Trades can make or break your Fantasy EPL season. Fact. A successful Fantrax Draft Premier League manager needs to be active in the trade market, always sniffing out a deal to improve their roster. Be it trading in a player before they explode, or trading out a player who just isn't performing, our Gameweek 31 Trade Advice article has all of your needs covered!
Get out there and use the below advice for Fantrax trades this week. Trading is fun!
Trade In Advice
Here we're going to be recommending Fantasy EPL players to trade into your side. These may be Premier League players who are performing consistently well and are likely to continue to do so. Or they could be players who are currently underperforming but are likely to improve their points haul in the near future. These are your "buy low" players.
Pedro Neto
Position: Forward
Team: Wolves
Rostered: 91%
Prospects: Neto has arguably been the revelation of the season: undrafted at the beginning only to end up with a first round draft grade by mid-season. After 2 under-5-point games in the last 4, there may be a window to get in the Portuguese youngster. Wolves have one of the best schedules for forwards in the next 6 games.
Verdict: It is going to be very difficult to get Neto in, especially from a manager who has most likely reaped the rewards of his week 1 pickup, or early season bargain trade. Consulting our Top 200 Ranks is always a good bet to get a feel for where we value a player. Ings, Jota, or Antonio could be good shouts to start negotiating.
Jack Grealish
Position: Midfielder
Team: Aston Villa
Rostered: 100%
Prospects: Be warned. This is a highly risky play. Not because Super Jack is not a top player or because he is boom/bust. It's mostly because Dean Smith is a stone cold liar (like most other PL managers). We currently know nothing about the injury situation surrounding Jack Grealish and it is certain that we will not know anything specific until actual lineups are announced. That being said, Grealish has been ranked number 2 in our Top 200 Consensus ranks and Villa have one game in hand on most other teams. This still makes Grealish an attractive trade in target. Oh and after missing seven games, he is still the 3rd highest scorer this season.
Verdict: The window is very short to get Jack in and I would only recommend trading for him in specific situations. Most notably, if you play in a playoff league.
Trade Out Advice
Here we're going to be recommending Fantasy EPL players to trade out of your side. These may be Premier League players who are performing badly and are likely to continue to do so. Or they could be players who are currently overperforming and are likely to decline in value of the coming weeks. These are your "sell high" players.
Kevin de Bruyne
Position: Midfielder
Team: Manchester City
Rostered: 100%
Prospects: With a new contract signed until 2025, the Belgian will be booming with confidence. However, a focus on the Champions League and a chance at the quadruple will surely push Pep Roulette into overdrive. City only have eight games left, meaning that they will definitely have at least one blank gameweek, which could well end up being two or more if the schedule makers throw a wrench into our plans.
Verdict: Other than Bruno or maybe Grealish, there aren't many other players you could feasibly target in a 1-1 and not lose value, but a multi player trade could get you the value you need. Just like one of the trades in our brand new Trade Tracker.
James Ward-Prowse
Position: Midfielder
Team: Southampton
Rostered: 100%
Prospects: Once called "Mr Reliable", the Southampton skipper has been a shadow of his former self for months now. A man who usually gets ghost points galore has only managed to surpass 10 points in a game without an attacking return once in this calendar year. Regular outings below 5 points will have managers worried and although Ings' return could spark a mini revival for the Saints, I am not sure JWP will be at the forefront of that revival. A game against lowly WBA is just the hook his managers need to get a trade over the line before a GW33 blank, a tough schedule, and the end of season "relaxing on the beach" that could take hold of the fantasy assets remaining on the Southampton squad.
Verdict: I would look to target a resurgent Jesse Lingard, a rotation risk Riyad Mahrez or recently underperforming DCL in a trade for JWP.
Strategy in Focus: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"
This one needs a little bit of research, but this close to the end of the season it's nothing a manager cannot do on a piece of paper with a pencil he stole from IKEA. The basic premise of this strategy is that this late in the season, you have certain teams that your team will not be facing, therefore a trade with these teams will not directly affect your result (a player you trade away will not come back to beat you).
"Ideally, you use this strategy to full effect if you trade away a player of value only for that player to help you, even on the other manager's team, by contributing to beating one of your rivals."
Not playing against your former player is one thing, but to really embrace the "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" strategy, you have to look at your H2H fixture list. You will have used this strategy to full effect if you trade away a player of value only for that player to help you, despite being on another manager's team, by contributing to beating one of your rivals. By examining your trade partner's fixture list, you can determine if a trade with them will have additional value to you.
Let us have a look at an example. We are managing a team chasing a playoff spot, and we have two games left in the regular season. We have an opportunity to conclude a trade with Team A or Team B. Team A has 2 fixtures against teams already out of the running, whereas Team B is playing your closest rival this upcoming gameweek. Using the strategy outlined above, you might be more inclined to accept a trade that may be less valuable for you, but the player you trade away has a tasty fixture when Team B is playing your rival.
Planning ahead is never more important than in "quick sprint" situations, be it the last few matches of the regular season, playoff games, or a title chase. Identifying teams that can help you win by beating your opponent is an advanced tactic that if used well can help you achieve your goal.
Use it wisely.
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