Tips on surviving the trade deadline (fantasy basketball edition)
Added 2019-02-05 09:42:00 +0000 UTCWe’re approaching Woj season, so I wanted to chime in with a few tips on how to get through the next few days.
Only believe trusted sources
We’re in the age where people make things up for page views and retweets, so only trust trusted sources like Woj, Shams etc. and pay no attention to untrustworthy Facebook and Twitter pages - no matter how many followers they’ve purchased to try and make themselves look legit.
And remember to turn Twitter notifications on for Woj, Shams etc. (chances are you’ll be F5’ing their profiles anyway).
Scout your team now, so if a trade happens you’re able to quickly react to the news
If you’re not in a FAAB league it’s often first in to get the player. Spending a few minutes to decide on who to drop can cost you getting the player you want on the WW, so scout your end-of-bench guys now and work out how valuable they are to your team, so if the opportunity comes up you’re able to act on it straight away.
If you need help, you can use the free scouting report tool that's part of our premium tools for Yahoo leagues.
Risk vs reward - is it worth it?
People often chase the chance to land somebody who might go off towards the end of the season, but not every trade is going to result in a home-run opportunity. Factor in things like the depth chart, what position the team is in (playoff teams vs. teams fighting for a playoff spot vs. tanking teams), and the likelihood that the new player is part of their new team’s long-term plans.
Playoff schedule
I personally don’t buy into the notion that you shouldn’t pay too much attention to a player’s playoff schedule until later on in the season. The whole point of H2H leagues is to get into the playoffs and maximize your stats if/when you get in. Make sure you know which teams have a good playoff schedule.
Save your transactions for trades
If you have limited transactions each week, save as many as you can for the deadline in case you need to make moves (and re-make moves if/when a better player becomes available).
When in doubt, go with your gut feeling
Nobody knows your own team as well as you do, don’t wait for second opinions unless you know you’ve got time to.
