It's time to get moving on potential trades in your league. You're running out of time.

Ha, you say. You know nothing about my league, Murillo! The trade deadline isn't until November, so I have plenty of time.

That's what you think. I said you're running out of time, and that's what I meant. If you want to get a deal done, the time to start working on it is now.

Yes, I know that your official trade deadline is far into the future. But that's the deadline for two owners agreeing to a trade and submitting it. How long does that actually take? If the trade deadline is on a Wednesday, can you reach out to an owner on a Tuesday? How about Monday?

No chance. More like October. Now is the time to start some dialogues regarding trades. By the time you actually finalize a deal with named players, it might be pretty close to your deadline.

Maybe you don't know what you want to offer for a specific player. You might not even be sure which specific player you want. You don't have to worry about that right now. If you see a weakness on your team (or a weakness on someone else's team), now's the time open a channel of communication. Are they interested in trading at all? Is there anyone on your team they'd want in return?

If there isn't mutual interest, or they don't bother to get back with you, it's best to know now. If you need to make a trade, weed out uninterested parties first and you'll have an easier time finding the owners who are interested. You don't have to hound anyone because you're not rushed by the approaching deadline. But by reaching out today, you'll see who might make a good trade partner in the coming weeks.

We all know that things can change from week to week. Injuries, benchings, or a sudden loss of FitzMagic can alter the look of a fantasy team. So while you're negotiating, new opportunities might arise, and (lucky for you) you're already in communication with the other owner. It might take a while to actually figure out the terms of the deal, but with so much time before the deadline, you can afford to be flexible and run through different scenarios.

And sometimes those unexpected circumstances turn uninterested parties into very interested trade partners. When you're talking over a period of several weeks, you might be the one they reach out to first. They already know you're someone who's interested in making a deal, and that designation could work to your advantage.

Of course, the best part of this strategy is that you're not obligated to go through with anything. If you decide you don't want to do a deal, or their players don't look as good in a few weeks or you decide you don't need to make a trade after all, no problem. Just don't close the deal. But in that case, it's your call.

The best asset you can have (besides a stacked roster) is time. Discussing trades now has no real downside and can be the difference between getting a deal done and getting frustrated just before Thanksgiving. How many times have you seen deals fall apart because there wasn't enough time to finalize it? At crunch time, many owners will simply stand pat rather than risk making a hasty decision that hurts them. Maybe another couple weeks would have been enough time to make everyone happy and a trade would have gone through.

You'll never know, of course. All you can do is eliminate any potential obstacles to making trades, and one of those obstacles is time. Don't wait until a couple weeks before the deadline to make inquiries. Start reaching out now, gauge interest, and use that information to make better decisions over the next few weeks. You might see some real results when you really need it.

When do you start approaching teams about trades? How long does it take to get something done in your league? Share your thoughts below.