So how do you get to eleven 1sts in a startup?

For one, you have to be proactive and trade early and often. If some other team gets an early jump collecting firsts, you probably aren’t going to end up with more than a few extra firsts. I tend to overpay a bit on the first few firsts in order to get the momentum going and to discourage others that may have had the same idea of collecting firsts (it is now more common than it once was). Overpaying, of course, has its downside (big ones) so I don’t recommend doing that often.

Here are the trades I made to get to eleven in the DFWC.

PRE-DRAFT TRADES

Trade 1
I gave: 2.12
I received: 4.05 and a First
Comment: One of my favorite combos year after year. The guys I REALLY like usually dry up a little before the end of the 2nd round, so the drop to the 4.05 is usually not all that big for me.

Trade 2
I gave: 7.01
I received: First
Comment: Slight overpay. You can often draft a mid-1st 2013 round rookie at 7.01, so the question is whether you would pay a current mid-1st for a random future 1st. I’d rather have the current mid-1st, but in the overall scheme of things, it was important for me to land the first few firsts early and this offer was on the table ready for me to accept.

Trade 3
I gave: 4.12 and 12.12
I received: 7.10, 13.10 and First
Comment: A little pricey for my taste. Big drop from 4.12 to 7.10 in terms of level of talent.

DRAFT STARTED

Trade 4
I gave: 1.01(!) and 3.01
I received: 1.03 and 2.10
Comment: I wanted to position myself better to have a chance at David Wilson with this trade. I like Julio Jones #1 overall, but taking him at 1.01 over Calvin Johnson is somewhat of a wasted opportunity to trade down a little. Unfortunately, this is all I could land.

Trade 5
I gave: 7.10, 11.01 and 13.10
I received: First
Comment: Again, a tad pricey, but I tend to give away my 11th+ rounders for cheap (usually too cheap)

Trade 6
I gave: 1.03 and 16.12
I received: 3.01, 4.10 and First
Comment: Hated to lose Julio, but I thought this would be worth it

Trade 7
I gave: 2.10 and 13.01
I received: 6.07, 9.06 and two Firsts
Comment: Given my goals, and assuming I could still land a Cordarrelle Patterson at 6.07, this was a good trade

Trade 8
I gave: 3.01, 4.05 and 6.07
I received: 2.11, 4.11 and 6.11
Comment: Small trade to land Gronk on the clock at 2.11

Trade 9
I gave: 6.12 and 10.12
I received: First
Comment: ill-advised trade, but this got me to nine firsts. I reluctantly accepted

Trade 10
I gave: 4.10 and 9.06
I received: 3.08
Comment: Not great as far as picks go, but Cam was still available on the clock at 3.08, and I decided to take the plunge to land the QB2 on my board. In hindsight, I’d rather have the 4.10 and 9.06

Trade 11
I gave: 8.12 and 9.01
I received: 18.11, 19.02, 20.11 and First
Comment: Again, expensive considering I had to forego Michael Floyd whom I prefer in a vacuum over a random First. However, this got me to ten and I would have it if that random first were to become the 1.2 next year (with my team obviously clinching the #1).

Trade 12
I gave: 14.12 and 18.12
I received: Second
Comment: Collecting what looked to be my last First (the last two would not sell), I decided to start collecting Seconds.

Trade 13
I gave: 15.01 and 17.01
I received: Second

Trade 14
I gave: 17.07, 18.11 and 19.01
I received: Second

Trade 15
I gave: 19.02, 20.06, 20.11 and 20.12
I received: Second

Trade 16
I gave: Four Seconds (including my sure 2.1)
I received: First
Comment: This will probably end up being an overpay, but I have too many picks next year (with the short rosters). You never know, the first may end up being a top one, making this trade a win. I also really wanted #11.

POST-DRAFT

Trade 17
I gave: Fourth
I received: Da’Rick Rogers
Comment: Value play

Trade 18 I gave: Cam Newton, Bilal Powell and Andre Roberts
I received: Percy Harvin, Ryan Tannehill and Keenan Allen
Comment: Good trade for both teams, as I don’t need Harvin to produce this year.


MY DRAFT
2.11 Rob Gronkowski: Good value, but this came on the heals of the back surgery news. Nobody wanted him.
3.08 Cam Newton: Another good value, but I paid a premium to land him from the 4.10
4.11 Tavon Austin: I really like him.
5.01 Justin Blackmon: Terrible offseason thus far, but for a team that can wait, he could end up being a great value even this early. Plus, Torrey Smith got snagged at 4.12.
6.11 Cordarrelle Patterson: Love Patterson this late.

MY FREE AGENT PICKUPS

To get a sense of what is available on the waiver wire, I have thus far picked up the following players using part of my $1,000 FAAB budget. With rosters of 20 and starting lineup requirements deeper than any other 12-team league I am in, there are sure to be good values later in the year especially during bye weeks. It will be difficult for teams to continue to hold “potential” future studs in this format (particularly when everyone else is playing to win having already traded their future firsts to me). On the other hand, I should have ample room this year to carry fringe players with potential.

Bilal Powell: $2
Andre Roberts: $8
Dustin Keller: $18
Dion Lewis: $1
Kenjon Barner: $1
Ladarius Green: $1
Vance McDonald: $2
Julius Thomas: $4
Austin Collie: $3
Philip Rivers: $1
TJ Graham: $1
Rod Streater: $1