Gameweek 16 - Genie's Corner and Trade Advice

This article will focus on trade advice that highlights players that are either worth trading in on a low, or trading out on a high. This could involve players who could see their minutes reduced, have a purple patch come to an end, or on the flip side involve players who might be starting to heat up. This article will also feature advice and strategy tips from our very own Draft Genie, and his interesting style of playing the game.

Players To Trade-In

This section will focus on players to target in your trade offers. Usually, there are two types of players to trade-in. The ones you "buy low" on, who may be in a poor patch of form, injured, or not seeing consistent minutes with all that about to change. The second is where you "buy high". While that will sound contradictory, these players could be showing no signs of slowing down and are en-route to a breakout season. You want to try and trade-in these players before they become unattainable, even if it involves offering more than what their draft-day or early-season value was.

Pedro Neto (CHE - FWD)

Analysis: Neto is a talented player, and it took some time to show Chelsea he deserves to be in that XI consistently. After back to back single digit outings, and an upcoming suspension against a leaky Brentford, now could be a good time to bring in Neto for lower than his ROS value. Neto will still face tough competition in what is turning into a 3 man rotation between Neto, Madueke, and Sancho. Madueke seems to be the one currently most likely to miss out on the best XI, but a slight dip in form can see any of the three on the bench needing to earn his way back.

I do think Neto will prove to be a solid FWD2 over the rest of the season, with obvious FWD1 upside given how potent the Chelsea attack has proven to be. Many managers in leagues I am in have seemed to get hold of both Neto and Sancho, so these managers may be less likely to give up just 1, and may be looking to sell both if any at all. In this case I am more than happy to try and bring in both Neto and Sancho, because as we have seen they both can start and perform well in the same XI.

Trade Offer Value: For Neto I would look to send an over-performing FWD2/3. If you believe in Neto like I do, you can offer any of these forwards 1:1: Wood, Johnson, Wissa, or maybe even Vardy. If you are looking to get both Neto + Sancho maybe you could send the manager 1 forward and a sweetener. Consider the forwards above paired with assets such as Cook and Caicedo.

Pedro Porro (TOT - DEF)

Analysis: Porro started off the season on fire, and hasn't slowed down that much. His last three games haven't been anything special, which means he could be the perfect buy "low". But clearly low is a stretch just because of how reliable he has been. Porro has every chance to be the top scoring defender this season, and should at least be a top 3-5 defender. His attacking upside is only really matched by Trent, and now Munoz, but he also gets a plethora of sets, especially when Maddison doesn't start.

Getting Porro in ahead of Saints will be a tough ask, but it is worth a try. Spurs really haven't been that good as of late and Big Ange could be on his way out. That might make some managers more willing to give up Porro, but I am just not worried about him under any manager. His attacking talent is clear, and he is a key cog to the Spurs team. After Saints, Spurs come up against Liverpool and Forest, 2 very tough games. If you cannot get him ahead of Saints, I strongly recommend going back in for him right after the Saints game, especially if he gets under 12ish points.

Trade Offer Value: I would offer out any defender outside of Trent and potentially VVD 1:1 for Porro. Yes even high flying Munoz and Collins are worth shipping out, even if you need to throw in some FAB. If you need to throw an attacker out instead, players such as: McNeil, Damsgaard, and Iwobi are worth offering out. You might need to throw in a bit more with one of those three in which case 10-15 FAB ahead of the Jan window should help.

Players To Trade-OUT

This section will focus on players that you should be actively trying to trade out over the next week or so. These players could be on course to see a minute reduction or be having a bad season that it seems they can't recover from. A lot of times name value players will feature here, as you will still find managers who believe they can return to their glory days. Each season brings new challenges and as we have seen even the very best assets can fall off a cliff in just a single season (Rashford of 2024). Look to trade out these players before their value becomes so low that you may need to consider dropping them.

Jamie Vardy (LEI - FWD)

Analysis: Ruud has had a front row seat to the Vardy Party since his start at Leicester City. Vardy has scored 2 goals and an provided an assist in Ruud's first two games. The thing about Vardy is outside of goals, antics, and just being entertainment, he doesn't score many points. His ghosts are almost nonexistent at 4.2 gPPS, and until the last few minutes vs. Brighton he was on pace to score under 4 points. I do think Vardy is a solid FWD3 under Ruud, but he will come with a ton of frustration, especially without returns. Vardy is a great sell-high now given his first 2 games under Ruud, and the lack of production that could come.

Leicester City attack should improve under Ruud, as we have seen so far in his short tenure. Because of that Vardy will have FWD2 upside, and be a set and forget option given the fact we know he can score against anyone. I do think Vardy will be solid, but he is the perfect sell-high right now. A few sub 4 points games will have you contemplating a drop, so better to move on from that.

Trade Offer Value: It's hard to find a solid 1:1 option for Vardy, but I would look for a more secure stream of points from midfielder or defenders. Aiming for assets such as: Dalot or Lemina are good options. A recent pickup like Huijsen comes to mind as someone I would settle on, especially given Senesi will be out for quite some time.

James Tarkowski (EVE - DEF)

Analysis: Tarkowski is tough to value right now. After a poor start to the season, he has truly corrected the ship, including two 20 point outings in his last 4 games. The issue right now is the schedule Everton are going into. Arsenal, Chelsea, City, and Forest can all easily put 3+ past Everton. This now takes into 2025, where after Bournemouth Everton play Villa, Spurs, and Brighton which are three more high octane attacks. This could be another down-turn in form for Tarks.

The toughest part will be getting proper value for Tarkowski, who many managers still shockingly undervalue. Many will be put off by this schedule and try to low ball you. At that point though you are better off holding Tarkowski, and hoping he is startable in at least some of these games. Tarkowski will be a great rest of season asset, so please do not panic sell him, but if you can get good value back for him, especially over the festive period, then he is worth shipping out.

Trade Offer Value: Some 1:1 players I would consider include: Amad, Tielemans, Mitoma, and Kulusevski. The latter two may require a sweetener to get it done though.

Strategy Section

This section will highlight some of my unique strategies I use in Fantrax, and how you can apply them to your own style. I will look to discuss trends I am seeing in leagues, or tactics that I may shift to, that will better my chances of winning my league. A lot of these strategies could involve a high-risk high-reward approach, or be tactics I see my fellow managers using that I will be advocating against.

Festive Period Advice

Analysis: The festive period is among us, which means plenty of midweek games, rotation, and of course fantasy despair. There is a good chunk of the advice that I and my other analysts have preached before so let's run down some common tips.

• Prepare for Benchings - This should go without saying. Even the stars will face the odd rotational game as we saw during midweek games last week. Don't go into a gameweek thinking you have a guaranteed start in anyone. This means using league "proxy" options (e.g. request for simple lineup changes to your commissioner) where available for games that are out of your time zone or if you know you won't be available, and having Plan B's for pickups/subs for your lineups so you don't enter panic mode with 90 seconds before lineup locks.

• Make Necessary Drops - It should go without saying that players that are out for 6+ weeks are must drops at this point unless they are elite assets. There is no need to hold 8 PPS players for 6+ games at this tage of the season when wins matter a lot more now. Make those drops, as well as those random rotational players (like Felix) that are going to clog up your bench.

• Have a Late Backup each Gameweek - With there being a lot of top teams playing later in the gameweek make sure to have either an open slot or a late backup in those games. For example with West Ham vs. Bournemouth on Monday, there is no guarantee of a Summerville start, so having a backup from either team can help you have a guaranteed starter which could be the difference between a win and loss.

• "Win" the Festive Table - Ah yes, my favourite piece of advice. We have 4 more gameweeks between now and 2025. Your goal should be going 4-0. That means tinkering as much as needed to win each week. This strategy requires a lot of short-term thinking, but if you do end up going 4-0 or even 3-1 your league position could look very different come January vs. if you wanted to just hold mediocre assets and end up taking some unnecessary losses.

Genie Verdict: At the end of the day you want to win your league/make playoffs. Winning as many games as possible is the goal. When the games come thick and fast it really comes down to which managers can adjust their teams without any emotional connection to ensure they win each week. More often than not these managers end up top of the table. Of course, luck will play a factor, but approach these next 4 gameweeks with a short-term mindset and you have a better chance than not in improving your league table position.

For all the latest from The Draft Society, follow @Draft_Society on Twitter!

And for more in-depth and exclusive resources, become a member of The Inner Circle.

---

Have you heard about our revolutionary new Draft Fantasy Football app? We call it The Fantasy ToolKit. Expand to read more!

Each gameweek, The Fantasy Toolkit will bring you:

• Recommended waiver adds & drops

• Optimal lineup suggestions

• Matchup projections vs your opponent

• Trade calculator

• Fixture Difficulty Tracker (for each position on the pitch)

• Gameweek Transaction Data from the "Big 3" community leagues

• ROS & Playoff Planning Tool

• Team Power Rankings for every team in your league

• AND EVEN MORE TO COME!

• All in one customized and personalised package

It's included in our Ultimate Pass and Season Pass plans and will give you a massive leg up on your league-mates. Check out a full demonstration video HERE for more info!