Productive Struggle Trade Targets

[spa12397]

Who are your targets in a rebuild?

[FantasyDumDum]

Young stud WRs. 26 and younger right now.

Hopkins 26
OBJ 26
Thomas 26
Adams 26
JuJu 22
Evans 25
Cooper 24
Diggs 25
Cooks 25
Kupp 25


I draw the line on stud somewhere in that Cooper to Kupp range. Pass on the guys 27 and older above that line:
Julio 30
AB 30
Keenan 27
AJG 30
Thielen 28
Hilton 29
Woods 27


Outside of that load up on 2020 and 2021 rd 1 picks.

[kamihamster]

vague question so here's my general answer.

pre-season: it doesn't make sense, but the older studs. right now it's all about youth and these guys are proven but down on value because it's all about rookies and youth. buy low on older studs like AJ Green and older solid guys like Thielen. but don't trade away your picks!! Sell these guys in season for picks to contenders. also pick up depth RBs. the RB position is the easiest place to capture value quickly. if a starter goes down, the backup who was previously very low value can suddenly be very valuable.

in-season: buy any injured stud. in 2016 i believe i bought Keenan Allen and a 2017 1st when he tore his ACL in week 1 for Lamar Miller. I got a solid WR the following year, and a valuable rookie pick. those older players you bought in the pre-season are now a lot more valuable and the ammo you need to buy picks from contenders who have loosened their grip on picks because their eyes are set on the current year.

post-season: ask yourself lots of questions. are the injured studs you acquired a guy you want to keep or flip? is the draft class weak or strong? will you be able to compete the upcoming year, or do you need more time? the answer to those questions will determine the direction of your team.

[Cult of Dionysus]

A re-build team can't buy studs. You need to go for value guys with upside (e.g. Sterling Shepard 2 years ago, Godwin last year, etc.). And use the draft to restock your roster. Start with TEs, QBs and WRs. I say TEs and QBs first, cuz they are generally available at a good discount. You can pick up Hockenson for 1.07 and Kyler Murray for probably 1.13-15. That nets you two solid starters for possibly 8-10 years. With WRs, I say go for depth, not top-tier quality. Try to acquire WR2s or WR2 prospects. You can get them far cheaper than a WR1.

Only go for RBs as you make progress on the other three fronts. Lastly, if you can get one or two productive players on Waivers, that will do a lot for your team.

[Pullo Vision]

I agree with both kamilhamster's and Cult's answer. Which way you go depends on your faith in your trading skills, and the league's history of trading. I'm repeatedly in my leagues' top 3 in trades, so I'm lean towards kamil's answer. But, if it was tough to get a trade, I'd go with Cult's position.

[kamihamster]

I guess if you are so void of talent on your roster that you can't acquire any semi valuable player, then sell every opportunity you get to pick up a pick. Identify a good draft class and try loading up for those picks. The draft is your best bet to pick up good talent at the lowest cost. Some will be misses, but if you pick up enough, and choose a strong draft class, you will help your odds. (I loaded up on 2017 picks in my rebuild, and got Mixon, Cook, Kamara, Foreman, Conner, Juju, and Mahomes... Foreman is my miss but he also got injured). Play the waiver wire, and hopefully you'll land a Thielen or Baldwin, flip them or keep them depending on how you draft.

[Pullo Vision]

in-season: buy any injured stud. in 2016 i believe i bought Keenan Allen and a 2017 1st when he tore his ACL in week 1 for Lamar Miller. I got a solid WR the following year, and a valuable rookie pick. those older players you bought in the pre-season are now a lot more valuable and the ammo you need to buy picks from contenders who have loosened their grip on picks because their eyes are set on the current year.

We're getting to the point in the season where teams that thought they could contend are finding out that answer. Adding to this idea of getting injured players (can only think of Guice), I like to get rookie/young players underperforming due to situation, Corey Davis and AJ Brown being good examples.

Generally, I like to get long term value without regard to production, so "name brand" players underperforming like Landry could be options.

[Patsfan86]

Start loading up on 2020 picks now. its supposed to be a really good draft class. Also be patient and wait for some of these rookies you like to hit the rookie wall then try to buy them then OR even better in the offseason. The rookies this season have started hot and it will be hard to get them now but many will hit a wall and thats when you swoop in. I think the AJ Brown example someone mentioned was perfect. He is very talented but in a horrific situation that may change. Also as mentioned load up on WR2s and back up RBs thats a great strategy as well. Getting studs is going to be tough if not impossible right now and will blow your rebuild so be patient.

[Patsfan86]

Gallup is a nice guy you can try to snag right now. He is injured so will be a bit cheaper and has definitely flashed. Robby Anderson should be very cheap, beyond cheap and is worth a shot. Andy Isabella, MVS, James Washington, 100 percent DJ Moore if he starts sucking without Cam, if you have the assets you could take a shot at Melvin Gordon, his cheapest price will be now.

[abloom]

Depends on format. but generally dont worry about TEs and RBs. TE scoring is kinda flat, and you can get veteran TEs putting up decent numbers. RB careers are relatively short and are easier to acquire in rookie drafts.

In Superflex/2QB building around young QBs works. In single QB forget them, since again Vets can be had. Sell your vet QBs like Brady and Brees to contenders and bring on younger QBs like Darnold, Jones etc.

Always build around WRs. They have long careers and are easier to predict when established. I'd slide them into the following groups to target:

Group 1 (probably in this order)
Hopkins
OBJ
Thomas
Adams

Group 2
JuJu
Evans
Hill

Group 3
Keenan Allen
Cooper
Diggs
Cooks
Kupp
Ridley
Robinson (but damn I wish he had a better QB)

Group 4: Players I think have good upside but are not top tiered players yet
Sutton
Godwin (though he's getting close to that top list)
Moore

probably a few others I'm not thinking of.

In drafts, I just take best player available and look to sell them for other assets if I need to. My leagues tend to have long drafts (7 rounds). First 3-4 rounds I draft rookies based on talent. rounds 5-7 I draft players that I think could improve their stock in off season and just quickly flip them. This season I grabbed Ballage in the 5th in one league, and Gordon in the 7th in two. Traded Ballage, 2020 2nd and 2020 4th for a 2020 1st (I'm hoping that my 2020 2nd and 4th are late and the 2020 1st is top 6), traded Gordon for a 2020 2nd in one league, and Gordon + 2020 6th for 2020 3rd in the other. Those picks will be used gain to move up or will turn into more players.

[sloth8u]

Selling current assets is key.... Ideally you want to get multiple or premium assets in return. Target guys you want to own. Picks are nice...but ultimately.... Your hoping to get production, make sure to get a player in a trade aswell. I try not to worry too much about age....2-3 yrs is a long time in our game. IF IM BUILDING, i want pieces that others want.... If that means i give a couple quarters for high end players....i do it. Ideally, you end up needing roster spots for your picks anyways.

2 very big things when building...take advantage of the ups and downs in player value and be active on the waiver wire. Owners have to drop guys as they pick up guys they want....we could go on for days about the gems claimed off waivers or guys that turned into a 1st that proved to be irrelevant.

[DLF3000]

Dumpster-fire fantasy teams should buy even MORE injured/out players, as long as they're still reasonable in age.

In a true rebuild, makes sense to go after guys like Foles, Darnold, Guice, Love, Njoku, Harry, Funchess, Henry, Sternberger, etc. So much easier to get in trade right now for picks or veterans.

That doesn't mean every guy above goes for a 4th - use your brain and don't insult other owners. It means there's a small but real discount if you're willing to trade for it. Trades should ideally be valuable to both teams' situations and needs, not a one-sided fleecing. One-sided fleecing equivalents is what getting insanely lucky on the waiver wire is for.

As long as you can still field reasonable starters to survive the year, who cares about loading up on injured guys for next year? The only question is how big your injury tolerance is as a GM - if it's low, then pass on this strategy as it obviously won't work for you.

[MontrealBen]

A quick comment: my experience is that 2020 picks are being overvalued already. NO ONE in my leagues wants to part with them because they've already hear so much about how it's going to be a great class. They already have the rookie fever. My advice is to be willing to go for 2021 picks. Dynasty owners often tend to overly discount picks that are two years out. Yes, there is a slight cost to you in terms of waiting to see the benefit. On the other hand, they are the only guaranteed appreciating assets in fantasy (up until the point where they become players). They will be worth more in June than they are now, and more in season next year than that. They are also useful tools for moving around in the 2020 draft to target players you think you need in your rebuild. Besides that point, most of the devy players around here (I am not one) seem to believe that the 2021 class could be as good or better than the 2020 class. If you have the patience, you might be able to get better talent in the long term by waiting one year for your pick, and it should cost you less.

[MrUbuto]

I'm a big believer tre'quan can dominate in this league.

MT signing long term hurts him but we'll see. Things change fast in the nfl

[DinoDynasty]

dont trade away John Ross for a 4th during the offseason
dont drop John Brown
dont trade up to draft KNeal Harry

dont be like me.