Trading well is key to building that high upside, title winning squad but anyone who has played in a draft league will know exactly how difficult it can be to get a deal over the line!
The art to trading is knowing who to target and when to strike as well as which players to use in the trades. This weekly segments looks into the strategy of selling high on those overachievers and buying low on those studs that haven’t performed as expected…
Buy Low
Callum Wilson – Newcastle United – Forward
It’s inevitable that Eddie Howe’s appointment at Newcastle United will see Callum Wilson become a much more attractive fantasy asset almost immediately. Newcastle’s most (or only) prolific goalscorer has struggled to get his season going thanks to a combination of injuries and the team’s lack of creativity but you’d expect that to change thanks to the appointment of Wilson’s new (and old) boss.
Wilson enjoyed the form of his life under Howe, boasting a goal record of better than one in three in the league under his former boss at Bournemouth before getting his move to Newcastle. Despite a dfficult start, Wilson has already managed four goals in seven league starts this season. His lack of ghost points/counting stats should mean you can get Wilson in at a lower cost at this stage. A combination of the much talked about new manager bounce and some good fixtures coming up should see the striker’s price rise quickly in the coming weeks.
Son Heung Min – Tottenham Hotspur – Forward
Tottenham’s own new manager bounce has made interesting viewing over the last week with a midweek European goal fest swiftly followed by a 0-0 stalemate in the league at Goodison Park. Most expected plenty of explosive action at the attacking end of the pitch under Antonio Conte but it appears he is focusing on the defensive side of things first.
It means it may be a while until we see an upturn in fortunes of Son Heung Min and Harry Kane but surely it will come. The international break is the perfect time to negotiate a deal for Tottenham’s big two as those expecting an immediate upturn in fortunes will have been disappointed by their scores of 4 and 3.5 respectively in GW11. Things will improve for them, especially Son who is much less reliant on goals and assists to score well in Fantrax. Now is the time to test the owners resolve and see what they will accept ahead of a nice mini run of fixtures.
Sell High
Callum Hudson Odoi – Chelsea – Midfielder
Callum Hudson Odoi has responded well to his manager’s call to make the most of his time as Chelsea’s left winger over the last few weeks. Scores of 22, 11.5 and 15.5 in that time demonstrate the threat he has posed in his three starts with a goal, assist and plenty of ghost points (32 of them to be exact).
Tuchel’s recent comments on Hudson-Odoi are encouraging and despite the likes of Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Romelu Lukaku set to return to the lineup soon, it looks like CHO will return to the rotation in a much stronger position. His minutes will still inevitably be reduced so now is the time to trade him while he is on a high and if you can target those who roster other Chelsea attackers you should be able to get something decent to return.
Jarrod Bowen – West Ham – Midfielder
Last season was an indifferent one for Jarrod Bowen whose sketchy form saw him dropped to the waiver wire in a lot of Fantrax leagues last season and drafted in the second half of a lot of drafts in the summer.
Fast forward a few months and Bowen is having a comeback season and a half with his hot form propelling him to 2nd in the overall scoring amongst all midfielders, surpassing Bruno Fernandes and Kevin De Bruyne. The West Ham winger is at the top of his game right now and looks like adding to his two goals and six assists in every fixture. You can package Bowen with a half decent forward and aim to sign any player in the game right now but no one could blame you for simply holding on to a player in the form of his life.
Fantasy Football 92 