This dynasty trade was made in mid-May on one of my strongest teams. The league is a 14-team non-PPR, start 1-2-2-1-1Flex-K-DST with shallow 22 man rosters and no taxi or injured reserve. I have finished in the top-3 in all three years of the league.
The Approach
Two factors played into this trade; an adopted orphan and roster size. My strategy is to get in front of the rest of the league in trade negotiations with a new owner, especially when there was not a dispersal draft. These owners tend to be more willing to make major moves and sometimes you can find extreme value if an owner does not value your target player. This owner made it clear that he was looking to reshape his team, and was willing to make a splash.
After creating significant team depth, my strategy was to improve my starting lineup during the off-season. With a limited number of roster spots, I also needed to free up space for my rookie picks and to leave room to churn in-season. I was expecting to do this in smaller chunks, but this offer was too much to refuse.
The Trade
Gave Lamar Miller, Karlos Williams, Matt Jones, DeVante Parker, Michael Floyd, 4.7, 4.12, 2017 2nd, 2017 3rd
Received Todd Gurley, Sammy Watkins, Clive Walford, 1.9, 2017 1st, 2017 5th
This offer accomplished both of my goals. It freed up three roster spots this year, and it added two top-tier assets to plug into my starting lineup each week. While I am giving a huge amount of capital, only Lamar Miller was a projected starter. Getting 1.9 and the 2017 1st will allow me to add to my depth. There is a chance that the 2017 pick will be early. I project four of these players to be weekly starters for his team. Clive Walford is more than a throw-in with tight ends holding slightly more value in a 14-team league.
The Post Trade Rosters
His Roster
Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater
Lamar Miller, Melvin Gordon, Matt Jones, Karlos Williams, Danny Woodhead
Brandin Cooks, DeVante Parker, Michael Floyd, Allen Hurns, Nelson Agholor
Jordan Cameron, Richard Rodgers
2016 4.7, 4.12
My Roster
Andrew Luck, Kirk Cousins
Le’Veon Bell, Todd Gurley, (Ezekiel Elliott)
Odell Beckham Jr., Sammy Watkins, Kevin White, Jordan Matthews, Breshad Perriman, Devin Funchess
Travis Kelce, Clive Walford, Austin Seferian-Jenkins
2016 1.1, 1.9, 1.12, 5.7, 5.12
2017 1,1,4,5,5
Takeaways
I do not feel that this is a deal I would have been able to pull off with an established owner. This is why I approach new owners to see what kind of moves are possible. It is also important to go into trade negotiations with a strategy. I knew that consolidating roster spots was vital to my team and am now poised to remain in contention for the foreseeable future.
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