Why You Should Always Counter 1-For-1 Trades of the Same Position

          Let’s take a minute to talk about 1-for-1 trades of the same position. When someone offers you a 1-for-1 and both players play the same position, what they are saying to you is, “I think you have the better player, and you should swap him with me for free.” Think of it in numbers. They are essentially saying “I have a player worth 9. And you have a player worth 10. Wanna swap?” They are essentially trying to rip you off – plain and simple.

          Even if you think that they are wrong, and that they are offering you the better player in the 1-for-1, why would you let them know that? You may like the offer and think that your player is the 9 and that their player is the 10, but why would you let them know that? Play stupid. Agree with them.

          Never take a 1-for-1 offer you like without first asking for more. Your response to 1-for-1 offers should always be, “You are right, I have the better player. My guy is a 10, and your guy is a 9, which is obviously why you want to swap them, so why should I swap them for free? Why should I give up a 10 for a 9 when you won’t include anything additional to make it worth my while?”

          If they refuse to budge and include more, you can always settle for the original 1-for-1 that you believed would be a win for you. But at least ask for more first!

          One example of this I have already seen this year was a 1-for-1 trade: Leonard Fournette for Joe Mixon. This trade happened between two of my friends after Week 2. The team with Joe Mixon offered the team with Fournette a 1-for-1 swap. In doing so, they were sending the message that “I think Fournette is the better player – the 10, and I would rather have him on my team than Mixon, who I think is a 9.”

          The team on the receiving end of the offer mistakenly disagreed with him. He accepted the offer immediately, which was essentially saying “I disagree. I think you are wrong, and that Mixon is the 10 and Fournette is the 9, so I’ll do the swap.”

          And that’s where he cost himself an opportunity to maximize the trade into something more beneficial.

          He should have played stupid and agreed. His response, regardless of what he actually believed, should have been that “I agree, Fournette is better than Mixon, he’s a 10, and Mixon is a 9, so why would I swap him with you for free? To give up a lesser player and get the better one, I’d expect you should have to give up something of value, no?”

          Even though the team receiving the offer thought Mixon was the better player of the two, the team proposing the offer obviously didn’t. So why not capitalize on that fact?

          He should have asked the offering team to give him Mixon and a small upgrade somewhere else if he wanted to acquire the “better” player in Fournette. Worst case, if the offering team refused to include more, the team on the receiving end of the offer could have just reneged on their request for more, and said, fine, I’ll do the 1-for-1. But accepting a 1-for-1 of the same position without asking for more is only costing yourself an opportunity to capitalize on the fact that the team who offered it to you believes that you have the more valuable asset. You should always be using that to your advantage.