Gameweek 2 - 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. First, the ones you "buy low" on. They may be in a poor patch of form, injured, or not seeing consistent minutes. But all that is 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 enroute to a breakout season. You want to try and trade-in these players before their value goes even higher and they become unattainable, even if it involves offering more than their draft-day or early-season value.

Alejandro Garnacho (MUN - MID)

Analysis: Garnacho showed some off the bench heroics again to start the season. He is surely going to be called back into the XI for the game against Brighton. He has shown he can play both on the right and left side so it remains to be seen who he will displace (Diallo or Rashford). Both of these wingers looked poor vs. Fulham, although that was Amad's first poor performance in a very long time. Manchester United are once again showing that they will struggle to score, but you have to wonder if 90 minutes of Garnacho will help their odds. United are coming into 2 tougher games vs. Brighton and Liverpool so maybe that could also help you get Garnacho for slightly less than his draft day value. There is a slight chance as well that Ten Hag could give Garnacho 1-2 more bench appearances in the hope that 30 minutes off the bench is more than enough for him to save/win the game vs. tired legs. But there is no doubt that Garnacho is United's best attacker (bar Bruno), and should be in the XI for the majority of the season.

Trade Offer Value: It may be tough to get Garnacho cheaper than the round 3-4 valuation he had just a week ago, but he is worth paying even draft day capital. An opening offer of Joelinton + Minteh might tempt some managers who have very short-term bias. I would go as high as offering players such as Martinelli, Szobo, Bernardo, or Robertson for Garnacho. I would throw in 5-10 FAB or a DEF3 like Mitchell to get this done if needed.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (EVE - FWD)

Analysis: Everton had a stinker to start the season and are one of the favourites to be relegated. Calvert-Lewin scored a measly 1.5 points in his 70ish minutes from just 3 aerials. You have to think Dyche changes it up by bringing in more creative players like Ndiaye to the XI sooner rather than later. This will only help DCL improve. I think DCL will bounce back and have a great season, regardless of how Everton do, and there may be no better time to trade him in than this week. He was most likely drafted between rounds 6-8 in leagues, but you could get him potentially even cheaper than that. Managers may be scared about Everton this year, or even DCL and his injury record. I do think Everton improve, and DCL can boost his goal tally from last season (7 goals). He should be treated as a set and forget FWD2/3 in most squads.

Trade Offer Value: This is the perfect player to to try and trade in for those over performers from Gameweek 1. Players such as Wissa, Welbeck, Soucek, Onana, and Casemiro could be used to tempt the Calvert-Lewin manager. Your best bet is to combine two of those assets or players in a similar vein to offer as your opener to the Calvert-Lewin manager. I am okay offering as high as Calvert-Lewin's draft day value given we are only 1 week into the season.

Honourable Mention:

Darwin Nunez (LIV - FWD) - Nunez managers will be panicking after he didn't get even a single minute in the Ipswich game. Rumours floating around of him potentially leaving are nothing more than rumours. Look to grab a player who could become a FWD1 asset once he breaks into the XI. Offering a deal with a more secure player such as Mbeumo could get this done.

Dejan Kulusevski (TOT - MID) - Kulusevski didn't start in the draw vs. Leicester and fans were not happy. He was by far their best player in pre-season and will be seriously pushing for a start in the upcoming fixture vs. Everton. I wouldn't be surprised to see him get a start over one of Sarr/Johnson in this one. After -1.25 points in a short cameo off the bench he could be very cheap. He was all over the pitch in his brief appearance and came somewhat close to getting an attacking return. It is also worth noting he recorded the 2nd most total touches in the opponent's box of any player all weekend just behind Saka. Offer players such as: Andreas, Smith-Rowe, Mainoo, or Wharton in deals for Kulusevski.

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 a reversion to poor form. 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 (e.g., Rashford in 23/24). Look to trade out these players before their value becomes so low that you may need to consider dropping them.

Kobbie Mainoo (MUN - MID)

Analysis: Mainoo had himself an excellent opening week with 11 ghost points and 1 clean sheet point. He really had a well-rounded stats performance with 3 tackles, 4 successful dribbles, 5 interceptions, and 2 aerials. He also had 4 dispossessions. While Mainoo has these kind of performances in his locker, we cannot expect this from him every single week. He is more likely to offer his steady floor of 6-8 points with the occasional attacking return. Right now, he is showing signs to be an every week MID2, but I am sorry to say this will not come to fruition. I am a huge fan of Mainoo and what he offers on the pitch, but there are very few players who overperformed expectations more than he did in Gameweek 1.

Mainoo will continue to be in the United XI, and the signing of Ugarte could see him continue to be given more freedom to carry the ball forward. While his dribbling statistics could continue to be decent, I am not sure he will accumulate 8 defensive actions every game. If you cannot trade Mainoo for a starting midfielder with more upside, and you are struggling to field more than 2-3 midfielders with him on your roster, then it may be in your best interest to keep him.

Trade Offer Value: In terms of simple 1:1 trades, look to offer Mainoo for players such as Iwobi or Kulusevski - although that manager will need to be very worried about his starting spot. Ideally, though, you can use Mainoo as part of a larger deal. If you package Mainoo with a MID3 such as Andreas, Smith-Rowe, or Tavernier, you can get a better midfielder. Players such as Bernardo Silva or Bailey can be targets in this offer. Don't be afraid to throw in 15-20 FAB or a DEF3 such as Boly to get this done if needed.

Virgil Van Dijk (LIV - DEF)

Analysis: This may seem odd to many of you considering Van Dijk is coming off a double digit point performance. This was largely thanks to a clean sheet, but still something you would expect from your steady and safe 4th round pick. My logic here is the amount of potential ghost point magnet defenders you can find on your waiver wire in the early weeks of the season. In Genie's Hot Takes I discussed how Quansah/Konate will be the defensive partner to rack up all the ghosts more often than not, and gameweek 1 results only further reinforced this point. In 90 minutes VVD managed just 4.5 ghost points from 3 aerials, 1 interception, and 2 clearances. Quansah and Konate, meanwhile, each only played 45 minutes but managed 6.75 and 6.5 points, respectively, in half the minutes and without a clean sheet. Van Dijk is only going to provide steady value, and it will largely be tied to Liverpool keeping clean sheets, which they were lucky to in this one. While I am not saying Van Dijk is a bad asset to roster, streaming defenders and/or picking up more ghost point dominant defenders will be easy in the first 3-4 gameweeks. This means you can attempt to shift the safe and boring VVD for a higher upside asset that could have been drafted a round or two later, and maybe even get some FAB or a "sweetener" in that kind of a deal.

Trade Offer Value: I would offer Van Dijk out for players such as Silva, Semenyo, Andreas, or Fatawu. You should ask for one of these assets + 25-35 FAB or another player that has upside but could be undervalued (e.g., Murphy, Hojlund, and Elanga).

Honourable Mention:

Marcus Tavernier (BOU - MID) - Tavernier is coming off a 90 minute outing and racking up 8 points. He got a few set pieces, and Bournemouth only look to be improving with the addition of Evanilson. The issue is I think Tavernier's spot is seriously as risk. The likes of Kluivert and Christie will be rotated in the side, and Sinisterra, Dango, and Semenyo offer a lot more pace than he does. Tavernier has been decent for points when he starts, but in reality his performances have been very poor. I would trade out now before he is dropped or becomes a rotational headache. Offering him in a deal for Bailey or Rice, two massive underperformances from GW1, could be possible. You may need to add someone such as Wharton or MacAllister to potentially get this deal done.

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 increase my chances of winning my league. A lot of these strategies could involve a high-risk high-reward approach, and I may shoot down tactics I see my fellow managers utilizing in vain.

Drop the Late Round Punts Early

Analysis: Late round punts are just that, punts. The first few gameweeks are very telling for who could become a very solid asset, and hanging onto your late round punts will make you miss out on these players. Doughty and Palmer are prime examples of this from last season. I like to give my assets I drafted after round 9 at most 2-3 weeks to prove their worth, but I am very willing to cut them after just 1 week. For example, I have already dropped players such as Quansah, Sinisterra, and Mavididi from my roster. While some may be afraid to make these moves, it could be the difference from punting on a season changing asset or becoming a victim of sunk cost fallacy. Move from these players early to give your roster more flexibility and be able to also punt on some potential new signings, and promoted assets who are showing promise (Winks, Justin, and Greaves are three that have caught my eye).

Genie Verdict: Holding on to assets that may not pan out just because you wasted a draft pick on them will harm your title chances in the long run. Don't be afraid to shed players early to continue punting on new players until a dart throw eventually lands you the next Doughty.

Trade in Upside ASAP

Analysis: Many managers would have gone for a few safe picks in the drafts. Players such as Wharton, Mainoo, VVD, Tarkowski, and Gabriel all come to mind. While that may have been your strategy to ensure you can field a full 11 most weeks, now is the time to target those managers struggling to field lineups who took risks on players such as Kulusevski, Hojlund etc... and bring in these upside players. If you scroll through your waiver wire, unless you are in a 14 team league or higher, you will see plenty of assets who scored 6+ this weekend and look like they can easily continue it. Packaging your safer assets to bring in upside assets can help you have weeks more often than not where you crack that 100 point barrier. When these players don't start, or thanks to 2:1 or 3:2 trades, you can then proceed to pick up someone like Downes or Janelt to fill your "safety" spot. The longer you wait to trade in these upside assets, the more likely they are go off for a 20+ point week and then increase in value. Playing it safe never wins titles.

Genie Verdict: I would look to improve your team's balance by having only 1-2 bench assets that offer the safe "Wharton" style of points. Filling your roster with upside players is a better way to crack 100 points, and also will help you "sell high" after an unexpected player has a few 10+ point weeks.

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