This dynasty trade was made in a 12-team PPR league, start 1-2-3-1-2Flex. 30 man rosters with a 2-year taxi squad for all drafted rookies.
The Approach
After diving deep into this league for my Dynasty Team Review, I received a surprising offer from a 2-3 team that offered Tom Brady, Julio Jones, and Martellus Bennett. The asking price was astronomically high. My team construction suggests that I can compete for years to come with a young core of elite talents, and I did not want to sell the future for short term rentals at quarterback and tight end. Also, sitting at 1-4, my team was very close to being eliminated from playoff contention. However, the thought of acquiring Julio Jones at a discount to fuel a playoff run was appealing. Since a non-negotiable part of the deal was my 2017 1st round pick and my weekly matchup was looking to be tight, we did not complete a trade until after week 6 completed. At this point, we were both sitting at 2-4.
The Trade
Gave Keenan Allen, Cameron Meredith, Don Jackson, 2017 1st
Received Julio Jones
Though I ‘won’ this trade based on Twitter polling, ADP data, and several other arbitrary metrics, this was one of the most difficult trades I have made. After clicking accept I felt physically sick. With one or two bad breaks, I miss the playoffs and this becomes a wasted year.
My philosophy of team-building is not to buy studs at peak value. I had zero shares of Julio Jones, Dez Bryant, A.J. Green, DeAndre Hopkins or Antonio Brown before this trade because I sold my remaining shares this past offseason. I believe Jones will continue his solid season and will still retain enough value to cash out this upcoming offseason. His WR1 upside will hopefully give me a weekly boost and propel me to the playoffs.
Post-Trade Roster Highlights
Jameis Winston, Kirk Cousins
LeVeon Bell, Tevin Coleman, Giovanni Bernard, Jordan Howard, Matt Jones, Kenneth Dixon, Orleans Darkwa, Jacquizz Rodgers
Mike Evans, Julio Jones, Brandin Cooks, DeVante Parker, Devin Funchess, Sammie Coates, Phillip Dorsett, Anquan Boldin, Eli Rodgers, Cobi Hamilton
Coby Fleener, Clive Walford, Dennis Pitta, Jack Doyle
2017 2,2,2,2,4,5
2018 1,1,2,3,4,5
Takeaways
One of the quotes in the UTH weekly pod introduction is “Playing it safe in Dynasty means you’re going to lose.” This is why I had to pull the trigger and make this trade. While my roster is one of the best in the league, there are no guarantees. One player may not change my seasonal outlook, but Julio Jones is a difference maker that can win a week on his own.
Though this is a win-now trade, I do not consider this a waste of value. So many win-now trades involving high draft picks are made for players already decreasing in value. These will always be regretted the following year. When you make a win-now trade on a UTH built team, look for assets that will hold their value. This allows you to cash out the following year, or hold because they fit into your larger team-building plan.
