Fantasy Football: Time to trade edition
Written by Hannah Ulm, Oct 17, 2011, 0 Comments
We’re almost halfway through the fantasy season and I’m guessing your team’s weak links are becoming more apparent. Although there is always the option of picking up a free agent, it’s likely you will have to trade for a player who can really make an impact.
When it comes to trades, I’ve always been a fantasy owner who shies away from dealing with my opponents. I like to stay loyal to the team I drafted or try to find an undrafted breakout rookie (hello Mike Wallace in 2009). But this year I’ve been trying some new approaches and so far they have paid off—I’m leading my league 4-1. Hopefully it’ll be 5-1 by the time this prints… but I digress.
Not only did I initiate a trade, I switched up one of the most significant players on my team: my QB. Luckily the rest of my team carried me to victories while QB Ben Roethlisberger looked like he forgot which sport he played, but I knew I couldn’t always rely on my stellar lineup to make up for my QB shortcomings. And yes, Ben showed much more promise in week five, but at this point I just don’t trust him.
In order to make the best trade possible, I identified a few key factors. First, which other owners had QB talent to spare. Second, the weaknesses in those other teams. Third, which players I was willing to give up (the hardest part by far).
I ended up trading WR Roddy White for QB Cam Newton and I am enthusiastically looking forward to seeing how this affects my team in week six. If you are looking for a trade, I suggest remembering the factors I considered in mine.
If you’re feeling morally ambiguous, you can also consider which opponents might underestimate a player you’re eyeing. Not that I personally endorse moves like that—I prefer to bask in the untainted glory of pure domination.
