The Tier Down Method: The Strategy That’s Won Me More Trades
One of the biggest mistakes I see C2C managers make every offseason is becoming obsessed with rankings instead of understanding what those rankings actually represent. Everybody wants to argue whether one player should be ranked second or fifth overall, but very few people stop to ask the question that I think matters far more: how big is the gap between those two players?
That question has changed the way I build my rosters over the last few years.
When I sit down to update my rankings, I’m not just sorting players from best to worst. I’m trying to identify where the talent gaps actually exist because those are the spots where league-winning trades are made. The market doesn’t always value players the same way I do, and that’s where I think some of the biggest opportunities in C2C come from.
One thing I want to make clear before we dive into this strategy is that I’m not telling you to shop every superstar on your roster. If I have Arch Manning, Dante Moore, Jeremiah Smith, or Bo Jackson, I’m not sending them around my league looking for offers. Elite players are elite for a reason, and they give you a massive advantage when they hit. What I am saying is that every player has a price, and sometimes the market becomes so infatuated with a player that the perceived gap between him and the next tier becomes much larger than the actual gap on the field.
The managers who consistently build championship rosters aren’t always the ones who drafted the biggest names. They’re usually the managers who understand value better than everyone else. They recognize when they can move from one elite asset into another player they still believe has elite upside while adding another premium piece that strengthens the rest of their roster. That’s the entire philosophy behind tiering down, and it’s become one of my favorite ways to build teams.
Quarterback: The Gap Is Smaller Than The Market Thinks
If there’s one position where I find myself using this strategy more than anywhere else, it’s quarterback. That might surprise some people because elite quarterbacks are arguably the most valuable assets in C2C, but that’s exactly why I think the market occasionally gets carried away.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love having an elite quarterback on my roster. If I roster Dante Moore or Arch Manning today, I’m feeling great about the future of my team because I believe both have the talent to become franchise NFL quarterbacks. Those are exactly the types of players you want anchoring your roster for years.
The problem isn’t the players. The problem is the market.
Every offseason we convince ourselves there’s an enormous gap between the top quarterback and everyone else. Sometimes that gap exists, but a lot of times I don’t think it’s nearly as wide as trade calculators or league managers make it out to be. When I look at my own rankings, I don’t see a cliff after my top tier. I see another group of quarterbacks who I believe have legitimate QB1 overall upside if everything breaks their way.
That’s why I’m always willing to listen if someone comes calling about one of my Tier 1 quarterbacks. I’m not looking to trade them just for the sake of making a deal, but if someone is willing to pay like Dante Moore is in a completely different universe than Bryce Underwood or Keelon Russell, now we’ve got a conversation. If I can move into that next tier and pick up an additional first-round pick or another young cornerstone player, I think I’ve made my roster stronger without giving up much of my long term ceiling.
That’s the biggest misconception about tiering down. People hear the phrase and immediately think you’re settling for an inferior player. That’s not how I look at it at all. I’m simply taking another swing on a player I already believe can become elite while giving myself another premium asset that can help me win now or become another trade chip later.
In my rankings, the top tier starts with:
Dante Moore
Arch Manning
I see these players as having the potential to be franchise quarterbacks. Their talent and upside are clear, and they’re the kind of leaders you want steering your team for years to come.
But here’s where I think managers need to grasp the concept of value. If the market treats these players as completely untouchable, that’s when I start to take notice. Not because I want to part ways with them, but because the next level is packed with players who I still believe have a real shot at becoming elite.
The quarterbacks I would be comfortable tiering down into:
Keelon Russell
Bryce Underwood
Jared Curtis
That’s why I don’t view moving from Dante Moore to Bryce Underwood as “losing” the trade. If I already believe Bryce has legitimate superstar upside, and I can pick up another premium asset on top of him, I’ve increased my roster’s overall value without dramatically lowering my ceiling at quarterback.
The goal isn’t to have the No. 1 quarterback in my rankings. The goal is to build the strongest roster from top to bottom. Sometimes that means keeping the superstar because nobody is willing to pay what he’s worth. Other times it means recognizing that the market is creating an opportunity that’s simply too good to pass up.
For example, if someone offered me Bryce Underwood and an early 2027 first-round pick for Dante Moore, I’m not smashing decline because Dante is ranked higher. I’m taking a long look at that deal because I still believe Bryce has elite upside, and now I’ve added another premium asset that gives me flexibility down the road.
That extra first could turn into another cornerstone player. It could become a proven producer during the season. It could even help me move up in another deal. However I decide to use it, my roster now has another valuable piece that it didn’t have before, and that’s exactly what this strategy is all about.
One thing I want to stress, though, is that this only works if you genuinely believe in the player you’re tiering down to. If you’re moving off an elite quarterback for someone you have two or three tiers lower just because you’re collecting picks, you’re missing the point entirely. The player coming back has to be someone you’d be excited to build around if you were starting a roster from scratch.
That’s why I always come back to my own rankings instead of letting the market dictate my decisions. If I think Bryce Underwood belongs in that next elite tier, then I’m comfortable making that move. If I don’t believe in the player, no amount of extra value is going to convince me otherwise.
At the end of the day, quarterback is probably the position where I use this strategy the most because I think it’s also the position where managers tend to overreact to rankings. Everyone wants the quarterback with the biggest name attached to him, and that’s exactly why those players sometimes become overvalued. When that happens, I’m always willing to listen because I’ve learned that winning trades isn’t about getting the flashiest player—it’s about creating the strongest roster.
Running Back: The Position Where I Am Most Willing To Get Aggressive
Running back is probably the position where I’m the most comfortable using the tier-down strategy because, quite honestly, this position is chaos.
I love elite running backs just like everyone else. There is nothing better in C2C than having a true difference-maker who can carry your college production while also becoming a valuable NFL asset. When you hit on a running back, they can completely change the direction of your roster.
The problem is that running back value can change faster than almost any position in fantasy football.
One injury, one coaching change, one bad depth chart situation, or one player emerging behind them can completely change how the market views a running back. We have seen it happen over and over again. A player can be viewed as the next superstar one offseason, and six months later the conversation around them looks completely different.That doesn’t mean I avoid elite running backs. Far from it.It just means I’m much more willing to ask myself the question:
“Is this player truly in a tier by himself, or is the market just treating him that way?”
For me, the only Tier 1 running back is:
Bo Jackson
There is a reason Bo is viewed as such a special prospect. The athletic ability, the explosiveness, the recruiting profile, and the overall ceiling are exactly what you want when you’re trying to find a future cornerstone player.
If I roster Bo Jackson, I understand why someone would never want to move him. Those are the players you draft hoping they become the foundation of your team.
But this is where I think managers need to separate the player from the price.
If someone values Bo Jackson like he is the only running back in this class capable of becoming elite, that creates an opportunity.
Because when I look at the next tier of running backs, I don’t see players who are miles behind him. I see players who have a legitimate chance to become difference-makers themselves.
