Alright, let’s talk about dealing Tyreek Hill in fantasy football this season. Had him on my main league team, and man, watching him rack up points is fun, no doubt.
But here’s the thing. My team wasn’t balanced. I was stacked at receiver, especially with Hill putting up monster numbers early on, but my running backs were looking pretty thin. Like, really thin. One injury away from disaster. So, I started thinking, maybe I should cash in on Hill’s peak value? Everyone knows he’s electric, but Tua’s health always feels like a bit of a gamble, you know? Plus, getting a king’s ransom could fix my entire roster.
My Process Kicking Off
First thing I did was scout the league. Pulled up the standings, looked at every team roster. Who needed a top-tier WR? Who had RB depth they could afford to move? Made a short list of maybe 3-4 teams that looked like potential dance partners. You can’t just blindly throw offers out there; gotta target teams where it actually makes sense for both sides.
Then, I started figuring out what I actually wanted. Was I looking for one stud RB? Or maybe a solid RB1 plus another decent flex player? I decided I needed more than just one player back. Hill is a league winner, you don’t trade him for just anybody. I needed a package that addressed my RB situation significantly.
- Targeted RB1s: Guys like Bijan Robinson (before he got weirdly underused for a bit), maybe Travis Etienne, someone with high volume.
- Added Value: Looked for maybe a reliable WR2 or a dependable TE if the RB wasn’t quite elite tier.
Getting Down to Business – The Offers
Okay, so I picked my top target team. Guy was desperate for a WR1, starting some real JAGs (Just A Guy). He had Austin Ekeler and Kenneth Walker III at RB. Looked promising.
I sent the first offer: My Tyreek Hill for his Austin Ekeler and maybe a lesser WR piece he had. He shot that down instantly. Said Hill was great, but Ekeler was his rock (this was before Ekeler started slowing down a bit, mind you).
Fine. Moved on to the next guy. This manager had Breece Hall and Jonathan Taylor, but his WRs were weak sauce after his top guy. I thought, perfect! Offered Hill for Breece Hall straight up. Figured Hall’s upside was massive. He mulled it over for like, two days. Sent me messages like “Hmm, tempting…” and “Let me think on it…” which usually means “no” but they want to feel important. Finally declined.
This reminds me of this one time a few years back, trying to trade for prime Le’Veon Bell. The guy wanted my entire draft plus my firstborn. Some fantasy managers are just impossible, living in a fantasy world within a fantasy world, you know? You spend hours crafting what you think is a fair deal, check all the trade value charts, and they hit you back asking for the moon. Drove me nuts then, still drives me nuts now.
The Trade That Finally Happened (or Didn’t)
So, after a few failed attempts and some annoying back-and-forth, I reassessed. Was I asking too much? Was Hill really worth two top-15 players? Maybe I needed to lower my expectations slightly, or target a different kind of package.
I spotted another team. This manager was surprisingly deep everywhere but had taken some injury hits. They had Kyren Williams sitting on IR and Saquon Barkley. Their receivers were okay, but nothing spectacular. I thought, maybe they’d gamble on Hill putting them over the top when Kyren came back?
Sent a new offer: My Tyreek Hill and a bench RB for his Saquon Barkley and Chris Olave. Felt more balanced. Addressed my RB need with a high-upside guy (when healthy) and got back a really solid WR2 in Olave, so I wasn’t totally gutting my receiver corps.
He actually countered! Wanted a slightly better bench piece from me. We haggled a bit, like genuinely discussed it back and forth for an hour. Finally, we landed on the original framework: Hill and my RB3 for Barkley and Olave. We both hit accept.
So, the final deal was:
- I Gave: Tyreek Hill, RB3
- I Got: Saquon Barkley, Chris Olave
Looking Back
Honestly, moving Hill hurt a bit. You don’t get players like that often. But my team felt way more solid afterwards. I had two strong RBs (when Saquon was playing) and still had good WRs with Olave joining my other starters. It felt like the right move to compete for the championship, not just win weekly matchups based on one guy exploding.
Trading big names is always tough. Takes time, gotta talk to people, gotta be willing to walk away or adjust your price. But sometimes, you gotta break some eggs to make an omelet, right? Fixed my RB problem, felt good about it. That’s my story on moving Cheetah this year.
