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I want to target a team that needs a tight end to upgrade my flex spot. I have Aaron Rodgers, Hakeem Nicks,
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| Michael Bush is a great play if Darren McFadden sits. Photo Credit: Jeffrey Beall |
Brandon Marshall, Jordy Nelson, Arian Foster, Frank Gore, DeMarco Murray, Felix Jones, Ryan Torain, Daniel Thomas, Ben Tate, Jimmy Graham, and Vernon Davis. He has Cam Newton, Matt Hasselbeck, Dez Bryant, Jeremy Maclin, Brandon Lloyd, Michael Jenkins, Doug Baldwin, Rashard Mendenhall, Peyton Hillis, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Dallas Clark, and Ben Watson. I was thinking of offering a package of Vernon Davis and another player or two to get one of his receivers. What would you do?
You certainly found a team that is need of an upgrade at tight end. Davis would be an upgrade, and he has some good wide receivers. I would start off by offering Davis for Lloyd. I would be advising everyone to try and trade for Lloyd right now. Many were worried about the transition for Lloyd going from Denver to St. Louis. The good thing is the familiarity he has with the system since he played under Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels last season. Lloyd is already getting a lot of targets for the Rams. He had 12 targets in his first game against the Cowboys and caught six passes for 74 yards and had six catches for 53 yards with a TD last week against the Saints on 13 targets. Both those games were with A.J. Feeley at quarterback. Once Sam Bradford returns, it should get even better. Lloyd is the No. 1 receiver for the Rams, and he will continue to get a lot of looks. Bryant and Maclin are perceived to have more value and Lloyd could finish as good or better, and his price is cheaper. Shoot for Lloyd in the trade.
Michael Crabtree or Michael Bush in the flex position?
If Darren McFadden doesn’t play because of his foot sprain, Bush will be a Top 10 play this week. McFadden didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday, and it’s not looking like he will play. The Raiders also play in the first Thursday night game on Nov. 9, so they might want to play it safe and wait until that game to play McFadden. Bush had four games last season of at least 20 carries, and he had at least 95 yards rushing in three of them, along with three TDs.
My tight end is Jake Ballard. Do I want to drop him for Brent Celek or Dustin Keller this week and the rest of the way?
While Ballard has been solid, I like Celek this week and you can either keep him for the rest of the season or play matchups each week if these calibers of tight ends are available. The Eagles offense looked terrific against the Cowboys and I expect it to be very good every week. Celek is finally getting involved in the offense. Michael Vick is looking for him more with nine targets in each of the last two games. Celek has scored in two consecutive games and has 11 catches for 136 yards in those games. With a matchup against the Bears and the Cover-2 defense this week, Celek is the better play. The Bears defense is prone to giving up production to the tight end.
Last week I dropped Eric Decker to pick up Demaryius Thomas, which backfired. Not sure about Denver wide receivers anymore with Tim Tebow. Should I drop Thomas? If so, who should I get? Victor Cruz, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Torrey Smith are available.
There is no clear cut favorite for Tebow right now, and we all know he could get benched at any time. Thomas had 10 targets in Tebow’s first start and then three last week, while Decker had three targets and then 12 last week. I still like Decker, but Cruz and Heyward-Bey are better options. Cruz is the better add. Cruz has at least nine targets in three of his last four games. Eli Manning is averaging 309.8 yards passing in his last six games with 13 TDs. In a PPR league over his last four games, Cruz has 15, 30, 3, and 22 points. The Giants have a great matchup against the Patriots this week and if Hakeem Nicks sits, Cruz could get even more targets.
I have to start three at receiver/tight end. Who do I bench this week? I have DeSean Jackson, Jimmy Graham, A.J. Green, Brandon Lloyd, and Fred Davis.
Graham is coming off his worst game, but the Saints offense as a whole was abysmal. He is targeted the most in the Saints offense and is a start. I like Lloyd a lot this week. The Cardinals have allowed 11 passing TDs and Lloyd is clearly the No. 1 receiver for the Rams with 25 targets in his first two games with his new team. Then it comes down to Green and Jackson. Jackson could have a good game this week against the Bears because their safeties have been bad. However, he’s just too risky, though, and he’s been the true definition of boom or bust and it’s been more bust this season. Teams are playing safeties very deep to prevent Jackson from completing that big play. Jackson has four games of 46 yards receiving or less. He has two 100-yard games and just two TDs. I’ll go with the consistent Green, who has scored a TD in five of seven games.
I was offered DeMarco Murray, Tony Romo and Julio Jones for Drew Brees and Chris Johnson. I also have Matt Stafford, Chris Ogbonnaya, Knowshon Moreno, Peyton Hillis, Brandon Jacobs, and Jahvid Best. Do I make this trade?
I absolutely would make this deal. Adding Murray improves your running back position. It is possible he eventually forms a timeshare with Felix Jones when he returns from injury, but he has looked very good every time he touches the ball the last two weeks. With Stafford at quarterback, you can afford to deal Brees. I would actually try to get another player instead of Romo if possible. If not, you can shop Romo after Stafford’s bye passes this week. Jones is scheduled to be back in Week 9, and he was playing well before the hamstring injury. Trading away Johnson isn’t a big deal. He has looked awful and afraid of contact. I don’t expect him to turn it around. He had the perfect matchup last week against an awful Colts run defense and fell flat, being outperformed by Javon Ringer again. This a trade that helps your team and puts you in position to make another trade.
I give up Cedric Benson, Shonn Greene, and Steve Smith (Panthers) and receive LeSean McCoy, Mike Tolbert, and Santonio Holmes. I am currently 5-3 with the second most points in my league. After trading Smith, I would still have Larry Fitzgerald, A.J. Green, Pierre Garcon and Eric Decker. Your thoughts?
Run to your computer or cell phone and click accept. The best player in the deal is McCoy. He has scored in every game and is a player you place in your lineup and feel good knowing production is coming every week. There are very few players we can say that about this season. Dealing Smith is a loss, but you have to deal a good player to get one back. Holmes is a good buy low. The Jets need to find a way to get him the ball more. I think he has a better second half. Greene is playing better, but he’s not a special back. He doesn’t make people miss, won’t break a long run and has to get a lot of carries or a TD to produce good stats. Benson is the same way and maybe the Bengals will be smart for once and give Bernard Scott more touches.
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Adam is a staff writer at RotoExperts.com. You can email him at aronis@rotoexperts.com, on twitter at AdamRonis or check out his Newsday blog.
