International Break - 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.

Joao Pedro (BHA - FWD)

Analysis: Pedro has marked his return from injury with a bang. Coming on for the last 20ish minutes vs. City and getting both a goal and assist to help Brighton win the game. Before this weekend, Pedro's last appearance was back in September, so he has missed some time. Managers who have had to be patient with Pedro may be reluctant to trade him out, especially after that off the bench cameo, but I am here to convince you he is worth a bit of an overpay. Brighton are about to enter possibly the best run of fixtures of any team. They come up against: Bournemouth, Southampton, Fulham, Leicester, Palace, West Ham, Brentford, and Villa to finish off 2024. That is quite the fixture run, and puts them 2nd in our Fixture Difficulty Tracker for forwards over that period.

While the Brighton attack is crowded, Pedro has shown time and time again he is crucial to this attack and should be a near lock to start most fixtures. Pedro should be occupying the role just behind Welbeck, but has the versatility to play on either wing, or even up top. Brighton have been rolling with more of a 4-4-2 shape with Rutter and Welbeck up top, but don't be surprised to see either a formation shift or a straight swap of Rutter for Pedro. He should still be nailed on penalties which is an added bonus. We know Brighton have been inconsistent this year, but with the International Break coming at the perfect time to get the likes of Pedro, O'Reilly, and Kadioglu back up to full fitness, they could start to cook. Many managers may consider the forward pool overpopulated, but Pedro is someone who has FWD1 upside, and is basically a set and forget FWD2, potentially even a decent off the bench play in these fixtures. The way to get him in may be offering upside midfielders, especially if the manager lacks those.

Trade Offer Value: I would offer out midfielder such as: Buonanotte, Iwobi, Madueke, and Kulusevski packaged with either a MID4/5 or a replacement FWD of lower quality. Consider options such as: Kovacic, Bruno Guimaraes, Casemiro, Strand Larsen, Elanga, or Mateta.

Mohammed Kudus (WHU - MID)

Analysis: Kudus is still going to miss two more matches, and while that may not sound like much, he has already missed three, and won't get a start again until December. Just the sound of that will require patience. Over the International Break is when many managers fail to be patient, and capitalizing on a buy low with Kudus is more than achievable.

Kudus is currently sitting at 9.5 PPS with an inconsistent start to the season. His last two games vs. Ipswich and Spurs showed he was starting to come to life which is unfortunate timing for that red card. West Ham as a whole do not look good under Lopetegui, with many calling for him to be sacked. Regardless, Kudus is instrumental to the West Ham attack no matter who is in charge, and he returns when West Ham face Leicester, Wolves, and Bournemouth. Given the form of West Ham no game will be easy for them, but Kudus could still get some more returns or nice ghost outings. Kudus was nearly a first round pick in summer drafts, but you can definitely get him cheaper than that. I would expect him to have MID2-3 value at least until Lope goes, then he could become a solid MID1.

Trade Offer Value: In order for this trade to work, you will need to offer managers "win now" players. That means players in form, that are not in rotation risk, but could have lower ROS value than Kudus. Iwobi, Kulusevski, and Tielemans are three midfielders that come to mind. Despite the resurgence of all three, especially Iwobi, I would still give them up for Kudus. Tielemans/Kulusevski may require a sweetener, so assets such as Romero or Hall may help. Managers who still value Kudus as that round 2 pick will require more value. So offering a package such as: Wood + Iwobi for Kudus + FAB is still a trade I would make. Each manager will value Kudus differently, based on their position in the table and patience level.

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.

Casemiro (MUN - MID)

Analysis: Those who picked up Casemiro off of FA when news broke of Mainoo's injury will be surely enjoying the ride. Back to back 15+ point games is more than you can ask for from any FA pickup. With other scores of 3.25 and 8.5 he is showing he is more than a streamer. So why on earth should you consider trading him out? Well, Amorim is starting his tenure now, and after hinting at a back 3 formation, Ugarte is likely to be a lock, and unfortunately Casemiro could find himself being relegated back to squad player role. Mainoo, Casemiro, and Eriksen will be battling it out for 1 spot, and I am leaning that it will be Mainoo that wins out. For fantasy mangers this is unfortunate because Mainoo isn't really a good asset to roster. While nothing is set in stone, and form/fitness will play a factor in Casemiro getting EPL starts, he is worth trying to trade out this break.

If Casemiro starts the fixture vs. Ipswich that could be a great haul, but after that we just don't know how the team will shake out especially with Mainoo nearing a return to full fitness. It may be hard to sell Casemiro to those who are in the know about United and fantasy in general, but packaging him in a larger deal is the route to take. I am not talking about getting back a 3rd round pick for Casemiro, but maybe a more secure MID4/FWD3. However, if you're not getting useable value, then just keep riding this hot streak and hope Amorim gives him a proper chance. With only 2 CM spots in a back 3 formation you do expect the more mobile Mainoo to win out, at least in the medium-long term.

Trade Offer Value: I would try to aim for assets such as: Smith-Rowe, Fatawu, and Joelinton to start. Casemiro + some FAB or a DEF3 should be able to tempt a manager. If you want to jump up a level look to assets such as: Damsgaard, Tavernier, and Brennan Johnson you will need to package Casemiro with players such as: Andreas, Joelinton, or Hudson-Odoi.

Noni Madueke (CHE - MID)

Analysis: Madueke has been great this season. He is getting consistent minutes, and has shown his talent, with 4 goals in his 10 starts, although 3 of those came in his first start vs. Wolves. Lately, he has been very inconsistent and has failed to play beyond 75 minutes in 5 of his last 6 starts. There are calls to see Madueke dropped to give Nkunku, Felix, or Mudryk the chance. When Sancho is back fit he will also throw another wrench in the works with Neto (who is in great form) able to play on the right we could see Sancho back on the left where he was starting to show signs of life. While there are so many question marks here, now could be the right time to trade out Madueke. Only Maresca knows what he has planned for the winger in the upcoming games, but another sub par performance vs. Leicester could see him dropped from the XI until he improves in form.

The issue with trading out Madueke or any Chelsea attacker bar Palmer/Jackson, is many managers may undervalue them because of the rotation risk, or the fact they rarely go past 70 minutes. Madueke's selling point should be his upcoming match vs. Leicester. We saw the way Diallo dominated the right side of the pitch, and managers could be keen on bringing him on for that fixture. While it isn't the worst idea to hold him for that fixture and hope he does well, another poor performance will not only dent his trade value, but could have you stuck with him on your bench for a while. I wouldn't be expecting back a top 20 player for Madueke but you could potentially get yourself a more guaranteed mid with similar upside, or go the reverse route and sell Madueke for 2 solid starters depending on what you need.

Trade Offer Value: I would offer out Madueke for assets such as: Mitoma, Gordon, and Bowen. You will need to throw in a solid second piece such as: Cook, Gibbs-White, or Romero to have a chance. If you are aiming for Gordon you may need to step up that 2nd asset to the likes of Davis or Smith-Rowe. If you want to sell Madueke for 2 assets you could aim for a midfielder (Tielemans) with a defender/forward (Pinnock, Jota, Fatawu). If you want to test name value vs. points output see what kind of package you can work out with Damsgaard or Buonanotte. Both these players lack the name value but are proving to be solid MID2s with MID1 upside in recent weeks.

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.

Under the Radar International Break Adds

• Dango Ouattara (BOU, M) - Underrated MID4-5 with upside. Should be back from injury, decent upcoming schedule. Could rotate, but upside mids are hard to find now.

• Wesley Fofana (CHE, D) - Ghosting really well, and schedule gets friendly now. Prefer him to all non-Reece Chelsea def.

• Luke Shaw (MUN, D) - Back in full training just in time for Amorim to give him a chance at LWB/LCB. Easy drop if not favoured. Dalot hasn't been great as well, so could easily get a look in being a left-footed player.

• Leny Yoro (MUN, D) - Back in full training, was touted highly in pre-season, could be key to the back 3 working. Remains to be seen which of the back 3 will get the ghosts, but he is worth a punt with an expected improvement in the United defence.

• Igor Thiago (BRE, F) - Could cook if played centrally in this Brentford attack. Nearing a return.

• Harry Wilson (FUL, M) - Three goals in two sub apps. Could start vs. Wolves. Worth a hold until lineups.

• Mykhailo Mudryk (CHE, M) - Has been slowly working his way into Maresca's thinking. Could Leicester be his chance to shine? If he doesn't start vs. Leicester an easy drop as it is the first matchup of the week.

• Konstantinos Tsimikas (LIV, D) - Dropped in many leagues when Robertson started. Saints on the following Sunday, worth an add just for the upside alone.

Avoid Over-Tinkering

Many managers will dread an international break, especially at this point in the season. Managers will be keen to stay active, get wins, make trades and various adds and drops. The key to a successful break is to avoid over-tinkering. That doesn't mean you can't make a few pickups or send out a few offers, but I have seen managers make trades just for the sake of trades to do something over the break. This usually will end in regret in a weeks time. You will also see constant adds and drops based on random tidbits of news in Discord or on Twitter, that end up leading to silly drops of players that could be decent in the short or long term (depending on the type of drop). I do believe that the best course of action is to allow yourself to set your waiver claims, maybe make an add/drop or two based on waiver results, then send out a few offers of assets you are keen to bring in in the first few days of the break, after that, call it a week, take a much needed break. This game can get frustrating and part of keeping up enjoyment is sometimes removing yourself from it for a week or so. This can help keep managers active as the season goes on, and especially with the festive fixtures coming soon, the week off from constantly checking the app could be much needed. Burnout is real in anything, and if results don't keep going your way, you could feel that sooner rather than later, and that always affects larger league enjoyment. So here are a few tips on how to "avoid over-tinkering" and avoid burnout in these next 10 or so days.

• Set Waiver Claims Early - Even if your league has delayed waivers due to the break set them now, and stop looking back.

• Send Out Trades Before the Weekend - Everyone always has a few targets they want to bring in over the break. Send those trades in the next day or so, and then leave them be until the following Thursday.

• Take a Break from Twitter/Discord - This may be harder for our IC peeps, but a few days away from the constant information overload or the current O'Riley hype-train forming is always a good way to prevent burnout.

• Don't Check the App Just to Make Changes - If anything delete the app for 3-4 days, give yourself a break, don't worry you will not be missing out on a season changing pickup, no matter what you may think.

• Get Yourself Ready for the Festive Swing - The festive period is upon us meaning gameweeks can occur back to back. It's a lot for those with other commitments such as school, work, sports, family, etc.. so spending that extra time catching up on that school work, time with the fam can maybe buy you that extra 15-20 minutes needed on your phone to make lineup changes over the holidays!

• Remember this is supposed to be fun! - At the end of the day, this game is supposed to be fun, enjoyable, and a means to stay connected with friends or make new ones. If you find the fun draining then a 5-10 day break is more than needed.

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