Gameweek 4 - 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.

The Surprising "FA" Pickups

• Nathan Collins (DEF - BRE)

• Aaron Wan-Bissaka (DEF - WHU)

• Yukinari Sugawara (DEF - SOU)

• Adama Traore (FWD - FUL)

• Yoane Wissa (FWD - BRE)

• Liam Delap (FWD - IPS) - Only if you lack starting FWDS

• Jadon Sancho (FWD - CHE)

• Harvey Barnes (MID - NEW)

Analysis: With the classic trade article coming out last week, and no real value changes over the break, I thought I would put a different spin on this week's edition. I am recommending trading in assets, that may seem near worthless to many who still look at draft day capitol as a big indication of trade value, but trading in these assets NOW before they either continue to perform well, or hit a next gear could be part of title winning strategy. Now just looking at these assets some will command a lot more trade value than others, but all are worth sending out "feeler" offers, to see if a deal can get done.

The likes of Collins, AWB, and Sugawara are all proving that they will be set and forget defenders, regardless of matchup, and could return DEF2 value consistently with the 15+ scores sprinkled throughout. These players were all likely FA pickups and you can probably get them for way cheaper than what they will be worth in a few weeks, with their current manager potentially thinking they are selling high.

Adama and Wissa have shown that they can be season long set and forget forwards as well. Both have added consistency to their game, and for managers rostering players such as: Nunez and Johnson as their forwards, these two assets would make great gets, giving you every week starters. Delap is probably the one you can pick up from your FA, or send a few FAB to get. He has looked really good so far, and could offer consistent FWD3 value with FWD2 upside. A great FWD4 type of player to roster given he's a lock in the XI.

The final two in Sancho and Barnes are very high upside plays that if they pan out could be steals of the season. Barnes will be a bit more difficult to get after his goal vs. Spurs, and I wouldn't overpay for him now, but offering a more defensive midfielder in Mainoo/Wharton + FAB would be where I draw the line...for now. Sancho has every chance to win consistent starts for Chelsea, no one has impressed off the left for them, and he had a good half season in Dortmund just a few months ago.

Trade Offer Value: All of these players will command different values, so I will try to quickly give some potential trade ideas to get them in. The easiest way could be by offering FAB...given it's lack of value with the transfer window shut I am more than happy to offer a good chunk of my budget for these guys. Another way is sneakily adding them in as a "sweetener" in a larger deal - throw the manager off the fact they are your main target. Below will be ideas for trades - adding 10-30 FAB to any of these deals is okay with me as well:

Collins, AWB, and Sugawara - Pinnock/Saliba/Udogie/Konate/Gusto

Adama - DCL/Johnson/CHO/Nkunku

Wissa - Paqueta/Joelinton

Sancho - Strand Larsen, Zirkzee, Evanilson, Ndiaye

Barnes - Mainoo, Wharton, Harrison, Anderson

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 there minutes reduced or be having a bad season that they can't seem to 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 23/24). Look to trade out these players before their value becomes so low that you may need to consider dropping them.

The Rotational Mid-Round Picks

• Brennan Johnson (FWD - TOT)

• Crysencio Summerville (FWD - WHU)

• Gabriel Jesus (FWD - ARS)

• James Ward-Prowse (MID - NOT)

• Cody Gakpo (FWD - LIV)

• Diogo Jota (FWD - LIV)

• Pedro Neto (FWD - CHE)

  
  

Analysis: Similar to the above section, I decided to look at a group of assets. Yes there are at least 5 more assets I could highlight here, but these are the one's I am specifically focusing on because I believe the least in them. I do believe that all of these players (except Summerville) are still worth a roster spot, so even if you can't get a trade over the line I would not drop any of them yet. As discussed in last week's article and briefly on last week's podcast episode of KPC, I am a fan of those "sell low before they get lower" type of trades. It rids you of a player that will more likely than not continue to frustrate you, and allows you to bring in some useable assets that can actually help you start getting wins on the board. Aside from Jota and Johnson, the rest of these assets have 1 or less starts this season. While it is still early doors, there are a lot of complications and road blocks that will make cracking the XI consistently a tough task.

Let's first chat about the more surprising two in Johnson and Jota. Jota has started every game so far, but has a poor injury record and Nunez is knocking on the door. We could start to see Jota come off the bench as early as GW5, with the Champions League returning the midweek before. You can probably command good value for him as opposed to in 3-4 weeks time. Sell high. Johnson will continue to rotate with Ange having many options to use in the RW role. Solanke back will leave Johnson fighting with Odobert and even Kulusevski if Ange chooses to start Sarr in midfield. Johnson lost out last gameweek, and also looked good off the bench vs. tired legs, could this continue to be his role?

Neto has just gotten his first start back in GW3, but really did himself no favours to continue starting, he has looked much better as an off the bench vs. tired legs player and we could see him return to that role with Nkunku and Sancho fighting for the other starting wing spot. Madueke has shown he links well with Palmer and Jackson which is key for Enzo.

Jesus, Summerville, and Gakpo have yet to start a game this season, and seem a long way off cracking the XI barring a serious injury. These players will all have value to managers who roster attacking assets from those teams, and should be the ones you look to target first. You always knew these three would not start consistently, but with the way the players ahead of them are playing they seem further from the XI than they did on draft day. I am only dropping Summerville, but for Gakpo and Jesus getting a solid MID3/4 or FWD3 could prove more valuable than you think.

Ward-Prowse has just moved teams, but still won't be guaranteed to be an every week starter. Yes, he will play a lot more than he would have at West Ham, but now is the time to sell on the hype. While he may get his fair share of set-pieces I have a lot of doubt of him returning to anywhere near his Southampton days. Sell on the hype before he gets his first start and potentially becomes a huge disappointment.

Trade Offer Value: It will be very tough to give trade ideas for these players. A lot will depend on roster construction of your team, managers in your league, how trade-heavy your league is, as well as how other managers value "upside rotational assets. I would be looking for assets that can offer me a decent ceiling but will start almost every week. I will look for a lower ceiling than the assets I am selling but a lot more secure minutes. Assets like Tielemans, Tavernier, Wissa, Adama, and DCL all come to mind when thinking of players to think of. Again if you cannot get a trade done that helps your team every week (this doesn't mean getting draft day value...or "winning" the trade), then you are better off holding, but know the risk you are holding.

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.

Fine Margins Aren't Worth Panicking Over Yet

Analysis: This can be a game of fine margins. 5 points could be the difference between a manager being 0-3 vs. 3-0. I will give you a perfect example - I am 1-2 in a league this year. My 2 losses have come because Kulusevski got negative points off the bench.....and I subbed out Diallo for Mainoo because he was benched (Diallo outscored Mainoo). Two losses of minor margins have me in the bottom half of the table, where I could have been 3-0 sitting top 2. Seeing a 1-2 record sometimes can cause a bit of panic, but you need to see the reasons behind each. My minor differences between wins and losses cause less panic as I know I should be okay in the long run. In Fantrax default scoring - you should be looking to be above the 255 points for line (regardless of record). This puts you at an average of 85 points per week. While 85 points/week won't win you a league it puts you at a consistent start. If you haven't cracked the coveted 100 point barrier yet in the first 3 gameweeks you need to be looking to add some upside. The record never tells the whole story this early in the season, and some managers hit the panic button too early and cost themselves in the long run. If you are 0-3 but averaging 100 points or more each week, then you are just getting unlucky. Points for and weekly average is how you need to judge your team construction/performance in the first 6-8 weeks of the season. If you find your team is consistently scoring a steady 75 points but lacks fire power, you need to make trades from floor assets to boom or bust assets. If your team gets 40 points one week, 120 the next then 65 the following you need to add more consistency - that isn't in the form of CDMs, but usually ghost point defenders, especially with the new scoring. Even if you are 3-0 but your team is averaging a low score each week....look to make some trades as you may have had a lucky few weeks, but capitalize on that hot start, improve your team and continue to win.

Genie Verdict: Don't panic on your current record. Look at your points for, and try to consistently aim for 90-110 points each week. High ceiling midfielders, 2-3 starting forwards, and 3-4 ghost point loving defenders is the road map. Some of these defenders can easily be found on FA still (see Greaves and Mosquera).

International Break Benchings

Analysis: The international break is never exciting for fantasy managers. Anything can go wrong in a time it shouldn't from injuries to illness. Returning from the international break can lead to some surprise benchings either due to late returners or managers trying to change things up with players who stayed back to train. Teams who haven't met expectations could look to shuffle things up, but the question is always - is it just a one off, or panic time for team changes? Teams like United, Chelsea, and Spurs have seen mixed results and have not looked convincing this season so if we see some shake ups there, followed by a win I would lean that would be the direction those managers will take at least until rotation forces their hand or the next international break. Arsenal, Liverpool, City, and Brighton rotation will only be due to late injuries or those returning late, specifically the South American boys. We know Klopp used to throw up a fuss about Liverpool having the first game back post international break, luckily this isn't the case this time, but Liverpool do have a few of those South American's in their team (Mac Allister and Diaz) it remains to be seen if Slot will let them start this one. Nunez is suspended for Uruguay, so it is worth monitoring if he could potentially get the nod over Jota who did not impress vs. Manchester United.

Moving along, this would be the wrong week to do panic drops from surprise benchings. Yes there are players who have been benched every week and are borderline droppable at this point....Summerville....but there are ones who may be unlucky to find themselves benched this week. This is not a week to panic but instead plan ahead and have as many backups as you possibly can. If you have any free spots on your bench, or can clear space by dropping some players who aren't really performing look to pickup backups who will be starters in the later games or Sunday. Players such as: Colwill, Fofana, Mosquera, and Partey are good ones to look at for this week based on schedules.

Genie Verdict: Don't panic on any surprise benchings, but monitor closely if it was a clear change to get results and whether or not it actually worked. Pickup backups for your players for this gameweek.

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