This time of the season is different because the forces and inequities between trading partners are at their highest. In the regular season, teams have a variety of trading partners. This creates a competitive trading market that can foster a diversity of trade offers.
However, in the playoffs, the forces are different. In leagues with trading still open, teams out of the playoffs can have huge leverage on teams still contending.
Dealing With the Justin Herbert Injury
No bigger example in recent memory exists than Justin Herbert. Herbert broke his finger in week 14 and will miss the remainder of the season. Herbert has averaged 17.9 points per game and has been QB12 in points per game on the season. He has disappointed his expectations on the season, he was a contending player on contending Superflex teams likely in the playoffs.
His injury creates a major hole for playoff teams losing Herbert. Half of the teams in a 12-team league will have no incentive to trade a quarterback to the Herbert team. This creates a strong opportunity to sell to the Herbert team. If you combine a lesser quarterback with some non-long-term non-quarterbacks, you may be able to create an offer before week 15 that would never have been accepted in the first three months of the season.
When looking to make these trades, focus on trading present production for the long-term high-priced asset of Herbert.
To get a sense of the market, here are some recent actual trades from MyFantasyLeague.com leagues. Every league is different of course, but these trades in existing real leagues can give you a pretty good feel for the cost and type of trade packages in the market.
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