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The trading landscape has changed this year. More so in DT, but still, with 30 trades in the other comps, there is a big change from the old 200 point rule of thumb.


And actually, if you think about it pragmatically, using only 2 trades in the first 5 weeks as tweak trades, you'll still have enough trades left to double trade every round but two. To you old coaches, I want you to read this article with that idea in mind.



200 point rule of thumb:



So why 200 points?



A little bit of history here, but basically, it's developed from the idea of an upgrade trade. You take a pair of rookies who are averaging say, 70ppg (points per game) once they've reached a price of $300,000.



Trade one down to a rookie, the other one up for a fallen premium who is priced at $500,000. Say that premium averages 110ppg for the rest of the season, you're looking at an increase of 40ppg over two trades. Or 20ppg per trade.



Assuming you do that in week 6, you've increased your total team output by 320 points for those trades over the rest of the season. You do that in round 12, and you're looking at a return of 200 points for your trades.



Historically, this is your upgrade period. With 20 trades, you have two to tweak early, 14 to upgrade over this period, then 6 left over to cover injuries. This year, you're going to have 16 trades remaining.



16 trades is a lot of injuries.



It is. And if you trade like previous years, you're going to finish the season with trades in your pocket. So what are your options?



Upgrade the bench: 8 trades to bring in premium coverage across each line. Less if you use DPP, is a noble goal and definitely one that you should do where available.



Cover Injuries: Think about the above- even if you use 8 more trades to upgrade your bench, you're still going to be rounding out the season with both coverage- and potentially wasted trades in the bank.



With Supercoach info as readily available as it is these days, the game has become a game of 1000 cuts. Captains selection, bench selection each and every week these decisions are what is going to cost you. Every time you bench a rookie ton to field a 40, that's a mistake. That's 60 points that you are now behind people that didn't make that mistake.



Every time your captain scores 90, while that other popular choice nails a 160, that's a 70 point mistake. And they add up. Fast. Proper captain/bench selection can each week put you a hundred, or several hundred ahead or behind the opposition.



But walesy, you're rambling. What does that have to do with trading?



Everything. Hundreds of individual decisions made across the season will accumulate to your final tally. Squeezing every last drop of points out of your team is what you need to do for ultimate success. To do that, we can't have scrubs coming onto the field, costing you 50 points here, 70 points there. We have to be ruthless and use the trades on hand to secure the advantage when it's available.



As such, I've come up with a bit of a criteria. If an injury ticks off two of the following points, then you cash in a trade.



1. A 2+ week injury. A single week with coverage is a little cut but depending on the level of coverage, could become a big setback in just two weeks.

2. You have weak coverage. If you have no coverage, it's an instant trade, but weak coverage- you'll probably be looking at being around 50 points behind your competitors.

3. The player is a premium. Particularly in the midfield, if you are moving a lot of cash onto the bench, that's scoring power that you are losing.

4. The injured player scored poorly. Not only will you be fielding rookies but his price will plummet. A score of 40 for a premium player will see them drop around $100k in price over the next three weeks. That's no small drop in the hat. In previous seasons, you might justify keeping an injured premium to preserve a point of difference because everyone else has jumped off. This season, trades are plentiful enough that any good coach will capitalise on that 100k price drop and trade back in.



And please, when trading, don't let pride get in your way. If you are one of the unlucky guys to get hit with a 40, with your best option for the round to trade someone out- when they come back, and drop in price, don't be afraid to bring them back in at a discount.



Use your trades, each week, in a manner that will best benefit your team- and take those small wins when you get the chance.



So what are your thoughts? What will it take for you to cash in a trade this year? And if you are one of the unlucky ones with LeCras, what's your plan?