Here are the best times to consider trading two players for one:
When you have a very deep bench
Do have a bunch of tough decisions when you set your lineup each week? That may be because your reserve players are about as good as your back-end starters. This is a blessing, not a curse. But unless you’ve got an entire roster of Grangers, Hamiltons and Garnetts, you only need one or two quality backups. If you can combine one reserve and one starter for a better starter and still have solid choices off the bench, you need to make that move. There’s nothing worse than seeing all your reserves put up huge stats from your sideline, so package one or two of those guys for an upgrade!
When you have an injured player returning (only for leagues that use IR)
This is when I primarily turn my attention to the twofer. Earlier this season, I didn’t follow the advice that I’m giving you now. And it cost me. I had Lou Williams on my injured reserve. But he came back faster than expected from a broken jaw. I had to make room on my roster, but didn’t want to drop any of my reserves (Mehmet Okur, Mike Conley and Mike Dunleavy). I got a bit lazy and didn’t take the 10-20 minutes needed to put together an offer. I figured none of those guys had enough trade value to make it worthwhile. But when I dumped Okur, another owner couldn’t have claimed him fast enough. He had been struggling, but is still a solid player. And he’s elevated his game since I gave him the boot. Anyway, his name is a little too well-known to be popping up on the waiver wire. I could’ve explored my options and packaged Mehmet and one of my starters for a slightly better starter. Since I was going to drop him anyway, I had nothing to lose. So don’t make the same mistake I did (this time). Shop around before you reactivate your wounded.
When you see that an opponent’s lineup is thin
This one’s for all you sharks out there…everyone ready to pounce when a leaguemate is in trouble. Sure, you may play the nice guy, saying things like, “This trade really helps both teams.” But it’ll help yours more. Yet if you see owners with depleted rosters, they may be desperate to swap quality for quantity. Take Michael Redd owners for example. Their teams suddenly find themselves with a sizeable hole at the guard spot. If they’re also juggling a few other injuries, say, with Pau Gasol or Kevin Garnett, you may find them more impatient than usual. Serve up a quick fix and see if they bite. Sometimes they’ll be so flustered by injuries that they’ll be willing to part with a stud who’s out for a few weeks in return for two stable players that are putting up consistent numbers.
The twofer is a valuable tool for every fantasy owner. If you’ve been leaving it in the shed, it’s definitely time you dusted it off and put it to work for your team.
For more fantasy sports strategies, plus advice,
observations and absurdity, check out:
And follow The Fantasy
Geek on Twitter
More on Geekweek
Here's a helpful fantasy sports trading tip, courtesy of TheFantasyGeek.com. One way to give your starting lineup a boost is by pulling off a 2-for-1 trade. When assembled shrewdly, a 2-for-1 can net you an All-Star who can be a difference-maker for your team. But beware, savvy fantasy owners are keen to the twofer, and many won’t get into a deal in which they give up the best player. You never know exactly how other owners value players, so it’s always worth a shot. For the purposes of this column, I used NBA players, since we're in the heart of the fantasy basketball season. These guidelines, however, can and should be applied to any fantasy team sport. Here are the best times to consider trading two players for one:
When you have a very deep bench
Do have a bunch of tough decisions when you set your lineup each week? That may be because your reserve players are about as good as your back-end starters. This is a blessing, not a curse. But unless you’ve got an entire roster of Grangers, Hamiltons and Garnetts, you only need one or two quality backups. If you can combine one reserve and one starter for a better starter and still have solid choices off the bench, you need to make that move. There’s nothing worse than seeing all your reserves put up huge stats from your sideline, so package one or two of those guys for an upgrade!
When you have an injured player returning (only for leagues that use IR)
This is when I primarily turn my attention to the twofer. Earlier this season, I didn’t follow the advice that I’m giving you now. And it cost me. I had Lou Williams on my injured reserve. But he came back faster than expected from a broken jaw. I had to make room on my roster, but didn’t want to drop any of my reserves (Mehmet Okur, Mike Conley and Mike Dunleavy). I got a bit lazy and didn’t take the 10-20 minutes needed to put together an offer. I figured none of those guys had enough trade value to make it worthwhile. But when I dumped Okur, another owner couldn’t have claimed him fast enough. He had been struggling, but is still a solid player. And he’s elevated his game since I gave him the boot. Anyway, his name is a little too well-known to be popping up on the waiver wire. I could’ve explored my options and packaged Mehmet and one of my starters for a slightly better starter. Since I was going to drop him anyway, I had nothing to lose. So don’t make the same mistake I did (this time). Shop around before you reactivate your wounded.
When you see that an opponent’s lineup is thin
This one’s for all you sharks out there…everyone ready to pounce when a leaguemate is in trouble. Sure, you may play the nice guy, saying things like, “This trade really helps both teams.” But it’ll help yours more. Yet if you see owners with depleted rosters, they may be desperate to swap quality for quantity. Take Michael Redd owners for example. Their teams suddenly find themselves with a sizeable hole at the guard spot. If they’re also juggling a few other injuries, say, with Pau Gasol or Kevin Garnett, you may find them more impatient than usual. Serve up a quick fix and see if they bite. Sometimes they’ll be so flustered by injuries that they’ll be willing to part with a stud who’s out for a few weeks in return for two stable players that are putting up consistent numbers.
When you have a very deep bench
Do have a bunch of tough decisions when you set your lineup each week? That may be because your reserve players are about as good as your back-end starters. This is a blessing, not a curse. But unless you’ve got an entire roster of Grangers, Hamiltons and Garnetts, you only need one or two quality backups. If you can combine one reserve and one starter for a better starter and still have solid choices off the bench, you need to make that move. There’s nothing worse than seeing all your reserves put up huge stats from your sideline, so package one or two of those guys for an upgrade!
When you have an injured player returning (only for leagues that use IR)
This is when I primarily turn my attention to the twofer. Earlier this season, I didn’t follow the advice that I’m giving you now. And it cost me. I had Lou Williams on my injured reserve. But he came back faster than expected from a broken jaw. I had to make room on my roster, but didn’t want to drop any of my reserves (Mehmet Okur, Mike Conley and Mike Dunleavy). I got a bit lazy and didn’t take the 10-20 minutes needed to put together an offer. I figured none of those guys had enough trade value to make it worthwhile. But when I dumped Okur, another owner couldn’t have claimed him fast enough. He had been struggling, but is still a solid player. And he’s elevated his game since I gave him the boot. Anyway, his name is a little too well-known to be popping up on the waiver wire. I could’ve explored my options and packaged Mehmet and one of my starters for a slightly better starter. Since I was going to drop him anyway, I had nothing to lose. So don’t make the same mistake I did (this time). Shop around before you reactivate your wounded.
When you see that an opponent’s lineup is thin
This one’s for all you sharks out there…everyone ready to pounce when a leaguemate is in trouble. Sure, you may play the nice guy, saying things like, “This trade really helps both teams.” But it’ll help yours more. Yet if you see owners with depleted rosters, they may be desperate to swap quality for quantity. Take Michael Redd owners for example. Their teams suddenly find themselves with a sizeable hole at the guard spot. If they’re also juggling a few other injuries, say, with Pau Gasol or Kevin Garnett, you may find them more impatient than usual. Serve up a quick fix and see if they bite. Sometimes they’ll be so flustered by injuries that they’ll be willing to part with a stud who’s out for a few weeks in return for two stable players that are putting up consistent numbers.
The twofer is a valuable tool for every fantasy owner. If you’ve been leaving it in the shed, it’s definitely time you dusted it off and put it to work for your team.
For more fantasy sports strategies, plus advice,
observations and absurdity, check out:
And follow The Fantasy
Geek on Twitter
More on Geekweek
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