| The trading deadline. You hear those words and half-expect
to hear ominous music in the background.
But the trading deadline doesn’t have to be an intimidating day for fantasy
football owners. It can be a chance to make the final push toward a championship or reload
for the future.
Deadlines are a big part of what journalists do (and I guess I consider myself a
journalist, for lack of a better term), so I have had to learn a lot of lessons about
dealing with them. I’ve taken those lessons, thrown in a few of my own and come up
with a couple of suggestions on how to deal with fantasy football deadline day.
Know your team — There is nothing more important than knowing where your
strengths and weaknesses are and knowing which players you have to have to make a
championship (or playoff) run.
For example, in one league I’m in, I traded Fred Taylor (before his return) and
Derrick Mayes for Drew Bledsoe. Here was my thinking: My team was solid at receiver —
I have Eric Moulds, Ed McCaffrey and Isaac Bruce as my starters when they’re healthy.
At running back, I had been starting Edgerrin James and Mike Alstott, a pair I think is
good enough to win with. That left Taylor as the X-factor. But I believe this team is good
enough to win in the playoffs with James and Alstott in the backfield and Bledsoe instead
of Jon Kitna at quarterback. That made Taylor expendable, so I made the power move.
But had I been starting Corey Dillon or Duce Staley or Errict Rhett alongside James, I
probably wouldn’t have made the move. In our scoring league, those backs aren’t
good enough to win with. My best chance to win would have been to hold on to Taylor and
take my chances that he went crazy-nuts in the second half of the season.
You have to be very aware of what your team’s upside is and what its probable
output is. If you can upgrade the probable output without significantly hurting your
upside, do it. Otherwise, it’s best to stand pat.
(All these suggestions, of course, go out the window if you’re in a keeper league
and you’re dumping for next year. In that case, let the bidding begin and get
whatever you can. Don’t lament your bad fortune — enjoy the attention. You
won’t be getting it, come playoff time.)
Know your target — This is vital. Don’t set your eyes on some
pie-in-the-sky trade scenario that only works one way. Be very specific as you look to
improve your team.
Say your No. 3 WR spot is a little weak. Don’t try to get Marvin Harrison for it
— settle on an attainable guy who’s better than what you have already. Unless
you’re in a league with morons, you’d have to tear your team apart to get
Harrison, while Derrick Mayes may be attainable for a reasonable price. Making wholesale
changes probably won’t result in an out-of-the-blue championship for your team.
Being realistic is the key. Schemes that are too grandiose are schemes that won’t
work, especially under the time pressure of deadline day. But if you look at the task with
open eyes, then you may be able to get something done. |
