Fantasy Football Trading Remorse
We are heading into week 6 in the NFL, and by now I’m guessing a trade offer or two has come your way. A trade in fantasy football can be what guys live for. Some swamp players like they’re wall street stock brokers, trying to get the best value or deal they can. For others, teams with great early fantasy records find themselves tempted as their loaded depth is all of a sudden valuable to the teams that are struggling.

Still, a fantasy trade does come with some remorse. I remember seeing a few people seeking help on trade offers throughout message boards a couple of weeks back. Offers like: Arian Foster and a bench warmer for Michael Turner and Austin Collie. I never followed up on whether the trade went through, but the overall risk in trading for a player off only a couple hot starts is ludicrous.

The following are rules to keep in mind to help you come out strong when making a trade:

Think 3 Moves Ahead
You may be one of those lucky people who win every time with Online Slot Machines, but a fantasy football trade can burn you with one bad injury. If you are making a deal for a stud running back, get the guy to throw in the back up to this fantasy star just in case. Grabbing that back-up RB is worth nothing at the time, but if you’re newly acquired star gets hurt that number 2 RB is a huge safety net.

Do Your Math Before You Trade For Picks
Some keeper leagues let you trade draft picks for players, a smart move if the season isn’t worth saving. While I’m not the type of player to ever give up, or even give away draft picks, I do see it all the time. A 2nd round pick may sound like an excellent addition for a guy like Cedric Benson, but if your league has 5 keepers than you 2nd round pick, isn’t really a 2nd round pick. A lot of the time people forget that 10-12 man leagues with 5+ keepers is really chopping a good portion of the talent out of your draft. Factor in what a draft pick is really worth before you make a trade for one.

Expect The Odd Bad Week
It would be nice to be able to predict the future or be some sort of Casino Expert, but the reality is these players you’re about to trade away, will have the odd good game. We all want the same thing when it comes to a fantasy trade, a complete and utter robbery. We want to use the trade as a joke for years to come about how you ripped off your buddy. Yet, if you really think about it, the guy on the other end of the trade is wanting and after the exact same thing. So don’t beat yourself up every week one of your ex-players has a good week

Trade For What Could Be
Sometimes the best trades involve players on cold streaks. A text message from a friend in the pool ranting about how he hates one or two of his fantasy players is the perfect tip that he see’s little value in them. While the same goes for a player off a huge game, what have you done for me lately is all most people seem to care about. Buy low and sell high and always try and trade’em while they’re hot.