Dynasty Fantasy Football Advice: Trades, Waiver Strategy And More
Dynasty

Dynasty Fantasy Football Advice: Trades, Waiver Strategy And More

Jake Trowbridge shares some knowledge and wisdom from on high for dynasty fantasy football managers heading into the 2026 season.

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I’ve spent all offseason digging through the dynasty weeds, trying my best to get your rosters into fighting shape. I’ve answered your player questions. I’ve rated your trades and trade offers. I steered you away from all the meaningless August narratives that only exist because the people demand a constant influx of headlines.

But some of the best advice I can give you doesn’t involve specific players. Dynasty is a big, expansive game. Oftentimes we just need to take a giant step back and lean on some core principles.

So before the 2026 NFL season begins, I’d like to offer some sage advice and folk wisdom that can apply to every single dynasty manager reading this. Here are a few essential dynasty proverbs to hang on your wall …

“Absence makes the heart go wander”

Football, like most sports, is a “what have you done for me lately” game. And while recency bias isn’t always a bad thing, it’s also painfully obvious to anyone who’s stared at a player in their IR slot for several months that it can taint your perspective.

Out of sight, out of mind … and potentially out of your future dynasty plans.

Nine times out of 10, a player missing time (or even just underperforming for a long stretch) affects your evaluation of that player much more when they’re on YOUR team. If they’re sitting on the bench of someone else’s roster, so what? But on YOURS? Red alert, baby. Red freaking alert.

We’re naturally drawn to the shiny thing. The thing that’s most recently been giving us that sweet, sweet serotonin via fantasy points. But don’t let an injury or slow stretch of production make you overreact and jettison a perfectly good player off your team just because their fantasy musk has dissipated a little. And if you do, make sure you get what they’re worth in return.

Because honestly, those absences in fantasy production, especially when they’re injury-related, are often the best opportunities to scoop up players at a value. Don’t miss out because you’re hyper-focused on the last six weeks.

“Don’t bite the hand that trades with you”

If someone were to ask me for just one piece of dynasty advice, the thing that’s most crucial to winning a championship in their league, I’d say “stay away from the Cleveland Browns.”

But if they asked me for a SECOND piece of advice, I’d say “make damn sure you maintain good relationships with your leaguemates.”

We can talk at length about players that are “buys” and “sells,” but if you don’t have anyone willing to trade with you, that’s all meaningless. That doesn’t mean you need to be best friends with everyone in your league. But you also can’t be known as the person who has to “win” every single trade. Or the person who sends a lengthy sales pitch with every offer.

Because once a leaguemate sours on you, and you burn that bridge, it’s not an easy thing to rebuild. And now you’ve been cut off from one-twelfth of the player pool. “Winning” the occasional lopsided trade isn’t worth that.

“Nothing waivered, nothing gained”

This also pairs well with “the early bird gets the future fantasy star,” and “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single waiver transaction.”

There is gold hiding on the waiver wire in even the deepest of dynasty leagues if you look hard enough. But a lot of these players stay hidden out there in plain sight because they’re not featured in a bunch of social media highlight reels every week. And because in order to acquire them, managers would have to make the very bold move to concurrently drop a boring roster-clogger who will never score more than a few measly points in a given week.

I’ve met so many dynasty managers who are unable or unwilling to drop the WR80 to create space in their lineups for a “risky” waiver pickup. Folks, there’s no reason to cling to a player who perpetually scores 4.4 fantasy points per week unless you start 20 players each week! Sorry for shouting!

You’re probably not going to miss the ultra-low ceiling guy in shallow leagues if you cut him. Don’t be afraid to chase the upside!

“Two wrong trades don’t make a right”

We’ve all been there. Some of us more often than we’d like to admit. Anyone who’s played in a dynasty league for more than a handful of sunsets has made a bad trade (whether they know it yet or not).

And look, there’s no sugar coating it … it’s a bummer. If you went on Craigslist and bartered your brand-new table saw for half of a shoe I wouldn’t lie to you and tell you that’s actually a good thing in the long run because WHAT IF YOU EVENTUALLY FIND THE OTHER HALF OF THE SHOE. I’m your friend and you deserve honesty.

But the most important thing is not to let that bad trade force you into making another poor decision. Just traded for a receiver who immediately got hurt during training camp? That sucks! But don’t go overpaying for a different WR just because you’re spiraling and have an open spot on your roster. You can’t dig yourself out of a hole by tunneling through the Earth’s molten core. Stick to your principles and everything will work out fine.

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