Shawn Siegele explains the mechanism that makes trading down your dynasty startup superpower and details the types of trades you can and should make in real leagues.

This weekend we posted Completely Revamp Your Startup Strategy With These 3 Key Insights, and in a year where I’ve had more fun writing than ever before, this was probably the piece that I enjoyed the most. If nothing else, I think it’ll encourage you to build a case for why I’m wrong and help flesh out your own startup tactics.

It’s been a lot of fun working and drafting with Bjorn Yang-Vaernet, who details many of the considerations we’re working through in A Data-Driven Approach to the Perfect Dynasty Startup. The lesson also complements Monty Phan’s startup plan: How to Build an Instant Superflex Dynasty Contender by Fading QB and TE in the Startup. Monty is one of the FFPC’s most successful players across Main Event, Terminator, and dynasty formats, and he won with this plan just last year.

I have two specific objectives in today’s Part 2:

1. Demonstrate how we’re thinking about trades at the individual-trade level. It’s not enough to talk about “trading down is your superpower.” I get a lot of feedback from folks saying they buy in, but how do you execute the trades themselves? How are the individual trades structured? What are you trying to accomplish with a specific trade, and what type of deal is reasonable? With the RV TriFlex format featuring real stakes – in this particular league you can win up to $4,350 in any given year – we know the managers are engaged and highly motivated.
2. From a global perspective, articulate why trading down confers such a massive advantage. In the second-half of this article, I talk about a couple of obvious and a couple of non-obvious reasons that trading down is like printing money.

We’ve currently executed 13 trades that have given us 25 picks in the 20-round startup, and 22 picks in next year’s rookie/vet draft (including six second-round picks). What’s the philosophy behind this? And what kind of team will it give us in Year 1?

The full dynasty workshop includes targeted lessons that help you navigate each individual segment of the dynasty calendar.

The 2023 Dynasty Workshop

• Building a Coherent, High-Upside Framework That Creates a Permanent Championship Window
• Rebuilding an Orphan – These 3 Mistakes Will Burn Your Roster to the Ground
• The Blockbuster Trade Principles That Work in Any Environment
• How to Maneuver Tiers in Rookie Drafts and Land the Discount Versions of Your Favorite Stars
• The Rookie Draft Extravaganza: Dominate Every Year and Build Super Teams
• Perpetual Reloading Buys You Both Upside and Time, Even Before the First Kickoff

Is Trading Down Your Dynasty Startup Superpower? The Theory Behind the Moves, Plus 13 High-Stakes Trades to Illustrate