Dealing

I’ve made a whopping 8 trades in CPL this season.  Quite crazy when I look at my roster and the only players I have left from draft day are Rodgers, Moss and McCoy (whom funny enough I traded away early in the season and has luckily made it back to my roster right before Westbrooks 2nd concussion).  I recently gave up Marshawn Lynch, Marion Barber and DeSean Jackson for Steven Jackson and Percy Harvin.  Some thought I gave up too much but S-Jax rewarded me last Sunday with the monster PPR stat line of 131 rushing yards, 1 rush TD and 9 receptions for 45 yards.  If Westbrook ends up out for the season, I’m just in luck with McCoy as my #2 RB.

Sadly in my keeper league, I dealt away Hakeem “The Dream 2.0” Nicks who was drafted in the 18th round and is eligible to kept the following season for the lowly price of a 13th round draft choice.  I know I know but I was a bit too enticed with having a respectable squad that could potentially repeat as a champion now that I added Marques Colston to my crew of wide receivers Chad OchoCinco and Steve Smith.  Peyton and Gore will be rock solid moving forward and if Carson Palmer can take advantage of a soft schedule in the next few games (Raiders, Browns, Lions) and Mendenhall is actually called upon to run the ball, my chances of a strong 2nd half definitely exist.  Yes they’re some “IF” scenarios but not unrealistic by any means.

On a side note, how amazing is the Pats-Colts rivarly??  The game last Sunday night was one for the ages.  Much is made of Belichick going for it on 4th and 2 from his own 28 but lets be honest.  You can take the ’85 Bears defense or the ’01 Baltimore Ravens D but I’d still bet on Peyton Manning scoring against your squad, regardless of the length of field.  If anything, the Pats seemed unorganized with their handling of timeouts.  This year might be Manning’s best year professionally.  Yes he threw 49 touchdowns a few seasons ago but that was with Marvin Harrisson and Brandon Stokely.  Now he has Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie to work with minus Anthony Gonzalez.

Bust….Not So Fast

I picked up Vince Young in a league where we have keepers a few weeks ago.  I’m liking his 15 for 18 completion rate.  Put me down in the camp that believes he will have a succesful NFL career.  Many busts proclaimed initially have bounced back.  Jim Plunkett was drafted number one by the 49ers who gave up on him, only to watch him win 2 super bowls across the bay in Oakland.  San Diego drafted quarterback Phillip Rivers in 2004 mainly because they didn’t believe their 2nd round quarterback choice in 2001.  Good job on giving up on that guy.

Watching Alex Smith put together a 2 minute drill against the Colts has me convinced he is ready for a comeback.  The quarterback is the hardest position to predict during the draft.  Personally, if I was a GM, I’d stray away from investing a top 1st round pick (along with the money that comes with it) in a QB.  American society is built on what have you done for me lately.  To expect someone in their early 20’s to just jump in and understand the importance of the role is naive.  There are many variables in determining the success of a young quarterback but should the physical tools, health, conceptual fit of the system and mental preparedness come together, positive results will eventually pan out. JaMarcus Russell may be the worst number one pick of all time but it wouldn’t surprise if one day he eventually got it together.  Now if you’re asking me to put money on that one, well I’d wisely decline however history has proven you can never rule out anything.

Trading Stocks

Half way through the fantasy football season for most leagues, I find this time pivotal to evaluate my two squads.  One is 5-3 and the other is 4-4, each with a fairly high amount of points which are weighted just as equally as win-loss record fortunately.  I’ve made quite a few trades in Cupertino Playaz League (PPR scoring), more than any amount of trades I’ve made at this point in seasons past.  Ronnie Brown for DeSean Jackson is finally paying off for me.  The week after the initial Miles Austin coming out party, I traded Kyle Orton, Rashard Mendenhal and Chad OchoCinco for Tony Romo and Calvin Johnson.  I saw the missing piece from the Cowboys offense appear and knew it was time to get Romo at any cost.  Since I had Barber, I wanted to cover my QB-RB strategy.  Glad I did and if Calvin can finally play, I feel confident in winning the Playaz Cup.  Leon Washington and the Pats D for Reggie Bush was a small deal due to myself knowing I needed a RB for Marshawn Lynch’s bye week.  Unfortunately for my partner in the trade, Leon broke his leg the next day.  My tight end has been disappointing with Greg Olsen so I dealt Jamal Charles and Nate Washington for Heath Miller.  Rothlesberger is on pace to throw the ball 500 times this season!  I think it’s hilarious when owners don’t take risks during a season when their squads tumble down the standings.  Pride needs to be eliminated when determing the trade value of a player.  Saying “I spent a first round pick on Steve Slaton” so I should get more back for him is foolish.  Optimizing the strength of your starting lineup is a must.  The value of every player changes once the season.  View them as stocks and adjust accordingly.  Search among every owners roster and look for holes you can help fill.  Trust me, it’s an amazing feel after trading for a player and makes a play like this.